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M.I.A. has gotten almost as much attention for her polarizing political statements as for her music — or, perhaps more accurately, the politics and the pop music are one and the same for this sonic subversive. The provocative pop star is, of course, part of a long and storied history of rock 'n' roll (and hip-hop, and pop, and R&B) rebels, both with and without a cause. In honor of Maya's challenging new album, we offer this taxonomy of pop's most provocative revolutionaries.
Punk=Revolution
It's kind of a given that punk rockers have to be anti-establishment, or at least against ... something. But some bands/artists do more than just, you know, break stuff and do a lot of drugs: they use the revolutionary spirit of punk to say something about politics, society, the world, or, like, whatever. After all, this is a genre that's all about tearing down the building blocks of music as we know it.
Recommended Revolutionaries: The Clash, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Sex Pistols (OK, they were more about the breaking stuff and drugs, but still)
Revolution as Fashion Accessory
At different times in pop music history (though certainly not always), having a "f**k you" attitude has been quite ... fashionable. While there are those artists for whom subversiveness and style have always been synonymous, this is also a tricky category because it's often used as a means of dissing (mostly pop) artists for their alleged lack of authenticity. At the same time, plenty of pop stars make no bones about the fact that subversive can be stylish — and vice versa — and that there is power in the sneak attack.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Madonna, Sex Pistols, Shakira, Will.I.Am, Bono (who has literally made a fashion line out of his politics)
Dedicated to the Cause
Sometimes, pop stars — even the most apolitical ones — get heavily invested in a particular cause or two. Occasionally, this tendency paves the way for a full-on political makeover. More often, it is simply a matter of stars using their celebrity for good instead of just evil, swag and dinner reservations, and getting behind an issue about which they feel passionately.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Kathy Mattea, Jackson Browne (who, to be fair, has a few pet causes), Wyclef Jean
Person of Interest, or Blacklisted
Those cynics who say musicians don't have any real political power should take a deeper look into some of the artists on this list — and especially into the lives of musicians living under dictatorships. Dictatorial governments know the truth: popularity can equal power, and a pop star with a political agenda can spell serious trouble, leaving corrupt governments to resort to blacklisting, harassment, exile or worse. Let us put it another way. Chile's nueva cancion artists: making Bono look like a serious wuss since the 1960s.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Pete Seeger, Fela Kuti
Friend of [insert politician's name here]
Sort of on the flip side of the blacklisted coin, we find those artists who have become such ardent activists that they are practically politicians themselves — or at least (erroneously) treated as such. This category, of course, begs the question of whether one can be in a politician's pocket and still be a revolutionary. Probably not, but at the same time, it's important to acknowledge that change can be effected from within the system, as well.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Bono, Shakira, Krist Novoselic (who actually ran for office)
Revolution as Media Spectacle with/versus the Voice of the People
So, as we've established, music and pop stardom can be powerful platforms through which to effect change — or at least make your voice heard. For some artists, this can mean a chance to speak out about little-known, infrequently discussed truths — an opportunity to give voice to one's pre-stardom realities, perhaps. For others, it offers a means of staging a Super! Awesome! Revolutionary! Revue! Starring YOU as Lead Rebel with a Cause.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Sinead O'Connor, Chuck D, Sting, KRS-One, K'naan, Bob Marley, Madonna, Nina Simone
Bush Whackers/America the Not-So-Beautiful, aka We Paid for This Free Speech and Dang It, We're Gonna Use It
The "land of the free, home of the brave" has given many of pop's most virulent revolutionaries quite a lot of material to work with, in part because of that whole free speech, "you can talk smack about your president" thing and in part because, well, we've had some pretty easy targets for presidents. So speak up — unless you aren't actually American (in which case we may just deny you a visa) or, well, even if you are, actually (in which case we may just blacklist you).
Recommended Revolutionaries: Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Radiohead, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, M.I.A., Pete Seeger
Countercultural Critics
Ah, the '60s, those halcyon days of war protests and marches on Washington and sex=subversive love-ins and Civil Rights concerts. In case you hadn't heard, all that activism made for some damn fine music, too.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Sam Cooke, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Sly & the Family Stone, Peter, Paul and Mary, Jimi Hendrix and many, many more
At different times in pop music history (though certainly not always), having a "f**k you" attitude has been quite ... fashionable. While there are those artists for whom subversiveness and style have always been synonymous, this is also a tricky category because it's often used as a means of dissing (mostly pop) artists for their alleged lack of authenticity. At the same time, plenty of pop stars make no bones about the fact that subversive can be stylish — and vice versa — and that there is power in the sneak attack.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Madonna, Sex Pistols, Shakira, Will.I.Am, Bono (who has literally made a fashion line out of his politics)
Dedicated to the Cause
Sometimes, pop stars — even the most apolitical ones — get heavily invested in a particular cause or two. Occasionally, this tendency paves the way for a full-on political makeover. More often, it is simply a matter of stars using their celebrity for good instead of just evil, swag and dinner reservations, and getting behind an issue about which they feel passionately.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Kathy Mattea, Jackson Browne (who, to be fair, has a few pet causes), Wyclef Jean
Person of Interest, or Blacklisted
Those cynics who say musicians don't have any real political power should take a deeper look into some of the artists on this list — and especially into the lives of musicians living under dictatorships. Dictatorial governments know the truth: popularity can equal power, and a pop star with a political agenda can spell serious trouble, leaving corrupt governments to resort to blacklisting, harassment, exile or worse. Let us put it another way. Chile's nueva cancion artists: making Bono look like a serious wuss since the 1960s.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Pete Seeger, Fela Kuti
Friend of [insert politician's name here]
Sort of on the flip side of the blacklisted coin, we find those artists who have become such ardent activists that they are practically politicians themselves — or at least (erroneously) treated as such. This category, of course, begs the question of whether one can be in a politician's pocket and still be a revolutionary. Probably not, but at the same time, it's important to acknowledge that change can be effected from within the system, as well.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Bono, Shakira, Krist Novoselic (who actually ran for office)
Revolution as Media Spectacle with/versus the Voice of the People
So, as we've established, music and pop stardom can be powerful platforms through which to effect change — or at least make your voice heard. For some artists, this can mean a chance to speak out about little-known, infrequently discussed truths — an opportunity to give voice to one's pre-stardom realities, perhaps. For others, it offers a means of staging a Super! Awesome! Revolutionary! Revue! Starring YOU as Lead Rebel with a Cause.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Sinead O'Connor, Chuck D, Sting, KRS-One, K'naan, Bob Marley, Madonna, Nina Simone
Bush Whackers/America the Not-So-Beautiful, aka We Paid for This Free Speech and Dang It, We're Gonna Use It
The "land of the free, home of the brave" has given many of pop's most virulent revolutionaries quite a lot of material to work with, in part because of that whole free speech, "you can talk smack about your president" thing and in part because, well, we've had some pretty easy targets for presidents. So speak up — unless you aren't actually American (in which case we may just deny you a visa) or, well, even if you are, actually (in which case we may just blacklist you).
Recommended Revolutionaries: Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Green Day, Radiohead, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, M.I.A., Pete Seeger
Countercultural Critics
Ah, the '60s, those halcyon days of war protests and marches on Washington and sex=subversive love-ins and Civil Rights concerts. In case you hadn't heard, all that activism made for some damn fine music, too.
Recommended Revolutionaries: Sam Cooke, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Sly & the Family Stone, Peter, Paul and Mary, Jimi Hendrix and many, many more
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