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submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/nostupidquestions@lemmy.world

I feel like there are lots of parallels between the eighties and now (recession/inflation, yuppies/inequality, skin-heads/fascists, hot-cold wars etc.) but there used to be protest music! Where is that stuff now? Music that's intelligent and outraged - like we should be!

I'm out of touch now, so if it exists, educate me! Or have the protest songs been removed from tiktok by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (UK specific, but suppression of protest seems to be everywhere)? (I've linked to the Levellers - maybe it really was better back in the day?)

edit: Maybe not the right audience, but if the song is old enough to vote then I might already know it! What's happening now? Any songs from the last 10 years!

edit: Thanks for everyone's insights. I've spent the day discovering music that I'd never have found otherwise. Really enjoying a load of these, but thanks to everyone! It seems like protest music is confined to certain genres/places, and lots of older songs - maybe they just last longer... which is maybe a little interesting.

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[-] FrostyTheDoo@lemmy.world 82 points 9 months ago
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[-] Lauchs@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago

Well, not sure about "good" but punk is and always has been about politics.

Personally, I love the folk punk end of things like AJJ's 'Normalization Blues': https://youtu.be/0EDVM73bU-w?si=_mtGGyFhrmeMRlpZ

In a similar vein, Matt Pless's "where the frayed wind blows" is 5 minutes of angry goodness.

There's also a lot of protest hip hop but I don't know the newer stuff particularly well.

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[-] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 24 points 9 months ago

Bro Killer Mike just won a Grammy

[-] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

He won three! Imo, for the most boring song on his new album, but whatever. But that album is highly political

[-] EssentialCoffee@midwest.social 22 points 9 months ago

Well, NPR did an entire article of 20 protest songs that came out in 2020. Looks like they might have made a Spotify playlist of them at one point too.

Here are 30 protest albums that came out in the first half of 2022

Here are 50 protest songs from 2023.

These are just results from pretty simple Google searches. 'protest songs year'.

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[-] SuperEars@lemmy.world 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I'm a big fan of Rise Against. Try these tracks out:

  • Architects
  • Welcome to the Breakdown
  • A Gentleman's Coup
  • Megaphone
  • Holding Patterns

and Bad Religion:

  • American Jesus
  • Meeting of the Minds
  • The Resist Stance
[-] TheDubz87@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

Bad Religion was one of my high-school favorites that has stayed a favorite since. I have every one of their albums saved on my phone.

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[-] Taco2112@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

If you like Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello did a solo project called The Nightwatchman that had a lot of great protest songs. I think it’s closer to 15 years old, so not the last 10.

[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago

you mean everything rage against the machine has ever done?

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[-] WastedJobe@feddit.de 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

This might not be everyones cup of tea, but metal and hardcore are full of protest music. Heaven Shall Burn for example is lyricly anti-fascist and environmentalist (live video because that show is fucking legendary).

Gojira also slaps.

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[-] ReeferPirate@lemy.lol 12 points 9 months ago

Toxicity - System of a Down was an incredible album about American exceptionalism and war hungriness. The towers were hit a week after the album was released.

[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Sheesh, some time in June of 2023, Toxicity's debut date became closer to 1/1/1980 than present day

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[-] jacksilver@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago

Born in the USA

I didn't see this mentioned so wanted to add it. Most people think of it as pro USA, but the lyrics paint a very different message.

For example:

Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man

[-] underisk@lemmy.ml 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)
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[-] UmeU@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Nofx - you’re wrong:

You're wrong about virtues of Christianity And you're wrong if you agree with Sean Hannity If you think that pride is about nationality, you're wrong

You're wrong when you imprison people turning tricks And you're wrong about trickle down economics If you think that punk rock doesn't mix with politics, you're wrong

You're wrong for hating queers and eating steers If you kill for the thrill of the hunt You're wrong 'bout wearing fur and not hating Ann Coulter Cause she's a cunted cunt

You're wrong if you celebrate Columbus Day And You're wrong if you think there will be a Judgement Day If you're a charter member of the NRA, you're wrong

You're wrong if you support capital punishment And you're wrong if you don't question your government If you think her reproductive rights are inconsequent, you're wrong

You're wrong fighting Jihad, your blind faith in God Your religions are all flawed You're wrong about drug use, when its not abuse I hope you never reproduce

You're getting high on the downlow A victim of Cointelpro You're wrong and will probably never know

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 4 points 9 months ago

NOFX has been around for like 100 years, they're the old guard, they're just still active (and alive) somehow haha.

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[-] theghostie@kbin.social 10 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Uncle Sam Goddamn - Brother Ali
Ju$t - Run the Jewels (and a lot of their or Killer Mike's songs)
Gang Shit - Marlon Craft
The Guillotine - The Coup
I Wish I Was a Riot Grrrl - Destructo Disk
Nobody's Biz - Four Fists

Some of these being older than 10 years is a real bummer lol

[-] LPodyssey07@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

Walking In The Snow was the RTJ song that came to mind for me

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[-] mjsaber@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 9 months ago

It's not as punk, but the last three albums by Metric are brilliant in how they discuss the current state of the world.

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[-] Bob_Robertson_IX@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

Goddamn White Trash by Ministry is my go-to song for 2024.

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[-] federatingIsTooHard@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago
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[-] gothic_lemons@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Pokemon Liberation Army https://pokemonliberationarmy.bandcamp.com/album/tm101

Billy Talent

Distillers

Bad Cop, Bad Cop

So many more but I gotta dip

Sharptooth

The Baboon Show

The Halluci Nation - (Pretty cool Hip Hop group)

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[-] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 months ago

Bella Ciao and Sixteen Tons are perennial favorites.

[-] shish_mish@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Both of those are good but old songs, I think OP was wondering where the current protest music is.

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[-] kerrigan778@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

Billy Bragg is still making bangers

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[-] serpineslair@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

Thrash metal has a lot of politics, if that's your thing.

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[-] Thermal_shocked@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

one of my favorite groups is Mischief Brew from Philly. Very folksy, anti-cop, anti everything government lol

boycott me

Old Tyme Memry

Farewell Goodfellows

Roll me through the gates of hell

Every Town will Celebrate

[-] Geobloke@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

For the UK specifically I'd recommend Bob Vylan

[-] AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com 5 points 9 months ago

Bob Vylan is top notch.

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[-] sagrotan@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

A lot of German ones these days, hip hop / rock / metal / pop-punk

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[-] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 6 points 9 months ago

Like most or even all of punk

[-] Pratai@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

Wait… we should be outraged?

[-] fellowmortal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I feel like I should. (edit:accent)

[-] Nyanix@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago

Womanarchist by Bad Cop/Bad Cop is pretty excellent

[-] Thrawne@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago
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[-] cmhickman358@thelemmy.club 5 points 9 months ago

Poor Man's Poison has put out a few good political/social songs recently, I'm not sure if I would call them "protest" but still fairly close

Feed The Machine

Give And Take

[-] DrownedRats@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

I've always liked "universal soldier" by Donovan

[-] Ziggurat@sh.itjust.works 5 points 9 months ago

Some of the classical ones

  • L'internationale, which is still relevant today

  • La banderra rosa

  • Bella Ciao, which despite becoming a pop hit is a struggle song

  • El pueblo unido

  • La butte rouge

-The Red army choir have a ton of great ones

Then on more recent, just look at the punk and rap scene, there is a lot

[-] KingJalopy@lemm.ee 5 points 9 months ago

Check out Propagandhi

[-] TheLongPrice@lemmy.one 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)
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[-] thepixelfox@kbin.social 4 points 9 months ago

Billy talent are great for political, fuck the government/ big corporations type songs. Not protest songs so much. But it feels pretty on theme. Their messages are great.
Surprise surprise and viking death march are two of my personal favourites songs by them.

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this post was submitted on 06 Feb 2024
195 points (91.5% liked)

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