Anger is worth singing about
LET’S get real; not a day goes by without another breaking news item involving the Trump presidency. From the moment you turn on the TV in the morning to when you log off your ipad at night, a Donald news or not-so-newsworthy story or tweet is being published and mass exploited by the media.
We are living in a Trump-obsessed world. Ironically, our obsession doesn’t mean we like him.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Centre concluded that across “37 nations, a median of just 22% has confidence in Trump to do the right thing when it comes to international affairs” with most people worldwide believing that the Oval Office’s occupant was arrogant, intolerant and dangerous.
Trump is the perfect villain and that is why we’re fascinated with the man. Not since George W Bush has the US experienced such low levels of dislike and popularity. And when such a verbose character is in charge of about 322 million people, there’s bound to be an artistic backlash… so bring on the antigovernment,anti-authoritarian dissenting music.
The US has always been at the front of punk rock bands, arguably in retaliation to the peace, love and hippy dippiness of the 1970s’ folk and prog movements. A new generation emerged hooking on to the hyper energy of bands like MC5, The Stooges, The Ramones and Minor Threat.
By the 1980s, with Ronald Reagan’s new Republican clean, happy, moral family-orientated style of politics pumped into the suburban psyche ad nauseam, punk music flared back with a vengeance.
Bands like, NOFX, Canada’s DOA, Dead Kennedys, DRI, Dead Milkmen, Patti Smith, Minute Men and Black Flag rallied against the system destroying the paving of the American dream in order for future angry youngsters to rebuild with an even more volatile mix.
Enter the early 2000s and System of a Down break into the mainstream after a period of self-indulgent narcissism and inner reflection. Serj Tankian and his motley crue of musicians destroy the rap rock and indie whinings of the day with politically charged thumping tunes screaming to “F#$% the system”, “destroy the flag” as well as a provocations such as “Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate-sponsored dictators around the world” or lethal meditations like “Why do they always send the poor” to war and warnings about big government intentions such as “they’re tryin’ to build a prison for you and me to live in”.
Tom Morello and his Rage Against the Machine were another late ’90s early 2000 outfit that strove to take popular music and use it to ignite a lethargic youth to action.
Though no longer recording, Morello has formed a record label, Firebrand Records, that signs only bands and artists with a political and social agenda.
Amid the pre-packaged, over-marketed, millionaire-making sludge that’s become the epitomé of the American music industry (think likeable non-threatening entertainers like Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry) there are a few artists pursuing their craft in order to wake America up again rather than the misnomer of great again.
A-typical protest punk rock music has been replaced with punk hip hop and with the advent of the Black Lives Matter movement a new breed of frustrated musicians heralding a call to action from the masses has emerged during the past Trump affiliated years.
Young rap artists are standing up and using their voice to beat the system down. YG and Nipsey Hussle, Kendrick Lamar, are joining forces with the likes of punk rockers, Downtown Boys, the Kominas, Ramshackle Glory, GLOSS and Anti Flag to prove that anger is an energy worth singing and trumping about.