Crass, from the artist’s Bandcamp The final results are in and we now have the list of inductees for the 2023 Protest Music Hall of Fame. Admittedly Hall of Fame is a misnomer. Instead of awarding accolades, it is an online archival project focusing on building increased awareness for socially conscious music. Eventually, I plan on doing writeups for all inductees, […]
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Beans On Toast, from the artist’s Bandcamp. December tends to be a slow month in terms of new music, but some notable socially conscious music has been released during the month. Here is a sampling. Songs/Videos: Working Class Hero – Cat Power & Iggy Pop This cover of the John Lennon protest classic appears on the compilation album The Faithful: […]
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HMLTD, from the artist’s Bandcamp. I recently posted the list of the 40 Best Protest Albums of 2023. Even though this site primarily focuses on protest music, not every album I listen to explicitly meets the definition of a protest album. I decided to list my 100 favorite albums of the year. Even though it includes several albums that made […]
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Dream Nails, from artist’s Bandcamp Music is a reflection of society and is often influenced by the political climate. This small sampling of socially conscious albums features a diverse array of artists, genres, and political issues. The albums are presented in alphabetical order. Many of the writeups were reused from what I previously wrote. Integrated Tech Solutions by Aesop Rock […]
Learn more →After tabulating the results of a previous poll, here are the 2023 nominees for the Protest Music Hall of Fame online archival project. The poll will be open until December 31. Loading…
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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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