This past month, people all across Britain marched in solidarity to demand that we—a financially well-off nation—help Syrian refugees in great need, and also in protest against sending air strikes in an attempt to stop ISIS. The UK government, however, still decided to bomb Syria.
With so many miscarriages of justice happening all over, we have witnessed the once voiceless stand up and be counted in demonstrations against the oppressive infrastructures and systems that try to hold us down. From human rights, police brutality and institutionalised racism, to war, climate change and cuts that push people into poverty, there has been a revolving door of issues leading people to go out into the streets and make their voices heard.
While there can never be any justice without peace, Complex has collected 10 grime and UK hip-hop tracks to excite, motivate, and even refresh some of the regular chants in your protest. We've mixed it up with some fast-paced cuts that'll inject an uplifting aura, along with a few politically-motivated tracks to keep your protest on topic. Dive in below.
Skepta f/ Young Lord — "It Ain't Safe"
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Rapper Vic Mensa filmed protesters in Chicago chanting "it ain't safe on the block, not even for the cops" while marching for justice over the murder of Laquan Mcdonald. After withholding a video of his death for 400 days—and only releasing it because a freelance journalist sued—the footage in question showed evidence of a police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan 16 times; even while he laid on the ground dying, the shots still continued.
Young and old took the streets and chanted "stand with us, we love you" to welcome others to display their disgust in an open and peaceful manner. Skepta's grime lyrics reminded onlookers (as well as the police) that while police brutality cases grow without any real justice, they will not forget and allow their voices of outrage to be silenced. Until their blocks are safe for them to cross the road, buy skittles, drive, go for a jog or attend university without being harassed or murdered, it won't be peaceful for the police either.
Tempa T — "Next Hype"
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Tempa T's "Next Hype" is grime's second coming of "Pow": it'll liven up any party, gathering, or even a protest. As we saw at the student protests in 2010—when the tuition fees bill was passed in September, and at the anti-cuts protest a month later—it was the most requested song among the young generation present (as seen here and here). The Guardian's Dan Hancox described the excitement it created at the protest, writing: "Tempz understands the power of this kind of song—political in its spirit, rather than through earnest lyrics." "Next Hype" is perfect for any march.
Dizzee Rascal — "Learn"
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Dizzee Rascal's first two albums, Boy In The Corner and Showtime, were soundtracks to a whole generation with a river of political commentary flowing throughout. For the "Sirens" video, Raskit used the metaphor of him being chased by police like the horns of the fox hunter on a horseback, using his fur parka hood as a symbol of the helpless fox. At the end of the video, where they catch Dizzee and end up with blood dripping from their mouths, tells us how hungry the police are for people like him.
Then we have "Imagine", the hopeful, thoughtful side of Dizzee, where he talks about what life would be like without all of the social politics, injustices, and negativity. "Learn", meanwhile, is young Dylan fresh out of pirate radio with reload bars, delivering a jet-pack of singalongs: "You don't want the beef, you don't want the grime / You ain't got the guts, I ain't got the time... / We call it arms house, arms house, go and get your crew. If you can't back the arms house, then who the fuck are you?" Simple and lively, packing a political punch.
Ghetts — "Rebel"
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"Black every day! You can ask David, Cameron if we're living in the dark ages. Black every day! You can ask David." Ghetts' Rebel With A Cause album tackled a lot of social issues, and the title track had some killer lines, like: "All I acquired from the riot was that people are sick and tired of being quiet." Ghetts himself performed at a Secret Cinema protest gig, which aimed to highlight unfair discrimination young people face as a result of cultural preferences (it was mainly in relation to last year's last-minute cancellation of Just Jam at The Barbican).
Rival — "Talk That"
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Rival takes on a face-screwing Skeamz production for the thought-provoking "Talk That" (taken from his well-received Lord Rivz EP). On the track, he dishes on why specifically his music and grime speaks about rage and crime-related activity: "So when I spray... Listen and learn / They wanna know why there's all this crime and all this pain."
Krept & Konan — "Don't Waste My Time"
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When officials are telling protesters to be peaceful, stay calm, and let the establishment look into their own faults, just respond with: "TELL 'EM DON'T WASTE MY TIME, NAH, NAH, NAH..." Skip to the 1:40 mark in the video to see Krept, Konan and friends say exactly the same thing to police as their shoot gets interrupted.
Akala — "Bullshit"
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He's gone from being Ms Dynamite's little brother to being a talented, outspoken and eloquent public speaker and artist in his own right. While Akala tours around the world with his music, he also finds time to take on EDL's Tommy Robinson, passionately discuss the Baltimore riots, and give a full lecture to the Oxford Union on Black History as the lost pages of human history. I can hear the crowds already: "Bombing Syria with no exit plan? Now that's bullshit! But won't even help the refugees? Now that's bullshit!" After over nine years, Akala's wisdom, honesty, and knowledge in this track (taken from his It's Not A Rumour LP) is still as relevant as ever.
Lowkey — "My Soul"
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"You might take my life, but you can't take my soul / You might take my freedom, but you can't take my soul," spits Lowkey on "My Soul". At the core of every protest is the fight to be heard, and while the tempo here might be laid back to suit the beach, the message to stand up and speak up is extremely powerful. The hook, taken from a verse on Lowkey's 2010 track "Terrorist?", connects to a deeper and current issue: "They're calling me a terrorist! Like they don't know who the terror is / When they put it on me, I tell them this—I'm all about peace and love."
Chip — "Dickhead"
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This track is a direct reply to Bugzy Malone within the whole Malone and Tinie vs. Chip bubble. However, it might just be the best new excuse to shout out "YOU DICKHEAD!" at the top of your lungs. All the chants in the world clearly aren't getting the point across, so shout out to Chip for creating this option for a new generation of protesters.
Plan B — "Ill Manors"
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An anthem to the film of the same name, so many great journalists have broken "Ill Manors" down for what it represents and its smart angle and wordplay. "Feed the fear that's what we've learned / Fuel the fire, let it burn." This lyric alone speaks to the current airstrikes in Syria, climate change, and even its original context of the 2011 London riots.
