Public Enemy’s, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, is one of the defining albums of the political hip hop genre

Political hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop. Though mainstream and crossover acceptance has been generally limited to crunk & pop rap, some artists with a socially aware and positive or optimistic tone or a more avantgarde approach have achieved some success. They are often referred to in mainstream musical circles as conscious hip hop due to their focus on political issues surrounding the black community, which differentiates them from gangsta rappers. Fans of such rappers tend to view this genre as more authentic hip hop, claiming that they harken back to hip hop's early days where several artists rapped about "socially conscious" issues and gangsta rap had not yet gained mainstream acceptance. Recently, Political hip hop has been brought into the mainstream with Lupe Fiasco. Cover of the Public Enemy album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. ... Cover of the Public Enemy album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. ... Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the second full-length album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on April 19, 1988 (see 1988 in music) on Def Jam Recordings. ... Alternative hip hop (also known as alternative rap) is a genre that is defined in greatly varying ways. ... Crunk is a genre of hip-hop music. ... Pop rap (sometimes referred to as hip pop) is the name given to a style of hip hop that has a strong pop music influences. ... Conscious hip hop is a subgenre of alternative hip hop which focuses on social issues. ... Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is an American rapper. ...

History

Gil Scott-Heron, who recorded numerous spoken word albums in the 1970s and 1980s, is considered one of the forefathers of rap music, and most of his work dealt with political issues. However, Ice-T is often thought of as the first rapper to explore political issues. The single "Killers" from 1984 seems to have been the first political rap record, and this was followed by his "Squeeze the Trigger" in 1986. His views were generally left-wing, although maintained a sense of machismo; this mixture has remained the standard for political rappers ever since. The hook to "Killers" read, "It's time for all to work together for peace/ 'Cause everybody's doomed if the killings don't cease/ Street homicide, war - it's all the same/ Because murder is murder by any name." In 1994, Ice-T released a book entitled The Ice Opinion, which contained thorough explanation of his political views. However, his more recent work seems to have mostly abstained from political comment. Photo of Gil Scott-Heron. ... Tracy Marrow (born February 16, 1958)[1], better known by stage name Ice-T, is an American rapper, rock musician, author, former United States Army soldier, and actor. ...

KRS-One began the political trend on the East Coast. "Advance", released in 1986, dealt with the threat of nuclear war. Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions avoided politics, but By All Means Necessary set KRS off on a long career of politically-motivated raps. KRS-One (born Lawrence Krisna Parker on August 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. ... Criminal Minded by Boogie Down Productions is a highly influential hip hop album. ... Boogie Down Productions (1989) Boogie Down Productions was originally composed of KRS One, D Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. ... By All Means Necessary is the sophomore album from Hip Hop group Boogie Down Productions. ...

In 1988 and 1989, albums from the Native Tongues collective like De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising, A Tribe Called Quest's People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and the Jungle Brothers' Straight Out the Jungle are usually considered the first conscious rap albums, with jazz-based samples and quirky, insightful lyrics covering a diverse range of topics (see jazz rap) and strongly influenced by the Afrocentric messages of Bambaataa's Zulu Nation. This period, between 1988 and 1992, when the Native Tongues (together with other crews such as Pete Rock and CL Smooth) were at their creative peak, is considered the golden age of hip hop. The Native Tongues Posse is a group of late 1980s and early 1990s black nationalist hip hop artists known for their positive Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats. ... De La Soul is a Grammy-award winning hip hop group from Long Island, New York. ... 3 Feet High and Rising is the debut album from American hip hop trio De La Soul. ... Peoples Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is the debut alternative hip hop album by A Tribe Called Quest, released on April 17, 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... The Jungle Brothers are an American hip hop group who pioneered the fusion of jazz and hip-hop and also became the first hip hop group to use an in house producer. ... Straight Out The Jungle is the highly praised and acclaimed debut album from Hip Hop group Jungle Brothers. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Jazz rap is a fusion of alternative hip hop music and jazz, developed in the very late 1980s and early 1990s. ... An 1812 map of Africa Afrocentrism is an approach to the study of world history which stresses the distinctive identity and contributions of African cultures. ... The Universal Zulu Nation, originally known simply as The Organization, is an international hip hop awareness group, which arose among reformed street gang members in New York City in the 1970s, formed and headed by Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. ... The Native Tongues Posse is a group of late 1980s and early 1990s black nationalist hip hop artists known for their positive Afrocentric lyrics and jazzy beats. ... Pete Rock & CL Smooth is a rap group from the 1990s. ... The golden age of hip hop, derivative of old school hip hop, began with Run-DMCs album Raising Hell in 1986 and ended with the popularity of Dr. Dres album The Chronic in late 1992. ...

Recently some non-political artists began to include a political message in their songs such as Lil' Wayne, Chamillionaire & OutKast. Lil Wayne was one of the Hot Boys, an American rap group associated with Cash Money Records. ... Hakeem Seriki (born November 28, 1979, in Washington, D.C.) is an American entrepreneur and Grammy Award winning rapper from the Acres Homes section of Houston, Texas. ... OutKast is a Grammy award winning American hip hop duo based out of East Point, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Public Enemy

Public Enemy is one of the definitive voices of "conscious hip hop," verbally confronting institutional racism, police corruption, and the legacy of slavery in the United States. They attracted youth because of their ability to boldly criticize and reveal serious contradictions in American democracy. Since then, other rappers have promoted positive messages. For example, with songs like "Stop the Violence" and "Self-Destruction," KRS-One has dedicated his talent to opening the ears of a world that often seems cruel and drenched in hate. Eric B and Rakim, EPMD, Schoolly D, Slick Rick, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Ice Cube all helped to build this movement. Public Enemy, also known as PE, is a hip hop group from Long Island, New York, known for their politically charged lyrics, criticism of the media, and active interest in the concerns of the African American community. ... KRS-One (born Lawrence Krisna Parker on August 20, 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. ... Eric B. & Rakim was an East Coast rap group that popularized the James Brown-sampled funky hip hop of the late 1980s. ... EPMD is an American rap group from Brentwood, New York, active from 1987 to 1999; one of the prominent acts in East coast hip hop. ... // Background Schoolly D is the moniker of Jesse B. Weaver, Jr. ... Richard Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known by stage names Slick Rick, MC Ricky D and The Ruler, is a rapper. ... The Poor Righteous Teachers are a trio of African American hip hop musicians from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989 (see 1989 in music). ... OShea Jackson (born June 15, 1969) better known by his stage name, Ice Cube, is an American rapper, actor and film director. ...

Lyrical content

With conscious hip hop lyrics become more poignant as the rhythm continued to capture the attention of young audiences. The following excerpt from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message" demonstrates how the lyrics and rhythm come together: "Got a bum education, double-digit inflation/ Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station/ Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge/ I'm tryin' not to lose my head/ It's like a jungle sometime it makes me wonder/ How I keep from going under." Because of the beat and the rhythm of the music this particular song appealed to a large audience and the message against the oppression of African Americans spread with it. DJ Grandmaster Flash was one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJing, cutting, and mixing. ...

Revolutionary hip hop

In recent years, political hip-hop has increasingly represented a revolutionary message, including themes such as communist class conflict and revolutionary feminism and anarchism. Such artists include: This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... This article is about the organisation and newspaper Class War. ...

• Tupac
• Immortal Technique
• Bigg Jus
• louis mohamhed benza
• Dead Prez
• Blue Scholars
• The Dope Poet Society
• Looptroop
• Nimrod (with Red Army Productions)
• Sabac
• P.O.S.
• The Coup
• Zearle
• Gatas Parlament
• Paris
• Emcee Lynx
• Ill Bill
• Non Phixion
• The Perceptionists
• Enki
• Verbal Threat
• Zion I
• Cilvaringz
• The Lost Children of Babylon
• Hasan Salaam
• Mr. Lif

• Spirit Child
• Kahjee
• Akir
• Movement In Motion
• Rebel Diaz
• Rod Starz
• Readnex Poetry Squad
• Welfare Poets