Political hip hop

Political hip hop

Political hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed in the 1980s. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group...

(also political rap) is a form of hip hop music

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 that developed in the 1980s. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets

The Last Poets

The Last Poets is a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movement's black nationalist thread...

 and Gil Scott-Heron

Gil Scott-Heron

Gilbert "Gil" Scott-Heron was an American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and '80s...

, Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group to gain commercial success. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. Composed of one DJ and five rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an influential American hip-hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in...

 released the first well-known sociopolitical rap song in 1982 called "The Message", which inspired numerous rappers to address social and political subjects.

The following is a partial list of political hip hop artists:

• 2pac
• Akir
  Akir
  Akir is an African-American hip hop artist, producer and songwriter known for his complex lyrics and social-political content. His name is an acronym for Always Keep It Real. He is also the co-founder of One Enterprises.- Biography :...
  
  
• Assassin (rap crew)
  Assassin (rap crew)
  Assassin is a French hardcore rap group formed in the 18th Arrondissement of Paris. The group was formed in 1985 by Rockin' Squat and Solo. Later, Doctor L joined them, as well as DJ Clyde...
  
  
• Atmosphere (music group)
  Atmosphere (music group)
  Atmosphere is an American hip hop group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The group is composed of rapper Slug and DJ/Producer Ant...
  
  
• Blue Scholars
  Blue Scholars
  Blue Scholars is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington, created in 2002 while the members, DJ Sabzi and MC Geologic, were students at the University of Washington....
  
  
• Braintax
  Braintax
  Braintax was a British hip hop artist and producer. Joe Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records....
  
  
• Brother Ali
  Brother Ali
  Ali Newman , better known by the stage name Brother Ali, is an American hip hop artist signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment.-Personal life:...
  
  
• The Coup
  The Coup
  The Coup is a political hip hop group based in Oakland, California. It formed as a three-member group in 1992 with emcees Raymond "Boots" Riley and E-Roc along with DJ Pam the Funkstress. E-Roc left on amicable terms after the group's second album but appears on the track "Breathing Apparatus" on...
  
  
• Common market
  Common Market (band)
  Common Market is a hip hop duo based in Seattle, Washington with members RA Scion and DJ/Producer Sabzi. The two members were individually active hip hop artists in the Pacific Northwest since 2002, but collectively combined their talents in 2005 to form Common Market.Sabzi started his career as...
  
  
• Da Lench Mob
  Da Lench Mob
  Da Lench Mob was a West Coast hip hop group associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers J-Dee, Shorty, T-Bone and Maulkie.-History:The group made its debut on Ice Cube's first solo album, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted...
  
  
• DAM (band)
  DAM (band)
  DAM is a Palestinian hip-hop group. Based in Lod, Israel, DAM was founded in 1999 by brothers Tamar and Suhell Nafar and their friend Mahmoud Jreri, and their songs are largely about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and poverty...
  
  
• Dead Prez
  Dead Prez
  Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
  
  
• Dälek
  Dälek
  dälek is an American experimental hip hop duo from Newark, New Jersey. The group is composed of MC dälek and the Oktopus...
  
  
• Diamondog
  Diamondog
  Diamantino Edgar Capacassa Feijó , better known as Diamondog is an Angolan rapper, currently living in Berlin. He is known for making political and Conscious Hip Hop...
  
  * Diabolic (rap artist)
  Diabolic (rap artist)
  Sean George, better known by his stage name Diabolic, is an American rapper from Huntington Station, Long Island, New York. He started receiving fame on the hidden track after Immortal Technique's song 'Dance With The Devil' on Immortal Technique's debut album, Revolutionary Vol. 1...
  
  
• The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
  The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
  The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy was an American industrial hip-hop band, active during the early 1990s.The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti and Rono Tse, who had been in the Beatnigs, and introduced the work of guitarist Charlie Hunter...
  
  
• Dr Syntax
• Emcee Lynx
  Emcee Lynx
  Lynx, or Emcee Lynx is an anarchist hip hop artist in Vallejo, California who has achieved significant popularity and name-recognition in the West Coast hip hop and underground hip hop scenes and among anarchists and other radicals around the world...
  
  
• Flobots
  Flobots
  The Flobots are a political rock and hip hop musical group from Denver, Colorado, formed in 2000 by Jamie Laurie. Flobots found mainstream success with their major label debut Fight with Tools , featuring the single "Handlebars", which became a popular hit on Modern Rock radio in April 2008.-Early...
  
  
• Michael Franti
  Michael Franti
  Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
  
  
• The Goats
  The Goats
  The Goats were an alternative hip-hop quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Their members included rappers Oatie Kato , Madd , and Swayzack...
  
  
• Hasan Salaam
  Hasan Salaam
  Hasan Salaam is a rapper born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. A Muslim whose father is Caucasian and whose mother is Black, his lyrics touch on such subjects as "post-colonial exploitation of African culture", "the African diaspora", and "the true Islamic jihad"...
  
  
• Ice Cube
  Ice Cube
  O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
  
  
• Immortal Technique
  Immortal Technique
  Felipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
  
  
• Jehst
  Jehst
  William G. Shields, better known as Jehst or a slew of aliases including The High Plains Drifter, Billy Brimstone and Jay Star, is an English rapper and co-founder of hip hop label YNR.-Biography:...
  
  
• Jedi Mind Tricks
  Jedi Mind Tricks
  Jedi Mind Tricks is a hip hop duo with Vinnie Paz from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Jus Allah from Camden, New Jersey. The group was founded by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz and former producer/DJ Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind...
  
  
• KRS-One
  KRS-One
  Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
  
  
• La Familia
• Lost Children of Babylon
• Lowkey
  Lowkey
  Kareem Dennis is a musician and political activist of English and Iraqi descent, better known by his stage name Lowkey. He first became known through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music business...
  
  
• Lupe Fiasco
  Lupe Fiasco
  Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
  
  
• M.I.A. (artist)
  M.I.A. (artist)
  Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
  
  
• Mr. Lif
  Mr. Lif
  Mr. Lif is an American hip hop artist from Boston, Massachusetts. Often noted for his political lyrics, he has released two studio albums on El-P's Definitive Jux label and one on Bloodbot Tactical Enterprises. Mr...
  
  
• Mos Def
  Mos Def
  Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
  
  
• Native Guns
  Native Guns
  Native Guns was an American rap group that consisted of two Filipino American MC's and a Chinese American DJ from California. Based in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the group consists of MCs Kiwi and Bambu, and DJ Phatrick...
  
  
• N.W.A
• Shahin najafi
  Shahin Najafi
  Shahin Najafi is an Iranian musician, poet and singer currently residing in Germany. He began his music career in Iran before emigrating to Germany in 2005....
  
  
• Sole (artist)
  Sole (artist)
  Tim Holland, known as Sole, is an alternative hip hop artist and a co-founder of the Anticon collective/label. Sole is known for his dense and often dark stream-of-consciousness style of rapping. His verses are often filled with abstraction, metaphor and sarcasm while avoiding or deconstructing...
  
  
• Talib Kweli
  Talib Kweli
  Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an American hip-hop artist and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His first name in Arabic means "student" or "seeker" ; his in Swahili means "true"...
  
  
• The Narcicyst
  The Narcicyst
  Yassin Alsalman, better known by his stage name The Narcicyst , is an Iraqi journalist and Hip Hop MC[1][2]. Originally from Basra, he was born and raised in Dubai.[2] Now settled in Montreal, Canada....
  
  
• Parazitii
  Parazitii
  Paraziţii is a Romanian three-man rap and hip hop group founded in 1994. It consists of Cheloo , Ombladon , and FreakaDaDisk .The group is largely known for their dark beats and political humorous lyricism.-History:The group was subject to multiple restrictions by the Romanian National Audiovisual...
  
  
• Paris
  Paris (rapper)
  Oscar Jackson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Paris is an American rapper from San Francisco, California, known for his highly charged political and socially conscious lyrics...
  
  
• The Perceptionists
  The Perceptionists
  The Perceptionists are an American hip hop group on the Definitive Jux label. The group is made up of MCs Akrobatik and Mr Lif, along with DJ Fakts One. They hail from Boston, Massachusetts...
  
  
• Poor Righteous Teachers
  Poor Righteous Teachers
  Poor Righteous Teachers is a hip hop group from Trenton, New Jersey, founded in 1989. Often referred to as PRT by its fans, Poor Righteous Teachers are known as pro-Black conscious hip hop artists, with musical content inspired by the teachings of the Nation of Gods and Earths. Wise Intelligent, as...
  
  
• Public Enemy
• Psycho Realm
  Psycho Realm
  Psycho Realm is an american hip hop supergroup started in 1989 by brothers Sick Jacken and Big Duke from the Downtown, Pico-Union area of Los Angeles. The first recorded Psycho Realm song, "Scandalous", was released on the soundtrack of the film Mi Vida Loca in 1994...
  
  
• Rage Against the Machine
  Rage Against the Machine
  Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
  
   (rap metal
  Rap metal
  Rap metal is a subgenre of rap rock which fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop music with heavy metal.-History:Rap metal originated from rap rock, a genre fusing vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with rock...
  
  )
• Rebel Diaz
  Rebel Diaz
  Rebel Diaz is a political hip hop duo out of the Bronx, New York and Chicago, IL consisting of the Chilean brothers Rodrigo Venegas and Gonzalo Venegas...
  
  
• Rockin' Squat
  Rockin' Squat
  Mathias Crochon, better known as Rockin' Squat, is a French MC . He is the son of the actor Jean-Pierre Cassel and the brother of Vincent Cassel and Cécile Cassel. In the mid-80s, he created the famous rap group Assassin , becoming the first artist of this scene to mention politics and social...
  
  
• Street Sweeper Social Club
  Street Sweeper Social Club
  Street Sweeper Social Club is an American Rap Rock supergroup, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2006. The band primarily consists of guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and vocalist/emcee Boots Riley of The Coup. The band has been testing songs out during Tom Morello's...
  
  
• The Visionaries
  The Visionaries
  The Visionaries is an underground hip hop crew from Los Angeles, California. The crew formed in 1995, and have since released four full-length albums on Up Above Records. The crew's six members have collectively released over twenty solo and side projects...
  
  
• Saul Williams
  Saul Williams
  Saul Stacey Williams is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam.-Biography:...
  
  
• X-Clan
  X-Clan
  X-Clan is a hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York, originally consisting of Grand Verbalizer Funkin' Lesson Brother J, Professor X The Overseer, Paradise the Architect, and Sugar Shaft the Rhythm Provider...