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It
has been said, Islamically speaking, that music breeds hypocrisy in
the heart. This should come as no surprise if one considers that so
much of what is pressed onto CDs these days lacks any redeeming
societal benefit.
Take,
for instance, the recent smash hit from rappers Busta Rhymes and P.
Diddy, “Pass the Courvoisier”, a song that serves no other
purpose than extolling the deleterious effects of a particular brand
of hard liquor. As of last week, thanks largely to the popularity of
this song, Courvoisier sales were up significantly. It is truly a
shame that men with such influential potential decided to focus
their creative energies on alcohol consumption rather than
homelessness, drug abuse, domestic violence or some other issue in
need of championing.
Though
morality in music is an issue humans have faced since the earliest
days of musical expression, the pervasiveness of music in the modern
era has allowed songs that appeal to the basest, least common
denominators in society to prevail. But this has not always been the
status quo. There have been musicians and musical groups that have
bucked the negative trends in their art forms in an effort to
actually address serious issues.
Consider
Rage Against the Machine. Drawing upon socialist, anarchist,
communist, and anti-establishment thought, this group wrote the
soundtrack for the anti-globalization, anti-capitalist movement of
the late 1990s. While listeners might not have agreed with the group’s
entire philosophy, it was nevertheless easy to find their
issue-driven musical tirades appealing. After all, when bluntly
faced with the reality of societal injustice, most humans’ hearts
can be moved at least a little bit. And when the message is wrapped
in a musical package as striking as that of Rage Against the
Machine, the message simply cannot be ignored. It’s unfortunate
that the band’s lead singer, Zach De La Rocha, decided to exit the
group just before the attacks of the 9/11. He surely would have had
some cogent commentary for Americans concerning the war on terrorism
and the current state of affairs in Palestine.
Pre-dating
Rage Against the Machine, and no doubt an influence to it, was the
rap group Public Enemy. Existing in a musical genre that often
inclines towards lewdness, perversity, and violence, Public Enemy
took a strident step in the direction of positivity by intentionally
making their music political and socially relevant. So strident was
the group that to this day it stands as an enduing symbol of how
good music can be when the intention behind it is altruistic.
Though
Public Enemy’s popularity has waned quite a bit in recent years,
the group’s work remains an important example of what can happen
when music and a popular movement join together to affect change.
Any such lesson is especially important today as broad coalitions of
people join together in calling for the freedom of Palestinians and
their land.
Back
in 1991, Palestine wasn’t quite on Public Enemy’s radar;
Arizona, however, was. A state where concerns over civil rights for
Blacks persisted long after the 1960s, Arizona was one of the last
states to adopt the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Starting in
1972, a series of bills and ballot initiatives were introduced in
the state to establish the holiday. However, each of these attempts
was shot down, either in legislative assembly or at the ballot box.
The
final straw came in 1990 when Arizona voters rejected Proposition
301, which would have finally formalized the holiday.
Arizona
could not have picked worse timing. The early 90s was a period of
extremely tense racial relations in the United States. Just think
Rodney King, and you get the picture. Public Enemy, at the peak of
its popularity chose to take a stand on the Martin Luther King, Jr.
holiday issue. The group already had a strong reputation in the
Black community for taking controversial stands on controversial
issues, and on this one Public Enemy didn’t disappoint.
On
its 4th album, Apocalypse
’91, Public Enemy released “By the Time I Get to Arizona”,
a scathing indictment of the entire state for its lack of
responsiveness to the Martin Luther King, Jr. issue. In the song’s
video, Public Enemy reenacted the assassination of the civil rights
leader and used other vivid imagery to accompany the lyrical
critique in making a very serious political statement.
The song, the video, and the group’s overall controversy caused
quite a sensation at the time. To further drive home their outrage,
members of the rap group joined an African American boycott of the
Arizona tourism industry, choosing not to perform in the state while
the controversy raged.
So
contentious was Public Enemy’s move that Chuck D., the group’s
front man, was asked to appear on ABC’s Nightline for a
candid discussion of the issue.
In
the end, Arizona voters relented and in 1993 the state finally
celebrated its first Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Public Enemy
played no small role in the effort though, and it set an example for
musical protest that arguably had not been seen since the 1960s. It
reminded people that music, properly positioned, could have a
positive impact.
These
current times of turmoil warrant new generations of musicians to
come forward and carry the mantle of the Public Enemies and Rage
Against the Machines of the music world. The Palestinians need them;
the Kashmiris need them; the Rwandans need them; the Columbians need
them; we all need them.
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