Snotty Nose Rez Kids, artist’s Bandcamp
Here is the monthly recap of notable socially conscious music.
Songs/Videos:
BALDH3AD! – Theia
The latest single by the Māori musician is a scathing Indigenous rights protest tune. It features the potent lyrics “We’re prisoners on the very land we’re from. Plunder my motherland, pollute the sea, but still I survive, though you clip my wings, Baldhead, you tricked us with your treaty.”
Albums:
Red Future – Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Like their previous albums, the latest release by the Indigenous Canadian rap duo is an unapologetic representation of Indigenous identity and resistance. The album tackles issues such as colonization, cultural appropriation, and systemic injustices.
symbiont – Jake Blount and Mali Obomsawin
The new collaborative album by Jake Blount and Mali Obomsawin is a riveting blend of Black and Indigenous futurism with traditional folk elements. It explores issues of racial and climate injustice and poignantly highlights the future ills that will result if things continue unchecked.
Evil, Hate-Filled Female – Delilah Bon
This is the sophomore album by the UK feminist “brat punk” who gets her concert attendees to chant, “Dead men don’t rape.” Blending hip-hop with riot grrrl the lyrics take direct aim at misogyny.
Fights Over Egypt – Casual
The most recent album by the veteran MC was influenced by a series of discussions he had about ancient Egypt while working on his book, Black Like Osiris. The album effectively links past histories with current realities. For example, the harrowing “Bombs Over Gaza,” spotlights the horrors of war and American culpability.
Foundations – Serj Tankian
The latest EP by System of a Down singer Serj Tankian focuses on issues connected to the Armenian genocide. This is emphasized by the lead single, “Justice Will Shine On,” where Tankian sings “We are the children of all the survivors. Justice will shine on. We are the demons of all the deniers. Justice will shine on.” It also resonates in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Knock Your Block Off – The Carp
The debut by the anarcho punkers is filled with old-school fist-pumping goodness. Thematically, the tunes effectively articulate the struggles of the working class and take a stance on union rights.
Ensoulment – The The
This is the first studio album in 24 years by the project of UK singer-songwriter Matt Johnson. The album is explicitly political, as highlighted by the album track “Some Days I Drink My Coffee By The Grave Of William Blake” which includes the line “This greedy, unpleasant land wraps itself in a flag, pretending it’s freedom – a dictatorship in drag. The forever wars, tyrannical laws, the coup d’états with probable cause, all revealed to little more than polite applause.”
Life Beyond Bars – Grand Choice Records & Friends
This compilation aims to raise awareness about the case of Marcellus Williams, a Missouri inmate who has been on death row for over two decades despite mounting DNA evidence that could exonerate him. The album was released a few weeks before his execution on September 24th, 2024. Even though Williams’s murder sadly still happens, the album still highlights the unjust incarceration of individuals and the impact it has on their lives. In collaboration with the Innocence Project, all proceeds from the project support the cases of wrongly convicted individuals in the United States.
Promised Land – South West Syndicate
The mission statement of the latest album by the Aboriginal and multi-ethnic hip-hop collective is well summed up in the album’s liner notes: “We start this story with the pre-occupation of the continent now known as Australia, where First Nations peoples lived with and nurtured the land for a hundred thousand years.”
Yes Liberation : A Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza – Various
This is the 3rd compilation organized by Philadelphia punk band The Dissidents to raise funds for mutual aid for Gaza.
Check out the ongoing playlist of 2024 protest music.