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submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

I feel like there are lots of parallels between the eighties and now (recession/inflation, yuppies/inequality, skin-heads/fascists, hot-cold wars etc.) but there used to be protest music! Where is that stuff now? Music that's intelligent and outraged - like we should be!

I'm out of touch now, so if it exists, educate me! Or have the protest songs been removed from tiktok by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (UK specific, but suppression of protest seems to be everywhere)? (I've linked to the Levellers - maybe it really was better back in the day?)

edit: Maybe not the right audience, but if the song is old enough to vote then I might already know it! What's happening now? Any songs from the last 10 years!

edit: Thanks for everyone's insights. I've spent the day discovering music that I'd never have found otherwise. Really enjoying a load of these, but thanks to everyone! It seems like protest music is confined to certain genres/places, and lots of older songs - maybe they just last longer... which is maybe a little interesting.

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[-] frezik@midwest.social 4 points 6 months ago

Garbage - No gods no masters. Whole album is shamelessly political.

The men who rule the world Have made a fucking mess The history of power The worship of success The king is in the counting house He's chairman of the board The women who crowd the courtrooms All accused of being whores

[-] some_guy 4 points 6 months ago
[-] Substance_P@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

I love this question. Perhaps there is also the record labels and mainstream media that prioritize marketability and mass appeal, which most probably would discourage artists from producing overtly political content, the stuff that may be thrown into the controversial or polarizing basket just doesn't pull in the bucks these days.

[-] fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

As it ever was?

edit: it does feel different now - but it has never been easy.

[-] thepixelfox@kbin.social 4 points 6 months ago

Billy talent are great for political, fuck the government/ big corporations type songs. Not protest songs so much. But it feels pretty on theme. Their messages are great.
Surprise surprise and viking death march are two of my personal favourites songs by them.

[-] fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 months ago

I hate to break it to you but Billy Talent formed in 1993! ;)

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[-] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Sault's "Foot on Necks" is a great anti police brutality anthem, and a big chunk of all their music has messages like that

[-] TehBamski@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago
[-] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I listen to a lot of punk music so obviously it's strongly political. Here's just a few off the top of my head:

  • White People for Peace by Against Me!
  • Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners by Against Me!
  • Survivor Guilt by Rise Against
  • State of the Union by Rise Against
  • The Eco-Terrorist In Me by Rise Against
  • 45 by Sum41
  • Empty Walls by Serj Tankian
  • Prison Song by System of a Down
  • Christian Nationalist by Anti-Flag
  • Die for your Government by Anti-Flag
  • 72 hookers by NOFX
  • Please Play This Song on the Radio by NOFX
  • Fuck Euphemism by NOFX
  • Take Back the Power by The Interrupters
  • Quarantine by Blink 182

I tried to include a bit of variety and not all be anti-war songs from/about the Bush era. A couple are about the music industry specifically, and one is a musical rant about kink culture (and it's not the one you think based on the title!) I'm also a big Rise Against fan so I tried to pull out some non-singles from accross many years since basically any song by them has a good political message. I highly recommend looking up the lyrics to all of these after the first listen or better during the second listen

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[-] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

"George Floyd" by the Log Bay Ramblers is some nice and direct bluegrass folk music

[-] frazorth@feddit.uk 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

You mention the UK, so I'll just drop a couple of names of folks/bands talking about racism, immigration and toxic male culture.

Bob Vylan

We live here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VFqhJyvly1g

Wicked and Bad - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KRJ-s7jRyAM

Idles

Danny Nedelko - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF_G-RF66M

Lambrini Girls

Lads lads lads - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IuLK56UrCL0

There's a lot of good punk still happening.

[-] EnderMB@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Should also add Hacktivist. A few of their songs are politically charged, and several calls BoJo a cunt.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YWzwEPYIjYM

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[-] Shurimal@kbin.social 3 points 6 months ago

Leslie Fish is still writing music. Plus her old works from 1980-s (eg It's Sister Jenny's Turn to Throw the Bomb and Firestorm) are as relevant now as they were 40 years ago.

[-] Varyk@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Tropical fuck storm is pretty good at ranting against the bullshit and bonus they also sound awesome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_jxKD7X7pw

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[-] Muscle_Meteor@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 6 months ago

Right Now - Jesse Roper

[-] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Say She She's "Norma" is all about the end of Roe v Wade

[-] TheDoctorDonna@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

The Offspring. Americana, Stuff is Messed up, the Kids Aren't Alright...

[-] Shapillon@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Moscow Death Brigade for example

[-] SVcross@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

La Bala - Juana Fé

[-] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago
[-] yokonzo@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Anything by flobots, old stuff or new is pretty political

[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

revolution by Tracy chapman

[-] Hikermick@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

This thought has occurred to me recently. What is this generation's soundtrack? What is the music everyone will look on and say it defined the time?

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[-] hex_m_hell@slrpnk.net 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)
[-] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Dégénération

A French Quebec song about how the world is going and how Gen Z has been neglected

[-] Persen@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I don't know if thease two are protest songs, but they are near enough: Plavi orkestar - Fa Fa Fašista, Bijelo dugme - Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo

Edit: They are yugoslavian, so not that relevant now.

[-] DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

Gary Clarke Jr. Has some good protest songs, especially for a blues musician, including a remake of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's Ohio.

Municipal Waste is great for some hardcore, there's actually a bunch of hardcore bands that have some excellent protest songs.

Then you have Ice-T's Body Count.

Lamb of God's albums post-Randy's time in a Czech prison have been full of social commentary, far more than the earlier albums.

I've seen people highlight Killer Mike's Grammy wins, but his other group Run the Jewels is pretty much the biggest name in protest rap these days.

Then you have Kendrick Lamar, possibly the best rapper of his generation, absolutely one of the greatest story tellers of rap, period.

Overall there's a lot of pop, metal, rock, rap and other genres who have some prominent names and many lesser known names who are putting out good angry music.

Then you have Ice Cube putting out Arrest the President then proceeding to talk about voting for that same president.🤦‍♂️

[-] Tier1BuildABear@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

GRANDSON, GRANDSON, GRANDSON EVERY DAY. You've probably heard them, I love Dirty

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this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2024
195 points (91.5% liked)

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