Enrage, Enlighten, Inspire

Soulful hip-hop artist Michael Franti talks about how music makes politics personal

BY: Mark LeVine

Great
1
2
3
4
5

Rate

It was no surprise to find Michael Franti in the thick of the political fray at the Philadelphia Shadow Convention. Since his debut with The Disposable Heroes Of HipHoprisy in 1992, Franti has been at the vanguard of hip-hop, both as an artist and a social activist. His first notoriety came as a spoken-word artist, reading pieces adapted from the writings of the famous Beat poet William S. Burroughs. By the mid-1990s, Franti's new group, Spearhead, was blending social conscience with infectious grooves that found critical acclaim in 1997's "Chocolate Super Highway."
His newest CD, "Michael Franti: Live at the Baobab," released on his own BooBoo imprint, demonstrates his signature mix of art and activism. In songs like "Crime to Be Broke in America," Franti drops knowledge on an America where "everybody's just looking out for theyself," where new prisons go up at 14 times the rate of publicly funded colleges: "Locking brothers in the poorhouse that can't afford Morehouse," rhymes Franti. "Politicians nervous 'cause it's the only free service they provide." Franti urges America to "put money back into schools, not into prisons." His spiritual sensitivities contrast sharply the materialism of so much contemporary pop lyrics. "Oh no, another soul has lost control," Franti says on "Every Single Soul." "We pull him back into the fold. Another soul has got strung out on the material. All the superficial initials upon his clothes." Near the end of "Stay Human," he exhorts the audience to "Be resistant; the negativity we keep it at a distance."
Franti's appearance in Seattle last November was one of the highlights of the protests there against the World Trade Organization, and he was eager to come to Philadelphia to join the various protests against the Republican Convention, where he participated in the Shadow Convention's culture jam. He takes time for frequent, short meditations in whatever quiet space he finds and chooses to walk barefoot throughout the city.
Mark Levine, one of the coordinators of the Shadow Conventions, interviewed Franti August 2 in Philadelphia.

Can you describe your spiritual evolution?

I was brought up a Lutheran. My family went to church every Sunday. I always had faith, but didn't identify with the church I was brought up in. As I grew up, I became immersed in politics and music and began to ask, Why is there so much garbage in the world? How could God, if there is a God, allow it?

At the same time, I was working for social change and doing music full time. I began to get increasingly tired and developed "compassion fatigue". Finally, during a solo tour of Australia, the energy was very intense, and I became really drained. But I didn't want to lose my compassion or commitment, so I started praying and meditating, and through them became reinvigorated spiritually and emotionally. Now I pray every day--morning and night, before every meal--and I meditate throughout the day, and that gives me strength.

What kind of meditation and prayer do you do?

I use TM. I need to constantly fill up my energy and cleanse the bad energy we all pick up, especially when you perform a lot in front of large crowds, when there's an incredible transfer of energy. You have to understand that performers pick up both the positive and negative energies coming from people in an audience.

Do you consider yourself a follower of any particular religion or path?

No, I don't. I read about all religions and take on aspects of them all. I pray to the Creator and ask for guidance and protection and to show me the light to follow, so I can pass it on to others. I think that's a central function of being religious and being a performer.

Does religion motivate you in ways beyond just the spiritual dimension?

Yes, of course. It also motivates me politically.

Carlos Santana once said he would die for Jesus, but that he doesn't really care for organized religion.

I can relate to that quote. I'm not a big fan of organized religion. Too much violence. We don't need missionaries, because God is omnipresent, and people will come to God based on the context of where they live. We shouldn't be evangelizing but discussing and sharing; then we can all come together to God.

Continued on page 2: »