Chief among them is Immortal Technique, whose free compilation album The Martyr, released late last year, covered everything from elitism to metaphysics. Some people take rappers too seriously."ĭespite these words, Kweli is touring the UK with a new generation of homegrown artists who aren't scared to deal in the explicitly political, while in the US there seems to be a growing number of young acts operating in the same vein.
The same way as Arnold Schwarzenegger is different to the Terminator," says Talib Kweli, trying to clarify the motives involved. "Jay-Z the rapper is different to Shawn Carter. Kanye made an appearance at Zuccotti Park but then Jay produced an Occupy-themed line in T-shirts, putting them on sale for a short period of time before the criticism came that he was looking to cash-in on the anti-capitalist movement. Lupe has been labelled a sell-out by some fans Common dismayed a certain section of his fanbase by using the words "nigga" and "bitch" on his 2011 album The Dreamer/ The Believer.Įqually, it was hard to discern the motives of Jay-Z and Kanye when they seemed to come out in support of Occupy Wall Street.
It is hard to pin down exactly what many of these hip-hop artists are calling for: their messages can become conflated with other, less serious topics and often end up appearing woolly. Almost literally so: at the 2011 Bet Hip-Hop awards he made a point of wrapping his mic in a Palestinian flag, while Erykah Badu performing with him wore the niqab. PE ploughed a lonely furrow for much of their career, but the 90s did see the rise of conscious rappers including Talib Kweli and Mos Def, while the likes of Lupe Fiasco still fly the flag. In a response video he posted to YouTube, he rapped: "Whips wheeling is a million miles from what people's feeling."
Those who found the private jets, yachts and expensive cars too much to stomach at this time of dire unemployment in America included the veteran Chuck D of Public Enemy.
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