I feel global political oppression or global wars usually produce great music but Macklemore might be the peak.
Nothing against him, some of his songs are good, but I expected real rage inducing stuff with everything going on. Or is this just the state of music as a whole?
It’s king gizzard y’all sleeping
They’re basically the Pink Floyd of our generation. Too bad they’ll never have the same reach as PF or older bands due to the heavy current cultural fragmentation.
Run the Jewels
👉🤛
Kneecap
Bob Vylan
Both got in trouble for speaking out about the Palestinian genocide.
100% agree with you.
I AIN’T JUST A VILLIAN I’M THE MOTHERFUCKEN MAN
Zeal and Ardor.
An absolute top tier band that stand for human rights and who’s lyrics reflect their beliefs.
Created by a black metal artist from Sweden who made one of the best black metal albums of the past 5 years, who have since released banger after banger.
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/racist-4chan-comment-album/
Also seconded/thirded on Run the Jewels. “Close your eyes and count to fuck” is on the forever playlist.
Good protest music is coming out now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZYB5v69n7w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpNDaMc02Eg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlIREcAu0PI
More mainstream artists like Macklemore, Bob Vylan, Kneecap are also out there fighting the good fight.
Check out Jesse Welles for more folky protest music.
He also has non-protest music too, but some good recent protest and political songs include:
Love this!
RTJ?
RTJ4 coming out right when the pandemic and George Floyd being murdered was magical. That album is straight gas. Saying this as a 48 year old white dude.
And then the tour getting cancelled for COVID and then Zack fucking his ankle was a real bummer.
I feel like we need to define ‘this generation’. Are we talking young people, currently popular artists? Because I’m at the age where you realize that you’re not that young anymore xD
Apart from that I’d like to mention Doechii. Some of her songs are about black trauma and reflection on her live
IDLES
It’s hard for me to think of one as many artists may come out with a couple political songs, but it isn’t necessarily their whole discography.
Macklemore and Childish Gambino come to mind for me as both have had political songs and somewhat politically active.
They’re not so prolific or relevant now but I feel Rise Against deserves a mention. I did my senior essay on their work in high school and honestly it changed a lot of my political opinions doing research/listening for that.
I almost forgot, rise against and Tom Morello did this song live together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5hLetyUToI
Ha, cool! I need to give them a more thorough listen.
I wonder who else’s first exposure to them was that incredible “Urban Ninja” video that was really popular when YouTube was cool…20 years ago 😨
Reading all of this and not seeing Visgra Boys or Mannequin Pussy is weird. Shout out to Lamborghini Girls too.
I’m 40 so idk what the kids like.
I have never even read those names before, and I think this illustrates the issue.
Protest songs used to reach world wide top charts because that’s what people bought. This was ruined by commercialization, so that charts now only show what labels want to sell. People who actually choose what music to consume will scatter out into online bubbles that are completely detached from the mainstream and public view.
This makes it almost impossible to reach as big an audience as done by RATM and others did in previous decades.
Perhaps young people ought to do protest TikToks instead of protest songs.
Hell yeah! The whole “For the People” album just released is fantastic and just what op is looking for I bet. I was just at a show with them, Bad Religion, and the Mainliners, all three kicked ass
Cool. They did a free show in my city a few weeks ago. Right downtown. Fun stuff!
Grandson has some pretty good ones
Ren Gill is british, makes music.
Hard to encapsulate. Elements of Eminem, Prince, Springsteen, Dylan, Shakespeare, Gershwin, et al. Very insightful writing. Crazy talented.
As for political commentary, Money Game trillogy is an entry point.
Billie Eillish seems like the biggest star with anti establishment messaging in their music right now
Maybe some rappers, i don’t listen to rap tho
That’s one pop singer that I really don’t get the hype for, not even in a “counter cultural” sense of paused whispering instead of singing
