bailey_187
17th April 2009, 15:45
I was looking through my old Hip Hop magazines and found an article in a copy of Hip Hop Connection about Politics in Hip Hop and there was a section on Marxism.
The writer seems fairly hostile to Marxism and sounds like the usuall HHC wank writer (Adam Anonymous, Haris Pilton etc for HHC readers).
I have typed it up
Firstly, MOP in disguise Marxmen don't count. For the first taste of Marxism in Hip Hop we go back to the early 90s and the Irish rap crew Marxman. Their single, "sad affair", called for British troops to be recalled from Northern Ireland and was subsequently banned from Radio 1. They listed their heroes on the sleeve of their debut LP: 'Marx, Engels, Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Bobby Sands...and all those who have devoted themsleves to the overthrow of the Bourgeoisie,' showing the traditional Marxist forgiveness of the atrocities visited on the working classes of the USSR by Lenin.
More recently, Hip Hop has been more succesfull in allying musical swagger with revolutionary content. The Coup, originally consisting of Boots, deejay Pam the Funkstress and E-Roc (untill the latter left) aren't particulary didactic Marxists, but leaven their blue collar rap perspective and calls for Liberation with humour, pathos and striking tales of reality. 1993's 'Kill My Landlord' distills their approach perfectly, although they gained notoriety for the original cover of 2001's 'Party Music', which depicted the group infront of the World Trade Center towers as they exploded. (The artwork was finialised before the events of 9/11.)
Dead Prez have similarly managed to blend rhetoric with listenable music and real life political activism. Influenced by the Marxist Black Panther Party, Dead Prez have always let their political commitment merge with their music, whether in sampling speeches made by activists or proscribing methods of protest. They collaberated in 2001 with the Coup on 'Get Up'.
Peruvian Harlemite Immortal Technique is also a notable political rapper. His 'Revolutionary vol 1 & 2' albums are suffused with anger, but also with analysis. 2005's single 'Bin Laden' explicity blamed Reagon and George Bush for the events leading to the 9/11 attacks, while other sings have dealt with the drug trade, the occupation of Palestine, the New World Order, the infamous shooting of Amadou Diallo by police, and many other political hot potatoes.
Of course though, Marxism - which explicitly attacks capitalism and has at its heart the redistribution of wealth - isnt a great fit with selfish, money-obsessed rappers on the whole.
opinions?
The article should of just been called "the left" in Hip Hop, in my opinion.
The writer seems fairly hostile to Marxism and sounds like the usuall HHC wank writer (Adam Anonymous, Haris Pilton etc for HHC readers).
I have typed it up
Firstly, MOP in disguise Marxmen don't count. For the first taste of Marxism in Hip Hop we go back to the early 90s and the Irish rap crew Marxman. Their single, "sad affair", called for British troops to be recalled from Northern Ireland and was subsequently banned from Radio 1. They listed their heroes on the sleeve of their debut LP: 'Marx, Engels, Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Bobby Sands...and all those who have devoted themsleves to the overthrow of the Bourgeoisie,' showing the traditional Marxist forgiveness of the atrocities visited on the working classes of the USSR by Lenin.
More recently, Hip Hop has been more succesfull in allying musical swagger with revolutionary content. The Coup, originally consisting of Boots, deejay Pam the Funkstress and E-Roc (untill the latter left) aren't particulary didactic Marxists, but leaven their blue collar rap perspective and calls for Liberation with humour, pathos and striking tales of reality. 1993's 'Kill My Landlord' distills their approach perfectly, although they gained notoriety for the original cover of 2001's 'Party Music', which depicted the group infront of the World Trade Center towers as they exploded. (The artwork was finialised before the events of 9/11.)
Dead Prez have similarly managed to blend rhetoric with listenable music and real life political activism. Influenced by the Marxist Black Panther Party, Dead Prez have always let their political commitment merge with their music, whether in sampling speeches made by activists or proscribing methods of protest. They collaberated in 2001 with the Coup on 'Get Up'.
Peruvian Harlemite Immortal Technique is also a notable political rapper. His 'Revolutionary vol 1 & 2' albums are suffused with anger, but also with analysis. 2005's single 'Bin Laden' explicity blamed Reagon and George Bush for the events leading to the 9/11 attacks, while other sings have dealt with the drug trade, the occupation of Palestine, the New World Order, the infamous shooting of Amadou Diallo by police, and many other political hot potatoes.
Of course though, Marxism - which explicitly attacks capitalism and has at its heart the redistribution of wealth - isnt a great fit with selfish, money-obsessed rappers on the whole.
opinions?
The article should of just been called "the left" in Hip Hop, in my opinion.