Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Thieves (Screamed The Ghost)’ By Run The Jewels
The nightmare of black life in the United States, particularly how police can kill black people and get away with murder, is vividly presented on this song in the form of a “Twilight Zone” episode. With sirens and sound motifs from the classic television show, Killer Mike and El-P open
Top Ten Protest Albums Of 2016
Kevin Gosztola runs down the best protest music of 2016, including albums from Anohni, Solange, and A Tribe Called Red.
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Honey Trap’ And ‘Eyeball Constructors’
It has been awhile since a submission from an independent artist was featured so this week’s selection comes from a punk rock band from New York and Connecticut called Poor Lily. The band recently released a “punk rock opera” inspired by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden and global mass surveillance.
Stop Trump Mixtape: A Protest Song Collection
“R.E.D.” by A Tribe Called Red (feat. Yasiin Bey, Narcy, and Black Bear) An anthem for the decolonization of culture and solidarity among colonized populations across all continents “T5” by Swet Shop Boys A sardonic take on post-9/11 security culture from Riz MC and Heems, rappers of British Pakistani and
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Writings On Disobedience And Democracy’
Vinnie Paz of the hip hop group, Jedi Mind Tricks, wrote this song inspired by the work of people’s historian, Howard Zinn. It picks up where his song, “You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train,” left off, and similarly, it is a kind of hip hop cliff notes of
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Retribution’ by Tanya Tagaq
The colonialism of the United States rears its ugly head as Dakota Access pushes forward with its construction of an oil pipeline on indigenous land, forcing Native Americans to setup camps and engage in resistance to protect their very way of life from pollution. In defense of Dakota Access’s land
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Chris Columbus’ by Head-Roc
Most of the United States marks Columbus Day on October 10, but there is a movement, which has convinced several city governments to abandon the holiday and instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Hip-hop artist Head-Roc, who describes himself as the mayor of D.C. hip-hop, wrote a protest song that dovetails
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘War’ By Nas Featuring Raye
An album of songs inspired by the film, “The Birth Of A Nation,” which opens on October 7, contains multiple protest songs celebrating Nat Turner as a black revolutionary. As the film’s website describes, the film directed by Nate Parker is set against the antebellum South. Samuel Turner, who owns
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Abolish Legal Slavery’ By Moe Shinola
Guitarist and singer-songwriter Moe Shinola of Kansas City, Missouri, produced a protest song to coincide with the launch of the national prison labor strike on September 9. Called “Abolish Legal Slavery,” it specifically highlights what Shinola described as the “corporate exploitation of prison labor” and the “prisoner exception to the
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘America Back’ by Jill Sobule
Jill Sobule’s song, “America Back,” was performed at rallies for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, and it has been part of her repertoire for the past two to three years. It is now featured on a major crowd-funded protest songs compilation album that is forthcoming. “America BacK” is a robust
