August 17th, 2007 @ 3:01 pm by evmonk

Here’s the full soundtrack to the “Peaceman vs. Chenguin” vid. The songs are posted in the order they appear in the video, but the most requested ones seemed to be the background for the Iraq War scene (”Sky is Falling”) and the outro (”Memorial Day”). I’m a fan of all of these artists, but check out The Perceptionists and Blackalicious in particular. Both hip hop groups are very politically and socially conscious, but they make great music on top of that.

Rap music has been on the decline recently, and judging only by what’s on TV and the radio, the slump appears justified. It’s a shame that independent hip hop is almost never played through mainstream distribution channels. The music’s popularity and impact on society would explode if more people were aware of how creative, diverse and potentially revolutionary the genre really is.

For a deeper look at some of the issues underlying the homogenization of rap music and the suppression of independent voices, check out Byron Hurt’s documentary from earlier this year: “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.”

“Take Me I’m Yours” (download) – Squeeze – Squeeze (U.K.)

“Tuned Mass Damper” (download) – El-P – Fantastic Damage

“Sky is Falling” (download) – Blackalicious – Blazing Arrow

“Diamonds (Remix)” (download) – Ratatat – Remixes Vol. 2

“Memorial Day” (download) – The Perceptionists – Black Dialogue

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Filed under: Music, Video on August 17th, 2007