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The American rock band, Pearl Jam was formed in Seattle, Washington in the year of 1990. The band currently has five members including: lead vocalist and guitar - Eddie Vedder, bass guitar - Jeff Arment, rhythm guitar - Stone Gossard, lead guitar - Mike McCready, and on the drums - Matt Cameron. The band is known for the impact that it had on the grunge rock scene in the early 1990's as well as their consistent will to not become involved with traditional music industry practices.
The band as a whole has been politically active since their start in the early 1990's. As well as working together as a group, individuals in the band have participated in and have been involved in many events that strike a personal note with themselves. Pearl Jam supports many things ranging from pro-choice protests to opposing President Bush's run for Presidency.
The band and especially lead singer Eddie Vedder have been involved with many organizations that support the pro-choice movement. Many believe that the Pearl Jam Song, Porch, was written about a women and her right to her body. Although it is hard to see from the lyrics, Eddie Vedder has been quoted saying that this song was written to any women who have ever felt that they were not in control of their body.
As the lead guitarist Mike McCready suffers from Crohns disease, the band has raised generous amounts of money over the years for research purposes helping discover more about the disease.
Each member of the band supports different issues that overall make the band very politically and socially active with causes that differ from each other in many ways. As one member may be raising money for Crohns disease, another may be working at a Green event the same weekend. Guitarist Stone Gossard is known for his work with environmental issues and advocates a Carbon Neutral Policy for Pearl Jam, which offsets the band's environmental impact. In 2009, the band went on their Backspacer Tour which ended up emitting tons of horrible toxins into the earth and the atmosphere. In 2010, the band donated $210,000 towards planting trees in the area of Puget Sound, Washington. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam#Campaigning_and_activism)
The band has done many concerts and tours to promote their feelings towards their political beliefs. In 2001, Pearl Jam performed in Seattle to support the United Nations and the effort to eliminate world hunger. In 2004, the band played a series of concerts on the Vote for Change Tour, supporting Presidential Candidate John Kerry. The band is also known for what happens during a set in between songs, when lead singer Eddie Vedder is almost always saying something about how he feels about American politics.
It is very clear to see in the lyrics of most Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam songs that there is a larger political message that is trying to be portrayed. In the song Society, Eddie Vedder discusses the greed that lies within out society.
"Its a mystery to me, we have a greed with which we have a greed. You think you have to want more than you need, until you have it all you won't be free. Society, your a crazy breed, I hope your not lonely without out me."
- Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder discusses the impact that greed has on society, and how we have become a world that thrives off of consumerism and always wanting and 'needing' more. The lyrics to Vedder's song almost always have a larger message that states something about society, the people within a society, and the government that runs a society. In the song, No More War, Eddie Vedder writes about a man coming home from war, begging his fellow citizens to stop the terrible fighting.
"What he has seen is hard to believe. And it does not good to just pray. He asks of us to stand. And we must end this war today. With his mind, he's saying, 'No more!', with his heart, he is saying, 'No more!', with his life, he is saying, 'No more war!'."
- Eddie Vedder
It is clear to see that Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam consistently make statements to the public regarding their personal beliefs, and in this case, when the beliefs of a band are the same as my own, I could not be happier to listen to them and to support their music. It is hard to be as honest and as committed to making a change within our society as Pearl Jam does through lyrics and social activism and with that and the amazing, sexy, voice of Eddie Vedder - what could be better?
To find out more about Eddie Vedder and the band Pearl Jam, check out these websites!
Wikipedia - Pearl Jam
The Rock Radio
No More War Lyrics
Society Lyrics
Wikipedia - Eddie Vedder
Although most may know K'naan for his hit single, "Wavin Flag" that has been played non-stop recently on the radio; for myself, he is much more than just a talented musician. K'naan, who was born in Somalia, began his musical and artistic career from a young age and his music and art reflects his childhood growing up in war torn Somalia. K'naan grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia where he spent most of his childhood living through the Somalian Civil War, which began in 1991. While most of K'naan's childhood was spend avoiding death, he took the time to listen to rap and hip hop music because it would keep him distracted from what was going on outside of his home. When K'naan was 13 years old, his mother, brother, sister and himself moved to Harlem where other relatives were living. After a brief stay in Harlem, the family moved to Toronto, Ontario to the neighborhood of Rexdale. K'naan spent the next couple of years in his life trying to learn English and become more involved in the rap and hip hop world. In grade 10, K'naan dropped out of school and so began his carreer in music.
Having left Somalia on the last commercial flight to ever leave the country and to have seen the government completely collapse, K'naan ventured to Canada with a purpose. With K'naan's persistence and natural lyrical gift, he secured a spot at a speaking engagement before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1999. It was during this performance where K'naan performed a spoken word piece about the UN's failed aid missions in Somalia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K'naan) Becuase of K'naan's first performance involving the United Nations, he then became more involved working in efforts to bridge the gap between the UN and the people of the world. K'naan performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and the Halifax Pop Explosion as ways of getting his music as well as his message across to the public. This tour of concerts led K'naan to meeting Canadian producer Jarvis Church, who then produced K'naan's first album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher. The album, which was released in 2005, won the Juno award for Rap Recording of the Year as well as multiple other international awards for best new recording artist. When K'naan released his single, Wavin' Flag, in 2009, he began to gain his international popularity and stardom.
Critics and writers describe K'naan's music as a blend between conscious American hip hop, Bob Marley and political protest poetry. Although K'naan has been compared to the likes of American Rapper Eminem, he insists that his writing is more political and has a commitment to voicing his issues with society. In the statement below, K'naan explains why being a 'gangster' isn't always something to brag about:
"All Somalis know that gangsterism isn't to brag about. The kids that I was growing up with [in Rexdale] would wear baggy [track] suit pants, and a little jacket from Zellers or something, and they'd walk into school, and all the cool kids would be like, 'Ah, man, look at these Somalis. Yo, you're a punk!' And the other kid won't say nothing, but that kid, probably, has killed fifteen people."
- K'naan ("Wandering star". Eye Weekly http://web.archive.org/web/20070926235909/http://www.eyeweekly.com/eye/issue/issue_02.10.05/beat/knaan.php)
As well as being politically active and standing up for what he believes in, K'naan is a perfect example of how young performing artists can make a difference and be great role models for the children in our society. In a 2008 interview, K'naan stated that he had never smoked any drugs or had any alcoholic beverages in his life, even after touring with the Marley's who are known for this.
Finally, K'naan is most recently known for his hit single, Wavin' Flag and especially for the recent Canadian collaboration of this song to raise money for the terrible earthquake in Haiti earlier this year.
I believe it is important to listen to the music K'naan produces each year with an ear for the lyrics and what he is actually trying to say. A lot of the time, people listen to music in the background of something they are doing, without paying attention to what is being said. With a brilliant artist like K'naan, it is even more important to appreciate his talent of writing and lyrics that no other artist today achieves quite like himself!
To read more about K'naan, please visit the following sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K'naan
http://knaanmusic.ning.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC8V8S_REhk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB7L1BIDELc
