Another year and still plenty to be angry about. Because of this, there was no shortage of protest music and right now we will consider a sampling of the best socially conscious albums of the year. Several of these were previously featured either on the list of the 30 Best Protest Albums of the Year (So Far) or during the monthly recaps. In many cases what was previously written about these albums was reused for this list. The list is presented in alphabetical order.
Adeem the Artist – White Trash Revelry
The latest album by the non-binary country singer scales even greater heights than their previous outstanding album Cast Iron Pansexual (one of the best protest albums of 2021). Just like that album, Adeem explores issues connected with gender identity and societal ills, but they display greater nuance in exploring the Southern duality and they continue to grow with their skilled lyrical ability as a storyteller.
Ashenspire – Hostile Architecture
According to the Bandcamp description, the album “is a sonic exploration of the ways that subjects under late capitalism are constrained and set in motion via the various structures that uphold stratification and oppression in urban contexts.” I couldn’t describe it better myself.
Previously featured album track The Law of Asbestos as Daily Dose of Protest.
Jake Blount – The New Faith
This is a stunning concept album that weaves a compelling Afrofuturist narrative of what Black religious music would sound like in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by climate change. Blount effectively reworks ten traditional Black spirituals, along with two original spoken word compositions. Blount assumes the role of archivist, historian, and prophet who sounds out a warning message.
Bob Vylan – Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life
Just like their 2020 debut album, We Live Here, the album features incisive political commentary addressing issues such as systemic racism and poverty. It features radical potent slogans such as ‘Wage war against the state’, ‘England’s fucking dead, let it burn’, and ‘Alexa, take me to prison’. Concerning the topics covered by the album, singer Bobby Vylan (not to be confused with the drummer Bobbie Vylan) made the following statement: “Money is a tool. It’s neither good nor bad. Unfortunately, there are some people that are using it for evil and to keep other people down.”
The album track “GDP” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Chat Pile – God’s Country
The Oklahoma City sludge-metal band is fittingly named after the 200-foot-high heaps of contaminated gravel found in the ghost town of Picher, Oklahoma. It is a fitting metaphor for their explosive debut album which clearly exposes societal rot. Connected to this bassist Stin made the following statement: “More than anything, we’re trying to capture the anxiety and fear of seeing the world fall apart.”
Previously featured album track “Why” as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Confess- Revenge At All Cost
The Iranian metal band’s 3rd album is their 1st release since fleeing to Norway to escape political persecution. The opening track “Based on a True Story” features news reports snippets concerning their arrest for making anti-establishment music, while the follow-up track “EVIN” chronicles their time in prison. The album has no shortage of righteous indignation directed at unjust power structures.
Shemekia Copeland– Done Come Too Far
The latest album by the blues singers is a powerful examination of the Black American experience. Copeland stated: “This album was made by all sides of me — happy, sad, silly, irate — they’re all a part who I am and who we all are. I’m not political. I’m just talking about what’s happening in this country.”
Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes
This collaborative album of the acclaimed musician and producer Danger Mouse, and the well-respected The Roots emcee Black Thought is a tour de force performance featuring appearances from several hip-hop heavy hitters. Similar to his solo Streams of Thought trilogy, Black Thought explores themes of black consciousness.
Dropkick Murphys – This Machine Still Kills Fascists
Armed with his weapon of choice, a guitar that was labeled with the declaration ‘this machine kills fascists’, in many ways Woody Guthrie was the embodiment of the punk rock spirit. Because of this, it should be no surprise that the veteran Celtic-punk band was approached by Woody’s daughter Nora about putting his unused lyrics to music. The raucous approach to their music is well suited to Guthrie’s anti-fascist lyrics that sadly continue to resonate.
Fantastic Negrito – White Jesus Black Problems
In Virginia, back in 1759, a white Scottish servant Elizabeth Gallimore, fell in love with a black slave whose name had been lost over time. Their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson, Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, who performs under the pseudonym Fantastic Negrito, has released the compelling concept album White Jesus Black Problems based on his recently discovered lineage. The ambitious multi-media project includes a companion film.
The album track “Man with No Name” was featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Ezra Furman – All Of Us Flames
This third part of a trilogy that includes 2018’s Transangelic Exodus and 2019’s Twelve Nudes is a worthy follow-up to two exceptional albums (one was one of the best protest albums of 2019, and the other was a notable oversight for 2018). Furman made the following statement concerning the album: “It’s a queer album for the stage of life when you start to understand that you are not a lone wolf, but depend on finding your family, your people, how you work as part of a larger whole. I wanted to make songs for use by threatened communities, and particularly the ones I belong to: trans people and Jews.” Furman effortlessly creates timeless-sounding rock music which invigorates a stale mostly heteronormative art form by injecting themes of queerness.
Previously featured the album track “Lilac and Black” as a Daily Dose of Protest.
FINSTA – CUNTYGRRRL
The latest release by the Indian trans artist is an explosive mixture of rap and riot-grrrl punk. The upfront and raw lyrical attack address violence within the LGBTQ+ community. Finsta made the following statement concerning the album: “The album isn’t really made for people who aren’t queer. A heterosexual or cis person listening to the album should feel like a voyeur.”
Flores – The Lives They Left
On her debut, the R&B singer skillfully taps into her experience as a Mexican-Indigenous-American to create a heartfelt work that is equal parts personal and political. In a Rolling Stone interview, she stated how her heritage inspired the tunes: “Why do they keep saying we’re illegals? This is our land.” I feel like there’s so many stories that need to be told and I always want to uphold them and pay homage to our ancestors. Survivor’s guilt is what it feels like sometimes, but I think if I don’t say something for them and keep saying it, then I’m not doing the small bit that I can do.”
Linqua Franqa – Bellringer
Linqua Franqa is the alias of Mariah Parker, a rapper, linguist, and activist. In linguistics, “lingua franca” is a term for a language used to communicate across cultures. This is fitting since Parker effectively uses the language of music as a tool to communicate a potent socially aware message across cultural boundaries.
Hurray For The Riff Raff – Life On Earth
Self-described as ‘nature punk” the tunes off the latest album from the project of Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra is a worthy follow-up to their exceptional 2017 album The Navigator. They heavily deal with themes of immigration, the environment, and other social ills.
The album track “Precious Cargo” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Jesse Jett – The Grift
This album by prolific rapper, singer-songwriter, and poet attacks both sides of the political aisle and addresses the ways that the establishment continues to enrich and empower itself at the expense of its citizens. He also released the spoken word The Grift Home Companion (and another spoken word album The Co-Opt later in the year) that further addresses the issues brought up on The Grift.
Previously featured the album track “Powerless” as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Lee Bains + The Glory Fires – Old-Time Folks
The latest effort by the southern punk band is an ambitious album that explores the histories of outlaws and revolutionaries from Bains’ home states of Alabama and Georgia. Bains effectively explores the southern duality when delving into the complicated history of the South and he emphatically discusses the plight of the working class.
The album track “The Battle of Atlanta” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
The Linda Lindas – Growing Up
Back in May 2021, the young punk band went viral with a video of their performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy”, which ended up being the closing track on their debut album, released on the acclaimed punk label Epitaph. The album is filled with authentic and catchy anthems of teenage angst shaped by their experiences growing up as Asian and Latin Americans.
Mali Obomsawin – Sweet Tooth
On the solo debut of the former member of the Americana trio Lula Wiles, instead of writing explicit protest tunes, Obomsawin focuses her music on conveying the indigenous experience and preserving cultural heritage. The album is a compositional suite that masterfully employs field recordings of relatives at Odanak First Nation to relate the story of the Wabanaki people.
Previously featured album track “Odana” as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Nataanii Means – Growth
The latest album by the American Indigenous rapper and son of renowned Native American activist Russell Means, deals with the abuse he experienced during the Dakota Access oil pipeline protest. “I was getting panic attacks constantly,” Means said. “I felt moments of doom, like I’m going to die or have a heart attack, my chest would tighten up.” Growth effectively deals with his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.
M.I.A. – MATA
The sixth album by the British-Tamil singer-rapper finds her in fine form musically and lyrically. Like previous efforts, she blends candid autobiography with pointed socio-political commentary. She also continues to be a fearless button pusher who is not afraid to express potentially polarizing views (such as comparing conspiracy-monger Alex Jones to celebrities promoting Covid-19 vaccination).
Miko Marks & The Resurrectors – Feel Like Going Home
This is Marks’s worthy follow-up to her powerful 2021 album Our Country (one of the best protest albums of 2021). The album strikes the right balance between the personal and political, at times expressing frustration with long-standing social ills that continue to be unresolved.
The album track “Trouble” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Moor Mother – Jazz Codes
This is the latest release from the highly prolific poet, musician, and activist. The album strikes the right balance of honoring the past forgotten traditions of black genres while also plotting a musical path toward the future.
Angeline Morrison – The Sorrow Songs (Folk Songs of Black British Experience)
This album is an important archival project which reworks obscure traditional folk tunes and relates stories that are either historically forgotten or white-washed. To add additional poignancy to the album’s narrative, it includes spoken word snippets expressing the prevalent racism of that time period, which sadly still lingers.
Nas – King’s Disease III
The latest album by the iconic rapper is a fine display of the skillful flow and lyricism that he is known for. Like previous works, it includes insightful social critiques on cycles of violence and upward social progress for black people.
Petrol Girls – Baby
Appropriately the latest album by the UK feminist punk band was released on the same day that Roe v. Wade was overturned. The empowering musical and lyrical attack is fitting, considering the band’s name is derived from Les Pétroleuses, a Paris-based 1800s revolutionary group of working-class women.
Samora Pinderhughes – Grief
The compelling sophomore album by the vocalist, pianist, composer, and activist is one of three components of the Healing Project. The project was based on roughly 100 interviews Pinderhughes conducted with people of color who had been incarcerated or experienced structural violence.
Joe Rainey – Niineta
The debut album by the Ojibwe pow-wow singer embraces traditional indigenous musical elements, along with incorporating more modern forms such as EDM, Industrial, hip-hop, and dub. The album effectively delivers the message highlighted in Raniey’s Bandcamp bio: “We’re still here. We were here before you were, and we never left.”
Run The Jewels – RTJ CU4TRO
This reworking of the dynamic rap duo’s exceptional 2020 album RTJ4 (one of the best protest albums of 2020) features remixes from Latin American artists. The Latin musical flavor adds a different element to the song’s hard-hitting political message.
SAULT – 11/Aiir/Earth/Today & Tomorrow/Untitled (God)
This is a cheat since it is multiple albums, but the mysterious and prolific UK collective deserves credit for dropping 5 albums in November (along with previously releasing the album Air, earlier in the year). The albums are eclectic in genres ranging from neo-soul/funk (11, Earth), choral/contemporary classical (Aiir), alt-rock/punk (Today & Tomorrow), and gospel (Untitled (God)). The 56 tunes run the gamut between the spiritual and political and they explore issues such as the environment, black empowerment, and God.
Shilpa Ray – Portrait of a Lady
The somewhat criminally overlooked veteran DIY punk artist’s latest album is an explosive exploration of feminism in the era of #metoo. She plays her part in exposing toxic masculinity and trying to dismantle the longstanding oppressive patriarchy.
Shabaka – Afrikan Culture
This is the solo debut of the British bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings who is notably known for his work with Sons of Kemet and Shabaka and the Ancestors. Like previous Hutching projects, the music is a warm embrace of a cultural heritage that survived past efforts to erase it.
Kapil Seshasayee – Laal
The sophomore album by Scottish-Indian protest musician is the 2nd installment of a planned trilogy that scathingly indict different aspects of India’s caste system. This album addresses Bollywood and uses it as a lens to examine themes such as nationalism, censorship, and disability rights.
The Smile – A Light For Attracting Attention
This is the debut album from the Radiohead side project featuring frontman Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood. At the band’s first gig, Yorke described the name as the following: “Not the Smile as in ha ha ha, more the Smile of the guy who lies to you every day.” The songs definitely have plenty of vitriol directed at those who wield power in corrupt and dishonest ways.
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
The latest album by the hardcore outfit is their first on the renowned punk label Epitaph. The album features their intense musical attack and radical lyrics. It is nothing new for hardcore punk to address racial and social injustices, but being black artists in a mostly white genre allows them to confront these issues based on their personal background and experiences.
The Album track “Fucked Up If True” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Special interest – Endure
The 3rd album by the New Orleans no-wave punks (their previous album The Passion Of, was one of the best protest albums of 2020) finds the band taking a more accessible pop-leaning musical direction. Lyrically it still features the scathing social critiques the band is known for taking aim at targets such as gentrifiers, cops, and warmongers. It strikes the perfect balance of musical sweetness and lyrical vitriol.
Star Feminine Band – In Paris
This Benin group is made up of seven young women between the ages of 12-18. This potent album addresses issues faced in their cultures such as arranged child marriage and genital mutation. Also, they come from a cultural background where the simple act of young women picking up musical instruments is a bold political statement.
Tongues – Tanya Tagaq
The latest album by the Indigenous Canadian throat singer effectively incorporates passages from her 2018 debut novel Split Tooth. The album is a scathing indictment of the racism that First Nations people continue to be subjected to.
Country Songs For A Broken Country – Pink Williams
Williams’ brand of country-western music may be extremely retro, but his lyrics are definitely not. For a genre that tends to lean conservative, Williams’ lyrics feature radical political ideology which addresses modern-day issues (such as reworking the protest standard “Which Side Are You On?” as the anti-Jeff Bezo/Amazon tune “Which Site Are You On?”)
Zeal & Ardor – Zeal & Ardor
The third album by the dark metal meet spirituals project continues the narrative of what if American slaves had turned to Satan instead of God. That concept is also used to explore themes such as race relations and religious hypocrisy. The album track “Götterdämmerung” was previously featured as a Daily Dose of Protest.
Also, check out the playlist of 2022 protest songs featuring music featured on the website, including tunes from the albums on this list.