JPEGMAFIA, from artist’s Bandcamp. Here is your monthly recap of notable socially conscious music. Songs/Videos: Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart – Stevie Wonder The legendary singer-songwriter is no stranger to socially conscious music. In his latest tune, Wonder examines the divisive political climate in America. DJCX: How We Got FREER – Official Documentary This featurette documentary chronicles the […]
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From the artist’s website The following anti-Trump tune by Anya Turner and Robert Grusecki is a rewrite of a tune they originally released and featured on the site in 2019 (and appeared on their 2022 socially conscious album In This Raggedy Time). The New York City duo have experienced success composing for musical theatre. Just like the previous version, the […]
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Video screenshot This tune appears to be the first release by the emerging singer-songwriter Jez Marie. According to the quick bio provided to me she “merges pop, R&B, hip-hop, and disco funk, delivering meaningful lyrics on love, compassion, and unity. Advocating for the marginalized, she spreads positivity and faith in an industry often centered on negativity.” It will be interesting […]
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This video is based on the previously written article 15 Protest Songs of Prince.
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Rage released their self-titled landmark debut on November 3rd, 1992, which appropriately was the day of the US Presidential election. The band’s explicit political views were also well exemplified by the album cover, which featured Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, self-immolating as an act of extreme protest. The band’s radical views were also conveyed through the music on […]
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“I got a letter from the government the other dayI opened and read it, it said they were suckersThey wanted me for their army or whateverPicture me givin’ a damn, I said, “Never”Here is a land that never gave a damnAbout a brother like me and myself because they never didI wasn’t wit’ it, but just that very minuteIt occurred […]
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Photo courtesy of Sven Mandel, via Wikimedia Commons Just in time for the US presidential election, the latest single from the upcoming album Merciless by the heavy metal project of Ice-T is a scathing indictment of the two-party system and the illusion of choice. As far as Ice-T is concerned, both sides of the political aisles (“Democrips Bloodpublicans)” are gangstas […]
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Photo via Flickr, via World’s Direction, public domain. Even though Prince wasn’t widely viewed as an explicitly political artist, he was socially conscious and engaged in under-the-radar activism. For example, he demonstrated his support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement by donating to the families of victims such as Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner. Additionally, he helped fund initiatives such […]
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Off the artist’s Bandcamp. This is the title track off the crust punk band’s recently released EP. They effectively employ medieval imagery as a means to explore modern societal issues. As mentioned on the EP’s Bandcamp page, the EP and title track are “an ode to the sacred bonds of friendship.” It also mentions that “in a dark age where […]
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