Roundup of SB 1070 Protest Songs

Here's a roundup of protest songs to add to your playlist.

By Naima Ramos-Chapman Aug 18, 2010

Over at NPR, there’s a nice little roundup of SB 1070 protest music. While some of the artists are famous, most aren’t, exposing a sometimes hard to hear silver lining in this whole mess.

Some artists, like those who’ve aligned themselves with Zach De La Rocha’s Soundstrike Movement, took to employing traditional tactics like boycotting to get their messages across. Others, like Lady Gaga have (with the help of political pressure) used the stage to address the issue head on.

Others are using their talents to tell listeners just how fed up they are with racial profiling in this country. Taboo, of hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas fame, has done a video called "One Heart One Beat" that features montages of protests dating back to before the civil rights movement up to current SB 1070 protests. And it’s featured on the Soundstrike site. 

Musician and songwriter, Ry Cooder wrote "Quicksand," and L.A.-based musicians Marisa Rondstadt and Jeremy Keller collaborated on the song "Freedom."

It’s evident that even as SB 1070 disproves any notions of a "post Rracial America" but it’s also proven to musicians and countless people to unite for a common cause. My favorite protest song has got to be "Paper’s Please" by Talib Kweli. Know any other good ones? Leave ’em in the comments.