The Sunday Music Drop is a weekly radio series hosted by the KQED weekend news team. In each segment, we feature a song from a local musician or band with an upcoming show and hear about what inspires their music.
Oakland rapper and producer Michael Sneed says he came up with his song “City” after witnessing a police officer giving an unhoused person who was sleeping on the freeway a ticket.
“There’s just so much irony there because it’s called the freeway, like, one — and two, if he’s sleeping on the freeway, he obviously does not have the money to pay for a ticket,” said Sneed.
Sneed is from East Oakland and attends Allen Temple Baptist Church. He’s observed several tents set up in the area for people who’ve been displaced and hopes his song reaches people across the country to shed light on the homelessness crisis.
“I have friends that have been displaced … I make music in downtown Oakland,” said Sneed. “When you go to downtown — especially under the freeway — you see a bunch of tents. It’s just seeing it every day … It’s just like, bruh, this is crazy. People are not supposed to be living like this. Housing is a right, it’s not a privilege.”
“City” is a song from Sneed’s upcoming EP, Junior Varsity Blues.
Michael Sneed will be performing with Ovrkast and Demahjiae at Brick and Mortar Music Hall at 8 p.m. in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2023.