The Equals were an UK rock band who formed in 1965 and were considered one of the first racially integrated rock bands. The most notable member of the group was Eddy Grant whose notable solo tunes included the politically charge 1982 hit “Electric Avenune” and the 1988 anti-apartheid protest “Gimme Hope Jo’anna”. “Police On My Back” is from the Equals […]
Learn more →JB the First Lady is a Canadian indigenous rapper and activist. Her 2017 album Meant To Be was one of the 25 best protest albums of 2017 (and “O.O.T.G.” off of that album was one of the top 50 protest songs of 2017). “Still Here” off of Meant To Be could be considered a companion piece to “O.O.T.G.” “O.O.T.G.” which […]
Learn more →During the 60th Grammy Awards held on Sunday, January 28th, 2018, Trump’s United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley tweeted the following: “I have always loved the Grammys but to have artists read the Fire and Fury book killed it. Don’t ruin great music with trash. Some of us love music without the politics thrown in it.” The idea of keeping politics […]
Learn more →According to the YouTube page for the video for “You Don’t Own Me”, The Resistance Revival Chorus “is a collective of more than 50 women who join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance, and to uplift and center women’s voices”. The collective got some mainstream attention on January 28th, 2018 when they backed Kesha at the Grammy […]
Learn more →Sharon Jones sadly lost her fight with cancer on November 18th, 2016. After her death Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings posthumously released the album, Soul of a Woman (“Matter of Time” off of that album was one of the 50 Best Protest Songs of 2017). One of the songs recorded for that album session was “Tear It Down”, which didn’t […]
Learn more →Rock n’ roll folklore is filled with songs that eventually became prophecy. One of these tunes is “2 Minutes to Midnight” by Iron Maiden. The heavy metal classic is from their 1984 album, Powerslave. According to the Doomsday Clock, it is now officially two minutes to midnight. The Doomsday Clock was founded in 1947 by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists […]
Learn more →“What a Time To Be Alive” is the title track to Superchunk’s 11th studio album which is due out on February 16th. Both the song and upcoming album deals with the realities of living in Trump’s America. According to lead singer Mac McCaughan, it is a record “about a pretty dire and depressing situation but hopefully not a record that […]
Learn more →If Sam Cooke was still alive today, he would be 87 years old. The legendary soul singer is responsible for composing and performing one of the most definitive tunes of the civil rights era, “A Change Is Gonna Come”, from his 1964 album Ain’t That Good News. Sam Cooke was motivated to compose “A Change Is Gonna Come” after listening […]
Learn more →“When Thugs Cry” is a reworking of the Prince classic “When Doves Cry”. It was recorded for a Like a Version session for Australia’s Triple J radio station. Bada$$ originally recorded the tune for his 2017 album All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, but his reworking was cut from the album when he was unable to get the sample cleared. Fortunately he was able to […]
Learn more →Tune-Yards just released their fourth full-length album, I Can Feel You Creep into My Private Life. Lead singer and songwriter Merrill Garbus grapples with white privilege and cultural appropriation on a number of the album’s tunes. The songs are very much a product of the current political climate. In a track by track analysis by NPR, Garbus made the following statement: “A lot of […]
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