“A Good Song Should Make You Tap Your Feet And Make You Want To Get With Your Girl. A GREAT Song Should Destroy Cop Cars And Set Fire To The Suburbs. I am only interested in making great songs.” – Tom Morello
Featured Album:
“Exit English”
by Strike Anywhere
Strike Anywhere has been one of the most politically-charged and important activist bands in the past 10 years, delivering powerfully melodic punk rock with a positive message of hope and a call to never give up the fight against oppression.
Music has always played a large part in the revolutionary movement, inspiring those in the movement to fight for a better future, and also playing the role of introducing people to revolutionary politics. Here are some of this writer’s favorite artists who are (or were) politically active and making great music while doing so:
Country & Folk:
- Billy Bragg
- Ani DiFranco
- Bob Dylan
- Steve Earle
- Evan Greer
- Woody Guthrie
- Utah Phillips
- Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman
Indigenous
- Aztlan Underground
- Blackfire
- Buffy Sainte-Marie
- El Vuh
- Manik
- Resistant Culture
- John Trudell
- Team RezOfficial
- War Party
Metal
- Arch Enemy
- Body Count
- Darkest Hour
- Earth Crisis
- Lamb of God
- Living Colour
- Rage Against the Machine
- System of a Down
Poetry/Spoken Word
- Dead Poets
- The Lost Poets
- Gil Scott-Heron
- Saul Williams
Punk/Ska/Hardcore
- Against All Authority
- Against Me!
- Anti-Flag
- Atari Teenage Riot
- Bad Brains
- Bad Religion
- Jello Biafra
- Bikini Kill
- Choking Victim
- Chumbawumba
- The Clash
- CRASS
- The Dead Kennedys
- Endless Struggle
- Ghost Mice
- Kill Radio
- Incommunicado
- Inhuman
- Inquisition
- The (International) Noise Conspiracy
- Intro5pect
- INDK
- Le Tigre
- Leftöver Crack
- The Levellers
- New Mexican Disaster Squad
- MC5
- Morning Glory
- NOFX
- Propagandhi
- Rancid
- Reagan Youth
- Red Lights Flash
- Refused
- Rise Against
- Justin Sane
- The Sex Pistols
- Star Fucking Hipsters
- Strike Anywhere
- Tabula Rasa
- Thought Riot
- The Unseen
Rap/Hip-Ho
- 2 Pac
- Keny Arkana
- Boogie Down Productions
- Boomerang Politick
- Brand Nubian
- Common
- The Coup
- Dead Prez
- The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
- Flobots
- Michael Franti
- Fun Da Mental
- Immortal Technique
- KRS One
- Talib Kweli
- Low Key
- Mos Def
- One Day as A Lion
- Ozomatli
- Paris
- Pharoahe Monch
- Public Enemy
- The Roots
- X-Clan
Reggae
- Asian Dub Foundation
- Bunny Wailer
- Burning Spear
- Ben Harper
- Bob Marley
- Damian Marley
- Spearhead
- Steel Pulse
- Peter Tosh
Rock
- Fishbone
- Wayne Kramer
- John Lennon
- Midnight Oil
- Sinead O’Connor
- Pearl Jam
- Bruce Springsteen
- Joe Strummer
- Thrice
- U2
