In the late 1960s, black Americans in inner cities rioted and rebelled against poverty and oppression. Black Americans demanded more investment in black communities to alleviate the conditions contributing to widespread despair. There was also a fierce crackdown by authorities on the Black Panthers, which attempted to empower black Americans

In this comical funky dance tune, The Coup imagines several ways in which a CEO might kill himself. All of the ideas in the song prey upon a CEO’s weaknesses, taking advantage of how easy it is to bait a CEO into committing sinful or sleazy behavior. The chorus for

Written by Jill Sobule before the height of the Occupy movement but dedicated to the 99 percent, this is Shadowproof’s “Protest Song Of The Week.”

On singer-songwriter and guitarist Bonnie Raitt’s latest album, there is a foot-stomping tune, which takes aim at the influence of money on politics and the politicians and media pundits, who defend a system rigged against the people. As Raitt told the San Diego Union Tribune, “I had the idea for

Keith Emerson, a progressive rock pioneer most famous for his work with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, committed suicide at the age of 71. He had muscular pain and nerve issues in his right hand that were getting worse, and it is believed he could not handle the fact that he could

Rhiannon Giddens has a concert of protest songs, which is touring called “Swimming in Dark Waters—Other Voices.” One of the songs she is performing in her set is an Irish ballad called “Factory Girl.” As Giddens says in the introduction, social progress often comes from disaster. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire