Snoop...Annap...et al:

I work with a young guy who frequently turns me on to groups gleaned from his musical library, partly to broaden my musical horizons and partly to shock my staid sensibilities. He gets a kick out of my utter repulsion to groups like Cannibal Corpse (whose songs as you may guess deal mostly with necrophelia and consumption of dead bodies). I was familiar with an L.A. based (I think) group called Rage Against The Machine, having heard "Evil Empire" before he loaned me their self-titled debut album. Rap lyrics imposed on repetitively simple hard-rock riffs. The amazing thing is their astute and intelligent treatment of social and political concerns. No bones about it, these guys deliver their message bluntly and uncensored, often screaming an expletive-adorned key phrase repeatedly to register their outrage at some particular social injustice. It's effective and memorable. I can't say I'm a fan, or that I would buy a tee-shirt, but it's heartening to see such young, impassioned musicians with a social conscience delivering music in a popular vein with more attention to the message rather than the residuals.

Neil Lowe