When you think of yellow tape, the first thing that usually comes to mind is a deadly crime scene because that’s what you see. When the police arrive on a deadly crime scene, they use yellow tape to block it off. Jeremy Hines, from Houston, is doing his part in advocating for an end to those types of crime scenes with his new video “Yellow Tape.”

Hines’ message is simple. He wants people to, “Put the guns down and put your dukes up,” as he sings on the hook. In the video, directed by he and his wife Nitres Hines, Hines paints the symbolic picture of senseless gun violence.

He begins the “Yellow Tape” video rapping as a dying man shot by a clown. The video is in literal tense because Hines, who was simultaneously jogging and shadow boxing, was shot by clown, literally, during his workout. Now in a figurative perspective, when you compare this situation to real life, people are shot by clowns everyday. Not actual clowns, but by people who unnecessarily turn to gun violence as a cowardly act of defense. 

The first verse, he raps about police brutality. He says, “Uh, more yellow tape, history y’all can’t erase/Show me a place where running your plates won’t end with a gun in your face/They claiming they patriots but they Benedict if they killing the innocent”

As Hines is rapping as a dying man, the crime scene marker numbers are 1,3,7, and 8, which is in reference to the Ex Dallas Police Department officer Amber Guyger’s apartment unit. In 2018, Guyger, a white woman, mistakenly walked into the wrong apartment unit and shot and killed Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black accountant. Guyger was supposed to walk in 1378, which is her apartment, but walked in unit 1478, mistook Jean for an intruder, and fatally shot him. Guyger is currently serving a 10-year sentence for the crime. 

In verse two, Hines is rapping with a donkey on his lap and blood on his hands. The donkey on his lap is a representation of men killing over women, and the blood on his hands could insinuate losing a loved one or taking a life. At the beginning of the second verse he says, “More yellow tape, history y’all can’t erase/show me a place where me and my brothers can have a debate and be safe/addressing the t-bone streaks like grown men nobody head get blown in/we showing love and we holding doves don’t wanna get led to the wrong end of a disagreement.” 

The track “Yellow Tape,” is a visualization of Hines’ stance on guns. He’s not against guns, he’s against senseless gun violence.  He said, “Yellow Tape is artistically expressing concerns about police brutality towards citizens in the US, especially black men, as well as “citizen on citizen” brutality. The images and messages in this music video advocate for the saving of lives.” Watch the video above and for more information on this artist, follow him on Instagram at jay.dee.h.