Lyrics.^[[1] https://genius.com/Lowkey-iraq2chile-martyrs-of-hope-lyrics | https://archive.is/vqRhU]
Lowkey is a rapper and activist of English and Iraqi descent who recently released Soundtrack to the Struggle 2, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2011 album Soundtrack to the Struggle.
Part of the reason for the eight-year hiatus is that Lowkey was primarily focusing on his activism.
Lowkey recently released, “Iraq2Chile (Martyrs of Hope)”, which features vocals from Mai Khalil. Both the video and song highlight the political upheaval and protests that have taken place in Iraq and Chile. It also provides historical context in how neoliberalism has led to these issues while celebrating those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
Concerning his return to the music he made the following statement in an interview with Vice: “First, I had to ask myself: what is my greatest tool to point out responsibility for things that are happening in the world? I could always feel power operating over me, but I couldn’t always identify where that power was situated.”
“Now that I understand that more clearly — understand that neoliberalism, the dominant economic philosophy of our time, leads to decisions being made on paper which cause huge numbers of deaths, I know my best medium to communicate with people it affects most is music.”
He continued, “There is a broader disenchantment with political orthodoxy than ever before right now. A process of widening democratic participation, of redistributing political power, and economic power, is happening. And if my greatest tool to participate in that process is music, I will use it.”
Lowkey’s music was always political, but his increased awareness that the music is an important extension of his activism has given Lowkey greater motivation in creating new music. He is planning on releasing a new album Soundtrack to the Struggle 3 in 2020 (that will include “Iraq2Chile).^[[2] https://www.ongoinghistoryofprotestsongs.com/2019/11/27/daily-dose-of-protest-iraq2chile-martyrs-of-hope-lowkey-featuring-mai-khalil/ | https://archive.is/UTWqx]
About “Lowkey”:
Lowkey is a Hip-Hop artist and political campaigner. He has worked with Immortal Technique, Wretch 32, Akala, Dead Prez and Outlawz. He is part of the supergroup Mongrel alongside members of the Arctic Monkeys, Babyshambles, and Reverend And The Makers. The band released their album Better than Heavy in tandem with the Independent newspaper in 2009.
His critically acclaimed music has received millions of streams on Spotify, sold over 25k albums digitally, and garnered over 45 million YouTube views. His 2011 independently released album Soundtrack to the Struggle charted #6 in the UK RnB chart, #9 in the UK Indie chart, #14 in the UK Download Chart, and #57 in the UK Albums chart. He was included in MTV Base Best of the Best UK MCs two years in a row. Charting at #10 in 2010 and #7 in 2011.
His most recent album Soundtrack to the Struggle 2 features Noam Chomsky, Frankie Boyle, and Ken Loach, and has been streamed millions of times. His forthcoming album promises to break further ground for independent political music.^[[3] https://genius.com/artists/Lowkey/bio]