Free Speech - When music gets political
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| 14:40 UK time, Friday, 22 June 2012
Politics. Music. Music. Politics.
No, we鈥檙e not talking about the karaoke clubs of Westminster, we鈥檙e talking about the underlying political messaging that is seen all across the music industry. From Plan B to Riz Ahmed to back in the day of Public Enemy, it seems that politics really does sell when dropped to a beat and put on a mix tape.
In the wake of , Free Speech shot a debate asking how politics has influenced rap:
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What do you think? Do rappers have a political and social responsibility?
Meanwhile we鈥檝e asked Robbie Wojciechowski, Music Editor of Live Magazine, to give
us his take on the politics of music.
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It鈥檚 easy to blame the protest, but that's a na茂ve perspective. So instead of offering a simplified conclusion, let's look at the voices of today's poets - the grime artists, and the musicians that set alight Britain's musical landscape.
For grime artist, P Money, it鈥檚 a question of battling against control: 鈥淥ur generation is being born into an attitude where they鈥檙e told they鈥檙e never going to make it, because 鈥榞rime鈥 is their voice. So there鈥檚 a natural anger.鈥
There鈥檚 an attitude amongst our generation that society sees youth expression as aggressive and unwelcome. So is it any surprise that aggression feeds into the passion of 鈥榞rime鈥 as a genre? Grime may very well be the genre of the young and angry, but it鈥檚 not the only politicised music being written at the moment.
Take the music that fills our airwaves on radio and through television - pop music. Is that political? Jazz trumpeter and hip-hop artist Soweto Kinch seems to think so: 鈥淭he most dangerous fiction is saying music is de-politicised. Pop music is intensely political; it鈥檚 exhorting people to see the world in a particular way."
If pop music is the metaphor for an idealistic society, then surely we鈥檙e all accepting political music constantly, in whatever landscape, class, or lifestyle we set ourselves.
Music is political, and always will be. Although it鈥檚 not something we鈥檇 directly relate to our everyday lives, it鈥檚 something that affects and controls us all. Maybe it鈥檚 a case that today鈥檚 artists are getting better at talking about politics?
So what do you think 鈥 is music getting more political, or has it always been politicised?
As always, we want to know what you think, so hop on to our and now to let us know, or leave us a comment in the space below. And on that rhyme, it鈥檚 over to you.
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