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22 December 2023
For as long as I can remember, Michael Franti has been one of those guys I wouldn’t dare fuck with. Ever. He seems like a big dude. And he’s intelligent as hell. Just listen to some old Beatnigs records or the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. He was pretty pissed then, and seemed to possess the raw fury of all four members of Rage Against the Machine.
Well, he’s back. And he’s still pretty pissed. But rather than take an N.W.A./Clash-style approach to expressing it, he’s switched over to a Sly & the Family Stone/Bob Marley methodology. Real damn danceable and real damn socially conscious. Hell, if Bob Marley fronted Sly & the Family Stone, I imagine this is what their music would've sounded like.
For me, that’s the most genius part about the record-- it’s good music with really aware, socially and politically conscious lyrics that are also extremely accessible on a commercial level. Franti and crew didn’t sacrifice much to create something with mass appeal. But they made something everyone could get down and get smart to!
The song you’ll hear on the radio, hopefully, is “Everyone Deserves Music”, an anthem for kids like us here at The Coop who always have it blasting. But the song you probably already know is “Bomb the World”. Since September 11th, lyrics inspired by the events have popped up on protest signs, t-shirts, and in chants at peace rallies. And it appears twice on this record: once in its original reggae incarnation, and once again as a fierce, remixed Sly & Robbie-produced version.
Yeah, Franti’s an amazing dude, and a hell of an activist. Music is his deadliest weapon, and Everyone Deserves Music is the new heat he’s packin’.
JOIN THE REVOLUTION HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
Well, he’s back. And he’s still pretty pissed. But rather than take an N.W.A./Clash-style approach to expressing it, he’s switched over to a Sly & the Family Stone/Bob Marley methodology. Real damn danceable and real damn socially conscious. Hell, if Bob Marley fronted Sly & the Family Stone, I imagine this is what their music would've sounded like.
For me, that’s the most genius part about the record-- it’s good music with really aware, socially and politically conscious lyrics that are also extremely accessible on a commercial level. Franti and crew didn’t sacrifice much to create something with mass appeal. But they made something everyone could get down and get smart to!
The song you’ll hear on the radio, hopefully, is “Everyone Deserves Music”, an anthem for kids like us here at The Coop who always have it blasting. But the song you probably already know is “Bomb the World”. Since September 11th, lyrics inspired by the events have popped up on protest signs, t-shirts, and in chants at peace rallies. And it appears twice on this record: once in its original reggae incarnation, and once again as a fierce, remixed Sly & Robbie-produced version.
Yeah, Franti’s an amazing dude, and a hell of an activist. Music is his deadliest weapon, and Everyone Deserves Music is the new heat he’s packin’.
JOIN THE REVOLUTION HERE.
PURCHASE THIS OR SIMILAR ITEMS
artid
1611
Old Image
6_1_franti.jpg
issue
vol 6 - issue 01 (sep 2003)
section
entertainmental