The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
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Hypocrisy_Is_the_Greatest_Luxury_-_Album_Cover.jpg
The cover from the 1992 album Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy was a Rap/Hip-Hop/Metal band active during the early 1990s. The group were associated by genre with others of the time, including House of Pain and Pop Will Eat Itself, for stylistic reasons and for the political messages contained in the music. They also were reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron due to the vocal styles of Franti and the up-front political messages in the music.
The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti and Rono Tse, named in part from the phrase "The Disposable Heroes of Hipocrisy", used in some Socialist literature. They played many concerts opening the bill for much larger acts, including U2, Rage Against The Machine, Nirvana and Arrested Development.
Their only album, Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury, received critical and underground acclaim upon its release in 1992, but was never commercially successful. Franti's lyrics address a wide range of issues, from Mass Media bias and abuse on Television: Drug of the Nation (which received wide airplay on college and alternative stations) to racial equality on Socio-Genetic Experiment, in large part inspired by his own childhood. The album also included a cover of the Dead Kennedys track California Uber Alles (with updated lyrics about Governor Pete Wilson).
In common with other bands of the time on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy used sampling and scratching as a primary tool of music recording, and mixed Rock, Hip-Hop and Rap in combinations that were ground breaking for the time. Later artists such as The Prodigy, The Aphex Twin and The KLF all built on approach to music creation used by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, among others.
In 1993 the duo worked with William S. Burroughs, but split up shortly after. Michael Franti formed Spearhead, who (to date) have released 3 albums and are still a going concern, while Tse worked with the Mystick Journeymen.
External links
- www.stayhuman.org: Spearhead & Michael Franti website (http://www.stayhuman.org/)
- Interview with Michael Franti (http://www.acroots.com/spearhead/interview.html)