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Artist......: Lowkey
Album.......: Soundtrack To The Struggle 3
Label.......: Mesopotamia Music
Genre.......: Hip-Hop
Catnr.......:
Source......: CD
Rip.date....: 2025-09-27
Str.date....: 2024-10-28
Quality.....: 826 kbps avg / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Url.........: https://lifeline4gaza.com
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\ / # title time \ /
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1. Soundtrack to the Struggle 3 (ft. Mai Khalil) 4:00
2. Friend or Foe (ft. Mai Khalil) 4:19
3. Neighbours (Skit) 1:26
4. Vietnam (ft. Mai Khalil) 4:05
5. Fertile (Skit) 0:41
6. No War (ft. Styles P) 3:37
7. Baby Steps 3:54
8. Genocide Joe (ft. Mai Khalil) 4:02
9. Karim Mussilhy (Skit) 1:48
10. The Killing of Corbynism (ft. Mai Khalil) 3:00
11. Palestine Will Never Die (ft. Mai Khalil) 5:33
12. Intifada 2:29
13. Two Kites (ft. Mai Khalil) 4:45
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\ / ________ Runtime 43:39
,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 273.98______
:\/ ', \ / , \ /
' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /.
: Release Notes: \/ , \/ ,
' '
,: "This is for political prisoners, feeling trapped and sad, not :,
: for the rapper pulling up in a flashy Jag. It's for the person :
:' in the same street, wrapped in rags, It is for the dad, ':
,: carrying his son in plastic bags, for the resistance, wrapping :,
: cash in their elastic bands." :
:' ':
,: So begins "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3," the new album from :,
: Lowkey. It is the hip-hop legend's first offering in five years :
:' and is already blowing away the critics - and making his ':
,: enemies very nervous. :,
: :
:' One of the voices of the Palestine liberation movement, Lowkey ':
,: is widely considered one of the most talented and respected :,
: rappers in the world, widely acclaimed for his flow and :
:' lyricism. But his popularity and influence have also made him ':
,: powerful foes along the way. The staunchly pro-Israel Jewish :,
: Chronicle newspaper once lamented that his very existence is a :
:' "nightmare" for the State of Israel. ':
,: :,
: The pro-Israel lobby has been relentless in their attempts to :
:' shut him down, pressuring universities into canceling his ':
,: speaking appointments. The powers that be have also taken a dim :,
: view of him; BBC executives even blocked his appearance on a top :
:' radio station. In the wake of the October 7 assault, YouTube ':
,: Music deleted his song "Terrorist?" after almost 14 years and :,
: 5.5 million views. And last year, a shadowy, Israel-linked :
:' pressure group tried to pressure music streaming giant Spotify ':
,: to remove his content from its platform. That attempt elicited a :,
: massive worldwide backlash, with artists and entertainers coming :
:' to the rapper's defense. ':
,: :,
: "Pro-Israel groups had me no-platformed at different shows; I've :
:' been canceled in at least four countries so far, thanks to ':
,: their maneuvers," Lowkey said. "They have recorded meetings I :,
: have been at, taken pictures of me in public, and I am sure :
:' there is a lot more we do not know about... I'm sure this album ':
,: will make them very angry and unhappy... They certainly won't :,
: want people to listen to this album." :
:' ':
,: Lowkey began his music career in the mid-2000s as a member of :,
: the group Poisonous Poets. Although he is now a solo artist, he :
:' has collaborated with many of the most well-known names in the ':
,: music industry, including Arctic Monkeys, Wretch 32, Immortal :,
: Technique and Akala. He is a patron of Stop The War Coalition, :
:' the Racial Justice Network, and The Peace and Justice Project. ':
,: :,
: "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3" is a deeply political album, :
:' weaving together activism and music to provide a snapshot in ':
,: time. In the first single, "Genocide Joe," the rapper takes aim :,
: at President Biden, asking him: Genocide Joe, you terrorize :
:' souls, When your eyes close at night, how do you sleep? ':
,: :,
: The track describes Biden as "America's woke president speaking :
:' like he's on sedatives." It references the killing of ':
,: Palestinian child, Hind Rajab, and the self-immolation of former :,
: American serviceman Aaron Bushnell in a protest against the :
:' U.S.-Israeli attack on Gaza, which Lowkey says is "not a ':
,: strip," but "the world's biggest crime scene." :,
: :
:' Palestine is and always has been a key issue for Lowkey. ':
,: "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3" features the track "Palestine :,
: Will Be Free," whose chorus includes the lines, "From the river :
:' to the sea, Palestine will be free" û a phrase that has been ':
,: banned and censured across much of the West. "My fingers pointed :,
: at this government; you all killed them. Tell me you wouldn't :
:' take up arms if it were your children," Lowkey says. ':
,: :,
: Major media labels, themselves part of gigantic, multinational :
:' corporations, have never liked Lowkey precisely because of what ':
,: they perceive as his radicalism. As he told MintPress: :,
: :
:' "I was never really embraced by any major label, despite ':
,: selling hundreds of thousands of records, getting millions of :,
: views online, and selling thousands of tickets. I was never :
:' approached by a major label. And actually, major labels are ':
,: signing artists that have done far less, and have demonstrated :,
: far less marketability. And I am of the view that it is simply :
:' down to the subject matter." ':
,: :,
: Nevertheless, his music is as popular as ever and has even found :
:' a new life as an anthem of the global Palestine liberation ':
,: movement. Today, there is barely a march, meeting, or :,
: demonstration not accompanied by his work. Lowkey acknowledged :
:' this, saying, "Many of those songs become more relevant than ':
,: ever before. æLong Live Palestine' has been heard more in the :,
: past year than any other time." :
:' ':
,: Purposefully stepping on these political red lines has made :,
: Lowkey a deeply unpopular figure among record executives and the :
:' establishment class more generally. However, he insists he is ':
,: far better off as an independent artist than he would be signed :,
: to a major label. With the rise of the internet and social :
:' media, he told MintPress, it is easier than ever to be an ':
,: independent artist. :,
: :
:' "You have the ability to be self-sufficient now, with music, ':
,: you can independently make a living off it. But also, I wouldn't :,
: want any interference in my subject matter or in my creativity. :
:' And when you are on a major label, they decide when your album ':
,: will drop, so you can actually be left in a hinterland for :,
: several years. I know of amazing artists who have not been able :
:' to release their albums because the major label hasn't been ':
,: willing to push the button on it for years." :,
: :
:' Furthermore, he explained, major labels find any excuse to ':
,: siphon more money away from musicians. From administration fees :,
: to entourages and video-making expenses, most of the money comes :
:' from the artist's share of the pot. And labels insert sneaky ':
,: clauses into contracts to ensure they û not the artist û reap :,
: the benefits. :
:' ':
,: "There are people I know who have sold millions of records and :,
: been ripped off by the major labels. They do it all the time. :
:' They rip off people on a daily basis," he said. ':
,: :,
: I know so many people who have sold huge amounts of records and :
:' have never received a royalty check. These records are top five ':
,: in the charts, but they have never seen a penny." :,
: :
:' Today, Lowkey works in independent media. "The album definitely ':
,: could not have happened without MintPress," he said. :,
: :
:' Another key topic "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3" addresses is ':
,: British politics and the pursuit of a better world. In "The :,
: Killing of Corbynism," Lowkey describes how the various factions :
:' of the British state came together to crush the grassroots ':
,: political movement around socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn. As he :,
: states, :
:' ':
,: "Corbynism was more than a living organism :,
: Centered on one man; a vehicle of a broader mission. :
:' The main focus was how they could reform the system, ':
,: Millions of people up and down the country saw the vision, :,
: As a chance for you to improve your conditions, :
:' What we learned was the establishment is more malignant: ':
,: Constant attacks to drag supporters from their core positions. :,
: A story of betrayal, backstabbing and sore decisions :
:' Millions with dreams, the establishment killed them." ':
,: :,
: Other tracks are less overtly political, however. "Two Kites" :
:' tells the story of a tragic romance destroyed by the death of a ':
,: woman. :,
: :
:' "Friend or Foe," meanwhile, is ostensibly about a comrade who ':
,: double-crosses Lowkey. As the song develops, however, it becomes :,
: clear that his "friend" is actually a cellphone, and the whole :
:' track is a commentary about the pernicious, double-edged nature ':
,: of having such a powerful surveillance device in our pockets at :,
: all times. :
:' ':
,: Lowkey describes his friend as being "born in Congo, raised in :,
: China, but he says he's American," a reference to the globalized :
:' nature of electronics production. "We both loved fruits, but ':
,: apples were his thing," he notes, adding, "At the beginning, he :,
: taught me how to deal with snakes. Later he helped with my :
:' career and how to build a base." However, as time goes by, he ':
,: realizes how pernicious the technology is: :,
: :
:' "He listens when I sleep, watches when I'm not watching him, ':
,: Knows how to eat up my time, I didn't clock a thing, :,
: Turns out befriending him was the worst thing I've ever done, :
:' It seems he's selling everything about me to everyone." ':
,: :,
: Much of the best art has an important message behind it. Yet :
:' most of what big media outlets, be it music, TV or film, have ':
,: been thoroughly sanitized, Lowkey told MintPress, stating: :,
: :
:' "There has been a steady push to depoliticize art because it ':
,: was seen as such a subversive medium. With music, you can reach :,
: people, you can popularize slogans, you can create mantras in :
:' people's heads, you can distill the hopes and dreams of people ':
,: in a digestible form with a memorable melody. So, it was, of :,
: course, seen as a threat." :
:' ':
,: As such, big labels push bland, vapid music on us or even :,
: artists who extol extravagant and decadent lifestyles. :
:' Throughout the War on Terror, Lowkey says, there was virtually ':
,: no English-language music engaging with the U.S.' actions. This :,
: is in stark contrast to the protest music of the 1960s, which :
:' excoriated America's role in Vietnam, for example. Lowkey ':
,: dedicates one track to the fighters of Vietnam who resisted the :,
: American occupation. "I don't know about you, but all my heroes :
:' fought colonizers," goes the chorus. ':
,: :,
: What passes for political music today is uninspiring at best and :
:' cringe-inducing at its worst. From talentless pro-Trump country ':
,: musicians to the stars of Hamilton rapping about voting Blue, no :,
: matter who, it can often feel like political music is inherently :
:' inferior. ':
,: :,
: "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3" is the perfect antidote to this. :
:' But even if the politics weren't as sharp and timely as it is, ':
,: the lyricism displayed would still qualify this album as a :,
: masterpiece. Lowkey has little time for Team Red or Team Blue. :
:' As he says in "Genocide Joe," "Biden is a murderer, Trump is a ':
,: murderer. Whichever way you look, the political system's :,
: circular." :
:' ':
,: With this album, Lowkey certainly won't be making any friends in :,
: high places. But he doesn't need them; he's already got millions :
:' of fans around the world, and "Soundtrack to the Struggle 3" ':
,: will only further cement his place as a legend of hip hop. (Alan :,
: MacLeod/MintPressNews) :
:' ':
: @Lowkey0nline (x) '
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\ / GREETS: \ /
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\ / H O U N D \ /
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