Stose is mad as hell, and he’s not gonna take it anymore.
The 26 year old gay hip hop artist and activist sounds off on all that is wrong with the world in his latest EP, Civil Disobedience. The album, featuring song titles like Class War and Murdered By The State, pulls no punches when it comes to the message.
“It’s the authoritarian police, corrupt government and corporate capitalism crippling this world,” according to Stose. “Ever since I can remember, this is what has consistently occupied my thoughts.”
His album easily reflects those thoughts. As much punk as hip hop, the music is spare, with hard beats and a thrashing electric guitar, almost a mash-up of early Beastie Boys channeling Black Flag. His words are inspired by Aldous Huxley, George Orwell and Karl Marx. With lyrics like “Murdered by the state, murdered by the state, these people filled with hate. We’re getting murdered by the state,” Stose sets a clear tone.
While he draws his primary inspiration from his own life experiences, both from growing up in small town VA and demonstrations he’s participated in while living in NYC, some of his fire comes from time spent overseas in Greece and Egypt.
“This spark has always been a part of me,” he says, “but my time spent in Greece and Egypt doused that spark with gasoline. Witnessing actual revolution and anarchy forever changed my perspective of this world and what real change looks like.”
Stose isn’t content to sit on the sidelines and watch the revolution happen. He wants the masses to be a part of it, and his music is one way he wants to help educate people about what’s really going on.
“My lyrics are meant to encourage you see the world from a new perspective,” he claims, “one that can open your eyes to things you may not have thought about before.”
He knows that it may not be easy for people to hear what he’s saying, though.
“I am fully aware that the content of this EP may alienate me from some of my fans [and] peers,” he admits. “The content I’m delivering to you all is not a choice. This is what drives me at this point in my life. You may not like some of the things I have to say. But I won’t apologize for the content.”
Civil Disobedience will be available in online music stores on June 11, and BitTorrent on June 25. It can be previewed and pre-order at iTunes now. Follow Stose online for updates.
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