Rapper DaBaby began his virtual BET Awards performance by reenacting the death of George Floyd.
The pre-taped performance was published Sunday on YouTube by BET Networks.
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DaBaby and Roddy Ricch performed their hit “Rockstar” for their full performance. The video began with DaBaby lying down with a cop’s knee on his neck. The imagery is a reference to Floyd’s death. As previously reported, Floyd died on May 25 while in custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Video footage of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes sparked protests against police brutality across the United States. (RELATED: DaBaby Arrested On Battery Charge)
For the rest of the video, DaBaby performs his song while standing on top of a burning police car. Black Lives Matter protesters also make an appearance in the video. The protestors wore shirts saying “Black Lives Matter” and “I Am George Floyd.”
The video performance also includes footage of heated moments between police wearing riot gear and protestors.
At the end of the video, Zianna Oliphant, who made a speech that went viral back in 2016, walked to the camera while audio of her speech played.
“We are Black people, and we shouldn’t have to feel like this,” Oliphant said in the video. “We shouldn’t have to protest because y’all are treating us wrong. We do this because we need to. It’s a shame our fathers and mothers are killed and we can’t even see them anymore.”