Photo by Aaron Jackson
Audio By Carbonatix
In 2020, New Times contributor Shanae Hardy wrote a piece entitled “Black South Florida Artists Describe How Their Music Reflects the Times.” That piece was published on June 24, a month after the murder of George Floyd. Now, after the January killings of both Renée Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis, the New Times revisits this idea of what music — and musicians — can say about the times, from the mouths of the marginalized.
While the current climate surrounding immigration is unprecedented, America has always had a history of classism and social separation.
When Miami rapper and musician Bushy B first attended a predominantly non-Black high school in his sophomore year, he wasn’t prepared for the attention of the entire class to shift to him during a US history lesson on slavery. But then again, few Black kids would be.
“Growing up, you know, I faced discrimination,” said Bushy. “A lot of this stuff is taught. It’s passed down, even by the laws.”
“Othering” has been weaponized for centuries in the United States, whether through the near-250-year history of chattel slavery or the modern-day US immigration policy. The ongoing discussions surrounding race, immigration, and equality in America reveal a country grappling with a legacy of racism, restriction, and prejudice.
“It pains me to see what’s going on,” says Haitian American rapper Kanis. “You know, so many people have spent years paying taxes here and investing here and building their lives here. This land was already stolen.”
Her last album, released in November 2025, is titled Ego, a love letter to her psyche and an exploration of her life, experiences, and lessons. As a second-generation immigrant herself, Kanis sings not only for her culture, but for “the misunderstood people, the people that want to take it a little further, always questioning life — the people that are not surface people — deep people, emotional people, people that get it, people that can feel it.”
For Kanis — and for Bushy — it isn’t about class, or color. It’s about speaking a universal language. Music is a form of communication that everyone, regardless of their country of origin, can understand.
“I have a lot of friends who are in Alcatraz, taken by ICE,” Kanis said. “I have a lot of friends in transition to go back to Haiti. I have a lot of people who are scared, so they’re running. And I don’t think the state of fear that we’re living in is something we deserve.”
Bushy’s recent project, a full-length album entitled Lifestyle, leans into everything that makes Miami… well, Miami. And that includes its diversity. “I’m always paying attention to what’s going on,” said Bushy. “I’m just painting, man, I see it and I paint it.”
But despite her passion for music, fellow rapper Kanis believes stepping away from the scene is the right move. The weight of the political climate is driving her to pursue a different path.
“Ego was my last album as a rapper,” she said. “I’m going to shift the focus more on something that’s bigger than me, and I think that’s preserving my culture and preserving the Caribbean culture… It’s not about me anymore, so how can I contribute to the greater good that’s not so much about ego and myself?”
For Bushy, it’s about doing the research — forming individualized opinions and not following a prescribed narrative.
“I’m still learning,” he says. “As I’m getting older, I’m emphasizing this idea to lead with love. I feel like love is also a universal language… There’s always new things going on, and maybe it’s for power, maybe it’s for resources. Who knows? But for me, I’m always leading with love.”
Kanis describes herself as a very “emotional” person, a person who believes that change needs to happen on an immaterial level before it can ever become physical.
“I don’t think anything will successfully change what’s happening until there’s a mental and a spiritual shift that happens in America,” says Kanis. “We need to become more unified. We need to start understanding that we’re all family–brothers and sisters. We need to understand that it doesn’t matter what country you’re from, we stand together.”
As ICE raids spread across the country and protests follow, the nation becomes progressively more divided. But Bushy B and Kanis stand for Miami–fighting for cultural preservation, equality, and love.
“It’s not about me anymore,” says Kanis. “If it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”
