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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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