Hip-Hop/Rap

I am tired of people assuming that all hip-hop and rap music is meaningless and only about sex, drugs, and money. In my point of view rap is one of the best forms of poetry out there. While I do think a lot of hip-hop and rap music is pretty excruciating to listen to, there are definitely plenty of notable exceptions. My favorite songs are those that deal with politics/conflicts/social affairs. Thus, for my fun and your potential pleasure, I have assembled ten songs that I think people should actually read the lyrics to. They are arranged in a top ten format, although they are certainly not necessarily the best songs out there, but ten that I happen to like a lot. For each song I will include a snippet of lyrics and a link to the complete lyrics.

10. Black Eyed Peas – “Where Is The Love?”

This song was very popular when it came out, and not only did it have a catchy tune, but a good message to boot.

Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate

Full Lyrics

9. Eminem – “White America”

This song has a lot of energy and deals with the freedom of speech

America, hahaha, we love you, how many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful
Country of ours, the stripes and the stars for the rights that men have died for to protect,
The women and men who have broke their neck's for the freedom of speech the United States
Government has sworn to uphold, or so we're told...

Full Lyrics

8. Public Enemy – “Fight The Power”

Public Enemy is one of the quintessential oldschool political hip-hop groups

While the Black bands sweatin'
And the rhythm rhymes rollin'
Got to give us what we want
Gotta give us what we need
Our freedom of speech is freedom or death
We got to fight the powers that be
Lemme hear you say
Fight the power

Full Lyrics

7. Saul Williams – “Scene III Act 2 (Shakespeare)”

Saul Williams is a poet who is well know for his unique blending of alternative hip-hop with poetry. This song is about President Bush and the War in Iraq.

I didn't vote for this state of affairs. My emotional state's got me prostrate, fearing my fears. In all reality I'm under prepared. 'Cause I'm ready for war but not sure if I'm ready to care. And that's why I'm under prepared. 'Cause I'm ready to fight, but most fights got me fighting back tears. 'Cause the truth is really I'm scared. Not scared of the truth, but just scared of the length you'll go to fight it. I tried to hold my tongue, son. I tried to bite it. I'm not trying to start a riot or incite it. 'Cause Brutus is an honorable man. It's just coincidence that oil men would wage war on an oil rich land. And this one goes out to my man, taking cover in the trenches with a gun in his hand, then gets home and no one flinches when he can't feed his fam. But Brutus is an honorable man.

Full Lyrics

6. Mos Def – “Dollar Day for New Orleans (Katrina Klap)”

This is Mos Def's unreleased (I think) song about Hurricane Katrina.

So there's a story about the lady in Louisiana
She's a flood survivor and the rescue teams
They come through, and they, I guess tryna recover people
And they see this women she's wadin through the streets
I guess it'd been some time after the storm
And I guess they were shocked that you know she was alive
And rescue worker said, "So, oh my God h-how did you survive
How did you do it? Where've you been?"
And she said, "Where I been? Where you been?"
Hah, Where you been? You understand?
That's about the size of it

Full Lyrics

5. Nas – “Sly Fox”

I can't stand Fox News. Apparently neither can Nas.

Watch what you watchin'
Fox keeps feeding us toxins
Stop sleeping
Start thinking
Outside of the box and
Unplug from The Matrix doctrine
But watch what you say Big Brother is watchin'

Full Lyrics

4. Jedi Mind Tricks – “Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story”

Jedi Mind Tricks is crazy. I included a really long passage, but this may be the single best anti-war song I have ever read/listened to.

They want to harm us
They all up on us
Bang, bang, bullet hit my chest, feel no pain
To my left, the captain caught a bullet right in his brain
Body parts flying, loss of limbs, explosions
Bad intentions, I see my best friend's intestines
Pray to the one above, It's raining and I'm covered in mud
I think I'm dying, I feel dizzy, I'm losing blood
I see my childhood, I'm back in the arms of my mother
I see my whole life, I see Christ, I see bright lights
I see Israelites, Muslims and Christians at peace, no fights
Blacks, Whites, Asians, people of all types
I must have died, then I woke up, suprised I'm alive
I'm in a hospital bed, they rescued me, I survived
I escaped the war, came back
But ain't escape Agent Orange, two of my kids born handicapped
Spastic, quadriplegia, micro cephalic
Cerebral palsy, cortical blindness, name it they had it
My son died he ain't live, but I still try to think positive
Cause in life, God take, God give

Full Lyrics

3. Emmanuel Jal – “Warchild”

Emmanuel Jal was born in Southern Sudan. When civil war broke out there his father joined a rebel army and his mother was killed by government soldiers. Emmanuel joined thousands of other children traveling to Ethiopia for an education, but when he got there he was recruited by a rebel army and turned into a child soldier. He was taught to kill Muslims and was brought back to Sudan to fight. After five years he escaped with other boys on foot. Many boys didn't survive the trek. Those that survived are known as the "Lost Boys." He eventually reached a friendly aid worker who smuggled him into Kenya. While studying in Kenya, Emmanuel took his frustration out by singing. I really like him, which may be due to his amazing story as a child solder turned hip-hop artist.

Note: I couldn't find a site with lyrics of his songs, so I copied the lyrics down myself.

All people struggling down there
The storms only come for awhile
And after awhile they’ll be gone
My father was working for the government as a policeman
A few years later I heard he joined a rebel movement
That was formed to fight for freedom
I didn’t understand the politics at hand
Of this because I was only a child
After awhile I saw the tensions rise at hand
Between the Christian and the Muslim regime
We lost our possessions
And my mother suffered depression
And because of this…
I was forced to be a war child.

I believe that I’ve survived for a reason
To tell my story, to touch lives.

Music Video

2. 2Pac – “Changes”

I really like this song and really wanted it to be number one. There are few songs that create such a portrait of life in the projects. As a note, Huey refers to Huey Newton, the co-founder and leader of the Black Panther Party. He was later assassinated.

I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black
my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
one less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers
give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other

And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
so the police can bother me

Full Lyrics

1. Immortal Technique – “The 3rd World”

There really wasn't any question about it in my mind, Immortal Technique's lyrics will blow your mind.

Lock and load your gun, where I'm from: the Third World son,
Been to many places but I'm Third World-born.
Guerrillas hit and run where I'm from: the Third World son.
You polluted everything, and now the Third World's gone.
The waters poisoned where I'm from son,
Seven hundred children die by the end 'this song.
Revolution'll come, where I'm from: the Third World son.
Constant occupation, leaves the Third World torn.

Full Lyrics

That's it for now, have a good day!