Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Heavy As Lead’ By Leyla McCalla
The following was originally published at Ongoing History Of Protest Songs. Back in April 2014, the Flint water crisis began when the decision was made to switch from treated water to an untreated water source for the sake of saving money. This resulted in lead contamination that adversely affected over
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Would You Take My Blood?’ By Shemekia Copeland
Shemekia Copeland is a blue musician who has been part of the Alligator Records family in Chicago since her debut in 1998. Her latest album, “America’s Child,” grapples with the resurgence of hate in the United States, particularly since the election of President Donald Trump. One of the more moving
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Bullshit Anthem’ By Fantastic Negrito
Fantastic Negrito is a Grammy Award-winning musician who plays “blues music with a punk attitude from Oakland, California.” He has an album, “Please Don’t Be Dead,” that will be released on June 15. One of the tracks on the album, “Bullshit Anthem,” is a protest song with a simple mantra
Protest Song Of The Week: ‘Glory’ By Rhymefest Featuring Billy Branch
Rhymefest co-wrote the Oscar-winning “Glory,” with Common and John Legend. The song appeared in “Selma,” and at the 2017 Chicago Bluesfest, Rhymefest was joined by blues harmonica legend Billy Branch for a performance that transformed the song into a 12-minute jam. The presence of Rhymefest at the Chicago Bluesfest was
The Pentecostal Blues Of Reverend Sekou’s Intimate And Personal New Album
Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou has returned with a more intimate and personal follow-up to the movement album, “The Revolution Has Come,” which was released in 2016. As Sekou described in an interview, “In Times Like These,” has “everything to do with the material conditions that produced the Ferguson uprising, but
Protest Song of the Week: ‘Alabama Blues’
J.B. Lenoir’s “Alabama Blues” is a rather well-known blues protest song. It stands out because, by the 1960s, it was increasingly rare for blues musicians to sing about poverty, despair, and social injustice. And, fifty years since the tune was recorded under the supervision of Chicago blues master Willie Dixon, its lyrics still carry a deep resonance.