“Emancipate yourselves from mental slaveryNone but ourselves can free our mindsHave no fear for atomic energy‘Cause none of them can stop the timeHow long shall they kill our prophetsWhile we stand aside and look? OohSome say it’s just a part of itWe’ve got to fulfill the Book” More of a solo acoustic folk song than a traditional reggae song, Bob […]
Learn more →After tabulating the results of a previous poll, here are the 2023 nominees for the Protest Music Hall of Fame online archival project. The poll will be open until December 31. Loading…
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When socially conscious rap group Public Enemy recorded their 1988 sophomore album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Chuck D stated his desire to create the Hip-Hop counterpart to Marvin Gaye’s protest masterpiece What’s Going On. Just like that album, Public Enemy succeeds in providing poignant social commentary on the challenges facing Black America. The album […]
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“Cause I’m Black and I’m proudI’m ready and hyped plus I’m ampedMost of my heroes don’t appear on no stampsSample a look back you look and findNothing but rednecks for four hundred years if you check” The concept of “Fight The Power” originated when director Spike Lee approached Public Enemy about composing an anthem for his 1989 film Do The […]
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When examining the history of political Hip-Hop it doesn’t get much more influential than rap group Public Enemy. The group features hard-hitting lyrics from emcee Chuck D, comedic levity from hypeman Flavor Flav, and a heavy musical attack that rivals any rock group from the Bomb Squad production team. The group’s genesis took place in 1985 when Carlton Ridenhour (aka […]
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Publicity photo, photographer Jim Britt, Public Domain One of the most important protest tunes of all time, the genesis of “What Going On” happened when Four Tops vocalist Renaldo “Obie” Benson, witnessed police brutality in San Francisco in May 1969, while on tour. While stuck in traffic, Benson observed young protestors being brutally attacked by cops wearing riot gear. “The […]
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From the band’s website Admittedly, being inducted into the Protest Music Hall of Fame, which is not an actual hall of fame but more of an online archival project for this little-known website, doesn’t mean as much as being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (even though 3/4 of Rage Against The Machine didn’t show up for […]
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1967 Atlantic Record Promo Photo When determining whether or not a song meets the definition of a protest tune an important factor is intent. Often it is the intent of the songwriter. At other times it is the intention of the singer. It is possible to have two versions of the same song, and only one of the versions is […]
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John Lennon was no stranger to socially conscious music, contributing many notable tunes to the canon of protest songs. One of his standouts is “Working Class Hero” off of his 1970 album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono. While some of his songs might come across as simple sloganeering, “Working Class Hero” is an insightful social commentary on class splits and how society […]
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Sinéad O’Connor (December 8, 1966-July 26, 2023) Photo courtesy of Man Alive, via Flickr The influential and controversial Irish singer-songwriter first received international success with her 1987 debut The Lion and the Cobra, which sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Her 1990 follow-up I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got was even more massive selling over 7 million worldwide, and featured her mega-hit rendition of […]
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