Mandy, Indiana, from artist’s Bandcamp As genocide continues in the Middle East, artists continue to speak out. They also continue to speak out against racism, homophobia, sexism, police brutality, and corporate greed. Here is a small sampling of the socially conscious music released in November. Songs/Videos: Demons – Allison Russell The latest video from the Canadian singer-songwriter is for “Demons” […]
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When socially conscious rap group Public Enemy recorded their 1988 sophomore album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Chuck D stated his desire to create the Hip-Hop counterpart to Marvin Gaye’s protest masterpiece What’s Going On. Just like that album, Public Enemy succeeds in providing poignant social commentary on the challenges facing Black America. The album […]
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“Cause I’m Black and I’m proudI’m ready and hyped plus I’m ampedMost of my heroes don’t appear on no stampsSample a look back you look and findNothing but rednecks for four hundred years if you check” The concept of “Fight The Power” originated when director Spike Lee approached Public Enemy about composing an anthem for his 1989 film Do The […]
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When examining the history of political Hip-Hop it doesn’t get much more influential than rap group Public Enemy. The group features hard-hitting lyrics from emcee Chuck D, comedic levity from hypeman Flavor Flav, and a heavy musical attack that rivals any rock group from the Bomb Squad production team. The group’s genesis took place in 1985 when Carlton Ridenhour (aka […]
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Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is one of the most important songs of all time, so it should be no surprise that there have been many cover versions. Here is a sampling of six of them. The Undisputed Truth (1972) This close-to-9-and-a-half-minute version was off the Motown act’s sophomore album Face to Face […]
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Released on May 21, 1971, Marvin Gaye’s 11th studio album What’s Going On is one of the most important albums ever released. The landmark concept album is sung from the perspective of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the USA and observing injustice and suffering. The socially conscious tunes that he composed were deeply rooted in the personal. For example, […]
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Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain One of the most important protest tunes of all time, the genesis of “What Going On” happened when Four Tops vocalist Renaldo “Obie” Benson, witnessed police brutality in San Francisco in May 1969, while on tour. While stuck in traffic, Benson observed young protestors being brutally attacked by cops wearing riot gear. “The […]
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Cover of the 1964 reissue by Folkways Records Released in 1940, Woody Guthrie’s first commercial recording Dust Bowl Ballads is widely cited as the first concept album. Based on both his personal experiences and John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath it details the 1930s Dust Bowl era during The Great Depression when farmers were dispossessed of their land due to […]
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From the band’s website Admittedly, being inducted into the Protest Music Hall of Fame, which is not an actual hall of fame but more of an online archival project for this little-known website, doesn’t mean as much as being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (even though 3/4 of Rage Against The Machine didn’t show up for […]
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The iconic Canadian singer-songwriter is still going strong six decades into his career. He has also lived in the States for several years, officially becoming a US citizen in 2020. Neil Young has long been vocal about American policies and politicians. He has also been an outspoken environmentalist and has often explored those themes in his music. Here is a […]
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