Disposable Hero?
It is a somewhat bizarre misnomer in the world of hip-hop that a genre of music which has done so much to push the boundaries of wordplay, musical production and social commentary can at once be so progressive and expansive, and at the same time stiflingly inward looking. Posturing and hackneyed stereotypes rule 80% of output, and scorn is often poured on people who dare to challenge or invert these norms.
Hip-hop with a country music inflection? No thank you! Dabble in drum and bass? Well, alright but only this once and only because you are Outkast. Make a meaningful statement about conflict diamonds? Oh go on then, but make sure you promote bling culture for the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong, there are many rappers out there who take the message in their music seriously, and we know who they are, but one who never seems to me to get the props he deserves is giant rap-rock-dub-soul merchant Michael Franti. We all remember the channelled anger and frustration of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy challenging materialism and misogyny, but less is known of his output since, as part of his band Spearhead, and as a solo artist. And this is a shame as his work remains musically fresh and lyrically forthright and important. He has been described by Chris Blackwell as the most important artist recording and touring today who has yet to reach the mass audience and this is no empty hype.
In his latest project, a DVD, book and CD trilogy, Franti travelled to Israel, Palestine and Iraq with a video camera and a guitar and simply spoke to normal people and the western troops caught in this sea of confusion about their experiences of living in a warzone. What could be a trite and halo-polishing ego project is actually one of the most revealing and emotive responses to the world in 2006 as you will find. It is perhaps easy to be a liberal "stop the war"-monger, but less easy to actually do something meaningful about putting actions to words and seeking to really understand issues from different perspectives. Yellfire is the album and I Know I'm Not Alone the documentary and book. It is worth checking out because it reminds you just how powerful music can be as an expression of desire to change the world, even by small degrees.
Hip-hop with a country music inflection? No thank you! Dabble in drum and bass? Well, alright but only this once and only because you are Outkast. Make a meaningful statement about conflict diamonds? Oh go on then, but make sure you promote bling culture for the rest of the album. Don't get me wrong, there are many rappers out there who take the message in their music seriously, and we know who they are, but one who never seems to me to get the props he deserves is giant rap-rock-dub-soul merchant Michael Franti. We all remember the channelled anger and frustration of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy challenging materialism and misogyny, but less is known of his output since, as part of his band Spearhead, and as a solo artist. And this is a shame as his work remains musically fresh and lyrically forthright and important. He has been described by Chris Blackwell as the most important artist recording and touring today who has yet to reach the mass audience and this is no empty hype.
In his latest project, a DVD, book and CD trilogy, Franti travelled to Israel, Palestine and Iraq with a video camera and a guitar and simply spoke to normal people and the western troops caught in this sea of confusion about their experiences of living in a warzone. What could be a trite and halo-polishing ego project is actually one of the most revealing and emotive responses to the world in 2006 as you will find. It is perhaps easy to be a liberal "stop the war"-monger, but less easy to actually do something meaningful about putting actions to words and seeking to really understand issues from different perspectives. Yellfire is the album and I Know I'm Not Alone the documentary and book. It is worth checking out because it reminds you just how powerful music can be as an expression of desire to change the world, even by small degrees.
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