Usher first premiered “Chains” last October, a little over a year after releasing the Juicy J-assisted stripper-empowerment anthem “I Don’t Mind” at the end of 2014. “Chains,” which features contributions from Nas and Bibi Bourelly, is a decidedly political anthem that meditates on the current state of police brutality—specifically as it relates to Black men. In the chorus, Usher painstakingly repeats the line, “We still in chains. You put the shame on us.”
The song originally debuted as a video that played out as a slideshow of innocent Black men that have been unjustly shot (and some killed) by police officers. Each “slide” featured the victim’s name, age, and story.
Today, Usher released a new (and probably more official) black-and-white visual to accompany the single. This time, Usher takes on the role of the innocent Black male victim: he is handcuffed, taken away in a police car, and eventually, finds himself wandering through the pews at his own funeral.
Usher issued comments on the themes of the video via Twitter:
“Chains” is expected to appear on Usher’s forthcoming eighth studio effort, Flawed, which currently has no release date. Watch the new clip below.