Artist: Bun B. and Mr. Biggs
Song: The Future Is Mine
Album: n/a
Producer: John Robie
Label: ZE Records
Year: 2020
Notes:
And now, the up-to-date tip. History can be taught. We can learn. But only if we’re willing to do so. Oh yeah…and VOTE!
“We have reached a pivotal point in history where artists not only have an incredible opportunity but a responsibility to use their talents to raise awareness and provoke change,” producer John Robie told Rolling Stone. “An aggressively old-school jam whose production was purposely meant to fit into a self-penned musical set in the Eighties became transformed by a covenant that Biggs and I have had for many years, to bring meaning and message back into music. To create something turbulent, timeless and timely. And when Bun B graciously joined forces with us to help spread the word, just like the movement to end racial inequality itself, there was no stopping us.”
Robie began his career (and his partnership with Biggs) as co-writer and synth player with Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, including on the seminal ‘Planet Rock.’
Excerpt from ‘Unreality’ —
There was no more worrying about doing the right thing or wondering about the future.
Lyrics
We try to douse the fire, it continues to burn/Like the Boogie Down Bronx, it continues to burn/Like that cross in the yard, it continues to burn/Can’t you see the fire, it continues to burn
[That’s the chorus. Ya’ll got to watch the video for the rest. Which you should do anyway. It’s a journey.]
—
‘Protest 100’s mission is two-fold: dispelling the myth that heavy metal is a brainless, socially unaware music genre, and raising awareness of the issues facing our country in the Nov. 3, 2020 election. The path won’t be exclusively metal—some punk and rap and other stuff will be in here too, including the classics—and is not a ranking. All songs are songs I’ve heard while putting this list together, ordered in a manner designed to entertain and educate.
Chris Smith, Author 