Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy - Language Of Violence

[MOSSBERGxSHOTTY]

I must have been under a rock because I just discovered this band, and all I have to say is WOW. You just got another subscriber Mr. VintageHipHopSeattle!

[MUZZYMANN500]

i great how he can go into depth of why homophobes target people who aren't gay in the first place and link it to how people to reflct on what they do right up until the suffer the consequences, society is so fuckin ignorant, this guy has got the right message.

[tcmsnca91]

Dear Lord, can you answer my question ?

Why did Michael Franti turn from the great rapper he was back then into the hippie he is now ?

[TheFara1979]

remember when hip hop was intelligent and articulate like this?

[JackSFC17]

This is how hip hop was meant to be

[cocteaua]

He is so fit though ...

[cocteaua]

Amazing ... visionaries 

[malonemuert]

nowadays no tv station would play this

[davekeays]

@fastcats3 Some people (such as myself) honest like both this and his newer songs. I don't know Michael's motivations and I doubt if you really do. Even if his newer stuff is "crap", I don't see any reason to think it is a sell-out. Believe it or not, people are allowed to like things you don't.

[fastcats3]

What happened to Franti? Sold out so he could be on the radio and perform on The Ellen Degeneres Show. Now all his music is crap.

[davekeays]

The 2 lines that struck me was "You won't see the face till the eyelids drop. You won't hear the screaming until it stops."

I think it speaks of when you don't realize what you've just done until it is too late. i.e. They didn't realize their "game" was hurting a human until he was dead.

[rider5000G]

ive always thought the song was saying that the kid wasnt gay (or it wasnt the point) from the lyric "though he'd never have sex in his fifteen years" and also this makes sense when the start of the last verse says "words he used before had a new meaning in here".this is my all time favourite hip-hop track because it is so insightful and so well crafted.The "By dehumanising the victim makes things simpler" part explains perfectly how we justify the insane things we do to eachother...PeaceOut

[makavelilivz]

Anyone who think's hip hop is a unitellectual genre should listen to this song. I think this would stack up to any song in any genre

[CaradosNuax]

@makavelilivz Or perhaps something that's actually a good song. Check out Saul Williams. Good attempt, bad result with this one.

[makavelilivz]

@CaradosNuax name one song saul williams has done that is better than this

[jaseywasey49]

I will never understand why this and the accompanying album, weren't massive.The lyrics are exceptional. They still hit hard even low. Plus Frantis perfect delivery too. It's just awesome.

[SoNofMakavelli]

OG Vibe!

this is dope!

[ScottishDubliner]

This contains a sample of This Mortal Coil's Barramundi.

I was really surprised as This Mortal Coil were quite a unknown group at the time, they are basically different 4AD musicians (Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, etc, etc,) messing around in the same studio

[TheRealSlaveZero]

44444th view! fuck being first :D

[RukiKatiakicz]

Hey, can someone recommend some rap/hip hop artists/bands that aren't homophobic at all? It's sad, so much hip hop is homophobic and it's discouraging to someone like me, who is so against homophobia... we are all people, underneath our skin, we're all bones, it doesn't matter what you look like or what sexuality you have. So yeah, recommend me some hip hop with no hate against gays, no homophobic ones whether outspoken or 'fag' being in songs.

[davekeays]

@RukiKatiakicz, did you listen/read the lyrics beyond the names they used when name calling? Michael Franti is not homophobic. He was standing up for gays rights. At worst they were using the homophobia of another as an example of an attack that pushed dignity to "bottom of a dumb old dare and a numb cold stare ". Just because he used the word fag doesn't make him homophobic.

[RukiKatiakicz]

@davekeays I mentioned that comment because I actually like these kinds of songs, so I wasn't dissing him at all. :) I'd want more hip hop artists that stand up for gays like him, actually.

[kaotcgd]

AMAZING.

[vamploboluv17]

Very talented. This is Intelligent hip-hop. This is pretty much the only hip-hop rap band that stood up for Gay Rights. THUMBS WAY UP. Anyone who is a gay basher, gay hater. Grow the fuck up and get out the closet. cause u know ur just jealous, and insecure of your own sexuality. BAM!!!!! in YO FCKN FACE BITCHES!!!!!!

[SkorpioWut]

Best song ever made, imo.

[nielss4]

Amazing.

[quasarsatura]

great example of conscious rap!

[ShyDaniel2112]

This may sound pretentious, but I think of Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy as the Rush of Rap. Their lyrics were typically too cerebral and topical for the mainstream to care about them, but that didn't stop them from continuing to be cerebral and topical.

[Monkeyfro4]

@ShyDaniel2112 Sorry but... comparing these guys to Rush is kind of an insult to the Heroes... Rush never directly confronted the problems facing society, they didn't name and call out problems... they just wrote crappy songs with an ambiguous message

[ShyDaniel2112]

@Monkeyfro4 It's okay, I don't mind if you're wrong.

[KVID1000]

@ShyDaniel2112 oops... ignore my ehumbs down please.

[johnnydistortiontrio]

Excellent song and video!

[1Natasya]

Aaah, probably their best song!

[givitallUgot]

is that guy the lochness monster from heltah skeltah?? sounds just like him before he was skilled

[riseroo]

this is old skewl and should be taught to the new skewl boiz who don't know much about what these guys know. onward and persevere.

[davekeays]

I swear that every time I listen to this one I hear something else that makes me think. One of the clues that this is good. Some of 2pacs stuff does the same to me.

[noobpaladin]

ui, ein guter song aus alten zeiten :o)

[terrybrass]

i HATED these fruty bitches. They're were trying to be like X-Clan or PE.

[Hembane]

This track hits the truth on the head so completely that it's almost painful. This doesn't date at all and the message is universal.

Thanx Mr Franti...

[53BtAEF]

@Hembane I couldn't put it any better--the message is truly universal

[buzzandhum]

it really doesn't get much better than this. great beats, great visuals, lyrics that make you think then make you feel empowered and alive. thank you, Michael Franti

[nonnagfuckshit]

"remember back when good rap was just another cool dance hit even though the music wasn't sayin shit..." and its true about this new shit they play now.wake up and listen people ...the true rap has a message...the new shit is a tool of the man... "new rap is more repetive than christmas carols all about there fat loot slick cars and different apparel " glad some people are still into the true rap

[dudeguy137]

This is awesome!

dangar72

Michael is the same great man he has always been. look at some stuff he has done recently - have u seen his film? u should do if not. he just has such a vary of styles that he doen't really make hip-hop anymore, which is fine by me cos i have a wide taste. He still holds the same views he always has, its just nowadays his lyrics are more about life, love and emotion rather than politics.

[JoeStunner]

I don't even like most Hip-hop, but this is fantastic.

[sysFail81]

@JoeStunner the shit played nowadays can hardly be called hip hop, it is pure shit, an insult to compare it. bitches, guns and blink were never part of the four elements, and never will be.

[jelewis2]

@sysFail81 The four elements are surprisingly content-agnostic: DJing, rapping, graffiti, and breakdancing.

I believe the content of today's tracks falls squarely under "rapping" even though actual skill is less prominent, and too commonly the media use "rap" or "hip-hop" or "R&B" as shorthand for "black vocalist" even if the rhyme structure does not accord with those labels.

[JayGriffinblaze]

@jelewis2 So right. To add to the 4 elements there is a 5th now - Knowledge. Being able to promote and educate on all aspects of the culture i.e. the other 4.

Sadly what the mainstream THINKS is hip hop is really Pop music that has appropriated the method of delivery for mass selling - rapping. Mainstream has it's own ideas about what hip hop should be so all artists promote what mainstream thinks is "cool" & will sell - guns, drugs, girls, bling, swagger, money, materialism.

[Dangar72]

Michael my man where you at NOW ????

Please see your own video and see how good you used to be, damn dude come back and make some more hardcore tracks!!!!

[Death2Bigots]

If hip hop was like -this- today, it'd actually be worth something...

[andreaprodan]

Franti speaks today with the clarity of Lennon yesterday.

Pity Spearhead took a step backwards...

[unsheepled]

Genius!

[JoonasFinland]

Hip hop doesn't get any bolder or more powerful than this.

[elganch]

yeah it does

[RoaR3000]

...Ahead of his time,And than some!...Im not sure if anyone in the LGBT community has even made a song as wild as this track...I know there are some,but this is simply one of a kind...For all the 'biting' that takes place in music,its a wonder this song STILL holds its #1 spot...I smell Challenge to MC's universe wide,lol!...

[ck4b3d]

wow, so ghey

[chinita41]

one slept on track, just searched it and saw that you had it..big ups on this upload..

classic

[wistfullyaware]

Really digging this.

[mrescuba]

Saw these guys opening the Pheonix ferstival at long marston, UK, think it was Rono Tse with an ankle grinder on a TV. Will never forget it.

[UnclePete808]

indeed it was, spoke to a friend of Rono on here actually, still grinding & still producing. Phoenix 1993 along with consolidated & house of pain. Remember the riot after security started distinguishing camp fires? 'Angle grinder' by the way!

[mrescuba]

one of the best under under rated rap albums ever!

[googoodemocrat]

michael franti is a legend

[fletchbhoy]

nice background on your homepage ya little fuckin faggot

[googoodemocrat]

thanks a lot mate that means a lot!!

ha

[fletchbhoy]

well if it means that much to you let me comment on your page or are just upholding the loyalist tradition of censorship to anything that doesn't sit well with thier views ???

AKA BIGOTRY

[fletchbhoy]

.and you give out 'bout priests yet you have the worlds most infamous kiddy fiddler as your wallpaper

LOfuckinL

[googoodemocrat]

yep

[astroman2012]

absolute genius!!

[mabewa]

...apparently it's something that yer narrow little mind can't figure out. Watch it at couple more times, maybe it will start to sink in.

[corpo34]

wen they harressed him it was for a reason ,,

[freehoob]

I'm gay. Or am i? Who gives a fuck? I'm straight,or am I ? Who gives a fuck? The point of the track is who gives a fuck,it's the idiocy surrounding it which is silly. Grow up people. Enjoy a brilliant track...

[TheShade1989]

I agree. It's an awesome song.

[oldschoolpunkchris]

ya whats gay whats "straight" who cares took me years to find out my homophobe was just me hiding in a closet

[brixtonadam]

great comment. respect.

[rosasparx]

yeah

[Indhegoh]

Whether I could go to one of these places is irrelevant (and just so you know, no, I couldn't for a lot of reasons). I guess my comments were just too real and honest for most people (which is why they were distorted and taken out of context - typical defense mechanism). I'm surprised that what I said degenerated into juvenile gay-bashing in an anti-gay-bashing, anti-prejudice in general video. The bullshit never ceases to amaze me.

[HIPHOPSOUL2FUNKY]

how can you be sitting where your sitting listening to this track and talk all the shit your talking. that goes to everyone whos talking shit. you might of missed the point. HIP HOP DONT STOP

[Braktooth]

Franti is as good a lyricist as there is.

[Indhegoh]

I'm not gay and I have nothing against gay people. I'm just someone that cares about other people. You can call me a bleeding heart, you can talk shit about me or whatever but whoever is doing this exposes themselves for what they really are. It doesn't matter. The person next to you, whether, black/white, gay/straight/bisexual, jew/gentile, left/right, catholic/protestant, whatever is just as important as you are. Stop being an asshole and follow the golden rule. Peace. I'm out.

[MrIslou69]

@Indhegoh shut up faggot

[Mackadoeshez]

I don't condone homosexuality(to each their own) but this song is on point like Tony Parker!

[YourTeacherLE]

Franti is the bard.

[Indhegoh]

I apologize for my harsh comments but that's what alcohol abuse and getting hit below the belt will do. The reason why I said this is because it was relevant to the video. Gay bashers are usually afraid that they might be gay or are closet cases. This song is good because it shows that whatever your sexuality you're still a human being. If you're afraid of questioning your own sexuality than you're afraid of the answer. Anyway, hatred is wrong and this video shows that.

[moneymore34]

had this album on tape years ago and asked my sis the other day to ask in hmv had they got it they hadnt got it in the shop but they got it in ,, its fucking class have it blarn in my van ,, michael franti is a genius

[godthegourd]

lol nice. boppin' in the van!

[Indhegoh]

Actually, yeah, I am. I'm so lonely that I could die five minutes from now. I have no friends and no girlfriend or wife and no one understands me - are you happy that you called me out? Anyway what does that have to do with my comments about this video? You're nothing but an asshole. If that's your goal in life than congratulations - you've achieved it.

[Indhegoh]

This song helped me get over my homophobia and subconcious fears about being a homosexual and I was only 14 at the time. It didn't happen all at once but it definitely set the ball rolling. However, this doesn't just apply to hatred of homosexuals but hatred of anyone. This song and group (as well as Spearhead) are genius and are exactly what people need - too bad no one is listening or cares anynore. Like it shows at the end of the video - LOVE.

[GhostVirusx90]

are that lonely that you need to reach out about these things to complete strangers on the internet?

[godthegourd]

hey, way to be a douche.

[GhostVirusx90]

so are you lonely too, I think Indheoh will say sweet things to you too : ) , Being gang up on by the gay community wasn't what I expected.

[godthegourd]

yeah, except i have a girlfriend. i'm actually an anti-gay marriage person, but at least i don't feel the need to be an asshole about it. so if you insult people because your self-esteem is low, i feel sorry for you. :D

don't cut yourself and have a nice day, egotistical douche!

[GhostVirusx90]

Your the anti-gay one, me I don't give a shit. Let em marry if they want. But couldn't Indhegoh go to a fucking pub/bar/club/library/cafe and find some friends rather than confiding in the internet? Are you that gay you have to lie about having a girlfriend? Ya pig molesting shit monger : )

[godthegourd]

ok.

[OutlawVagabond871]

Great song, great great message. LOVE and RESPECT. Thumbs up!

[KendoTheGreenWiza]

History, as spoken by the people who live it. It does not get any more real than DHH.

[floevera]

michael franti can get old real quick...but this stuff is for real

[jester1137]

Franti is a friggin god.

[garethhulin]

best hip hop/rap tune i ever heard.

[Nabis0100]

Word up, young Mike

[superiorgreyfox]

Fully legit.

[jkbezo]

Thanx for posting I've been looking for this vedeo for yrs. I lost the recorded VHS in '98 I believe with many lost gems. Oh well, thank God for internet and YOUTUBE.

[jkbezo]

Damn, I remember this video back in high school early '90s. i believe on BET. NE ways I thought HH was on the upswing, unfortunatley it died around 2000. This album was very insightful.

[bissey66]

Check out FrantiV on youtube and his new Spearhead album...dee lish

[agenttk421]

This shit is real talk

Fucking amazing

[Underpalace]

franti for prez!

[TheShade1989]

These guys were the truth.

[TheZenP]

Hip Hop died after these guys left.

Now its just dick hop and c-rap.

franti is one of the only artists who will write off most of the dollars in the US market to publish anti-war sentiment, witness madonnas great turncoat pulling her infamous and crap song to ensure her albums are on radio and in Wal-Mart.

The most courageous artist on the planet, and the most generous with his time; he manned meet the artist booth for 3.5 hours at Byron Bay Blues fest [Oz] when i saw him there. =)

[machiaveliyoohoo]

Don't generalise dude.Michael Franti is a great artist but hip hop did not "die" after Disposable Heroes split. There are plenty of socially conscious and intelligent rap artists ( Brother Ali, Dialated Peoples, Nas, Atmosphere, Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli to name a few) for people to check out if that's what you're about. But don't pigeonhole a genre of music because of what you saw on pepsi hits countdown. If you do,you're as ignorant as the people who dismiss challenging and political music.

[TheZenP]

True, there is no doubt plenty of good actual hip-hop around still. My point [poorly expressed granted] was perhaps more that it was about that time that hip-Pop and C-rap became the overwhelming norm, and intelligent hip-hop became the fringe dweller. I don't know that i would compare NAS with DOH, last time i heard one of their albums, many moons ago, they were better than mainstream, but still had trouble avoiding the usual traps of self-agrandisement [sp?] and dissing women..

[LastCynicStanding]

I have to agree with the death angle here. The media mogels will kill anything that makes you think. If you show that you wont stop thinking then they will want to kill you too. While this music survives due to the power of the underground the name hip-hop should just be left to die as it now applies to a group of people organized to supress intelligent thought.

[lyricalexpressor]

This is one of the greatest Hip Hop songs of all time

Sheldon Manoo(Trinidad)

[Alv662001]

Masterpiece

[ChurchofMe88]

before his time

[aguanteelvacunoyeah]

this guy is like Immortal technique´s grandpa!!!

[blacksteel88]

this is a great song

[thelonious1]

Considering all the hate and the shooting at schools nowadays, this song was way ahead of it's time. But I guess it's all about bling and stupidity now.

[zxcv1234vcxz]

Franti was more ahead of his time that you might know. Back in 1991, gay-bashing was still accepted and popular in rap, so for someone like him to make such a strong anti-hate message was more than a rarity, it was like someone in the 1920s criticizing anti-jewish rhetoric which was still considered "acceptable" at the time.

[stylipet]

thank god this dude's still makes music

[gracebatmonkey]

This album gave me hope that hip-hope would pull a turnaround from big money/big boobs/big guns. I became an instant fan of Messrs. Franti & Tse. Brave stuff, well-executed, with complex interleaving of influences and samples...it was a perfect antidote to a bad day serving the over-privileged their over-priced food.

[CuteBrute1]

I'm mainly a rock fan, and I haven't felt this inspired by a rock song in years. If all rap was like this, rap would be my favorite genre. It's an utter disgrace that this bona fide genius is living in relative obscurity while Eminem is a household word. I keep thinking of a quote from Nietzsche: "Some men are born posthumously." If any rap is remembered in 300 years, this will be it.

[Jodamu]

@CuteBrute1 Totally agree, I'm more of a rock/indie/punk man myself, but this is punker than a lot of punk. It's what rap and hiphop should be - thought-provoking, intelligent and controversial. Most mainstream rap today is about driving fast cars, waving dollars at women and general materialism - the total antithesis of what the genre was originally about

[JayGriffinblaze]

@Jodamu it still is, just not in the mainstream because those types of records don't sell in a world obsessed with materialism and the nihilistic image of the 'street' the pop rapper portrays.

Real Hip Hop artists, Punk in every sense of the word still do their thing quietly. You just won't ever hear it on the radio or see it on MTV. We've been pushed back underground.

[PolemicArts]

@CuteBrute1 listen to Sage Francis, Aesop Rock, Atmoshpere, Brother Ali...

[chrisolaf530]

@CuteBrute1 A lot of Hip Hop in the past was like this..now artists like this are a minority :(. Commentaries on social issues have been replaced with bragging and "blinging", while respect for women for example has been replaced with objectification of women. There are very few Hip Hop artists around who are still socially conscious, a few that come to the mind are Immortal Technique, Sun Rise Above, The Coup, and Dead Prez.

[shimmydik]

Well said that Man.

[MrCubaismo]

@CuteBrute1 Well said...you summed that up perfectly....respect is due to Micheal Franti

[DaKreepa]

one of the greatest rap songs ever written, easily one of the most powerful. Way ahead of its time, still gives me goosebumps.

[Octane64]

Disposable Heroes of Hiphopcrisy is the greatest consious hiphop group, better than The Roots  or Common

[bubblem8]

Gr8 timeless track,from a gr8 album

[jg141]

16 years later - this seems ahead of its time.

I wish Micheal would rework his DHOH songs with Spearheard. he may have changed his musical style and tone, but the values are similar.

Cannot wait to see the show in NH in June!

[Dangar72]

MOST UNDERATED RAP SONG EVER!!!

Should have gotten tons of awards, just as the album should have.

[tombrum68]

Absolute genius this is what I term Great Art. Rap music at its absolute lyrical poetical best.

[UnclePete808]

Anybody know what happened to Rono Tse? Was under the impression he was gonna set up Vitamin Tse record label when Disposables broke up, but heard nothing since.

[agitoto]

Yeah, he just called me the other day. He's still on the grind. Producing and promoting hip-hop raggamuffin stuff. I'll let him know that he still has fans out there.

[jacobarthurpalmer]

one of the best wordsmiths ever, love this album, very cool to see again

[gunderp]

The video that I first saw on Mtv back in 1992. Still listenting to Michael Franti with his Spearhead band who are amazing live in concert.

Peace

E

[Lokeeh]

Hey "D" was there a video for the song "Famous & Dandy"?

[Lokeeh]

Pretty good track I liked that whole album cause it was different and it had a unique distinguished sound.

[Mackadoeshez]

Dope joint!!! Michael Franti!!!!