V/A
The Philistines Present... Free the P Volume 1
Raptivism Records; 2006

Most of us have never known a time when there hasn..t been political and social unrest in the Persian Gulf. And with those conflicts escalated by the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and intensified by Israel..s pre-emptive air strikes on Lebanon, one begins to wonder what can be done to make peace in the Middle East a reality rather than a catchphrase. But where do we begin? If you ask The Philistines, The N.O.M.A.D.S., and the twenty-plus artists they..ve gathered to create Free the P Volume 1, it starts with music .. songs can be musical missiles used to destroy the systems of oppression imposed upon poor and working class people of color worldwide. A compilation of hip hop and poetry, Free the P uses the universal language (music) to remind listeners that hip hop has always been and should continue to be a very necessary political and social change agent.

An amalgamation of different sounds and styles, the album plays like a mixtape of mutiny, each artist presenting personal and political diatribes on the Middle Eastern conflicts, the origins of oppression and exploitation, and testimonies about life as a person of Middle Eastern descent. The Philistines and Omar Offendum casually lay down rebel rhymes on the album..s laid-back, saxophone-laden title track, and on ..Pollution,.. The N.O.M.A.D.S. and Excentrik describe a landscape littered with the remnants of war as fierce conga drumming and dramatic, frenzied strings break through guitars that are more beat-like than melodic. Class is in session when Head-Roc gives a condensed history of Palestine over the sparse double-time beat of ..Free Palestine,.. and The Philistines.. producer/rapper Cookie Jar offers ..Asian MC,.. an insightful vent about the struggle of Asian rappers to be acknowledged in hip hop. The album even features songs by Palestinian hip hop groups Dam (..Born Here..) and P.R. (..Falsteen Wel T7de..), fitting additions to the compilation since proceeds from this album will go to support Slingshot Hip Hop, a documentary film about the influence of music on hip hoppers in the Middle East.

With so much to choose from, you..re bound to come across a few tracks that pack less punch than others; amateurish beats and unpolished flows make a few songs (Shaheed..s ..The Reality,.. The N.O.M.A.D.S... ..Habaybi.. ) uninteresting, but they aren..t intolerable. Joe Carr..s ..Terrorism Blues.. is not a particularly good homage to the blues genre, nor does the pseudo-blues sound fit well within the hip hop stylings which dominate the disc, but its scrutinizing look at the culture of fear that permeates societies across the globe is topically relevant to the main themes permeating the album: why war and oppression exist, how they influence society and culture, and what must be done to restore freedom.

The whys and what fors are explored on tracks like Suheir Hammad..s ..In America,.. a poem which warns us to be wary of the morals and laws of a country founded on the death and exploitation of people of color, and ..The 4th Branch,.. where the always outspoken Immortal Technique exposes more politrix as he reveals how the government uses the media as a means of control and propaganda. Capitol Hill conservatives are also brought to task with the freewheeling sarcasm of Iron Sheik..s ..Neo Con Luv,.. his off-key singing in the chorus making the song laughable, and B. Swisha performs double duty as both producer and featured artist on ..Money,.. an expose on the uses and abuses of dead presidents.

In today..s world, the negative effects of political power plays, misinformation, capitalism, and colonization are as prevalent as ever, and many of the artists observe the influence of those factors of manipulation on the everyday lives of the oppressed. Both spoken word artist Da Boogie Man (..Inner City..) and Philly MC Akil Dasan (..New African Village..) paint vivid pictures of the harsh realities of ghetto life. The Platinum Pied Piper-produced ..The Door.. is a definite standout, MC Invincible..s strong and steady flow deftly riding the beat as she calls for the abolishment of the soul-stripping, capitalistic prison industrial complex. She also urges us to accept ..No Compromises,.. the somber, staccato trumpets and drum rolls mirroring the sense of seriousness with which the task of freedom-fighting must be undertaken. On ..Rebel Soul,.. Nuyorican poet Anthony Morales delivers a rousing reminder that the revolutionary spirit lies within all of us, and the siren sounds and pounding piano of the Visionaries.. ..Strike.. encourages freedom fighters to ..right the wrong/write the songs/strike strong/pass it along and fight on!..

Timely and thought-provoking, Free the P is a cogent collection of informative and inspirational music that will have listeners nodding their heads and pumping their fists in solidarity with a struggle that effects all

.. Kendra G.