American - Musician | April 1, 1971 -
If the only time you bang the drum is when it's time to get someone elected, and you don't get involved in a mass movement, then you're working against real and substantive change.
Boots Riley
ChangeTimeSomeoneYouMovement
Either I'm really into the organizing, or I'm really into the music. As I've been going, I've been able to figure out ways to even it out a little more.
MusicOrganizingMoreOutLittle
Because of my politics, I don't necessarily think that the independent capitalist is that much better than the multinational capitalist; it's just that the independent capitalist hasn't grown as big yet.
PoliticsThinkBetterIndependent
There are a lot of people out there doing cool work. I went to South Africa with Talib Kweli and the Roots for a couple of weeks. And even a lot of the groups that aren't called 'political' or 'revolutionary' have a lot more to say than what you hear on the singles.
WorkPeopleCoolRootsPolitical
For me, the association with rock is one of force and anger and aggression. And definitely, in the past, I've made songs that attack like that. But what I usually try to appeal to is peoples' everyday feelings, the things that they're going through as they deal with the system on a one-to-one level.
PastAngerMeFeelingsRockTry
I always have thought that part of being involved with life is the same thing as just wanting to kick it with your friends, and being involved with life on a deeper level is wanting to change the situation that you're in.
LifeChangeThoughtFriendsYou
My training was with some old British communists who had organized unions in the '60s and '70s. And their philosophy was, if you can't drink a pint with a man, how are you gonna get him to go on strike and risk his life?
LifeManTrainingPhilosophyYouGo
I've never really subscribed to the theory that repression breeds rebellion. I don't think that's really true.
ThinkTrueRebellionNeverTheory
The ultimate credo of capitalism is to exploit people. It's not like this is just an incidental problem; it's inherent in the system.
PeopleCapitalismProblemSystem
If I wasn't rapping about politics, then I might have been just another person trying to sell albums, and I might have sounded like everyone else out there.
PoliticsTryingPersonEveryoneOut
It's nice to be recognized for what you do, but that doesn't satisfy what I wanted out of this music, which is for people to hear it and get involved in movements and campaigns.
MusicPeopleYouNiceOutGet
You can't co-opt labor issues if you are in the working class.
YouLaborClassWorkingIssues
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