Hiphoprisy/Spearhead/Michael Franti

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Never noticed them being mentioned on ILM before.

The Gil-Scott-Heron of rap or just worthy but dull?

― Michael Bourke, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ILM has some taste then. They are extremly dull. They are also pretty big here in Holland. Don't know why because it's just so average funk- lite with a M-E-S-S-A-G-E.

― Omar, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

In 1992 my Gran decided it was time to disapprove of That Rap Music the young folks were listening to. "It's all about guns and it's demeaning" she said. "Do you listen to it Tom?"

"Yes yes" I said, "But the guns stuff is rubbish, I listen to the political rap which is the authentic voice of black American culture."

She was not so easily fooled: "Have you got any?"

I smugly played her "The Language Of Violence" and she said it was better than she thought it would be. My mother hated it anyway.

Now I rather regret copping out and playing her that instead of something else (pretty much the only other rap I had was PE at this point, mind) because it has struck me since that Michael Franti's was the authentic voice of Student Grant, Berkeley-style. Why oh why did nobody notice at the time how uncompelling both music and flow were?

― Tom, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Also, is Gil Scott-Heron not the Gil Scott-Heron of rap?

― Tom, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Aha! Tom describes the perfect use for dull conscious rap (to be distinguished, of course, from the exciting stuff) -- we can play it for our parents to get them off our back. Although we might rouse that dad-rock ire again if we told them what we *really* think about Paint It Black.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If Gil Scott-Heron is the Gil Scott-Heron of rap, where would that put the Last Poets?

I listened to the Hiphoprisy record a couple months back after a long period of distance from it and found it uneven, not without its bright spots. Since I do like Michael Franti a great deal, I really wanted to like the Spearhead records. Too bad they sound like Arrested Development. I'll take Paris, PE, BDP, or Lakim Shabazz any day of the week over them.

― Andy, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I've never heard them/him, although I've heard a lot *of* them (the classic music curse.) Something I think instinctively kept me away, and it was neatly summed up thusly: "Michael Franti's was the authentic voice of Student Grant, Berkeley-style."

Similarly: The Goats.

PE's too militant to play for mom and dad (if they're white and of a certain disposition) without making them as uncomfortable as any bitch-slapping, gat-popping tale. BDP equally troublesome, becuz as someone stated before, KRS-1 is the teacher, but he's also one of the O.G.'s. Frankly, I still like the fact that hiphop (25 yrs. down the line), can still incite generation-gap reactions from parents and older brothers. Although, I have a mum who sings the chorus to "Party Up," so I'm lucky.

― Jess, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Well, I wouldn't call him the Gil-Scott Heron of rap but I dont think he's a dud either. I was listening to "Hypocisy.." recently and while there are woeful moments like the cover of "California uber alles", "Televsion.." still sounds damn good. What the hell is wrong with being righteous anyway? The guy knows what he's talking about and he is media-savvy and what's the big deal if he comes across as more middle-class and "Berkeley" than the rest of his contemporaries?

― Michael Bourke, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Consolidated - also to be filed away in the 'useless agit-prop rappers who once seemed important' drawer. Does anybody remember Black Radical Mark II ? Similar vintage, and far more interesting - because more 'difficult' - than Hiphoprisy. Spearhead just sounded like Curtis Mayfield w/out the good tunes to me, and the alb that Franti made w/Burroughs is the absolute pits in late WSB-related audio tat.

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Michael Franti's was the authentic voice of Student Grant, Berkeley-style

LOL! Do I even need to say how lame I think Michael Franti is?

― Kris, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ppl who complain abt television are idiots. Gil Scott Heron was grate c.72-82: then he was a LaMoR drunk. If anyone mentions that his dad played football yadda yadda, they are idiots. I saw the Beatnigs at the Astoria: they were OK (since I remember that I saw them). Tell us what your grandma DID like, Tom... ("Paint It, Black" is grate, not least for the comma: not enuff barely justified commas in songtitles...)

― mark s, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

all the freaky people make the beauty of the world.

― chaki, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Red beans and rice really DO make everything nice, tho.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Which I guess is the lesson: being right is not enuf.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mark: She claimed to like classical music but you never heard any round hers. She liked television and would have said "yes please" to drug-of-the-nation accusations. She loved Piaf. She asked for a Beatles Best Of once for Christmas - the only time I've ever bought a Beatles record - but I think she was annoyed by how few she recognised and gave it to my uncle.

― Tom, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What the hell is wrong with being righteous anyway?

Depends on your audience. Inflaming the passions of the converted is CLASSIC but explaining their opinions back to them is DUD, I would simplistically argue. Hiphoprisy just weren't saying anything interesting, or weren't saying things in an interesting way - compare "Language Of Violence" to almost any other hip-hop street parable and it comes across as dismally didactic.

― Tom, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hiphoprisy was great even with the sad attempts like Water Pistol Man and slight lyric changes To California Uber Alles (which starts off on such a promising couple of lines before running out of gas). Even if he cant rap very well it still comes off well. Everyday Life Has Become A Health Risk being my favorite. Spearhead, I dunno, first album didnt hear much didnt like much, now I dont know what to think. It could be that Spearheads OK, its not the band I'll hate, just their fans, sorta like Consolidated

― zacko, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

". It could be that Spearheads OK, its not the band I'll hate, just their fans, sorta like Consolidated "

Start with me.

I used to really dig Hiphhoprisy AND Consolidated / Arrested Development / Goats / Credit to the Nation / Sensor / 25th May / DC Basehead / Ruthless Rap Assassins ...

Early 90s was great for explicit, political rap. Before all the wack gangsterism took over ...

― phil, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What is "wack gangsta" and where can I buy it?

― Tim, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ODB seems the perfect Wack Gangsta, and he's available at your local Virgin.

― Sterling Clover, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Consolidated had the same problem as Disposable Heroes, only more so. The message may have been interesting, but the music was zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

― bnw, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i love arrested development. they are my favesssss.

hiphoprisy. what was with the japanese guy with the chainsaw?

they sounded like budegt pe to me. what is wtih spearhead? surely classic ACID JAZZers.... that was way more lame that hiphoprisy. whats franti doin g now? actually why do i care.

― ambrose, Thursday, 9 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Re:Consolidated: intent was good, but the rhymes were terrible and barely flowed as elegantly as rap (making it a tepid political rant at best). Worse - they seemed to have no conviction, just ideology. Frenti at least has some soul and delivery, whereas Consolidated? I think they just remixed the Yeastie Grrls and called it a night sometime before the millenium. Search - Sexual Politics of Meat: somewhat innovative, but again, had equally awkward moments on 'Friendly Fascism' when they try to capture the voice of the people (through editing). Also, what was up with not letting the man in the crowd finish his rap? Still baffles me.

― Jason, Thursday, 9 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Arrested Devolpment were great. That album came along at a perfect time when I was giving up hope on finding any rap that I could enjoy. Basehead are great for getting femminists wound up ("Do You Wanna **** or What?" with its porno moans for swear beeps is second only to Wu Tang's Killer bee bad word beep).

― zacko, Friday, 10 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

eight years pass...

I am reviving this 8 years later because this past Sunday "Say Hey" was played as the American Top 40 Breakout song.

W. T. F. How the hell can popular music still surprise me?

― cherokee flux (HI DERE), Thursday, 3 September 2009 17:27 (sixteen years ago)

My wife was bopping along in the car going "I really like this!" while I was staring at the radio going "WTF THIS GUY IS IN HIS 40S, HOW DID HE END UP ON AT40"

― cherokee flux (HI DERE), Thursday, 3 September 2009 17:30 (sixteen years ago)

The last time I thought about these guys I was on the floor of someone's nasty bedsit in Glasgow and my friends were raving about how William Burroughs cut-ups over hip hop beats was going to be the music of the future. And I figured Michael Franti was destined to get lost in the haze.

― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 3 September 2009 17:36 (sixteen years ago)

not been crazy about michael's records since stay human - which was flawed, but included some wonderful songs in amongst the ill-conceived radio play concept - but loving say hey, and really there are few people i'd rather see find success than this guy.

― teef hoit (stevie), Thursday, 3 September 2009 18:38 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

Loved this so much at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgOWTM5R2DA

Still play the CD from time to time.

― Loud guitars shit all over "Bette Davis Eyes" (NYCNative), Monday, 21 March 2011 08:16 (fifteen years ago)

new spearhead due in a month or so

― Let’s go see steak tonight! It just boils my ass! (stevie), Monday, 21 March 2011 08:20 (fifteen years ago)

two years pass...

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/48153_10151336178641360_707643234_n.jpg

― tylerw, Friday, 12 April 2013 21:26 (thirteen years ago)

seven months pass...

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1426316_10152034264823917_459082152_n.jpg

did not realize this guy was doing buttspins with an acoustic guitar onstage or whatever.

― how's life, Monday, 2 December 2013 18:39 (twelve years ago)

eleven years pass...

For anyone who missed it on the rolling thread re sex pests getting called out, Franti's public image has been fully blown to hell over the past couple of days. This new interview with Rono Tse also carries an overview of what's happened.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/michael-franti-allegations-rono-tse-20828336.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvYXJ0aWNsZS9taWNoYWVsLWZyYW50aS1hbGxlZ2F0aW9ucy1yb25vLXRzZS0yMDgyODMzNi5waHA%3D&time=MTc1NTg5MTk0MTg0NA%3D%3D&rid=NWVmYzI0OGQtYWNlMi00MmVhLTk1NzUtMGViNGUwN2IwOThm&sharecount=MA%3D%3D

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 22 August 2025 20:17 (seven months ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.