A tree planted by water is a dedication to inner sanctity and peace. Eryn Allen Kane and Aja Monet remind us how important sharing your voice is and how it can impact the world. Through spoken word poetry, they declare that hopelessness is not our horizon and healing is a duty and obligation.
Read MoreThe short-lived — yet still thoroughly pioneering — Tropicália movement of the 1960s challenged Brazil’s military dictatorship through carefully-cultivated music rooted in defiance and eagerness for change.
Read More“Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2,” one of the most well-known protest songs in the world, has been so overused that its original intended meaning has largely been lost. In spite of this, popular interpretations of the song can still be worth considering.
Read MorePoly Styrene and her band X-Ray Spex made history with the 1977 single “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!,” inspiring countless other women to protest their own experiences.
Read More“Imagine” by John Lennon came out 50 years ago. It wasn’t a protest song then, and, no matter what some think-pieces would have you believe, it still isn’t one now.
Read MoreThe Russian electronic band continues to face suppression under Putin’s Russia and uses music to cry out against police brutality, homophobia, and censorship.
Read MoreFollowing an IRA attack that resulted in the death of two children, The Cranberries wrote ‘Zombie’ to speak out against violence and pose one question to extremists: “What’s in your head?”
Read MoreCSNY’s “Ohio” boldly responded to the murder of four students on Kent State University’s campus by the Ohio National Guard at a May 4, 1970 protest of the Vietnam War.
Read MoreThe popularity of rock music in the 1980s Soviet Union stoked the emergence of Russian rock as a counterculture against the Soviet government and created a generation of rebels amidst the collapse of the USSR.
Read MoreThe Muslims took one one of the most beloved pop punk anthems of the late ‘90s and put their own political, punk rock spin on it.
Read MoreIn 1973, Nobuko Miyamoto, alongside Chris Iijima and Charlie Chin, released the first Asian American album, dedicated to showcasing their perspectives of prominent social issues of their time. Several decades later, she has lived up to the precedent she helped set by releasing a fearless album devoted to highlighting just how little the U.S. has changed since then.
Read MoreDuring preparations for the 2014 World Cup in São Paulo, Brazilians faced a harsh reality: their leaders’ loyalty to their country’s beloved sport overshadowed the needs of their own citizens.
Read MoreWritten 81 years ago, “Strange Fruit”’s constant reemergence reflects the continued racism and violence against Black individuals.
Read MoreThe biggest band to ever come out of the island nation of Sri Lanka, The Gypsies addresses its beloved country’s major social and governmental issues on the laid back song, “I Don’t Know Why.” The group’s hit single has broken international borders, showing people from all over the world what it’s like to be Sri Lankan.
Read MoreFrom shutting down the New York Stock Exchange to playing at multiple American political party National Conventions, Rage Against the Machine has performed protest music since its 1992 debut.
Read MoreThroughout pockets of America exists a perception — subconscious or otherwise — that simply being Black is a crime. In his thought-provoking 2017 single “Neighbors,” rapper J. Cole articulates how racial injustice infects every level of society, making it truly skin deep.
Read MoreFor centuries, our planet has been crying for help. When will we listen to it?
Read MoreThe song “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the celebrated musical and movie “Les Miserables” lyrically symbolizes the heart of all protests and popular movements — people who believe that their voices are being silenced.
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