- Jubilee offer: spend £10 or more on any product sold by Amazon.co.uk on or before June 6 and you can buy The Diamond Jubilee A Classical Celebration Album for just £2.50 Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
From Amazon.com
Although this group is long defunct, its one major recording will be fondly remembered for years--if not decades--to come. The Heroes consisted of rapper Michael Franti and percussionist Ron Tse; together, the San Francisco Bay area-based duo created a biting, politically savvy record that touched on both personal vulnerability and governmental venality. Franti used the microphone to preach about injustice, homophobia, materialism, and apathy. Although Public Enemy had long before established hip-hop's political potential, they never quite attained Franti's ability to translate black rage into universal themes. In the Heroes' best number, "Television, the Drug of the Nation," Franti raps, "Imagination is sucked out of our children by a cathode ray nipple / Television is the only wet-nurse that would create a cripple." Unfortunately, after extensive touring, the pair went their separate ways, Tse to a variety of solo projects and Franti to Spearhead. --Martin Johnson
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury is an almost perfect example of political & socially conscious rap/hip-hop; this is a CD that Gil Scott Heron would be proud of.
The music is fantastic with strong beats that help drive the songs forward. However, it is the lyrics that set the Disposable Heroes apart. The album bristles with outrage but they never let this get in the way of making great songs. There are no duff tracks here, although for me Television the drug of the nation; California Uber Alles and Music & Politics stand out.
Michael Franti turns his attention to a wide variety of subjects, including: hypocrisy, US foreign and domestic policy, the Gulf war, racism, television and how it is used to pacify and control the populous, homophobia, pollution, fame even his personal failings. He does so with anger and indignation but also great wit and humour. He succeeds in being interesting and informative while managing to avoid preaching. He has a great flair for language coining many memorable phrases - often subverting the original intention (although sometimes he may stretch a rhyme or miss a beat) - always managing to entertain and inform.
Simply brilliant.
For further listening, Michael Franti went on to front Spearhead and make 'Home', which is another great example of political & socially conscious rap although it is less overtly angry and less hard-edged than this one.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
You get so used to the misogenist, violent hatefulness that often comes across in hip-hop, it almost a surprise to listen to an album that is thought-provoking, without the need to use swear words. Influences ranging from Gil Scott-Heron to Billy Bragg, make it musically inspired aswell as leaving you with anarchic tendencies. Ace!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Michael Franti has now moved onto the laid back, grooveholmes style with his new band "Spearhead", total funk for the soul....However it wasn't always that way, before Franti got loved up there was "The Beatnigs" on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tenticles label. Industrial Noise meets early eighties politics with a small "p". Good but not quite enough to grab onto, the industrial beats laboured heavy on the messages. A few years later, a stronger grounding in hip hop and some crazy ass rhythms and everything previous just makes sense...Politics with a capital "P" and Hip Hop with a real sense of meaning. Even if you dont want the message the beats and rhythms are enough to hold you. Intelligent rap at its finest, witty, sharp, incisive. Franti a man with a heavy soul at this point sounds like he isn't just here to educate us, but to understand himself...Dont let me influence you for or against (as I put my foot in my mouth), just get this, listen and make up your own mind. It's what Franti would want you to do.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disposable.....nah.....more like indespensible
I wouldn't class myself as a massively perspicacious commentator on the rap & hip hop genre -indeed I haven't bought a rap album for some considerable time . Read more
Published on 6 July 2008 by russell clarke
Still sounds great 15 years on
As a rule, rap and hip-hop aren't my kind of music. However, I liked this then and it still sounds great now, discussing issues that are still relevant today. Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2007 by P. Philips
A unique talent. Great grooves and intelligent lyrics
Ive just listened to this album from the start and I thank the lord im not depressed because i think its fair to say that this isnt uplifting. Read more
Published on 21 Dec 2006 by T, Holmes
Musical Excellence, Political Eloqunce
In the early 90's The Disposables played possibly one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
Franti spun his web of poignant statement, whilst the Heros weaved a materpiece... Read more
Franti spun his web of poignant statement, whilst the Heros weaved a materpiece... Read more
Published on 23 July 2006 by A. Fearn
How Hip-Hop should be.
In an industry dominated by the majors, Hip-Hop and the gangster culture surrounding it spawn a multitude of MCs who never really say anything more than the previous bunch. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2005 by Labal
Conscious hip hop classic
An absolute gem of an album which somehow manages to pull off the incredible feat of being extremely politically informative whilst being immensely enjoyable at the same time. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2003 by Zebulebu
Lyrically, this is possibly the best hip-hop album so far.
PC? Certainly, but not butt-clenchingly so. Lyrically Franti obviously thought this thing through and this is just SO eloquent compared to Hiphoprisy's peers. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Music > Dance & Electronic
- Music > Pop
- Music > Rap & Hip-Hop
- Music > Reggae
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
