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Political rap songs have long been a part of hip-hop culture, providing an outlet for artists to comment on important political and social issues. From Run DMC’s early classics to recent hits from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and J Cole, these tracks are powerful vehicles for expressing dissent and questioning the status quo.
- m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar. Many of the songs on this list speak directly to the offenses of American policy and the War on Drugs, while this one tells a story that accomplishes the same task.
- Changes by 2Pac. How great was Tupac Shakur? (and how depressing is our time?) This song was recorded in 1992, and you wouldn’t have to change a single word to fit it into today.
- Mathematics by Mos Def. Mos Def takes the “reporting” angle of being poor and black in America and combines it with some brilliant wordplay that uses D.C.’
- Mind Playin Tricks by Geto Boys. Furthering Rubio’s “reporting” point at the top of this column, Geto Boys provide a window into the psychological terror created by the War on Drugs.
Political hip hop (also known as political rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a form of political activism.
- “Fight The Power” - Public Enemy (1989) This is one of the most popular political rap songs of all time. It was released in 1990, but its relevance is still high today.
- “Self Destruction” - The Stop The Violence Movement (1989) This is a political rap song centered on a message of anti-violence. While the original Stop The Violence Movement was a supergroup formed only to release this song, other reiterations have formed as the years passed.
- “Changes” - Tupac (1998) This political rap song holds a mirror up to the state of America. In this song, the sample is a hook highlighting the connecting thread of Tupac’s verses.
- “Ladies First” - Queen Latifah feat. Monie Love (1989) This is a political rap song that focuses on women’s empowerment. While women are c ritically acclaimed in rap today, this was not always the case.
May 1, 2024 · Though similar in some facets, political rap refers to rappers who have strong political agendas. So, who are the best political rappers? Any political rap list has to include the likes of Public Enemy, N.W.A., Lupe Fiasco, all of which are known for their strong political views—keeping us listeners woke.
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Dec 31, 2020 · Here are rap's most political creative forces and their most starkly political anthems. "White America" by Eminem Eminem's mere existence has always been political, and controversies have inevitably followed him as a result.
Mar 24, 2022 · That ethos has run throughout rap music and Hip-Hop culture in the decades since, and some of the greatest political songs of the past 35 years have come from Hip-Hop artists. So here are the 25 Dopest political rap songs.
