You will notice that I eschew some hip hop heads’ penchant for dismissing so-called commercial artists (a la Lil Wayne). Moreover I do not judge a release predominantly on its political merits. I don’t care if they have a solid opposition to imperialism if their records are wack. That said, you will notice this list is topped by two politically-conscious rap masterpieces.

To comment on some trends. If West Coast rap is dead, I clearly haven’t noticed. Even I was surprised how well Californian artists ranked on this list. The Midwest, NY, Jersey & the South are all represented too of course.

The first two albums are CLASSICS by the way, and the third one isn’t far off. At the very least get these 3, if nothing else. Read on, and feel free to comment:

1) Saigon: The Greatest Story Never Told

One trend of this year’s list is the stalled album that finally got a release this year (see #10 for another example). This album is simply brilliant, so shame on Atlantic records for not releasing it, like, 4 years ago! Saigon is precisely what a conscious and political rapper should be. He is a witty and hard-headed rhymer, not some poser trying to seem smart or trying fit some ‘conscious’ marketing gimmick. Using the concept of the Abandoned Nation (meaning those discarded by American society, especially those incarcerated) Sai takes aim at US society. The album opener, ”The Invitation’, brilliantly talks about how white society invites minority youth to take up drug dealing and guns as a means to control and imprison people: “it’s a shame we placed in a no-win situation/ the party is in the pen and the blow is the invitation”. ‘It’s Alright’ ends with a shout out to a long list of political prisoners rotting in US jails. The uber-funky Jay-Z collabo ‘Come On Baby’ is another highlight. But best of all are the two tracks ‘Friends’ & ‘Enemies’. Here the street life is described as a false friend that will just use you and leave you broken and imprisoned. What is most impressive here is that Sai isn’t preaching to kids about how stupid they are for getting caught up in hustling (like say, KRS-1). Sai understands the appeal of the street culture and tries to advise youth by relating to their own perspective. But most important of all is the awesome musical content which accompanies Saigon’s flow and content. Almost all of the production is provided by Just Blaze, who proves again why he is admired as one of greatest producers in hip hop history. Words can’t do it justice. You need this album.

2) Kendrick Lamar: Section 80

Believe the hype about this guy: Kendrick is everything that hip hop needs. He is an underground artist with co-signs galore (Dr Dre, J. Cole, RZA, Joe Budden…). He is political, a story teller, and brings his own idiosyncratic twists to the game. This digital-only album focuses on the fate of those born in the 80s: the Ronald Regan era. He explores our vices and our evils with such insight and concern. ‘Keisha’s Song’ is the true successor to 2Pac’s ‘Brenda’s Got A Baby’, which is referenced in the track. ‘Hiiipower’ with its glorious beat from J. Cole—and its brilliant video which encapsulates 2011′s spirit of resistance—is my choice for single of the year. A classic!

3) The Roots: Undun

Nothing beats a concept album that is musically compelling. This LP is conceptually similar to Jay-Z’s American Gangster, and even more beautiful musically. Few groups do the ‘hip hop band’ thing very well, but with the Roots it just seems to work. These guys are great musicians, and their spot as house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has not blunted their creativity.

4) Royce da 59: Success is Certain

This guy is a rhyme machine. He is one the greatest living MCs and this is even better than his more depressive but brilliant 2004 sophomore album, Death is Certain. The DJ Premier produced cut ‘Second Best’ is fire. In fact most songs here are awesome. A short album, but a quality one.

5) Kanye West & Jay-Z: Watch the Throne

Collab albums are another of this year’s trends. This one features two absolute legends of the game. While Jay-Z might not be at his peak lyrically anymore, his peak was way higher than any other rapper, so he still brings fire. His verse on ‘Appetite for Destruction’ proves that. I don’t love every track, but ‘Murder to Excellence’ and ‘N**gas in Paris’ make up for any weak points. Frank Ocean’s hook on ‘No Church in the Wild’ shows why the dude who made ‘Novacane’ will not be a one hit wonder.

6) Bad Meets Evil (aka Royce Da 59 & Eminem) Hell: the Sequel

This Ep works for all the reasons we always knew it would. The two greatest Detroit spitters simply go nuts on these tracks. Nuff said.

7) Game: Purp & Patron

It’s been a busy year for the West Coast’s most notorious name-dropper. In addition to this double album length free mixtape of new music, he followed up a week later with an album worth of leftover material (Purp & Patron: the Hangover), then another mixtape (Hoodmorning: Candy Caronas), then his long awaited LP, R.E.D. Of all of this new music, it is the first disc of this release that is the most pleasing. ‘The Kill’ is a classic, and ‘Children’s Story’ is the best re-do of the Slick Rick classic so far. Features production from everyone important: Cool & Dre, Timberland, the Neptunes, Dr Dre… Unfortunately his album didn’t quite match the promise of this free release.

8) Slim the Mobster: War Music

Dr Dre’s stupidly named new protege enters the mixtape scene in surprisingly good fashion. Production is hot, and there are plenty of good tracks here. He is reminiscent of 50 Cent without quite the same annoying voice. ‘Fuck You’, ‘Dreaming’ and ‘Falling Star’ are highlights, as is Kendrick Lamar’s feature on ‘Whose House’. Slim is not a genius lyricist, but still an artist worth watching

9) Lil Wayne: Tha Carter IV

The ‘Carter’ series always does big numbers, and regardless of what the haters say, it is not difficult to understand Weezy’s success. He has become one of the world’s most venerable entertainers. So put away your holier- than-thou purity, and enjoy tracks like ‘Abortion’, ‘She Will’ and the ever so smooth ‘How to Love’.

10) Glasses Malone: Beach Cruiser
This is another long-delayed release. Perhaps Glasses is lucky he snuck into the top ten – the delaying of Rick Ross’ album probably got him over the line. This album has its weak points, but its stronger moments rock. ‘Certified’ (feat. Akon) is a banger. ‘Car Wash’ is a fresh take on Cali’s gang troubles, as it discusses how the families of murder victims often rely on neighbourhood car washes and other fundraising activities to afford a proper burial for their loved ones: “welcome to sunny California/ where there’s a car wash on every corner”. Possibly the weirdest cut is Malone’s tribute to TI, ‘Call me TI”. But the comparison sort of fits. You feel like both rappers could make a classic, but instead keep their rhymes overly simple to fit a perception of what their audience wants. That said, Glasses is always quite tidy on the mic.

And the list continues:
11) Joe Budden: Mood muzik 4.5
seven more nice, introspective cuts

12) Joell Ortiz: Free Agent
Joell should have done better, but there is some heat here

13) Crooked I: In None We Trust
Trying too hard to write bangers on this EP.  Crook— arguably the best lyricist pound for pound right now besides Eminem—needed to mix in some of the emotion he showed on the Slaughterhouse album and elsewhere. And he needs to drop a solo album already!

14) Mac Miller: Blue Slide Park
Jewish kids from Philly makes good, with A Tribe Called Quest meets J. Cole kinda vibe

15) J. Cole: Cole world; the Sideline Story
‘Can’t Get Enough’ should be on everyone’s best of 2011 mixtape. Dude can produce hot beats ad a few good punchlines, but is too often sub-par on the mic

16) Game: Red album
Didn’t bring all his best material here, but there are enjoyable tracks on every Game album

17) Immortal Technique: Martyr
‘Rich Man’s World’ encapsulates the anger of the Occupy movement. Shame his music and voice aren’t usually as good as his politics

18) Raekwon: Shaolin vs Wu Tang
Rae is always reliable. However, as with all Wu-related albums, one feels that there is already plenty of similar material in existence by now

19) Jay Rock: Follow me home
It is hard for Jay to shine given he is bound to compared to his Black Hippy cohorts, such as Kendrick Lamar. Lots of big features, and some nice tracks

20) Ab Soul: Longterm mentality
This guy brought fire on his ‘Outro’ to Kendrick’s Section 80. This Black Hippy member brings a unique flow

Dr Dre missed out for not dropping Detox, and Drake and Yelawolf missed out for releasing disappointing records. Oh, and Mistah FAB’s I Found My Backpack 2 was the unlucky 21^st.

Dead Prez is the “everything is political, fuck the police, revolutionary hip hop duo”. So said M1 (Mutulu Olugbala), one half of that duo to an audience on their recent Australian tour.

It was ten years ago that Dead Prez dropped their debut LP, Let’s Get Free. Their track ‘Hip Hop’ has since attained classic status. Next they coined the term “Revolutionary But Gangsta” to describe their tendency to portray themes of street life and petty crime, while also maintaining an anti-system political consciousness.

Hip hop fans who are also revolutionaries love Dead Prez both because they are brilliant exponents of the art form, and because they consistently say those controversial things that need saying. About the war on terror: “Know your enemy, know yourself, that’s the politc/ George Bush is way worse than Bin Laden is”. Springsteen never said that. As I will discuss below, Dead Prez are now not just willing, but eager to speak the awful truth about the Obama Administration.

January this year saw the first ever Dead Prez Australian tour. They took to the stage at Big Day Out, and also performed a number of sideshows, including a packed out performance at Melbourne’s The Espy.

Dead Prez were visiting from the US, but that does not make them American. “I’m an African, never was an African-American”, as they stated on their debut album. As descendents of the African slaves on whose toil US capitalism was built, Dead Prez argue that black people should feel no patriotic sense of duty towards Uncle Sam.

Their attitude towards Australian patriotism is no less sharp. The gig at the Espy happened the day after Australia Day – or as M1 rightly labelled it during the first minutes of the show, “colonial invasion day”. This was an impressive statement given the levels of mindless jingoism that surrounds the January 26 public holiday.

What stood out most about how Dead Prez approach politics in their shows is that they refuse to pander to even the more liberal prejudices of their audience. If some Australian hip hop heads don‘t like someone from the US denouncing their national holiday too bad. The militant way they expressed their healthy living veganism was similarly rebellious. The room was packed with punters who love to drink, smoke and eat Hungry Jacks. So stic.man of Dead Prez announces he hasn’t had alcohol or weed in a year, they condemn McDonalds and Burger King and then do a song about the virtues of wholesome vegetarian cuisine. I love steak, but I have not seen anything so gangsta in my life.
Hip hop can be portrayed as simply being concerned with partying, sex and bling. And that is a trend in the genre that Dead Prez they tackled on their song Radio Freq:

What’s on the radio? Propaganda, mind control
And turning it on is like putting on a blind fold
Cause when you bringin’ it real you don’t get rotation
Unless you take over the station
And yeah I know it’s part of their plans
To make us think it’s all about party and dance
And yo it might sound good when you spittin’ your rap
But in reality don’t nobody live like that

Those who are schooled about the traditions of hip hop know that political dissent and social criticism is nothing new for the genre. Public Enemy are the most obvious example. But many other artists including KRS-1, 2pac & Ice Cube tackled themes like the racist nature of US society, police violence, and economic inequality.

No-one raps politics like Dead Prez though. Three attributes set them apart. One, their songs are almost never tedious or simply worthy as political music can sometimes become. The beat and flows on ‘Hip Hop’ are as energetic as anything in the game. ‘Hell Yea (Pimp the System)’ involves clever and humorous storytelling in presented in fast, rhythmical and melodic manner that only quality MCs can muster. ‘W-4’, about life as a minimum wage employee is truly moving. Dead Prez can be funky, angry, witty and bleak: but their music is almost always engaging.

Secondly, Dead Prez are socialists. They stand for revolution to overthrow the ruling class. At at a lecture he gave at an Aboriginal rights fundraiser after their Melbourne BDO performance, M1 clarified that the revolution must be a working class revolution. Dead Prez aren’t just pointing out the problems, but can point to some solutions. As they rhymed in ‘Police State’:

I want to be free to live, able to have what I need to live
Bring the power back to the street, where the people live
We sick of working for crumbs and filling up the prisons
Dying over money and relying on religion for help
We do for self like ants in a colony
Organize the wealth into a socialist economy
A way of life based off the common need
And all my comrades is ready, we just spreading the seed

Thirdly, their revolutionary socialist political framework gives their lyrics integrity. They don’t go with whatever views are popular at any time. Importantly they avoid the major pitfall of support for the Democratic Party. Since the 1930 the Democrats have consistently sought to co-opt social movements and social discontent. However it is and always has been a capitalist party, founded, funded and run by sections of the US capitalist class.

Failing in behind the Democrats has repeatedly been the key weakness of the American Left, and it is something that most US hip hop artists are guilty of. This is even more the case now that the Democrats have a black man in the White House. But Obama is not on the side of the majority of struggling black people in the US, and has done little for them. And his continued imperialist adventures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Haiti and Yemen have been brutal.

Dead Prez recognise that Obama is the representative of same racist, capitalist Empire as before. So calling “bullshit” on Obama became a major theme of their recent tour. They were particularly scathing of Obama’s response to Haiti.

Before the election, on ‘Politrikkks’ they stated “even if Obama wins/ Uncle Sam ain’t my friend”. Now that Obama is in office, Dead Prez are justly making him the target of their anti-Imperialist sentiment. Or as M1 put it, “The President is still dead to me”.

Dead Prez’ new mixtape, Pulse of the People: Turn off the Radio Vol. 3, presented by DJ Green Lantern, is out now

You are all very wrong on this movie. It was really poor. It opportunistically appropriated the image of Soweto, and falsely purports to be a comment on racism. It is nothing of the sort. In fact it is a markedly racist movie. The aliens (stand ins for black folks under apartheid?) are portrayed as stupid (except for Christopher and his child), and worse is the portrayal of the Nigerians. The latter are stereotypicaly brutal, tribal, and into witchcraft that involves murder. Quite racist.
It was just a popcorn movie parading as a real film with something to say. Cloverfield, which was a far superior product, was thankfully clear that it was just a popcorn movie

The band has a great aesthetic, thanks in large part to work of front man & agitprop artist Azlan Mclennan. The band’s style is brutal and angry, but retain an often self-depricating sense of humor.
The songs are effective on their own merits as straight-forward pieces of hardcore venom. One song in particular can be sighted as an instant harcore classic: the band’s ode to K. Rudd, ‘You’re a Fucking Maggot’.
There is of course a political as well as a musical mission involved. McLennan is a committed devotee of the hardcore genre, but lements its nationalism. This nationalism is to be expected of our enemies on the Nazi-inspired rightwing of the scene. There is, however, also a tendency to patriotism (and other parochialisms) amongst the more socially progressive outfits. Red Terror seeks to buck this trend, and have thus produced a badge which lebels themselves as Internationalist Hardcore.
In addition to KRudd, Red Terror’s political targets include the killer pig Chris Hurley (and the police in general), Centrelink, the anti-Union goons of the Australian Building and Constuction Commission, sex offender & NRL chump Matthew Johns and postmodernism. And all of them have it coming!
If you like bands such as Toe-To-Toe (and you should), and perhaps even if you don’t, you should love Red Terror. Their sound is direct and unpretentious, their frontman is a livewire, and they something to say.
It is possible that some of you will find their work confronting or crude. Little do you realise, that that is the point.

Essentially, Birchall ascribes to Elvis, a rebellious, or even anti-capitalist status that is wildly spurious. “Elvis was no socialist, just a rebel against a system he never understood…” Birchall opines. You can decide for yourself if Birchall makes a cogent case for this.

I am of the opinion that this piece is an example of where a leftist has felt the need to justify their music tastes (or the reason why they should be discussed in a revolutionary newspaper) by reaching for some left-spin.

It is not just that I’m too influenced by the sentiments of Chuck D: “Elvis as a hero to most but he never meant shit me…”

I’m cool with a socialist who loves Elvis. I would feel much happier if Birchall could just be satisfied with saying he though Elvis was ace, he loved his work, and that he was an important part of his own youth. To this I say mazeltov. Why try to puff up your popular music idols to fit some picture of radicalism if it just isn’t there. Enjoy rock stars for what they are. It’s not like the next instalment of my blog will be entitled “The Contradictory Struggle Against Bourgeois Society in Stone Temple Pilot Lyrics”!

1. Am I right in thinking the film was trying to say something about sexual politics?
2. Any idea what that might actually be?

National anthems are pretty much always lame. I know they are supposed to convey the shared experiences of a nation, but actually they merely express how hollow and poisonous the ideology of patriotism really is. The French anthem is somewhat of an exception: they can boast that their anthem was the lyric of a revolution. Alas, today the French edit out the part in the ‘La Marseillaise’ about killing the ruling class:

Tremble, tyrants! and you, traitors,
The disgrace of all groups,
Tremble! Your parricidal plans
Will finally pay the price!

The Australian national anthem neither celebrates a revolution, nor conveys any shared values of any group, national or otherwise. I mean, how many of us actually feel girt by anything?

There is one song, Australian in origin, that I think does speak to most Australians. By poignantly conveying a story from Australia’s past, this one song has sort of helped to create a shared experience.

Cold Chisel’s ‘Khe Sanh’ is an impressive work. Moreover, it has nothing to do with jingoism. Rather it speaks of an unjust chapter in world politics in which the Australian establishment eagerly sacrificed its youth.

It is a moving story, and well told. I love it when this song comes on the radio, or is selected by someone at karaoke. Most people know the words and get what the story is about. This song is much more valuable than that dross they got us to sing in school assembly.

Go download the song! Read the lyrics here.

There is however one problem with my suggestion about making it the national anthem – and I must admit it is a glaring one. The song’s perspective is so inescapably male. It can be debated whether the song’s lyrics are sexist, or are just describing a character in an honest way. The point is not that the protagonist, a Vietnam veteran, is politically progressive, but rather that the experiences of modern wars leave a permanent and destructive legacy on the lives of those who survive them.

Since witnessing the awesomeness of the re-formed Alice in Chains a couple of weeks ago, I have had Seattle on my mind, and playing constantly on my iPod. As my long-standing affinity with the Seattle ‘grunge’ phenomenon which was so popular in the early 90s has become an obsession, I have an observation that I need to share. There were two Seattles.

There were two distant genres of alternative rock that emerged from Seattle, more or less simultaneously. I think this revelation makes the musical achievements of that Pacific North-Western city all the more impressive.

The first of the Seattles, is defined by the city’s most famous musical export, Nirvana. The kind of fuzz-driven, somewhat punky, cynical/angry sound they specialised in has its roots in another of Seattle’s greats, Mudhoney. I would also place Tad in that same category.

The other Seattle is epitomised by Pearl Jam, its most important antecedent, Mother Love Bone, and also Soundgarden and the Screaming Trees. The side projects Mad Season and Temple of the Dog also belong to this Seattle. These bands are more influenced by the 70s arena rock and metal bands like Sabbath and Zeppplin. They tends to be more melodic, have a bigger, less fuzzy guitar sound, and specialise in big, bankable choruses – think Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’. The difference can be gleaned by comparing Nirvana’s ‘Love Buzz’, with the Soundgarden huge sounding ‘Loud Love’.

In terms of non-Seattle alternative rock bands of this era, they can usually be seen as conforming to one of these two trends. Sleater-Kinney belong in the first category (and eventually released a brilliant album The Woods on the Seattle’s legendary Sub Pop label). Stone Temple Pilots clearly belong to the second camp.

I will return later to discuss the politics, in particular the sexual politics of 90s alternative rock in a future post. In the meantime, if you are unfamiliar with the bands listed here, acquaint yourself with them. You will not regret it.

In keeping witih my oft-expressed desire to highlight the politically progressive side of metal, I will be examining the anti-war credentials of the pioneers of the genre, Black Sabbath. During the era of the Vietnam War, the Ozzy Osborne-fronted Black Sabbath released some of their most enduring works.

1971’s Paranoid album will forever be considered a classic. Musically it contains the riffs that would inspire bands like Soundgarden as well as a host of 90s stoner rock acts. Then there is blissfully gentle psychedelia of ‘Planet Caravan’. And one more thing before I get onto the politics: the Jazz drumming. Perhaps it is an accident of history that the original name of what became the first ever metal band was Polka Tulk. The musicians who formed Sabbath came from Polka, Jazz, Blues and Skiffle backgrounds. While many later bands took the guitar style of Tony Iommi, I have yet to hear another metal group that has the Jazz-influenced drum work of Bill Ward. Some contemporary musician might do well to revisit this vibrant blending of styles.

Paranoid opens with ‘War Pigs’. I remember reading in a newspaper that it had been included in a list of all-time best anti-War songs, just behind Bob Dylan’s ‘Masters of War’. I felt vindicated at the time, but I am unfortunately unable to find the list using Google. The song begins:

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death’s construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds, oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor

True that! Later in the album, ‘Electrical Funeral’ evokes the horrors of a nuclear holocaust. And even in ‘Hands of Doom’, which an anti-drug song (ironic sentiments from a singer who would become famous for his hard-living ways) they suggest that one impulse driving the youth towards drug abuse is disillusionment with society – and they name the war in Vietnam in particular.

First it was the bomb, Vietnam napalm
Disillusioning, you push the needle in

Their next album was called Masters of Reality which included the remarkable track ‘Children of the Grave’. This was an impassioned musical open letter the youth radicalisation of the early 1970. The lyrics implore the youth to keep fighting “the world until they’ve won”. And it is contended that the fate of humanity rest upon their victory.

Revolution in their minds – the children start to march
Against the world in which they have to live
and all the hate that’s in their hearts
They’re tired of being pushed around
and told just what to do
They’ll fight the world until they’ve won
and love comes flowing through

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?

So you children of the world,
listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in
spread the words today
Show the world that love is still alive

You must be brave
Or you children of today are
Children of the Grave

Given this, why is it that Sabbath is very rarely considered a musical accompaniment to radicalisation of the Vietnam-era? As I have said before, metal was never purely into gore and the occult. This was true of those who originated the musical style. And it still is.

In 2003, not long after the US invasion of Iraq, Bill Ward released an anti-war song entitled ‘Straws’.  He stated “the song represents my fear towards yet another violent escalation of arms, and what seems to be an inevitable war with unaccountable consequences”. The more things change…