At A Glance: The History Of Protest Music
Amid recent ICE resistance, after the murder of Renée Good, we’re seeing a surge of protest songs. People are yelling, singing, and creating art that demands attention. While it’s necessary, this isn’t new. Music has always been a way to give voice to those society tries to silence, like Keith Porter Jr. and so many others.
From spirituals sung in secret, to jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop, protest music has been the heartbeat of our communities. It documents struggle, celebrates resilience, and refuses to let injustice go unnoticed. Artists like James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Tupac, J. Cole, Common, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Marley, YG, and Kendrick Lamar, & hundreds more, turned their songs into action. Their music isn’t just sound, it’s history, it’s protest, it’s survival.
Protest music makes you think. It makes you move. It challenges power. It breaks barriers. It reminds us that even when the world tries to erase us, we find ways to be heard. The surge of protest songs we see today is part of this long lineage. Each beat, each lyric, continues a tradition that’s bigger than entertainment. It’s about dignity and change. It was about amplifying voices of the marginalized in the past, as it is today.
