Various Artists: Chuck D Presents: Louder Than A Bomb

Since the birth of rock 'n' roll, popular music has rarely been less political than it is now, a problem that extends to rap: There are pockets of resistance, to be sure, but thug-mindedness and materialism carry the day. It may be that rap is merely getting back to its roots as party music, but listen to Will Smith's "Miami"—which celebrates partying in a way that only speaks directly to Smith, his fellow movie stars, their agents, their accountants, and others with large bank accounts—and it becomes clear that the issue isn't so simple. For that reason, the release of a new compilation of political rap couldn't be better timed. Executive produced by Chuck D, Louder Than A Bomb collects 17 political cuts from throughout hip hop's history, book-ended chronologically with versions of Grand Master Flash And The Furious Five's "The Message." While the tracks are largely first-rate, Louder Than A Bomb is interesting in part for the way it redefines the word "political." In the late '80s and early '90s, political rap stood in opposition to so-called gangsta rap. Perhaps both terms were ill-defined: The titles of Dr. Dre's "The Day The Niggaz Took Over" and Paris' "Bush Killa," both included here, pretty much announce their political content. While the collection that unites them is pretty solid, its omissions are glaring. In the liner notes, D apologizes to several artists, Queen Latifah among them, who could not be included for legal reasons. But while far more men than women are dropping rhymes, both now and throughout hip hop's history, Latifah's exclusion hardly excuses the total lack of female MCs here, particularly on a collection that seeks to include the broadest possible selection of political rap. That goal, and that goal alone, explains the inclusion of Doug E. Fresh's "Abortion," which inspired Ernest Hardy to write in the liner notes that "a lot of hip hop's political text is unyieldingly conservative." True, but whatever you think of the pro-life sentiment Fresh expresses, couldn't D and company have found a representative track less creepy, manipulative (it opens and closes with a crying child), and ridiculous (Sample lyric: "Doug E. Fresh would never give the wrong advice / about abortion.") Still, that's what the "skip" button is for and, for the most part, Louder Than A Bomb proves a potent reminder that in a genre that depends on the power of words, those words can carry a lot of power.