Anti-police brutality activist Erica Garner died of a heart attack on the morning of December 30, 2017 at the age of 27. Her tireless activism was motivated by personal tragedy. Her father Eric Garner was choked to death by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17, 2014. The incident was caught on tape, where he uttered the words “I Can’t […]
Learn more →This is a continuation of the 2017: The Year In Protest series. Previous entries include Top 40 Protest Albums, Top 5 Protest EPs, and Top 12 Protest Music Videos. Now we’ll look at 50 tunes that helped provide the soundtrack of the 2017 protest movement. 50: What Makes Us Great – Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers (featuring Bruce Springsteen) Journeyman […]
Learn more →Hurray For the Riff Raff’s 2017 album, Navigator was the number one album on the list of Top 25 Protest Albums of 2017. Today I decided to focus on a standout from their previous 2014 album, Small Time Heroes. “The Body Electric” provides a poignant examination of how historically music has been guilty of promoting violence against both women and minorities. […]
Learn more →On December 20th, 2017, a street in Charlottesville, Virginia, was renamed after Heather Heyer. Heyer was killed on August 12th, 2017 when white supremacist, James Alex Fields Jr. drove into a group of anti-racist protesters. “Today in Charlottesville” was Rovics immediate response to the tragedy. He composed, performed and posted the song on YouTube on August 12th. The song highlights the bigoted motivations […]
Learn more →On December 3, 2017 (televised on December 26), LL Cool J became the first rapper to be honored at the Kennedy Centers Honors. Even though he isn’t necessary known as a political rapper, on occasion he has been known to address political concerns. For example, on his 1990 album, Mama Said Knock You Out, he addressed police brutality on the […]
Learn more →Curtis Mayfield died on December 26, 1999. With The Impressions and his solo work, he established himself as one of the most influential artists in the history of socially conscious music. “New World Order” is the title track from his final studio album, which was released in 1996. Due to the effects of paralysis, Mayfield recorded the vocals while lying […]
Learn more →This is not your typical festive Christmas tune. Even though the video is somewhat comical, the lyrics are politically hard-hitting. The song addresses corruption, poverty and racism (“Still spell AmeriKKKa with the triple K”). Despite the serious nature, there is a positive message about the power of love (“Don’t understand love’s importance / And we can weaponize that, bring ’em […]
Learn more →“Mother” is a cover of a Pink Floyd song which appeared on their classic 1979 album, The Wall. Lyrics such as “Mother, should I build the wall?/Mother, should I run for president?”, takes on added weight with the Trump presidency. The video for Palmer’s haunting rendition, depicts a dystopian world where child labour is used to build a wall, while a […]
Learn more →The jaded cynic may dismiss music videos as simply promotional vehicles to help a musician go viral and to increase their net worth. Even though that synopsis is often accurate, when done properly music videos can be elevated to a fine art, capable of making profound statements. With socially conscious music the visuals can also reinforce the lyrical impact. Here is […]
Learn more →Joe Strummer died on December 22nd, 2002. Fifteen years later and his music is as vital as ever. As the front-man and lyricist of The Clash, he composed some of the most important socially conscious music ever. “Straight To Hell” appears on The Clash’s 1982 album, Combat Rock. Like many of The Clash tunes, it is a protest against many […]
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