30 Best Protest Albums of 2024 (So Far)

Mdou Moctar, from artist’s Bandcamp. We have reached the halfway point of 2024 so it is time to look back at some of the best socially conscious albums released so far. This list 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 […]

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A Month of Protest: April

Emma Donovan, from the artist’s Bandcamp. Here is a summary of notable socially conscious music released during April. Songs/Video: Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other – Orville Peck & Willie Nelson This tune was written and originally performed by Latin country musician Ned Sublette in 1981. The satirical tune which explores stereotypes connected with gay men and cowboys was covered […]

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A Month of Protest: March

Grace Petrie, from the artist’s Bandcamp This is your monthly recap of notable socially conscious music, which includes acts of reclamation and protests against genocide and colonialism. Songs/Videos: Red Future (feat. Electric Fields) – Snotty Nose Rez Kids This is the title track of the Canadian Indigenous hip-hop duo’s upcoming album, slated for a June 2024 release. The tune is […]

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A Month of Protest: January

Arrested Development, from the artist’s Bandcamp It is the first month of the new year and it featured several socially conscious releases. Now is a small sampling. Songs/Videos: Guilty (featuring Mary Lattimore, Lonnie Holley, Raia Was) – Moor Mother This tune is off the prolific Jazz poet’s upcoming album “The Great Bailout”, due out on March 8, 2024. Both the […]

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50 Best Protest Songs of 2023

Sunny War, from the artist’s Bandcamp Back when I started the website in 2017 I included a list of the 50 Best Protest Songs (back when I was still presenting lists in numerical order. Since that time I opted not to make a list since I was creating a Spotify protest song playlist featuring music that appeared on the site. […]

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Month of Protest: December

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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Month of Protest: November

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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Month of Protest: October

Ragana, from the artist’s Bandcamp Music is often a reflection of the current political climate, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that multiple artists this month recorded music in response to the Israel-Palestine situation. Of course, climate change is still a thing, and racists, fascists, and homophobes still exist. Here is your recap of notable socially conscious music released in […]

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40 Best Protest Albums of 2017

Hurray For The Riff Raff, from the artist’s Bandcamp I started this website back on December 6th, 2017. During that first month, I hastily compiled a list of the 25 best protest albums. Back then I wasn’t cataloguing what I was listening to like I am now. I decided to revisit the list and expand it to 40. You will […]

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Month of Protest: August

Allison Russell, from the artist’s Bandcamp Here is a recap of some of the socially conscious music released in August. Songs/Videos: Snakelife – Allison Russell This is the latest single and video from the Canadian singer-songwriter’s upcoming album The Returner, due September 8th. Russell describes the poignant tune as “an invocation of the Afro-Future-Rainbow-Coalition-Transformative Universe I wish to inhabit and […]

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