I don’t write about music much on this this blog, but every once and awhile an artist impresses me so much with their lyrics or apprach that I just have too. One that I’ve been meaning to write about for the last year is Immortal Technique. I’m not usually a hip-hop fan but the guy just is on. Another recent favorite is Sage Francis. Why do they appeal? They are both subversives who can craft rhymes with purpose better than anyone I know. Check out these lyrics.

There is a new price on freedom, so buy into it while supplies
last.
Changes need to be made;
no more curbside baggage,
seven pm curfew,
racial profiling will continue with less bitching.
We’ve unified over who to kill, so until I find more relevant
scripture to quote,
remember, our kind is bigger, stronger, smarter, and much
wealthier.
So wave those flags with pride, especially the white part.

We’re selling addictive, twenty-four hour candlelight vigils on
TV.
Freedom will be defended at the cost of civil liberties.
The viewers are glued to television screens, stuck,
’cause lots of things seem too sick.
I use opportunities to pluck heartstrings for theme music.
I’ll show you which culture to pump your fist at,
which foot is right to kiss.
We don’t really know who the culprit is yet,
but he looks like this.
We know who the heroes are,
they’re not the xenophobes who act hard.
We taught the dog to squat,
how dare he do that shit in our own back yard.
They happen to scar our financial state,
and char our landscape.
Can you count how many times so far I ran back the same damn
tape?
While the cameraman creates news and shoves it down our throats,

on the west bank, with the ten second clip put on constant loop
to provoke US angst.
So get your tanks and load your guns and hold your suns in a
family huddle,
’cause even if we win this tug of war and even the score,
humanity struggles.
There’s a need of blood for what’s been uncovered under the
rubble;
some of them dug for answers in the mess,
but the rest were looking for trouble.

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