For north Minneapolis singer/songwriter Geoffrey Lamar Wilson, it started even before the public knew anything about Renee Good.
“I came home and started writing this song before learning her name,” said Wilson, better known by the stage moniker Laamar.
By the time he and the rest of the world learned the identity of the woman shot and killed by an ICE agent Jan. 7 in Minneapolis, Wilson had written a song dedicated to her memory, titled “Who Is She to You?” And within hours of completing the tune, he performed it onstage at First Avenue, with an “Abolish ICE” sign next to him during an opening set with Yam Haus on Jan. 10.
“Sometimes I feel all I have to contribute to these moments are songs,” Wilson wrote in a social media post featuring a video of him performing the song at home. “It’s not enough, but it’s what I can offer today.”
He’s not alone in that offering. The new Laamar song is one of several to already pop up online from Twin Cities musicians who were inspired by Good and/or the chaos surrounding her killing and the incursion of ICE agents in Minnesota this month.
Here’s a sampling of some of those songs.
Laamar
Similar to the songs on his 2023 breakout EP, “Flowers” — inspired by police killings of George Floyd, Philando Castile and others — Wilson explores the psyche and stories of the people involved in these tragedies, including the law enforcement agents. Lyrics include, “Every day you wake up, trying to be braver than the day before,” and, “What’s it mean to you, what you’re paid to do / Hide behind a mask for a pocket full of cash.”
Durry
In the same way he unveiled his namesake band’s 2023 viral hit, “Who’s Laughing Now,” Durry’s frontman Austin Durry posted video Jan. 13 performing the new song, “Told You So,” solo singing into the camera. He included an explanation that it had been in the works for a long time, inspired by conversations with conservative family members and the overall political tribalism, which has spiked since Good’s shooting. “You’ll say your lines, and I’ll say mine / And we’ll be back where we started,” Austin sings, but then goes on to sound less sympathetic to the conservative side, citing billionaires who are “starving out children” and “gunning down civilians.”
