Shouts - Music from the Rooftops! is a media project that publishes news, exclusive content, and interviews with protest musicians, socially and ecologically conscious artists, and activists from around the globe.
“What propelled the daughter of a renowned Jewish scholar to join a movement on the fringe of American society that rejected religion, capitalism, and other mainstream ideals?”
The answer is found in Dave Schechter’s fascinating book, A Life of the Party, about his great-aunt, Amy Schechter, a woman born in England and educated in the United States, and who devoted more than four decades to the Communist Party in a quest to improve the lives of working men and women.
Her work brought her all across the United States, and on her journey, among other things, she was acquainted with the power of song. Of particular interest to Shouts’ readers, this book includes sections with labor and protest music from 1920s-50s.
Among many others, there are such songs as ‘Red Flag’, a Socialist and Communist movements’ anthem, originally written in 1889, or ‘Mill Mother’s Lament’, a powerful protest song whose lyrics resonate just as hard today as they did in 1929 when Ella May Wiggins, a legendary protest singer and union activist, was murdered by corporate thugs ordered to silence her revolutionary voice and music.
Dave told me via email, that it felt important to him to include “the music that applied to the labor actions in which [his] great-aunt took part, whether it actually happened or history says it could have happened.”
‘A Life of the Party’, available through Fulton Books, which blends historical records with narrative fiction, is definitely a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the power of unity, labour unions, protest music and the strength of normal people standing up to their opressors.
2024 is behind us. Like the years before it, horrible things happened in this world, and just like all the years before, empathetic artists were moved to pen down some lyrics and write songs to help fuel the revolution, to share important messages, and in many instances do so in the face of imprisonment, harrassment and even death.
Despite what some people think, this happens every year. Protest music never died and musicians have never stopped recording activist music. This website, and the work of the writers, radio-show hosts and artists who contributed to this article is proof of that.
So many songs, as single releases, were released in support of Palestine this year. See our growing Spotify playlist featuring songs released in solidarity with Palestine, and also check out our recently published article about Top 40 Protest Songs of 2024.
For this end-of-the-year list, we will focus on full albums. These are some of our favourites. There were many, many more.
Contributing to this list were Kevin Gosztola, Santiago Campodónico, DJ General Strike, Mat Ward, and Riley Rowe.
Humble As The Sun by Bob Vylan
Bob Vylan’s music is fiery, unshackled, and loaded with tremendous rap-rock riffs. Their third album is a bit more focused on radical hope than rage, yet these are still songs for an underclass that must fight to survive every day.
An Encyclopedia of Patriarchy (incomplete) by B of Briz
One of three debut albums on the list, and one that is quite different from the rest. UK hip-hop artist B of Briz, lays down fiery, feminist lyrics on top of, well, off-beat beats, and subtle synths who are as mysterious as the masked artist herself.
Words by Halldór Kristínarson, founder, writer and managing editor of Shouts – Music from the Rooftops!
“NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
The new Godspeed You! Black Emperor album takes a direct approach to the ongoing conflict in Palestine and begs us to not shy away from the atrocities being committed. There are so many dead civilians – men, women and children mercilessly buried under grey rubble. It’s a tragedy, and you should be outraged about it. And maybe, says the album, with enough people shouting, we may be able to help the spark of hope of those that are enduring this injustice.
Words by Santiago Campodónico, contributing writer for Shouts – Music from the Rooftops! Read his full review of the album here.
Self-Truth Samba by Umbilichaos
In her Portuguese tongue, Anna spews “I don’t want to be a puppet or another actress… I would die happy, but I won’t bow to you” on the opening track “Between Prisoners and Slaves.” Such esoteric, yet rebellious poetry reflects the trans-frontwoman’s ambiguous qualms. In our conversations, Anna admits that her lyrics are purposefully vague and open to interpretation; nonetheless it’s impossible to deny her political anger through the Swans or Godflesh-like industrial-sludge and sour lyrics.
Overall, Umbilichaos’ new Self-Truth Samba album is a vent of alienation, pointed at the status quo, capitalism, and society’s pressures. Adhering to her philosophy that everything is political, Anna Claudia Cunha’s gritty Brazilian atmospheric metal is undoubtedly a protest of the current state of affairs.
I listen to more than 30 new political albums a month to write my monthly protest music column at greenleft.org.au. The quality of all them is surprisingly high, so it’s quite an achievement for one to really stand out. I have no doubt about which one that was for me this year. Delilah Bon is an incredibly talented English rapper, singer, musician, producer, film-maker and visual artist who even makes a different outfit for her performances each night. On her new album “Evil, Hate-Filled Female”, released this year, she displays all the vocal dexterity of misogynistic rapper Eminem, but then goes one better by hitting the kind of high notes only Christina Aguilera could reach, as she belts out punchlines like: “My feminist agenda, to put all your cocks in a blender.” Her usually sold-out live shows, in which she gets the audience to chant “dead men don’t rape”, are an empowering spectacle to behold.
Jesse Welles, AKA Welles, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Arkansas, US. Welles was also the frontman of the bands Dead Indian, formed in 2012, and Cosmic-American, formed in 2015. In 2024, Welles garnered attention on social media for authoring and performing folk protest songs, like the viral “War Isn’t Murder”. He released an album of these protest songs called Hells Welles, in July.
Words by DJ General Strike, host of Protest Tunes on 91.3 KBCS in the US
Dzikkuh by Arka’n Asrafokor
Hailing from the tropical territory of Togo, a folk rock-rap-metal fusion band arises with of-the-Earth retribution. The energy on Arka’n Asrafokor’s new record Dzikkuh aligns with the indigenous likes of Sepultura, Alien Weaponry, or The Hu, yet stylistically is unmatched, based in the rhythms and chants of their home – western Africa.
With potent tracks such as “Walk With Us,” “Not Getting in Line,” or “Angry God of Earth,” themes of empowerment, unity, truth, and nature will echo out in the streets of listeners’ minds, as if, this isn’t a protest with a clear political target, but rather a positive rally supporting representation of one’s self and African heavy music.
Hailing from Texas, US, Kardinal Bloo is a young, versatile artist who brings a lot of colour to the current world of hip-hop, especially the colour blue. The album shines with a love for life as well as an understanding of the current state of affairs. As Bloo so eloquently puts it, his new album, Birds Rap Too, is “an eclectic collection of black expression that merges revolutionary pragmatism, scintillating lyricism, and earnest joie de vivre to create what I call class-conscious rap nonsense from a bird’s eye view.”
This hip-hop album stays interesting throughout, and it’s not only because it’s heavily, and uniquely, centered on birds. In the style of some of the greats out there, like Kendrick and Childish Gambino, Bloo is not afraid to up switch the flow in his songs, keeping the listener on his toes at all times. Add some dope beats and exhilarating lyricism and you’ve got an extremely vibrant rap album whose existence is greatly magnified by Bloo’s live shows.
Taken from Halldór Kristínarson’s interview Kardinal Bloo, which can be read here.
Bullets In The Chamber by Arrested Development
Arrested Development was formed in Atlanta in 1988 by rapper and producer Speech and turntablist Headliner. They were the first hip hop band to win a Grammy for Best New Artist, in 1993. Bullets in the Chamber features a selection of legendary musicians including, Chuck D, Canibus, Diana King, Sa-Roc, Ras Kass, Montsho Eshe, Rasa Don, Sky Zoo, Grandmaster Caz, Sol Messiah, MRK SX, Twan Mack & O’hene Savant. The inscription at the back cover reads: “Life music, the weapon against death. Each song, a bullet in the chamber. As soon as you press play, the trigger is pulled. The target is hearts, minds, and ears of the audience.”
Words by DJ General Strike, host of Protest Tunes on 91.3 KBCS in the US
Bloodmouth Genocide by Times of Desperation
When it comes to vegan, straight edge hardcore music, Times of Desperation’s debut album, Bloodmouth Genocide is hardly inventing the wheel. But sometimes there is no need for that. For all the animals in this world, no matter how much we progress as human species, they still don’t have representation and they are still tortured, born into generational rape and slavery, and babies are still taken from their mothers. What animals need is this album. They need a few young Swedes to bring all the rage they can conjure from within their empathetic bodies and then bring that into as many mosh pits as possible. Eating tortured bodies is normalised. However, there is nothing normal about the fury this album contains. You can feel the suffering animals go through by listening to this music. This is the role of the artist. To make us feel, to help us empathize. To be a voice for the voiceless. Bloodmouth Genocide does exactly that, and in a simply flawless, very brutal way.
Words by Halldór Kristínarson, founder, writer and managing editor of Shouts – Music from the Rooftops!
Over The Earth, Under by Gailla
Over The Earth, Under could simply be described as a protest EP, one centered around the current climate crisis, but Gailla and her band decided to take the concept even further. The first track of the project, midden, is a quick thirty-second invitation to the universe she is setting up, with nature sounds that eventually get overshadowed by protesters chanting: “We will not stop, we will not rest.” This mirrors the final track of the EP, pippi, another interlude where nature sounds seem to be the focus, as the vague presence of people can hardly be heard. These two tracks alone already give the EP a conceptual feel, as the longer and lyrically focused songs are contextualized within them. In a way, with this structure, it almost seems as if Gailla is attempting to capture the essence of a real protest, with a clear focus, a striking beginning, and a somewhat fleeting conclusion.
Super mellow electro-punk out of Budapest, Hungary and another unique sounding album to add to a great year in music. The Sexy Wild East starts right off the bat, stating their manifesto, if you will, on the first track, and these words seem like a pretty good way to end this article.
It’s not radical to want to feed starving children It’s not radical to want to fund public services It’s not radical to oppose government corruption It’s not radical to want to live in a world without war It’s not radical to believe in equality It’s not radical to want a fair distribution of wealth It’s not radical to treat asylum seekers respectfully It’s not radical to think about your mental health It’s not radical to want to save the planet It’s not radical to respect other cultures It’s not radical to give everyone free broadband It’s not radical to want peace in the middle east It’s not radical to stop anyone and everyone owning a gun It’s not radical to spare a thought and some cash for the homeless ones
Words by Halldór Kristínarson, founder, writer and managing editor of Shouts – Music from the Rooftops!
Happy New Year comrades, this is DJ General Strike, host of the weekly protest music radio show, Protest Tunes on 91.3 KBCS FM in Seattle, WA. I broadcast 2 hours of radical protest music of all genres and eras every Wednesday at 9 PM. 2024 was an active year for protest music, in light of the Presidential election in the US and the General election in the UK. Many great anti-war songs were also released against Israel’s ongoing war/genocide in Gaza. Over the last year I’ve compiled a playlist of over 800 of these protest songs, which you can listen to in its entirety here, and I’ve made 4 shows on my top protest songs of each season, or what I call Molotov Hot Tracks. I narrowed that high volume of songs down to my top 40 protest songs of 2024. I aired most of these songs on my show last Wednesday, New Year’s Day, which you can listen to an archive of here. I’ve organized these 40 protest songs by genre below for ease of listening (and alphabetically within genre), you can also listen to all 40 on this Spotify Playlist. Without further ado here’s my top 40 Protest Songs of 2024.
Folk
Grammy winning feminist folk-rock singer-songwriter, author and activist. One of the first artists to create her own label in 1990, she is called ‘the mother of the DIY movement’ and has sold over 5.5 million albums on her own Righteous Babe Records. New Bible is an anti-capitalist song, the 2nd single off of her album Unprecedented Sh!t’, Ani’s 23rd release, released July 12th.
Carsie Blanton is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New Orleans, US. Blanton says she “writes anthems for a world worth saving.” About this song this single released May 31st, she said it’s “a “f— the democratic party for sitting on its hands during a genocide” kind of a song.”
Petrie is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leicester, England. She began performing in 2006, but in 2010 the advent of the Conservative-led coalition government influenced her, as a socialist, feminist, and lesbian, towards an increasing emphasis on political songwriting. This track is off of her new album Build Something Better, released March 8th.
Welles, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Arkansas, US, who was the frontman of the bands Dead Indian, formed in 2012, and Cosmic-American, formed in 2015. In 2024, Welles garnered attention on social media for authoring and performing satirical protest songs, like this viral anti-war-on-Gaza song, which satirizes common justifications for war.
Seth Staton Watkins is a folk singer from St. Louis, US, who is best known for his renditions of traditional Irish rebel tunes. He records and produces all of his music in his home studio. He released “Stand Together”, a rewrite of his 2023 song “It’s Not the Poor Folk”, this November in the wake of Trump’s electoral victory.
Sister Wife Sex Strike is a Seattle-based anarchist folk punk band comprised of Sister Pigeon and Sister Moth. The band’s name is inspired by a real life sex strike that they went on in 2021. They released this anti-Zionist single on July 4th, off of their new album Sister Wife Sex Change, which dropped August 2nd.
Rock and Roll
Frank Turner is an English punk, folk and indie-rock singer-songwriter who began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primarily acoustic-based solo career following the band’s split in 2005. This anti-authoritarian song off of Turner’s new album Undefeated, is a rewrite of an old unreleased song of his, called Practical Anarchist.
MC5 (Motor City 5) was an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The last two members of the band, Wayne Kramer and Dennis Thompson passed away this year, while they were working on their all-star comeback album Heavy Lifting which features guests like Tom Morello, Slash, Vernon Reid, and more. The album was released this October, timed to the band’s posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Primal Scream are a Scottish rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie. Primal Scream had been performing live from 1982 to 1984, but their career did not take off until Gillespie left his position as drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain. This epic nine minute track compares settler colonialism in Ireland, Scotland and Palestine.
R&B/Pop
This Welsh musician, composer, producer, filmmaker and author performs solo and with rock band Super Furry Animals, who obtained mainstream success in the 90s, and the electro-pop band Neon Neon. He’s considered a figurehead of the era known as Cool Cymru, a Welsh cultural movement in music and film in the 1990s and 2000s. This anti-government corruption song is off of his newest album Sadness Sets Me Free released last January.
Shaina Taub is a Vermont-raised, Brooklyn-based composer, singer-songwriter and performer. This song is newly written for Taub’s musical about the Women’s Suffrage Movement, “Suffs” upcoming Broadway run. Taub wrote the music, lyrics, and book for the musical and also stars as Alice Paul in “Suffs”.
The 74 year old living legend, had his first Billboard No. 1 hit at the age of 12, and has won 25 Grammys (the most by any solo artist). This is Stevie’s first new song since 2020, and it encourages people to get involved and seize the crucial moment that the U.S. and the world find themselves in right now.
Sunny War is a Blues/Folk/Punk guitarist from Nashville, US. “Walking Contradiction” is the first single from her album Armageddon In A Summer Dress, which drops on 21st of February 2025. Sunny War wrote its songs after moving into her late father’s 100-year-old house in Chattanooga. A big fan of Crass, the influential British anarcho-punk collective, she recruited Crass’ Steve Ignorant to perform on this track.
Reggae/Ska
DJ Pamplona is an independent audio engineer from Rio de Janeiro Brazil, of the group Dub Ataque. He is now based in Florida where he owns his own studio and record label, Pamplona Beats. This anti-war-on-Gaza song features Soom T, a Scottish reggae singer of Indian origin.
Zion I Kings, a family of producers and musicians from three respected roots production houses, finished and released this posthumous track by the late Peetah Morgan in July. Peetah, who passed away on February 25th, was the lead singer of Grammy-winning contemporary reggae band Morgan Heritage, formed in 1994 by five children of reggae artist Denroy Morgan.
The Undercover Hippy is UK based singer-songwriter Billy Rowan, who spent 7 years DJ’ing and MC’ing on the Drum & Bass circuit, then started The Undercover Hippy as a solo act in 2007 and now plays with a 5 piece band. 100% of proceeds from this track are donated to Palestinian charities: Sanabel Team, The Sameer Project and We Are Not Numbers.
Jazz/Spoken Word
aja monet is a poet, writer, lyricist and activist based in Los Angeles, US. She was the youngest poet to ever hold the title Nuyorican Poets Café Grand Slam Champion at the age of 19 in 2007. This song was inspired by Langston Hughes’ 1938 poem, “For the Kids Who Died.”
Meshell Ndegeocello is a singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, jazz, hip hop, reggae and rock. She’s been nominated for 11 Grammys, and won two. This epic 8 minute track is off of her new album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, which pays homage to the eminent writer and activist, James Baldwin.
Hip-Hop
Abe Batshon is a Palestinian American songwriter, artist and entrepreneur born in San Francisco and raised in Hayward, California. This single, released in February about the war in Gaza, also features Lebanese singer Samer and Detroit-based Palestinian-American hip hop artist Sammy Shiblaq.
Arrested Development was formed in Atlanta, US, in 1988 by rapper and producer Speech and turntablist Headliner. They were the first hip hop band to win a Grammy for Best New Artist, in 1993. This track is from their new album Bullets In The Chamber, released in January, which is so full of great protest songs, it was hard to pick just one.
Brother Ali is a blind, albino rapper, community activist, and member of the Rhymesayers Entertainment hip hop collective from Minneapolis, US. In this track Ali, who is Muslim, and anti-zionist Jewish producer unJUST tackle Israel’s assault on the Palestinian people. They released this single in March, off of their collaborative album Love and Service which came out in April.
Eddie Mack is an Arab-American Hip-Hop artist from Detroit, US. Mack engineers and produces and writes all of his own music. His distinct sound combines vintage Hip-Hop tracks with contemporary production methods. This sequel to his October 2023 protest song against Israel’s war on Gaza, The Sound Of War, was released in August.
Harris J, AKA “the Muslim Justin Bieber” is a young British Muslim artist whose debut album, Salam, was released in 2015. This song features rapper Lowkey, an Iraqi-British rapper and activist from London. These two London-based Muslim artists collaborated on this anti-war track against Israel’s war/genocide in Gaza.
Kimmortal is a Queer Filipina emcee and singer-songwriter based in Vancouver, BC. Their debut album Sincerity was entirely crowd funded by her community. In this follow up to Kimmortal’s November 23’ single against Israel’s war on Gaza, Stop Business As Usual, they feature Toronto R&B/Hip-Hop artist Phoenix Pagliacci of TRPP and transgender American-Peruvian rapper Bobby Sanchez.
The Seattle star rapper released this follow-up to his viral Spring protest single on September 20th, and performed it live for the first time in Seattle the next day at the Palestine Will Live Forever benefit concert. The track features Palestinian-American artists Anees and Amer Zahr, Gaza-born rapper MC Abdul, and the LA Palestinian Kids Choir. Just like the first song, Macklemore is donating the proceeds from “Hind’s Hall 2” to UNRWA.
Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a full solo album in 1988. She’s back after ten years with a brand new album, called ‘1 of 1’. In this song MC Lyte, Stevie Wonder, and Common address systemic injustice and the pervasive impact of racism on African Americans.
Rapsody began her career at North Carolina State University, where she joined hip hop collective H2O and its spinoff group Kooley High, despite not having rapped before. She launched her solo career in 2008. This song off her new album Please Don’t Cry is about the police murder of Breonna Taylor, and samples Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff”.
Metal/Hardcore
Formed in LA in 1990 and fronted by rapper Ice T. who first established himself as a rapper then co-founded the group with lead guitarist Ernie C out of their shared interest in heavy metal music. Body Count have been credited for paving the way for the rise of rap metal and nu metal, even though Ice-T does not rap in most Body Count songs. This track critiques the American two party system, comparing the Democrats and Republicans to warring gangs.
FEVER 333 is a political rap-core trio formed in Inglewood, US, in 2017 by members of Letlive, Chariot and Night Verses. Originally named The Fever, 333 represents the band’s three core principles of community, charity and change. This anti-police brutality single, released in August, is off of their new album ‘Darker White’, released on October 4th.
English rapper and songwriter of Indian origin. Hyphen had an usual start in music – he was working in finance and feeling depressed and lacking purpose, and started making music to help him deal with depression, which gave him a new sense of purpose. He released this immigrant rights, anti-1% single this October.
Ren is a Welsh songwriter, musician, rapper, producer, director and disability rights activist, he has had chronic Lyme disease for over 10 years. He was a member of the indie hip-hop band Trick The Fox and the British busking band The Big Push. He released this anti-capitalist single on October 18th.
Serj Tankian is an Armenian-American musician and activist, best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band System of a Down, formed in 1994. Tankian says he wrote this song during the early days of System of a Down. It’s about the Armenian genocide that took place during WWI, and how it still impacts his family and the broader Armenian community.
Tom Morello, is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, and political activist, best known for his tenure with Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. This new solo single, off his upcoming solo rock album, Morello calls the song “a salute to the transformative power of music”. It features a guest guitar solo by his 13-year-old son, Roman Morello.
Punk
Destroy Boys are a teen punk band from Sacramento, US. Their name was taken from words that singer Violet Mayugba wrote on her chalkboard at home during a period of relationship troubles. This feminist anti-assault/harassment anthem from their new album, Funeral Soundtrack No. 4 features fellow feminist punks Mannequin Pussy, from Philadelphia, and Scowl from Santa Cruz, California.
Dropkick Murphys are Celtic punk band from Massachusetts, US. About this song, frontman Ken Casey says, “For nearly a decade, the division between red and blue, right and left, has grown deeper, darker and uglier…Nobody enjoys this more than the billionaires, who are making record profits off the blood, sweat, and tears of the working class… They love it when we fight amongst ourselves, because their biggest fear is us joining together to come after them…THE REAL ENEMY.”
Punk rock band from Santa Cruz, US, formed in 1986. Known for their energetic sound and thought-provoking lyrics, the band briefly disbanded before reuniting in 2012. They released this protest single as a call to action ahead of the U.S. election on October 22nd.
Lady Parts is a band created for the British sitcom, We Are Lady Parts, created, written, and directed by Nida Manzoor, who alongside her siblings, also writes and supervises the music for the show. The series follows a British punk rock band named Lady Parts, which consists entirely of Muslim women. This track is off the show’s soundtrack, We Are Lady Parts (Music From The Original Series – Seasons 1 & 2) released May 31st.
Lambrini Girls are a queer feminist three-piece punk band from Brighton, UK, known for their energetic, emotive lyrics and political commentary. About this single released in February the band said “’Gods Country’ is our long, overdue call-out of the government and rise of the far right… We have the audacity to call our country ‘Great’. So we ask you, ‘Are you sure?”
This 7-member Irish Folk Punk Band from Germany, started out as a duo, playing in small barns and pubs as “The O’Reillys,” and a little later mutual friends joined them as the “Paddyhats” and turned the duo into a full band. This anti-fascist song is “directed against political and social currents that endanger democracy – and calls on people to speak up, rise up and fight together for freedom and justice.”
Pop punk band with grunge influences founded in Baltimore, US in 2019, after the three members met at Johns Hopkins University. Pinkshift has used their platform to advocate for racial diversity, Palestine, and gender inclusivity. This anti-Trump song began its life as an “anti-fascist poem” written by vocalist Ashrita Kumar.
