Who do you like for political music?

This is a discussion about music NOT politics. Your reply can talk about the artists political views but don't just start soapboxing yourself and break rule 6. They can/should be from any country talking about any government/political ideal. I think my favorite is either immortal technique or flobots.

57 points · 90 comments · view on lemmy.world

90 Comments

Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 61d (1 reply)

System of A Down

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 61d

Love them

AbsolutelyNotSpez@lemmy.world · 28 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Rage Against The Machine

Grandson

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Listened to plenty of rage but never heard of grandson. Have a song or album to recommend?

AbsolutelyNotSpez@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d

Something To Hide, Despicable, Blood // Water, Dirty, Thoughts & Prayers, Darkside, Things Change, Peaches (feat. K.Flay), Is This What You Wanted, Apologize, Riptide, Zen...

This should suffice for a great musical afternoon. :)

gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 23 pts · 61d (5 replies)

Gonna be showing my age here, but I was heavy into the likes of Dead Kennedys, Ministry, the whole D.C. Underground punk scene (Black Flag, Fugazi, etc). Anymore, though, I don’t actively seek out music with strong political messages. I prefer to hear artists sing about their personal experiences, their struggles, triumphs, losses…and a political slant is okay as long as it’s an organic part of the song’s message and not just endless proselytizing or ruining your own music by being a political douchebag. (Looking at you, Ronnie Radke!)

Edit: Almost forgot, dude, if hip hop is your thing, check out Run the Jewels.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 61d (2 replies)

I love run the jewels! Agree with the rest of what you said too.

hypna@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Brother Ali is also an excellent option in that genre, although his most directly political tracks are not his best IMHO.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 61d

I have the same opinion. I think his best is the collaboration between immortal technique and killer Mike "Civil war".

MrSelfDestruct@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 60d (1 reply)

Upvote for ministry

gigastasio@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 60d

My Ministry story: The one chance I got to see them was on one of the first Lollapalooza festivals, in Raleigh. They came on stage, started playing, and people in the audience started tossing plastic cups back and forth. For a while it was pretty great, but then people started getting stupid. They stared putting mud in the cups. They started throwing the cups on stage. Stage managers were running back and forth trying to collect the cups. Then one of the cups hit Al. He stopped singing, cussed out the crowd, left the stage, and refused to go back on. Their set was done and they had done maybe three songs. Someone came on stage and threatened to cancel the rest of the festival if people didn’t settle the fuck down.

Mantzy81@aussie.zone · 18 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Midnight Oil (because I'm Aussie so very relevant)
Rise Against
RATM
Billy Bragg
Peter Gabriel
Green Day
Pink Floyd
NWA

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 61d

Great list

HerbalGamer@sh.itjust.works · 17 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Jesse Welles has been coming up on youtube lately with some very good lyrics.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d

Yeah I like him

Today@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d

Saw him a couple of months ago. Along with writing great lyrics hes also a great musician with a very fun show!

Malyca@lemmy.zip · 13 pts · 61d

Dead Kennedys

darkdemize@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 61d (7 replies)

Rise Against.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d (6 replies)

Never listened to them but I've heard of them. Have a song or album to recommend?

darkdemize@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 61d (4 replies)

A good starting point would be the songs "Re-education (Through Labor)" and "Prayer of the Refugee." If you like those, I would recommend pretty much any of their albums from Siren Song of the Counter-Culture to Wolves. I haven't kept up with anything more recent than those so can't give an honest recommendation there, but I would imagine they would also be solid.

5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.org · 3 pts · 61d (3 replies)

Did you never listen to „The Unraveling“ or „Revolutions per Minute“? Do you just don’t like them? The Unraveling is the first Rise Against Album I stumbled upon and it opened my musical tastebuds for hardcore(ish) music.

darkdemize@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 61d (2 replies)

I've heard them, but I'm not as familiar with them as Siren Song and later albums. I also remember them being much harsher musically compared to their later stuff. I personally wouldn't recommend them to someone just getting into Rise Against as their current sound has evolved well past those albums, but they would be good for someone looking to see how the group sounded in their more formative years.

5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.org · 3 pts · 61d (1 reply)

I get what your saying. I really like „Help is on the way“ or „September Children“ but the almost raw anger on those early albums still helps me through bad days. But your right, with recommending the later albums I guess.

darkdemize@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 61d

Yeah, they've got some bangers out there besides the ones I named, but I figured those two would give a pretty good idea of what one could expect from their music. I'm pretty partial to Savior, Satellite, and House on Fire myself.

5ibelius9insterberg@feddit.org · 2 pts · 61d

If you like them, try Strike Anywhere and Anti-Flag

„Broken Bones“ by Anti-Flag

„Opposite Number“ by Strike Anywhere

0ops@piefed.zip · 12 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Dropkick Murphy's and NOFX!

Tujio@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 61d

As much as I hate my country's devolution into fascism, I love that Murphys are having a resurgence.

SacredHeartAttack@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 61d (14 replies)

Refused

Incendiary

Propagandhi

I appreciate you mentioned Immortal Technique. Hip hop as a genre is generally very political, and doesn’t get a ton of recognition for it.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 61d (11 replies)

Haven't heard of any of the three you mentioned. Have any song recommendations?

Pat_Riot@lemmy.today · 5 pts · 61d

Propagandhi is as good as Bad Religion

Tujio@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 61d (7 replies)

Refused is a Swedish thrash punk band. They made a couple EPs and albums, then put out their magnum opus, The Shape of Punk to Come, and then immediately broke up. They did get back together a couple years ago, though.

Propagandhi is a Canadian post punk band. They've had a dozen different styles over the years, and nobody can agree on which they did best. Personality I like their heavy Thrash album best, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes.

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 61d (6 replies)

Propagandhi is a Canadian post punk band. They've had a dozen different styles over the years, and nobody can agree on which they did best. Personality I like their heavy Thrash album best, Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes.

Ohhh I'll need to check out more of Propagandhi's stuff if there's variance in style over their albums. I enjoyed their lyrics, but the music style of the stuff I checked out wasn't quite my favorite. Thanks for the comment :)

9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 61d (5 replies)

Propagandhi's lyrics are depressingly accurate in 2026... and much of it was written more than 20 years ago

My favourite is "and we thought that nation states were a bad idea"...(thats the long-ass song title)

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 61d (4 replies)

I find that so many punk songs can be described this way.

9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 61d (3 replies)

Yes... since as long as i've been listening to punk rock in the early 90s, it seems like nothing has changed.... maybe even gotten worse.

As a youth punk rock made me hopeful. Gave me the sense that other people saw the same problems and writing songs and expressing displeasure.... 30+ years later, i feel like we havent made much progress in our class struggle. The DIY ethic of the 90s seems to be gone. I'm still going to shows with 55 year old dudes singing about their high school girlfriends, lol...

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 61d

The DIY ethic of the 90s seems to be gone.

I see glimpses of it coming back! Zines are making a come back, there's newer punk bands joining the scene with fresh voices, and the youth are angry. I think we might be on the cusp of a big punk movement.

I feel you to my soul though. I could've written your comment myself. Coming of age right before the Iraq war and finding punk shaped my entire worldview.

kobra@piefed.social · 2 pts · 61d

When I see Refused I immediately think of their song 'New Noise'

For Incendiary, I think of 'Front Toward Enemy'

I think both of those are probably their most popular songs? Probably for a reason, I'd start there!

SacredHeartAttack@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 61d

Sorry, I should have seen and responded to this sooner.

For Refused - Rather Be Dead, Liberation Frequency, and Thought Is Blood are good starting points.

For Incendiary - Front Towards Enemy, Bite The Hook, and Echo of Nothing

For Propagandhi - essentially anything in their discography is good music and very politically charged. I find anything in their top songs to be good examples.

nylo@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 60d

propaghandi is a ska band and you can't change my mind :3

Tujio@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 61d
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yngmnwntr@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Someone mentioned RATM but no one ever talks about The Nightwatchman. Also Boots Riley and The Coup. Street Sweeper Social Club is a Tom Morello and Boots Riley project. Bad Religion is great also. Greg Graffin has several country albums that are pretty good.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d

Bad religion is fantastic

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 61d (3 replies)

Bad Cop Bad Cop

IDLES touches on politics, but isn't entirely focused on it.

Bikini Kill for more focused gender politics.

dkppunk@piefed.social · 4 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Bikini Kills kicks ass

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 61d (1 reply)

I knew I liked you. Now I think I love you lol

dkppunk@piefed.social · 2 pts · 61d

Feelings mutual <3 lol

myrmidex@belgae.social · 8 pts · 61d (4 replies)

off the top of my head from my playlists:

  • folk-punk: Rail Yard Ghosts and Jesse Stewart
  • punk-rap: Bob Vylan
  • french hip-hop: Kalash Criminel talks a lot about colonialism
  • US hip-hop: Sole, The Coup, Dead Prez
  • lots of punk, too much to name

and of course (unclassifiable): Manu Chao

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 61d (3 replies)

Bob Vylan is a great choice. Been really digging their stuff this year.

myrmidex@belgae.social · 3 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Same! Thanking the news for advertising their pro-palestine stance which made me take notice. Kneecap as well, although I'm more hesitant to label them political (mainly because I don't understand the lyrics 🤣 )

velma@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 61d (1 reply)

"Get Your Brits Out" from Kneecap has been my jam lately lol

myrmidex@belgae.social · 3 pts · 61d

Get Your Brits Out”

Wow great recommendation! I'm an album-guy, singles like that escape my attention. Listening now, sounding great!

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Recently discovered this fun little ditty:

Ugly Nasty Commie Bitch

SuperEars@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 61d (1 reply)

That video of Carsie Blanton hooked me on her. This is folk music, y'all.

ivanafterall@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 61d

It's like punky folk. Really fun mix.

Unpigged@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 61d

Napalm Death Dead Kennedies Irish folk/rebel songs Liked 90s sepultura for that

iamericandre@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Minutemen

0ops@piefed.zip · 2 pts · 61d

I've been exploring their stuff recently. They kick ass!

theunknownmuncher@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 61d

Neil Young

Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 61d

I see nobody has mentioned Public Enemy.

MalReynolds@slrpnk.net · 6 pts · 61d

Angry.

I like most of the original Punk stuff, even Sex Pistols, fond of Dead Kennedys. RATM, German Industrial, second Midnight Oil.

One missed so far is KMFDM, lyrics like 'Your Government Hates You,… Hate Your Government' and 'Those who would trade liberty for security, deserve neither and will lose both' seem especially on point today.

steeznson@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Yes but it needs to be something like Black Flag or Rage Against The Machine where the lyrics and themes are dealing with ideals as opposed to explicitly naming candidates/parties/shibboleths.

Return_of_Chippy@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 61d

I agree with that

captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 61d (1 reply)

I love me some Pete Seeger

Also anything by Pat the Bunny

nylo@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 60d

i love all the pat projects so much ❤️

kubok@fedia.io · 4 pts · 61d

Massive Attack have their hearts in the right place. Their recent collaboration with Tom Waits is excellent.

I am not a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen, but I admire him being the voice of the blue collar worker. I also loved Streets of Minneapolis (however sad the reason)

Hangyouth is one of the more politically laden bands in our country. One of their biggest hits is 'You do not hate mondays, you hate capitalism'.

PS: I love this thread.

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 3 pts · 61d (3 replies)

Learn some history.

Paul Robeson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson

Bonus. The Ballad For Americans. FDR era micro-opera.

https://youtu.be/K0slpIvrczU?list=RDK0slpIvrczU

Tujio@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 61d (2 replies)

Don't learn too much history, though. You'll find out he was pretty apologetic for the USSR's bullshit.

DagwoodIII@piefed.social · 2 pts · 61d (1 reply)

So you think we should ignore everything he did because he wasn't for starting WW3?

Tujio@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 61d

Nah. Just adding context.

M1ch431@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 61d (1 reply)

Enter Shikari

I love their Common Dreads album!

Grail@multiverse.soulism.net · 2 pts · 61d

I like A Flash Flood of Colour

TryingToBeGood@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 61d (1 reply)

I had never heard of this person but this is a great song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61I4hlig78w

(they were playing it at a no kings demo I was at)

Next would be anyone whose songs have ever been misused by some dingbat politician, e.g., Springsteen's "Born in the USA" or CCR's "Fortunate Son."

HubertManne@piefed.social · 2 pts · 61d

oh man listen to red. its my favorite. https://youtu.be/TPHafKOd9A4?list=RDTPHafKOd9A4&t=2

orlyowl@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 61d

Public Enemy, RATM, The Coup , Dropkick Murphys all have been mentioned, but I'll mention them again.

Brother Ali isn't always political, but Uncle Sam Goddamn is so on the nose it is worth including him here.

I'm sure I'm leaving out some more good ones, but go watch that Brother Ali video if you aren't already familiar with the song. :)

Also there is !leftymusic@lemmy.world

dkppunk@piefed.social · 3 pts · 61d

Mostly punk and punk adjacent music, but that’s all I really listen to anwyay

Green Day, NOFX, The Living End, that kind of stuff

gwl@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 61d

The Future of the Left, Dog Park Dissidents, SOFT PLAY, Viagra Boys, The Toxhards, Alexisonfire (though most of their songs are about life rather than politics), Kill Lincoln, Maruja

sickday@fedia.io · 3 pts · 61d

JPEGMAFIA

akunohana@piefed.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 61d
ModernRisk@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 61d

English isn’t my native language, so might have understood it wrong. However, do you mean music that’s about politics?

Got to be Alix Odor - Freund & Feind. I came across this song a while ago with English lyrics and liked it. Basically saying that people in power are the power hungry filths and that the normal civilians are good.

Johniegordo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 60d

There is inti illimani from Chile and Racionais MCs from Brazil. There is the language barrier though...

HubertManne@piefed.social · 1 pts · 61d

My favorite band is jethro tull so.... Actually when they reformed I was not super psyched or hopeful but man the zealot gene really hit the mark on trump1 and covid. I don't think wondering again or doctor bogenbroom will ever be non relevant unfortunately. Stan ridgeway has a lot of stuff that is not exactly political but kinda gets into absurdity in americana. Oh then Jesse Welles of course.

Edge004@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 60d

Some recent bands I've been enjoying include Sister Wife Sex Strike, Cricket!, SPY, Cheap Perfume, and JER

RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 60d

Crash Worship.

They were an anarchist art collective out of New Orleans that put on these incredible live shows.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 1 pts · 61d

RATM and Billy Simons Jr.

Most folk singers, too, like Arlo Guthrie.

Witchfire@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 61d

Grandson

Kertyna@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 61d

Monopoly Money - Moon Walker

The only song I know of him. I'm not even sure if this counts as political.

Small TW: some advocation for violence.

Grail@multiverse.soulism.net · 1 pts · 61d

My favourite band is Unleash The Archers. They have these great two albums about an immortal warrior cursed to serve whoever holds their true name. It's political as fuck, they have to grapple with the desire to justify their evil actions because they have no freedom but that to interpret their condition.

Politicians' lives are like the tide
You had to know that I would come
For you
To take all that there is
To never give
You're all the same

Fallen from on high
Forsaken lies!
You can't resist the chance to beg and scream
Out for mercy
I'll drag you out
The coward's way
Down
On your kneeeeeeeeeees

Also Bloodywood

I put a fist through the face of a rapist
And yeah I tape this
For the viewing pleasure of the nameless faces he disgraces

AverageEarthling@feddit.online · 1 pts · 61d
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BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 61d

Was told of an artist from a friend that is making very relevant to the time videos: https://www.youtube.com/@moonwalkerbandofficial/videos

Vandalismo@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 61d

Los Crudos and Los Crudos followed by Los Crudos