I had an interesting experience this weekend. I was in a bowling alley this past Friday with the fam, enjoying the festivities of glow-in-the-dark bowling with music playing and video screens playing on the walls. Sometime during the evening, artist Lupe Fiasco’s video for his single, ‘Words I Never Said,’ came on during the mix of music, and just like that Lupe’s face was all over the video monitors rapping about issue including 9/11, conspiracies, and the Gaza trip. It was a proud moment to see Lupe have success with such a politically motivated song, but looking around the bowling alley no one was really paying the video any mind. The whole situation made me think about all the great emcees of the last few decades who have put their career at risk to speak about important issues within our society and the world. The existence of political rap or even conscious rap is one of the reasons I fell in love with hip-hop. It takes a bold individual to step outside the norm and enlighten the masses on issues that we all face. And make it a good song might I add ;)
Today I am taking the time to pay homage to a few emcees that are known for their creative mixture of politics and rap. Two mainstream artists and three artists considered underground royalty: Public Enemy, Lupe Fiasco, KRS-One, Mos Def and Immortal Technique. This is my solute to all the legends and greats in the hip-hop world that have the unique ability to teach us about greater issues in our world and still make it interesting music.
Public Emeny
Song title: "Fight The Power"
Album: Do the Right Thing and Fear of a Black Planet
[1989 release]
Lupe Fiasco
Song title: "Words I Never Said"
Album: Lasers
[2011 release]
KRS-One
Song title: 'Sound of Da Police'
Album: Return of the Boom Bap
[1993 release]
Mos Def
Song title: "What Beef Is"
Album: Rawkus Radio: The Mixtape
[2005 release]
Click this link for original mixtape download
Immortal Technique
Song title: "Point of No Return"
Album: 'Revolutionary Vol. 2'
[2004 release]
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