politics in music

Originally posted by Deathblow
Oh I don't know, the boys of Cunninlynguists

I couldn't help but giggle when I read that. 😬

I don't mind political music as long as the person making it actually cares about what they're saying, and it's tastefully done.

SOme politics in music can be very relevant and can actually up lift a listener or a fan to do something about it. But sometimes it can be so pretentious its just annoying.

Originally posted by Afro Cheese
Don't get me wrong, I do love RATM. When it comes to purely anti-government political songs I'd put Zack above Chuck D, it's just that gets a little repetitive and tiring for me. Public Enemy are less tied down to one type of subject than RATM, yet they continue to talk about social and political issues throughout their albums. That's the main reason I prefer them to RATM, because they seem to switch subjects more and keep me interested.

Although I'll admit I'm pretty biased.

Zack's stuff isn't all purely anti-government, though...Testify is about how the American people rely on the media for their info and that's ALL they know. Maria is about an illegal alien who comes to the US to work and is murdered. People of the Sun is about a Mexican farmer revolution. Vietnow is about right-wing media bias. Revolver is about domestic violence. Rolling Down Rodeo is about life in the slums and ghettos. Killing in the Name is about white supremacy. Fistful of Steel is usually seen as being a dedication of respect to women. While a lot of RATM's music and Zack's lyrics are indeed anti-government, not all is, and they manage to cover nearly every social and political problem there is, and in-depth.

there was a good prgramme on bbc2 last night about chuck D...did anyone see it?...it went into his role as a public speaker and his disdain for modern mainstream rap bringing the 'N' word back into young white culture and its effects on there social attitudes towards black people

it was a very good programme and i probably wouldn't have watched it if he hadn't been brought up in this thread

👆

Originally posted by Lana
Zack's stuff isn't all purely anti-government, though...Testify is about how the American people rely on the media for their info and that's ALL they know. Maria is about an illegal alien who comes to the US to work and is murdered. People of the Sun is about a Mexican farmer revolution. Vietnow is about right-wing media bias. Revolver is about domestic violence. Rolling Down Rodeo is about life in the slums and ghettos. Killing in the Name is about white supremacy. Fistful of Steel is usually seen as being a dedication of respect to women. While a lot of RATM's music and Zack's lyrics are indeed anti-government, not all is, and they manage to cover nearly every social and political problem there is, and in-depth.

I think me preferring Public Enemy also has to do with the delivery too though.. nobody can **** with Chuck D's voice, he has the most powerful voice in Hip Hop.

Hmm, I'd say it's between him and El-P.

I'd give it to Chuck D over El-P definitely. He just has that signature shouting sound that's loud and full of emotion yet smooth at the same time. He's one of the best vocalists in the genre.

El-P's voice is loud too but I just don't think he pulls it off as well.

El-P isn't as brash and unpredictable as Chuck, but he has a much better flow which certainly contributes to a powerful delivery. Listen to the track Company Flow did with DJ Krush, El-P is just mind-blowing. In fact I swear I can sometimes almost feel his saliva splattering on my face. It's much less noisy than most of his other stuff too, which helps.

Wow this is a very impressive song, I hadn't heard it before. Yeah he's sick on this song, but one song isn't really enough for me to rate his overall delivery higher than Chuck's. I mean the delivery on this song is much better than the average El-p song.

I think the key factor where Chuck has the edge is his voice tone. When you hear Public Enemy, you recognize Chuck D's presence right away, you can sense the emotion in his words and he makes you believe that what he's saying is something he truly believes in. The main reason for this is because Chuck in general just has a very powerful voice, there's nothing forced about it, it's just the way he is.

El-p's flow is better but his voice tone is inferior, and that's a key factor to a good delivery. Besides lyrics, a rappers voice tone is the best thing they can use to make you really feel their words.

I'd probably pick Chuck over El-P too, eventually (in terms of delivery only), but I don't really think his tone is inferior. He has a voice of steel, it's so hard but it still manages to slip from line to line like liquid, there's no stop-starts like with Chuck.

Plus, he has a subtle but cool little thing he does when he throws a diss, he brings his voice to just a slightly higher pitch, which sounds so patronising, it's great. Makes me smile eveytime. The only reason I'd put Chuck ahead is because El-P can't dominate songs like Chuck. The beats on Fantastic Damage are a lot louder than most Public Enemy, but his voice does tend to blend in at times. That wouldn't happen to Chuck.

I feel the best "political" artists of all time are Dylan and Lennon. They were the best, and still are the best, and are the influences for all the artists mentioned above. Nobody can do it as well as them. In fact, nobody even comes close. Sure, Zack is great, no denying that, but Dylan is a god.

Bad Religion has some good political stuff. Maybe not the best, but still good

I love Bad Religion, but they're completely different.

when talking about rap with politics dont forget stuff like Makeshift Patriot by Sage Francis, that song blew me away the first time i heard it, its amazing.
and Bad Religion are very political and i think they are one of the best examples of punk bands that can do it right. NOFX are pretty on the money too cos' Fat Mike has the time to go back through and get the facts on what hes talking about. sure it is mainly all at bush but i dont mind, i dont like bush either.

I think Fat Mike is great at anything he does. His label is one of the best, and his convictions never waver. That's why I love him. And that's why I have so much respect for Bad Religion as well. They're the same way.

yeah they showed just because you age doesn't mean your convictions have to waiver

Exactly.

Originally posted by Jeff_Atello
I feel the best "political" artists of all time are Dylan and Lennon. They were the best, and still are the best, and are the influences for all the artists mentioned above. Nobody can do it as well as them. In fact, nobody even comes close. Sure, Zack is great, no denying that, but Dylan is a god.

Talk about overrating.

Dylan is no God. He's good but he's one of those artists that people are too scared to comment on. They're fearful to say he's anything other than amazing.

Like The Beatles, if anyone dares question their "best band ever" status, they know "nothing" of music.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
Talk about overrating.

Dylan is no God. He's good but he's one of those artists that people are too scared to comment on. They're fearful to say he's anything other than amazing.

Like The Beatles, if anyone dares question their "best band ever" status, they know "nothing" of music.

-AC

i do think dylan was a magnificent poet trapped in a mediocre musicians body...lyrically i think he is fantastic

as for the beatles...personally i think they were the westlife of their day...simple riffs...simple lyrics...and personally i think mostly shit...but that is my opinion

but yeah...few people seem to go against the "beatles are the greatest" line...ironic given that most people of my generation never gave a **** about them until oasis started harping on about them

I've always listened to the Beatles, though mostly because my dad was always playing his old Beatles records... Wouldn't call them shit, I think they're fun to listen to from time to time, but people treat them as gods when in reality they were fairly average musicians.