The Ripple Effect

Ripple Effect: Beyond the Convention, Beyond Partisanship 
September 2, 2008
State Capitol Lawn

Before arriving at the capitol building, I had no idea what I would witness (aside from a crowd of people and a sea of police). I anticipated seeing Dead Prez, partly because I was curious how the audience and the legions of cops would react to the duo. M-1 and stic.man don’t write catchy lyrics for people to sing along with absentmindedly; phrases like, “I throw a molotov cocktail at the precinct, you know how we think” (Police State) and, “they schools can’t teach us shit... all my high school teachers can suck my dick/ tellin’ me white man lies, straight bullshit” (They Schools) are sure to get some attention. Because I was listening to Davey D and Rosa Clemente speak while Dead Prez was performing, I wasn’t able to hear which songs were on the set list; I can imagine that virtually all of their anthems would’ve been a source of tension for the security officers, SWAT teams, and groups of police though. 

Even though I completely support activist artists, I question how effective the message of more politicized lyricists is. Dead Prez’ audience is much more limited than that of Lil’ Wayne or Nelly because radio stations and other commercialized media outlets are rarely interested in disseminating a radical message. (The crowd at the capitol wasn’t small by any means, but the number of people would’ve increased tenfold if Snoop Dogg had been a performer.) Even stations aiming toward increased activism have to play what is popular in order to occasionally circulate progressive information. Davey D explained that rap stations can play extremely explicit and profane songs, as long as a few choice words (or syllables of words) are edited out. (This certainly won’t change the meaning of the song much; when I hear “..ck that ..ssy,” it’s pretty obvious what the lyrics are.) Performers can talk about drugs, violence, drunkenness, and sex as much as they want to, but as soon as radical politics or reformist messages are mentioned, the number of spins greatly diminishes. There is tangible pressure on artists to produce what will play, and that often leaves no room for creative input. I wonder if there is some sort of compromise between the politicized and the popularized. Is an artist a sell-out if he/she wants to get airtime on a well-known station? What is the line between what is acceptable in the media and what is blasphemous or “dangerous” (dangerous to the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy, anyway)? These are questions that I will continue to ask myself, whether analyzing music, art, advertising, news, or other publications.