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wdog
wdog
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John McCain - let me introduce you to Michael Franti and Spearhead

Posted about 1 year ago
Just a few months ago, I was having a discussion with my 18 year old daughter about music.. and I asked her if she ever listened to music with a message - you know, songs like "Ohio" and "For What It's Worth". I managed to build into her an appreciation for music of past generations.. but lately she's consumed with Hip Hop and R&B - most of which is somewhat devoid of any sort of socially redeeming message.. and then a friend turned me onto Michael Franti.. and like mana from heaven, good music and a message that matters.. perhaps now more than ever in these days of a possible McCain Presidency in the offing.
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Comments (8)

  1. allenblakecassady
    allenblakecassady says I saw Michael Franti and Spearhead at Bonnaroo this past year. It was a pretty good show. Not the greatest. Not the worst. They did a cool cover of what I got, but that's all I remember...
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  2. wdog
    wdog says I haven't listened to Franti a lot, but I would say that while the music may, at times, seem a little bit average, I'm impressed with his commitment to his message - whether you agree with everything or not. It's somewhat refreshing in these days of U2 and Metallica crying crocodile tears because they're not making the millions upon millions they want.. to see Michael Franti probably giving up financial rewards out of a commitment to his message. I think perhaps Neil Young and Joni Mitchell would approve :)
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  3. allenblakecassady
    allenblakecassady says but you have to wonder at times how much "getting the message across" is going to impede the musical aspect instead of inspire...it may be an inspired message but an uninspired song musically and it just...fails in my eyes. if you're a musician, the music should come first.
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  4. hawaiianpunch
    hawaiianpunch says I would disagree with your generalization of hip hop in your post. If one just looks around they will find many hip hop artists from back in the day and now who are spreading a message of political and social awareness. Some favorites: The Coup - Genocide and Juice, Kill My Landlord Mr. Lif - Emergency Rations Blackalicious - Blazing Arrow Dead Prez - Let's Get Free Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust Talib Kweli - basically anything with his name attached The Roots - same as above Zion-I & The Grouch - Heroes in the City of Dope There are also a lot of enlightened hip hop groups that aren't specifically political: Mystic Bahamadia PsalmOne Little Brother Foreign Exchange Typical Cats Hezekiah Aceyalone Mikah 9 ...and the list goes on. Hope you can open your daughter's mind and ears to something more than just the crap that gets played on the radio which definitely does not represent hip hop's full breadth and potential.
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  5. wdog
    wdog says I think that's a great point, punch.. and because my exposure to Hip Hop - and my daughter's, is to a great extent, FM radio and MTV oriented.. and I don't have a problem with Hip Hop per se.. but what is most publicly accessible is so much Snoop Dog type stuff, which, while catchy, isn't.. uh.. emotionally and intellectually uplifting.. i.e. "Gin and Juice".. Two in the mornin and the partys still jumpin Cause my momma aint home I got bitches in the living room gettin it on And, they aint leavin til six in the mornin (six in the mornin) So what you wanna do, sheeeit I got a pocket full of rubbers and my homeboys do too So turn off the lights and close the doors But (but what) we dont love them hoes, yeah! So we gonna smoke a ounce to this Gs up, hoes down, while you motherfuckers bounce to this ..I've tried to get my daughter tuned into Mog in particular, suggesting that she will find a much broader exposure to music that she won't pick up from FM, TV and her friends.. ..the one good thing, is when I mention a performer that she hasn't heard of, it sort of embarasses her to think that I might be more in tune than she is.. some time ago, I got the heads up on Aesop Rock here, and passed that on.. so, props to this site in particular for getting out the word on less commercial and often more interesting music.. And I'll be trolling through your list too - so thanks for more hints on a journey to expand musical horizons :)
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  6. deadmandeadman
    deadmandeadman says so, your choice? Candidate?
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  7. brz
    brz says wdog your fellow moggers will be more than happy to help you fight the good fight. Hawaiinpunch has a solid looking list of recommendations - i'm particularly a fan of Talib Kweli and The Roots. here are a couple of my own suggestions Common Mos Def - his "Black on Both Sides" is one of the greatest albums i've ever heard and to borrow Hawaiinpunch's distinction of enlightened, but not necessarily political Buck 65 - Talkin Honky Blues (in particular) Kool Keith - specifically, Matthew. it's a great satire of just about everything that would make a person skeptical of commercial hip hop i don't know much of Franti or Spearhead's work, but here's one from way back in the days of Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprsy, it's a cover of the Dead Kennedy's California Uber Alles, updated for the Pete Wilson era... the more things change, the more the stay the same
    Permalink posted 02/05/2008
  8. wdog
    wdog says my choice? candidate.. well, being Canadian, I'm mostly an armchair quarterback kind of observer, however, I tend to be conservative fiscally and liberal socially.. my probable choice would be Hillary - liberal enough to grapple with health care and trying to wrest control of foreign policy from Halliburton, but realistic enough to understand that just pulling all the troops from Iraq tomorrow is going to leave an immediate hole that radical Islam will fill in a moment.. Obama is a dreamer, and would be a great vice-president, but, I think at times of great adversity, he'd be a Neville Chamberlain - the Prime Minister of Britain, who thought that he could reason with Adolph Hitler.. McCain, on the other hand, while I think is fundamentally decent, would see everyone in the middle east as a Hitler and would be another GWB in the offing, waiting to attack Iran, Jordan, perhaps even Saudi Arabia.. My .02$. But, back to more important things - I listened to some cuts, particularly Mos Def and Blackalicious.. more great discoveries in the mogosphere! Thanks again!
    Permalink posted 02/06/2008

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