Music and Meaning: Where You At?
There are many historical musical examples of artists excelling lyrically, and it makes the biggest impact on the world
You’ve likely seen that one guy Oliver Anthony recently being astroturfed by conservative media. Well, he just denounced his conservative backing claiming he isn’t conservative. This may be because he wasn’t able to delineate his message in an efficient manner, but also because a lot of the messaging was simply right-wing, whether incidental or not. It is also likely because often, today, sociopolitical views can be incoherent and inconsistent due to a declining education system. One thing is certain about it, is the extent of his virality. The lyrics lacked intelligent takes but struck a chord with people simply for trying. This says a lot about the current state of music. Labels and executives are seemingly only prioritizing sex, drugs, money and the same boring tropes, but people do desire more from what they consume.
Grasping Things at the Root aimed to display a range of feelings in society born out of social conditioning, and dialectical materialism with a class-conscious approach. The lyricism from the album is meant to portray some problematic views and some that are good in nature, about self-growth and society. That’s the concept. People are often wrong, due to societal factors. So, what are some albums that delineate issues or provoke concepts in a poetic way? Here are some we would like to recommend.
Sly & The Family Stone - There’s a Riot Goin’ On (1971)
Megadeth - Peace Sells but Who’s Buying? (1986)
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way (2006)
David Bowie - Blackstar (2016)
CunninLynguists - A Piece of Strange (2005)
Dead Kennedys -Frankenchrist (1985)
Gojira - From Mars to Sirius (2005)
Dead Prez - Let’s Get Free (2000)
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988)
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1992)
These are of course only some, and a lot more music touching on serious issues exist. However, there may be one factor of concern if you notice. There aren’t many artists doing this in 2023, and those with power in the industry, labels and executives, aren’t interested in the artists that do. The powerful are only interested in more money. They certainly aren’t interested in messaging that wakes people up to societal power dynamics and class conflict, because that is against their profit motive. One thing is for certain, there is a market, in increasingly trying times, for messaging that people can relate to.
Stay tuned for upcoming content from Bulletproof Soul. For more from the Bulletproof Soul gang, stream Nyyjerya, Lofty305, DJ Sabrina, Angela Davis, Amouranth, Alek Oni, Elektrip, TWENTYN9NE, JACOB SONGS, eqobKING, SLWJMZ, Ali Wisdom, Kengeta, and Austin.