As time continues forward so does art and so does musical expression and with that expression society continues to witness the application of the medium to attack and call attention to specific social issues. In the 1980’s acts such as U2, N.W.A, Public Enemy as well as Peter Gabriel. In the 1980s we see the beginning of the crack epidemic, the rise of the AIDS virus, the end of the cold war, Apartheid being brought to the worlds stage, as well as police brutality being forced to the front of American psyche. One the single most conscious groups of the 1980’s was U2. Their big protest song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” was about the massacre that took place in Derry, Northern Island on January 30th, 1972 concerning the North Ireland conflict. British …show more content…
In the 1990s we see the Rodney King beating caught on tape and showed to millions across the nation. As a result of the not guilty verdict regarding the Los Angeles police department officers who beat motorist African-American motorist Rodney King, the city of Los Angeles breaks out in riots all across the city. The 1990s is witness to the collapse the USSR as well as the end of apartheid in South Africa as well the releasing of famed prisoner Nelson Mandela. The war in the middle east begins which will linger in the consciousness of American for decades as the county follows up Operation Desert Storm with the invasion of Iraq just over a decade later. Songs my Public Enemy such as “911 Is A Joke”, “Burn Hollywood Burn” “Can’t Truss It” as well as “By the Time I Get to Arizona” call out many significant issues. To begin with “911 Is A Joke”, the group profiles the lack of urgency by emergency services when it comes to those living in the inner cities as well as the miss treatment by law officials. On “Burn Hollywood Burn” the group takes a stab at the lack of blacks in major roles in Hollywood movies as well as behind the scenes roles such as a writer or a director. Lastly, on “By the Time I Get to Arizona”, Public Enemy is proudly attacking the state of Arizona as well as the lawmakers within in the state for voting not to make the birthday of fallen civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a national holiday. These types of songs were the norm for the group as they constantly released politically charged albums. The 1990’s also saw the departure of rapper and actor Ice Cube from the group N.W.A, as he went solo and due to the influence of rapper Chuck D and Public Enemy