By Mushtaq Ahmed
Last weekend (15/16 October) Lowkey released a new album, Soundtrack to the Struggle, which rapidly became propelled to number seven in the iTunes chart. This is a phenomenal achievement for an artist with no major record label backing. Add to that the fact that he has been defined by his strong stance on the injustice suffered by the Palestinians, and his support for the revolutionary developments in Latin America. This makes this achievement all the more impressive, given that BBC 1Xtra earlier this year censored the word ‘Palestine’ from a track by MC Righteous. Lowkey has been at the forefront of The Equality Movement together with MC Logic and journalist Jody McIntyre who reviews the album here.
Recent single Hand on your Gun explicitly criticises arms dealers, accompanied by a video that was shot at this October’s Stop the War Coalition assembly and ends with the footage of a newborn baby born in Fallujah who is deformed as a result of the depleted uranium used by imperialist forces. Where this album will eventually chart remains to be seen but it is clear that it has been able to achieve much thanks to the support of a fan base that is based in the movements struggling against injustice.
Supporting this album is an important way of supporting the politicisation of culture, which is devoid in the mainstream. The album can be purchased here.