The protest song that I decided to choose was "Mosh" by Eminem. I always thought it was pretty interesting because not too many rappers come out with songs that have such a strong message regarding the war, voting, and the presidency. It was released in 2004 right before the presidential election between John Kerry and George Bush. The song, and its accompanying video are extremely anti-Bush, anti-war, and pro-voting. The video has probably become more popular than the song itself, and its one of the main reasons I chose it. The animations are unique and, among the many depictions, shows Eminem gathering together several young people in order to go and vote (for Kerry). The lyrics of the song are pretty clear....Eminem hates Bush. He calls him a monster, claims he started the war selfishly for oil, and suggests that Bush suit up and go fight himself. Eminem stated that his main goal was to inspire young people to go out and vote because they could really be a force if united together. I don't particularly like profanity in songs, but it was surprising that there was hardly any in this one, considering Eminem is known for his language. He is still able to convey emotion and get his message through.
Overall, I feel that protest songs can be great because they make a particular statement while still providing music to enjoy. Effectiveness really depends on what the issue is and how important that issue is to people. If it is about a topic most people consider unimportant, there won't be much progress with it. Popularity rules the music industry, so relevancy is important. Songs regarding the upcoming election, or the current Iraq War would be considered relevant today. Also, the artists themselves might be a big factor in effectiveness. If they have a bad reputation with people or are relatively unknown, the song might not make much noise, so to speak.
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3 comments:
Nice song, haha. But yeah, I though he conveyed his emotions really well and he showed he's serious by not resorting to unnecessary profanity. And I believe a part of the reason the song didn't prove to be very effective (or why he wasn't taken seriously) is because of his previous work and reputation. His body of work doesn't exactly lend credibility to such a strong political statement.
That song definitely is striking and memorable. It's not every day that you see cartoon figures in a rap music video. All of these anti-Bush protest songs got me thinking- are there any pro-Bush songs out there, a kind of protest against all the Bush bashing?
I believe you made a good point about the potential of a protest song. It really is up to the listener to decide whether or not the artist is credible enough to consider. Also, the audience must be influenced to the point of action. There is only so much a song can do, past entertainment...
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