Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury

It's good. Wouldn't be the biggest fan of this rap/hip hop. But was surprised that I had never seen or heard of dither the artist or album. The production is far better and interesting than the lyrics and rap.

No se por que siento de lo que habla como lo habla no tiene mucho sentiod, no es fiable. No quiero decir que sea cierto, pero es lo qeu me parece al fin y al cabo y eso me complejizó la escucha. E flow monótno sumado a una voz qeu no tiene mucho que ofrecer en esas tonalidades bajas, hace que cualquiera se vaya rapido del disoc, pero las letras no están tan mal y algunos beats se salvan, siendo peores los beats que las letras. El album es para gustos muy particulares, pero es escuchable, es claro su mensaje y no tiene por que esconderse ante otros discos promedios de los 90 de hip hop, 6/10.

I saw the Beatnigs live and I know bits of this album - TV, Drug of the Nation and California Uber Alez so I knew what to expect. I think probably the older me finds it all a bit different to the younger me.

Would honestly just rather read the poetry. So jarring and honestly exhausting.

Whew, a lil alternative hip-hop for a change! This sounds like something you'd hear in the PS2-era Tony Hawk games. The beats are simple but good, and the lyrics are decidedly conscious. It's not excellent but it's good, and simultaneously lets you chill out while also stimulating your brain. A lot of the songs are way too long, though, especially with mostly unchanging backing tracks.

I really liked the concept & music, lyrics were good but felt a little toooo preachy

When I saw the album cover I knew it was going to be quite a ride. And it was; a very political one. When the first song started with "Hallelujah" I thought it was going to be some religious shenanigans, and then it switched to hip hop immediately and I drew a sigh of relief. I have to say I don't think the rapper fitted particularly well in this genre... it felt too tame and square somehow? Too well rehearsed somehow, or reading directly from the sheet or something, hard to put a finger on it. Overall I think it was a bit too political for my taste (though I enjoy Rage Against the Machine, so that's a bit of hipocrisy, fitting to the album). I am still well very glad I listened to this - even though I probably won't return soon - as I would never have found it otherwise. I'll remember it for its militant cover.

I was surprised (and kind of sad) that the album was from 1992 when the topics of the album still felt modern. As a political piece it's great, as a musical album it's ok. The rhymes are not always on points and the beats are a bit repetitive but due to the message it's still a good listen. The album is however way, way, too long. You need to be succinct when persuading people.

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Really cool album. I liked the music and radio style

Never heard of this band/album before listening, but I was pleasantly surprised! Michael Franti's lyrics are uncompromising and blunt (and unfortunately still extremely relevant) and Rono Tse's production gives the project the momentum that it needs with a set of cold, bare instrumentals (especially the slow, introspective groove of the closer Water Pistol Man). Certainly not perfect (suffers from some bloat here and there, production feels rather dated, and some of Franti's flows can feel choppy and stilted), but still a very solid album!

Album was alright. I thought the lyrics were good in each of the songs, but I don't love the style.

Wasn't a big fan of this piece.

Absolutely unreal, have to listen again.

This really isn't my style of music and I wasn't even gonna finish listening to it but the intellectual, political lyrics against problems in modern society are great and captivated me!

This was really good. I had no expectations and was impressed.

Hip-hop.

Yesterday I had Snoop Dogg's Doggy Style, today I have The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. I was interesting in hearing Snoop Dogg, but right away I hated it. Ended up giving it a 1/5. Despicable, misogynistic crap! Today, I get to listen to this crew.... Never heard of them before. Right from the start, I was impressed! Now THIS is hip hop. Good quality music without mention of Nigga's, Bitches, Ho's or any "fuck da police" cop killing. We need more music like this. I really enjoyed this. It is smart and entertaining and doesn't seem to insult anyone, any race or any sex. They did a cover of California Uber Alles - The Dead Kennedy's classic. They killed it! Can't wait to hear more of this! 3/5

Went into this one with high hopes but ultimately left just kind of whelmed. Some interesting ideas in the production and sampling, but repetitive bars and a general lack of verve in the vocals kinda killed it for me.

Gir meg litt Rage-vibes. Litt mindre rock, litt mer rap. Veldig politisk. Jeg liker godt Michael Franti!

He does have a message. It is not just about "bitches and money". That said, I didn't feel the album was that great overall... So maybe rap music should be about "bitches and money" after all...

Good! Super lyrical and meaningful.

Not for me

Always new Television but not the band or the album. Loved it, poetry with a beat.4.5

Excellent, 4+/5

It was OK. Didn't blow me away. Don't know why the fella on the cover is attacking a tank with a chainsaw, that's not going to do much damage unless it's a wooden tank.

Political talking rap. Beats are weak, but sign of the times, I guess. Lyrics are very pointed towards socio-political issues in the US, just not the content I want to listen to and relax with. 2.5

This was pretty boring actually. I hear the messages, they don’t need to be repeated that many times. 2.5 rating maybe

I love all of these lyrics. The sampling im not super into but i will take it. Its sad how little translation is required from something that came out in '92 and listening to it in '23.

I'm just gonna say that I probably agree with everything these guys are saying, but I don't really need it rapped at me for an hour.

Solid

Sounds like public enemy but less so

Just another poser trying to sound edgy and be contemporary while being "outraged". Yawn.

More than any news and media outlet, hip-hop had become the go-to source for what was going on in the black community; its musings and detailing of varying experiences and interests providing an accurate portrayal of what was happening around and amongst those living in the world they're in and The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy were one of the many channels doling out such information. Using Public Enemy's blueprint and taking further into the deepest recesses imaginable, Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury is an hour of prophetic commentary both past, present and eventual future that, while farfetched and seemingly dated at times, expounds dependency, political views, racial tensions and the dangers of the everyday. A worthwhile glimpse into how innovative hip-hop was continuing to become in 1992 and how Disposable Heroes found themselves properly attuned to the moment. Favorites: Satanic Reverses, Famous and Dandy (Like Amos and Andy), Television, the Drug of the Nation, Language of Violence, Everyday Life Has Become a Health Risk, Socio-Genetic Experiment, Music and Politics.

Too woke for me I guess. The flows just never connected.

3.5 stars. Early Michael Franti hip-hop that has activist heavy lyrics. Themes touching on homophobia, misogyny, immigration, race, economics, etc. are poetically carried over laidback beats. Very progressive for it's day. Production value felt a little lacking, but good record nonetheless.

It ended up being better than I was expected. Some heavy beats with actually very spot on political lyrics that are still (depressingly) relevant today. Gets a bit too ranty at some points still though. 5/10

Interesting, for sure.

4/5

So much of what Michael Franti raps about starting even from the first song is mostly still true today… instead of television you can say social media or substitute, new wars, or economic situation or countries, but nothing has changed in 30 years. Except Michael Franti this band always seemed like the transition band Franti had between the Beatnigs & Spearhead as well as his solo work. But I remember when I bought this album when it came out, thinking how revolutionary it sounded to me go now I know the more things change the more they stay the same.

Spotify is missing tracks 5, 6, 12 and 13, making it hard to get the full seamless album experience. Good album all the same with a industrial jazz vibe

Nah

Desperately needs an editor. It's obvious that the lack of subtlety is the point, but I have never rolled my eyes hard than at the lyric "The only cola that I support would be a universal Cost Of Living Allowance" 2/5

No thanks.

4/13 songs have been removed from Spotify. High Quality early 90's Hip Hop beats with politics as the clear focus. Surprisingly doesn't feel patronizing or begging because it goes in so hard. So forwards its reminds of the Adventure Time POLITICAL RAP scene. It's almost hard to believe this guy went on to create Spearhead and write such cheery music if the politics weren't so consistent.

Some pretty good relevant lyrics here, not bad but gets tiring.

7/10 kinda cool. Very prescient and good beats. but it was annoying how sometimes he just listed social issues without saying anything about them at all

9/10. Wow, these guys weren't screwing around.

So long and such a bother to find a full version online. Beats are alright and the lyrics are wild but it's not what I look for in hip hop. 5/10

Voor iets dat helemaal niet bij mij past was het nog best goed te pruimen. Deze 2 sterren zeggen dus meer over mij dan over de Heroes.

Dit vond ik voor hiphop begrippen best goed in elkaar zitten eigenlijk

Dit had een goede 'flow' en een lekkere 'vibe' (ja, ik ging er helemaal in op!)

Best relaxed. Wel lang.

Decent

It was interesting. Gave me “everybody’s free to wear sunscreen” vibes.

This gives me strange reminiscences of Soul Coughing, if Soul Coughing had decided to go hip hop instead of jazz alternative. The packaging was concerning, I judged very harshly on first sight. But it's alright. Not a timeless classic, but of its time and socially conscious in an accessible way. Plus, there's a Fraser Crane soundbite! Into that.

Smart, thoughtful social criticism here, a la Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine. The music, though, isn't as bold.

My thoughts on this seem to be shared by a lot of reviewers on the site. It’s got some great conscious lyrics, even if they’re quite on the nose at times, but the production and flow are very dated and need a lot more variety to keep this interesting throughout the whole runtime - even by about track four it seems that he’s run out of ideas

Rage and System before Rage and System existed

I enjoyed the lyrics and the message of the songs but it wasn’t my favourite sound ever. I think the length was good, the vibe was good, just not the most amazing.

This checks all my boxes for rap/hip-hop: • political/social hip-hop • heavy organically sampled beats • jazz/funk music that can actually stand on its own • deep rhythmic vocals... If there are negatives, it's almost entirely around trying to jam a few too many words in places and making a few tracks sound awkward - to be fair, some of the lyrics are *very* awkward which had me waver between a 4 and 5...but I think even those slowdowns are worth it for the best material. Overall this album is a great example of the best of the golden age of hip-hop that almost sounds as much like Gil Scott-Heron (n.b. "Music and Politics" - love the music on this one as well, great guitar) as Public Enemy. Wish we had more of this. 9/10 5 stars. n.b. Apple Music missing 4 tracks from the album :/

Incredibly straight upstanding political rap with very nice sampling and crawlen guitar/bass arrangements which suffered the fate of everything that provokes your good living and forces you to reflect your life: it gets ignored by masses who just wanna hear gang gore / from zero to hero blingbling stories. Capitalism is the thick carpet these ‚Heros of hiphopcracy‘ got disposed under. 4,6

nope

I like how the Television song has turned from a huge progressive left-wing statement to something you'd hear from your racist 80-year old grandpa's Facebook page. "Television is bad! Books are good! Kids these days don't know where Panama is! Media makes kids violent!" - This shit is completely embarrassing today. I'm very much not interested in hearing about America's political issues in 1992 for a whopping 70 minutes. I'm Eastern European. I don't know or care about who Pete Wilson is. I don't know what's a Pell Grant. I only know about potatoes and sauerkraut.

It's a vibe. The beats are varied enough; the texts make sense most of the time and sometimes even contain real gems.

I'm all for socially conscious music, but the music part of it has to be good. Some of the production is nice, but this guy's spoken word musings lack the necessary passion and the coherence of message for me to connect to him, and also kinda shallow and repetitive. I give it 2/5 dollars cause you can't eat money, but you can choke on it, because consumerism is evil and poverty and blah blah blah.... 🤑🤑

A rapper who starts an album with a line about OPEC... what a way to my heart. It's so of it's time but I have to say I enjoyed it.

Is this Chuck D of Public Enemy? Actually, this is a little better than Public Enemy because you don't have that annoying Flavor Ice dude in the background. Biggest shout out I can give is they did California Uber Alles. Ok grooves at time. That's all I got. Not impressed. Not my thing and didn't really enjoy. Won't revisit 1

I love politics in rap. Clearly he had a lot to say here. I like a lot of what he was putting but there were times that I felt like he was inching into "video games cause violence" territory a few times, but it was the 90s though so. It's funny though because to be honest I associate this style of rapping to Nickelodeon commercials and skits. Obviously it wasn't as political but I feel like I remember an Amanda Show skit or two having a music style VERY similar to this. Neverthless I liked this quite a bit. A little samey near the end but I added a few songs to my favorites. His version of California Uber Allies was really fucking cool. 4

3.5 I can see how someone could write them off as Public Enemy rip-offs, but even if The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy had a similar sound and focus, you really would have to overlook a lot of clever lyrics and beats to do so (though yeah the guy sounds just like Chuck D at times). Hell, on this album alone they tackle a broader range of social and political issues, including school shootings and environmental protection, both topics that I don’t think PE has ever touched, at least to my memory. However, despite that, I saw some other users labeling this as being aggressively woke, “phone=bad” music. Even on tracks like Television, The Drug of the Nation where I could maybe see that being the case, I still feel like some solid points and criticisms are raised, with race baiting in politics and the reframing of US atrocities in news ("Civilian death" to "collateral damages") being two topics in particular that stuck out to me. Yes, it’s a topic that PE had already covered, but I think the argument could be made that Television is more in-depth and insightful than She Watch Channel Zero?!, even if it is one of my favorite songs of theirs. Now, that all being said, I admit I can see why this group isn’t looked back upon as fondly as Public Enemy. Overall, there’s much less of the palpable anger and call to action that PE does so well, and what I think really sells their message. Also, while I did genuinely like every song, most lack any kind of clear musical or vocal hook to really pull you in and impart a lasting impression. I wasn’t a big fan of the song Music and Politics in particular, with it coming across as to me as “I’m more woke than you”... despite the whole “poop in my dog bowl” line, which wasn’t so much a clever metaphor as it was just kind of gross. The take on Dead Kennedys was a nice surprise though, and being that it’s a remixed and re-written update rather than an outright cover, it probably embodies the spirit of the original more than anything else they could have done - I would imagine Jello is a fan. So, while I don’t think they’re better than Public Enemy, I do think they complement the group nicely. Definitely worth a listen and shouldn’t be overlooked solely because of the parallels.

this just sounded like an NWA tribute act.

Not really, no

- nah - condescending / no nuance

not my cup of tea

Powerful hip-hop music with lyrics about societal issues that are still relevant today. It's a long album, some song are perhaps a bit too long.

Normally I review albums based on how much I like the songs in the album, but this album is different. Not too say I didn't like listening to this album, but damn it hit me hard about all the issues that were mentioned that we're still struggling with 30+ years later. Listening to this album made me sit back and contemplate things, which I have to give a high rating for. As for the actual music, I like it. The beats are nice and the flow of the rapper is smooth. The big issue I would say is that the album is too long. Even though I enjoy the songs, songs felt like they overstayed their welcome and it was hard getting through the entire album imo. 4/5 Favorite song: Satanic Reverses Worst song: Financial Leprosy

Loves me some real political Hip Hop.

Wow. BASED af. Supporting abortion in the open song? Here for it. Things only got more good from there, critiquing war, govt, race politics, capitalism etc. Obsessed! Although, somewhat depressing to think this was made the year I was born and the things they are discussing have stayed the same or gotten worse. Boo. Sonically, this is not usually my thing. Something about the sparseness of 90s rap doesn’t click with me. But I loved it so much for the message that I didn’t even care.

I was amazed to find this was Michael Franti. I thought it might be a supergroup featuring members of Public Enemy. It's a lot less militant, and probably just a little preachy. Like the in between of Arrested Development and Public Enemy. The beats, however, are fucking fire. Not a bad one in the bunch. Favorite tracks: "Satanic Reverses", "Socio Genetic Experiment"

Never never heard of this album. But I can't quite get into it. The words and voice are quite nice though, and the sampling is pretty good too But the beats and flow is just to average and done better in other records. It's kind of like a poor man's Public Enemy, tho enjoyable at spots. I liked the inclusion of Dead Kennedys, Califoria über alles. Key tracks: Satanic Reverses, Television The Drug Of The Nation, Language Of VIolence, Music And Politics. 4,5 out of 10

It's really good - but not really my thing.

This was indeed "Music and Politics." I thought the music was quite good, and the poetic rap lectures touched on so many crucial issues of 1992 that are all still crucial issues thirty-one years later. I nodded my head quite a lot through this. "Language of Violence" is one of the best treatments of the issue I've ever heard. "Water Pistol Man" ended the album with a positive message and metaphor for the overwhelmed...which we needed. Because honestly this did get on the verge of heavy-handedness and I was feeling that I was in a lecture hall and needing a break. This isn't an album I'm going to put on again unless I want to use it as a teaching piece. Michael Franti himself described what I was feeling when he discussed forming his next band: "The big problem with Disposable Heroes was that it was a record people listened to because it was good for them - kind of like broccoli. I want Spearhead to be more like sweet potatoes."

I enjoy what Michael Franti creates. I will admit that The Disposable Heroes did not draw me in quite the way that Spearhead does, but the album was a winner.

"Being kicked in the closed mouth Or smiling with no teeth They're both choices, yes But it's impossible to eat" Oof. Why haven't I ever heard this before? I have some theories... Really great early 90s hip-hop sound with lyrics that are still too relevant. I would understand if folks thought it preachy but I'm in the choir so I say, "testify!"

I first heard Michael Franti and Spearhead at a music festival a decade or so ago and was struck by his wide range of social justice coverage and insightful lyrics set to some great beats. I started this album not knowing I was listening to Michael Franti, but after the first few lines of “Satanic Reverses” I pulled up the lyrics and saw his name there. I knew there was something familiar about this. Wow. The album is incredible. Entertaining. Enlightening. Reflective. Maybe prophetic? A window into life in 1992 that reflects clearly on us today. I was compelled while listening to just to stop and follow the lyrics. Michael Franti’s voice is just as powerful in his 20s as when I watched him perform in his 40s. His formidable talents serve up justice, education and illumination. Hip hop’s power channeled as a force for good. I wish I had been exposed to this 30 years ago when it was new, and wish more people were aware of it now.

Great

Society bad

great OG hip hop

The lyrics deliver simple messages on important topics and a lyric sheet isn’t needed to figure out what the words are or what they mean. Television is an example of this. I understand that some might negatively label the lyrics as simplistic rather than simple. If you want your message to be understood, simpler is better. Sure Mr. Tambourine Man is a great song but nobody other than Bob knows what the lyrics mean. The music is more interesting than on other hip hop albums on the list. The Avant garde horns (whether they be real or programmed?) on Satanic Reverses are a good example of this. Overall it’s one of the hip hop highlights on the list

Michael Franti is a cross between Check E and Gil Scott-Heron. I like the political, head-on easy to interpret lyrics and the overall sound. The unplugged self-reflective "Music and Politics" is a nice change in direction. I think some of the songs run on a bit long. I saw these guys live around the time of this LP and while I can't remember the music much, I do remember the chainsaw (on the LP cover ) as well as an anvil and sheet metal being part of the show. So, I was expecting a more industrial sound, but this is very listenable.

Political rap that’s very preachy. It’s fine to be socially conscious but this album beats you over the head, again and again. And once more again for good measure. I think that Gil Scott Heron and Public Enemy did it better though.

I really dug this! I had previously never heard of them. I learned while reading up on them that Michael Franti fronts Spearhead. Very reminiscent of Public Enemy. I'll add this to my collection.

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury has standard, unoriginal beats, and lyrics that offer an illusion of being ambitious and dexterous but really don't. It's 2/5 average.

This is the closest we've got so far to a full-on spoken word album. That's really difficult to make work, the lyrics have to be so good and so tight, and for the most part this album doesn't get there. The TV song is great - it's focused on one theme (unlike some of the others that really wander), and it's got some very pithy lines in there - but there's not enough else there that gets close to that level. It also drags - could really do with losing a track or two and focusing the rest in from 6/7 minutes to 4/5. 3/5, some great messages that really resonate 20 years on but needs a bit more polish and refinement to make it truly great.

The vocal style could have made this uniquely interesting for a hip-hop album for me. However, the beats were repetitive and uninteresting and the message unnuanced enough to feel more like a condescending lecture -- for music with a message I feel like it's more impactful to be moved emotionally rather than hit over the head

I feel like this album had some good commentary in it but it wasn't delivered as well as other similar type albums. Didn't really hold my attention and it sounded like canned background beats.

This is super politically charged so I appreciate the artistry but as far as a must listen it’s not for me at all.

Really?

Mr Burns: “So, What do you think of today’s popular music scene?” Lisa: “I think it distracts people from more important social issues” Mr Burns: “My god, are you ALWAYS on?”

I didn't hate it. Just can't relate to it. The album did seem to have a story to it though.

Oh wow. Never listen before - started at 1 but its eclectic style grew on me. Wonder how long it will endure.

This sounds like knockoff Public Enemy

Reminds me a lot of Public Enemy

I love this. Love it.

Quite good. Very political and ahead lyrically. Great sound. 4 stars

michael franti had a lot to say here! every song had such a purpose and even bordered on educational. this album is different from the other hip hop i have seen on this list so far; public enemy and n.w.a. have included meaningful lyrics but nowhere near the scale on hypocrisy. the genres itself were interesting as well. hip hop, for sure, but there was some jazz that popped in here and there. like, that trumpet?! it was a good mixture and different from others on this list. as a side note, the disposable heroes of hiphoprisy is a great artist name.

"Industrial" or even "alternative" hip-hop are definitely excellent genre subcategories to describe this album. I have definitely not heard too much hip hop like this. The message here was worthwhile, but I just...didn't care that much about the music. Not mad about having to listen to this, but just not really my thing.

I just thought that Public Enemy did it better.

Hard to rate this one. Its bang average hip hop but its aware lyrics are worth an extra point

two for the lyrics

A California Uber Alles pull. intresting. Government, media, TV all things bad. A little too spoken to me

Not a rap guy, but Franti really makes me want to be one with this album. One one hand, I wish Disposable Heroes had found traction, but if they had, we might not have Burning Spear.

revolutionary but not enjoyable to listen to

didnt love the style

Better than I expected.

I don’t mind my poetry with a pulse or narration with a backing track but I like it in smaller doses. This is a one-note record which may have a very worthy aim but does itself no favours by being tedious. There was nothing to latch onto - it felt like one long diatribe with a beat.

Tulee sentään levyn puolivälissä vähän vaihtelua, sitä ennen on painokuudessaan aika tasapaksua. Hellyyttävästi vanhentunutta.

Naiivia realismia, jonka eleetön julistuksellisuus pitää kuulijan (yllättäen) otteessaan. Mutta kuuntelisinko uudelleen?

Some of that good early hip hop with the good samples

Jesus this album hits a little too hard. We've really learned nothing in the last 30 years, huh?

This was a decent album with subject matter just as important now as it was at the album's release, but at the same time I don't know if 13 songs of nothing but raw social commentary is the way to go about it. Good beat throughout though.

Cet homme est un virtuose dans l'art de parler anglais sur des type beats.

Ich habe meine Tag in ein sehr schlecht Mooden beginnt. Nach dieses album, ich bin voll vutelnt, danke viel mal zu den alt schule rap von dieses heute Konnard.

cool

this is definitely not my usual type of music but i did enjoy parts of it. the lyrics were also interesting

Ugggh...Public Enemy did it better. I liked the voice but then I realized it was the guy from Spearhead. Not much else to say.

I like my socioeconomic/political commentary with a beat. My favorite thing about this listening project so far is getting to hear things I wouldn’t necessarily choose. I was never a big hip hop fan and that hasn’t changed, but I am glad to have heard this album. I didn’t realize DHOH was Michael Franti’s band. If the song H2O-Gate Blues on the Gil Scott Heron album had better music I might have liked it more. And if anyone cares about my rant from the Tical album, some reggae radio stations just mix hip hop with reggae. Question answered.

I wasn't able to give this the listen it deserves, but I liked what I heard — propulsive and smart, lots to home in on in the production. It did suffer from one of my recurring issues with hip hop and rap, which is that songs start blending together. The drum beats and sounds were similar throughout, which invariably makes the tracks sound similar and that becomes less interesting as the album rolls on. But, considering the short shrift this one got, I'm rolling down the middle and will revisit another day.

Meh. I dig the guy's messaging, but it felt very safe, dated, and lacking nuance. The whole time I was listening, I was longing to hear Public Enemy or any of the brilliant hip-hop artists who aren't on this list.

First song, fist thought: hmmm, I do like hip hop! Yet I quickly became bored and realized again, this ain’t my jam. I’m certain I shall give hip hop another chance but unlikely that The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy will get one.

Really enjoyed this. I was only familiar with "Television, the Drug of the Nation" and have been meaning to listen to the full album for a while now. The lyrics, beats and samples are all great. I'm surprised really that this album doesn't have the popularity of some of its contemporaries. It is quite lyricly dense in some places, so I feel like I'll need to listen too it a few more times to fully absorb them. The only negatives I would have is that some of the songs are a bit over long, and some are a bit too derivative of Public Enemy. I actually thought I was listening to Chuck D rapping on the title track at first! Other than that though I enjoyed it. It's interesting to hear some of the lyrics and samples discussing cost of living crises and recessions at the time, some of them are exactly the same as sound bites you hear on the news today. I guess its true; the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Essential sound of the 90s and of all time really. 5/5

Hip-hop. Ni fu ni fa.

Hip-hop.

Listened Before? N Political early-90s hip hop. It's cool hearing this looking back. These guys were very concerned with the issues of capitalism, entertainment, wars, etc. None of the subject matter has aged particularly well (They rail against television in what seems to be their most popular song, I wonder what they would have thought of the internet!) The music is good, though, and it DOES hold up well. They have a great style. I liked listening to it, but probably won't go back just because of how dated it is. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Language of Violence

This does a good job of encapsulating the experience of sitting inside a classroom as a fifth grader, listening to your professor lecture you and your classmates. He sees you as an unruly class who pays no mind to his many life lessons, and he threatens you to mature if you want to succeed and see the world beyond your classroom. Your professor probably means well and is just laying down the reality of the situation. But he does it with zero subtlety, as if he's hitting you on the head like a whack-a-mole game in an arcade. This record has a lot of important things to say, but they do it in a way that is so on the nose. It really felt like I was being given a talking to by my teacher or my parents. The beats and the production are fine enough, but the lyrics don't have a sense of creativity or style whatsoever. Which would be fine if this was a TED Talk, but it's an album so you'd at least expect some form of artistry.

I'm not sure if this is "music" so much as it is, like, beatnik hip-hop - which is still cool. It's quite interesting (and sad) to listen to an album from so long a go that seems to outline some real current and critical issues (climate, poverty, xenophobia, corporate greed, etc.).

Rap social et alternatif, très intéressant, sampling créatifs, textes et voix remarquables.

Four songs were missing on the Spotify release of this album: “the winter of the long hot summer”, hypocrisy is the greatest luxury”, “California Uber allies”, and “water pistol man”. 🔫 (I hope I didn’t miss anything with those four tracks!) …What was there was definitely interesting. There were some prophetic thoughts spoken rapped, mixed together with some hip hop meets jazzy Herbie Hancock tracks and news clipping sampling. It was something unlike anything I’d heard before in the rap genre (or does this count as hip hop?) There were strong messages in the tracks I did get to hear, but I didn’t find myself loving the music as a whole. I respect the efforts presented here nonetheless and enjoyed the throwback early 90s sound.

Pretty based over some experimental jazzy beats. I enjoyed the album for the most oart especially if you listen to the lyrics

Very interesting and progressive political commentary. Talks a lot about being gay which is often frowned upon in the hip hop community.

Hating America done right

Yeah nah.

Not a fan. Maybe because it’s 30 years later but the message seems muddled at best

The beats are nice, but it’s like listening to a preacher over a hip hop beat. The vocals are so boring 2/5

Album so heavy in the lyrics and the message, that even the title barely fits on the website. Rap group from early nineties, that eerily are similar to Rage Against The Machine, even though the style is completely different. It is basically hip hop in its purest form - rapper with a cause, soft beat, interesting chorus, and once again, lyrics that could fill a small book. After some thought I think the genre most fitting for this album is 'spoken word'. And that is just too much for me. I'm here for music, the political message, however sophisticated comes later (not second for sure). They have my respect, but in this challenge I was looking for something else.

So 90s, this sounds like it comes straight out of a Fresh Prince episode. Fantastic!

The golden age of hip hop. Never heard this before but it's pure gold.

A totally worthwhile hip-hop release. Sounding very late-80s rather than early 90’s. The sad part is the themes still reign far too true.

New to me. The strong spoken political lyrics are distinctive. The lengthy backing tracks do get a bit repetitive at times but overall it stands out from standard gangsta hip hop. 3

'Television...' is amazing. Fun album, lots of angles without the anger of a Public Enemy or a RATM.

Not my favorite type of music but I respect that artistry and uniqueness

was this written in 1992 or 2022? super prescient actually like it. pretty chill hiphop vibes

Enjoyed a few tracks on this but the preachiness got to me after a little while. Basically it felt like Jack Dangers production with Consolidated vocals and themes laid over top of it. Which it literally is. Most unexpected but also cool to hear Charlie Hunter on this album!

Political ranting—like—too much ranting

I don't like rap. Couldn't really get myself to listen to much of this. Although the overall vibe seems to not be that bad, just not my cup of tea.

Really like this one, nice beats and feels more like my type of hip-hop. Also liked most of the social messages, even if some of them did feel a little preachy after an hour.

I'd never heard of this group and started listening to it... then I found out this is the hiphop group that Michael Franti was in. I've seen Michael Franti live and had absolutely no idea he did this before his current projects. His music has definitely changed but his politics hasn't. It was an interesting listen but a little to on the nose for me.

While some of the lyrics fall into cringe territory (at least to a modern ear), this stands as a prime example of everything that was great about early-90s conscious hip-hop.

I didn't have high hopes going into this album but I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of it that were on Spotify. While it's on the talkier side of experimental hip hop, I liked the radical messaging and each song made me want to make molotov cocktails or something. It's a shame a third of the album isn't on spotify but hey the parts that are on there are good

Interesting!

I have a thing for old school hiphop from the 80's/90's, but I haven't listened to alot of different artists in that genre. Hency why I never heard of these guys. I like the old school vibe of the album, the music, the use of samples, etc. Although it saddens me that alot of theme's which are mentioned on the album are still problems we have today.

This was definitely interesting, really enjoyed

Slow start but some excellent tracks

Great old school hip hop album with lyrics charged with politics and anger. The beats and use of samples are also great, it almost sound like industrial hip hop at times. That guy isn't the best rapper around though, his monotonous delivery drives the album a little on the linear side, but all in all this is good stuff.

Great lyrics, but weak delivery. Still a very good rap album!

I feel like the singer doesnt have enough charisma and talent to deliver the text and beat. Good hiphop album overall

Wow! What a surprising album! He might not have the best flow or the most catchy beats, but the lyrics and sincerity make this album outstanding. We can found there more than punchlines, these are literally punch-paragraphs. The title is also absolute gold. Really great one!

I didn’t listen to this one so i’am just gonna put 3 starts and then listen in my own time.

The very thing that makes this album compelling is also what makes this album one that I'll likely never put on heavy rotation. Its unapologetic intensity is both captivating and exhausting. The elements of hip-hop appeal to your rhythm and soul, while the precisely selected and timed lyrics charge your mind, and the industrial musical palette grind across all of the grains refusing to let your senses relax. That is, until the track 'Music And Politics', which is a jazzy and vibrant guitar jam paired with a self-effacing analysis spoken over the top. The album remains intense, but on a different level, for that one track. Then back to the program. The album overall is as avant-garde as it is gritty and real. Comparisons to Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy, Arrested Development, and industrial aspects of groups Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and White Zombie are all apt, but also only represent pieces of the picture.

Mostly interesting because of the industrial elements, but not bad overall. Definitely a product of its time. Perhaps a more hip-hop version of Ministry’s The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste.

I believe this album came up the last go round. A nice social activism themed album and group along the lines of Public Enemy. My only complaint is that some songs unavailable on Spotify.

Opinions on societal issues, all set to a beat. No thanks.

Listened to this a while after I was supposed to

Like a cross between Gil Scott Heron, Public Enemy and a talk at the Trades Hall. Christ it's prescient though - the first track has a chorus about politics being corrupt, in thrall to the religious right and everyone getting poorer... 30 years ago. Plus ca f*cking change. I love it, but then I am a moderate socialist who is increasingly feeling forced to think that killing all politicians and CEOs might be the only answer.

Para amantes del hip-hop. No lo considero un disco tan relevante como para ser catalogado de los mejores.

I listened to the first couple tracks and decided to stop since four of the tracks aren't on Spotify and I didn't feel like finding them elsewhere. It wasn't bad i just didn't find anything in it for me and the vocal delivery between the first two tracks blended together. The industrial sounds were cool. I just didn't like it.

Culturally significant album. Otherwise, not sure how highly ranked this would be on this list.

Amazing album amazing band. I count myself lucky I got to see them live

As described by the group, this is like eating vegetables. Solid concept, but beats you over the head with politics. Great for a listen, terrifying that it's still relevant, but not repeatable for enjoyment.

Great idea and two or three great tracks, but it doesn’t hold up with some others.

I consider it diet Public Enemy. Not bad though it felt a bit bloated at times. Speaking as a Dead Kennedys fan,I liked this version of California Uber Alles. Overall. Not bad, but far from great.

This album reminds me a bit of the scene in Chasing Amy where they're at the comic book convention, and everyone is at a panel. And the one guy (Hooper X) starts making claims about Star Wars that are WAY overreaching. This felt like, although they were making salient points, it was very much hitting me over the head with very little subtlety. Public Enemy seemed... tame in comparison. After three or four songs, it just got... tiresome. A track or two is good, and definitely "Television, the Drug of the Nation" was great. But still... I needed to lighten up after that. Phew.

Damn. How have I never heard of this album? It totally fits with all the political rap of the 90's but clearly these guys didn't get the play of Public Enemy, NWA, etc. Which is a shame because Michael Franti's lyrics are incredible. Satanic Reverses, Famous and Dandy, Television the Drug of the Nation - what a start to the album. I love how he calls out all of our stupid sheepism and idiot boxing (just substitute tv for social media to get today) in the latter two. I also respect him for not calling out certain issues and then being an asshole on other issues. Case in point, how many other hip hop artists back then did you hear rallying against anti-gay stuff? Language of Violence was refreshing for that reason. Could've used a bit more variety in the beats and delivery (the title track and Dead Kennedy's cover had some of that - more of that please) but really solid album.

Damn this is good. Powerful. Smooth grooves over deep lyrics. It's like Rage Against the Machine if the rage was expressed over smooth grooves with a relaxed rap flow. Seriously impressive album and the first rap album I'm rating a 5 (aside from Rage, which I consider to be more rock/metal anyway). Favorite tracks: pretty much all of them, but standouts are Satanic Reverses, Famous and Dandy (particularly the "flavor of the month" section), Television the drug of the nation, Financial Leprosy, and Water Pistol Man.

Poetically incredible, I wish the musicality of individual songs were a bit differentiated which is why it’s losing a star, but overall impressive album.

His insight is strong, but his flow is weak.

Terrible!

Some enjoyable moments. But not enough.

Not a fan of hip-hop, for the first time I found myself able to actually listen to the lyrics. While the music might be a tad repetitive, their words managed to convey a strong message. Just like poetry. Makes me sad their social critique is still on point 30 years later.

Wasn't in the right mood for all that social consciousness

A little dated, but I kinda like the simple beats and the naïve lyrics

I just don't like this genre.

This takes itself so damn serious, it's more a lecture than an album. It was sometimes jawdropping how relevant it all is 30 years later. All these fears from 1992 are still a big problem or have come to fruition. Hong Kong troubles (Satanic Reverses), code-switching and black minstrelism (Amos and Andy), TV propaganda (TV the Drug), war as theater (Winter), racial health disparities in San Francisco (Everyday Life), upside-down public spending (Financial Leprosy), smarmy gov wants to be prez (CA Uber Alles).... on one hand, it makes me think it's not so bad now if it was always this bad. On the other hand that's damn depressing. I can't give it a 5 in my arbitrary rating system because it's not a lot of replay value. But damn this is a good one. I had no idea about Michael Franti's prior incarnation as a worthy peer of Public Enemy.

Generic 90s hip hop. Not my style

I listened to this album so many times when it came out and was lucky enough to see these guys live. Being so familiar with the album I feel like all the tracks are my favourite but I like Satanic Reverses (for the geography history lesson), Television The Drug Of The Nation, Music And Politics, and California Uber Alles.

Oh yeah, this is great! Nascent industrial hip-hop. I was familiar with "Television, The Drug of the Nation" of course, but hadn't heard anything else by them. It's a little bit clunky in places so not quite 5 stars, but I appreciate the experimentation... Fave track - "California Über Alles" - gotta love some Dead Kennedys getting recycled!

Very nice!

this is one hell of a Rap album..like nothing I've heard before. Highly political but globally so. Their song Television; The Drug of the Nation is jaw droppingly good. And other songs are just as intelligent. The vocals are fantastic...deep resonant, sounding at times like Chuck D but with more soul. The songs are musically interesting and yet easily accessible. Unfortunately Tidal has blocked 3 or 4 songs so I will have to find the album on youtube to get the full experience (I'm especially looking forward to hearing their take on the Dead Kennedy's California Ales.) As it is it's a 4.5 star album

Solo conocía "Television, the Drug of the Nation" por ser teloneros en las giras de U2 y Rage against the machine. Pero el disco en general empieza bien con "Satanic Reverses" , "Famous and Dandy (Like Amos and Andy)" y "Television, the Drug of the Nation". Después también estan bien: "Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury", "Everyday Life Has Become a Health Risk" y "Music and Politics". El disco es hip-hop de los 90, fue importante en su momento y como referencia general está bastante bien para mi gusto, pero no creo que sea algo imprescindible para la mayoría de la gente.

Good but too long....

Comença de forma magnífica amb el seus primers dos temes, i no baixa gaire el nivell al llarg del recorregut. Es repenja massa, però, en l'activisme i missatge polític que empapa tot el minutage del disc. Malgrat tot, i tot i la seva duració, més d'una hora, és un dels pocs discos de hip hop que no es fan pesats i llargs i fa un bon paper com un dels llegats rellevants de la primera meitat dels '90

Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury is an ok album that speaks to many issues of the time, and unfortunately still to a degree speaks to today's plights faced by many not just in the US but around the world. Best: The Winter of the Long Hot Summer Worst: Water Pistol Man

Now that's a hip hop album I could listen to all day. Political sophisticated lyrics, that couldn't be more relevant with beautiful low beats that's suits today's music Definitely not 90s recognizable . Nothing more to say. Just perfect!

This is . . . not a very good hip-hop album. I was really excited to hear it after reading the Wikipedia entry. There are samples from a bunch of songs that I really like. It's from a cool era of hip-hop that has a bunch of hidden gem albums I haven't heard yet. It's politically conscious. The execution is lacking, however. Michael Franti provides a very superficial analysis of the world. The lyrics just aren't good, and he doesn't rhyme very well. Rapping without rhyming is just talking in a weird cadence. This album leaves me feeling flat in much the same way I felt when I saw Michael Franti and Spearhead live. It feels like it could be good, but it's not. It feels lazy. Every song feels like he was inspired to try and make a Public Enemy song, but then he got tired halfway through and gave up. 3/5 The political content and music are pulling a lot of weight in this score. He is talking about a lot of issues that were not common points of discussion at the time. He's just talking about them without much insight

Wow! I really liked this album. Great stories and told clearly (disclaimer, my suckass hearing needs discernable words). Hit me in the intellectuals with his thoughtful approach to describing the modern hypocrisy

I'm sure that this is an essential hip-hop album and it listens to it in 1992 probably was a great thing. 30 years later (!!!), it sounds like a very good hip-hop album, which is also impressive, but not so impressive as it was in the 90s.

enjoyed the sound!

Cool instrumentals with politically charged lyrics. I dig it. Favourites: "Television The Drug Of The Nation", "Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury", "Music And Politics"

Did not really like this. Very political, however.

whomegalul

Still topical

Should’ve given this more attention.. sounded good, but didn’t really invest. One to revisit!

Never had heard of this artist but enjoyed the sound. Kind of a tough listen at times because I felt you really had to concentrate on lyrics to get full impact of music. Appreciate it for what it is. 2.5/5

very interesting album. talks about some deep stuff. was pleasantly surprised at how much i liked it

I wanted to give this a 5 for the first 30 seconds - the music is great, old mate's voice is pretty cool when he gets flowing - but the lyrics are beyond shithouse. It's just a collection of surface-level societal complaints that made me roll my eyes whenever they stuck out. TV bad, coca-cola bad, racism bad, healthcare system bad, mobile phones bad, society in general bad. I can take the "I'm 14 and this is deep" approach, I have no problem with it (see: RATM), but the delivery needs to fucking THUMP (see again: RATM). This guy's delivery fell short whenever the lyrics were at their cringiest - surely he felt silly saying half this shit. Bad combo. That being said, once I managed to tune out of the words this was very, very listenable. It had those old school hip-hop beats, turntable shit, and the Chuck D impression really should make a reappearance someday soon. Today's rappers are all bland by comparison. 3/5.

This was the debut album from hip hop group The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy released in 1992. The album contains views on every major political issue from the early 90's - which got old to me very quick. The album was less about music/hip hop and instead focused more on talking about the issues with rhymes. The beats were good, but the rhyming got stale since it was similar topics over and over again. Perhaps this album was critically acclaimed at release because hip hop was still sorta new, but to me this album was boring.

I like Franti’s solo stuff so I hoped I would enjoy this. But I just found it dated and heavy handed, with none of the power that, say, Public Enemy’s early stuff still carries.

I'm not really a fan of this. I think I liked one song, maybe.

A halfway house between The Clash and Rage Against the Machine, that refocuses hip-hop's anger against the establishment and corporations. Still as relevant today as it was 30 (!?) years ago.

Maso

I’m a fan of Franti across his projects and solo output. Musically this did not do so much for me, just no my style. Lyrically the preach factor tended to outweigh flow, a borderline he transgresses pretty commonly (not to impugn the messages, it just doesn’t all gel for me as a whole composition)

I hadn't checked this out before but now it's clearly reminiscent of Public Enemy with a stern and somewhat cynical rebuke to the ills of society. I have to admit that the issues from the early 90's seem quaint, as in nothing has changed since then except for getting worse. The beats/samples and the figurative orator's podium pounding really draw in your attention. It differentiates from PE in that there is no jester like Flavor Flav for levity, so it does feel like an extended lecture by the school principal, or a 'scared straight' counselor.

Quite liked this. Seemed simple but that made it easy to listen to, and for him to get his message across. "The Winter of the Long Hot Summer" and "Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury" my favourite tracks.

Prophetic!

p686, 1992. 3.5 stars, leaning towards 4. Came to this absolutely cold. Don't usually like rap or hiphop but this was surprisingly good. Excellent production and accessible. Would happily listen to this again.

I actually didn't mind it that much but I can't see myself really listening ever again.

What a discovery! Brilliant!

3-; a lot of meaningful lyrics, A LOT. Important political problems, this layer of the album is a real top, but flow and instrumental are very repetitious. I enjoyed it, it was worthwhile.

2/5

Far too righteous. I love rap, i love Michael Franti & Spearhead, but this is just too heavy without any relief or excitement.

Great album. Beautiful chaos, ha. Some intense instrumentals which matched well with the content of the lyrics. It's interesting to hear Michael franti in this genre - really only known him with his upbeat songs

Preach

Veeeeerrry socially conscious. The messages were raw and well put together, so much focus was put in the lyrics and the tone was consistent throughout the album. The beats were great too, but sometimes the more spoken word delivery style didn't mesh as well with the musical elements and felt a bit disjointed. The message was clear but the flow wasn't as on point as what would have put this over the edge.

This is such a well thought out album. Every track on here had a message, the lyrics were incredible. Felt like a mix of rap and spoken word. I enjoyed this album a lot Favourite songs: Satanic Reverses, Socio-Genetic Experiment, Music and Politics

Pretty good. Took me a while to get into. But once you're in, you're in.

Not for me. More like spoken word poetry with some beats in the background. They didn't necessarily seemed like they went together, although some of the messages were really interesting.

Political hip hop very similar to Public Enemy in terms of both production and MCing. The problem with this particular album is that the political messaging takes precedence over the music, making the lyrics as dense as possible that it sacrifices any excitement found in Public Enemy's music. Production is also a snoozefest, though it's hard to top Terminator X.

Not my style. Good message bad execution.

Trash

Not my cup of tea.

Twas ok

Solid beats and production with good socially conscious lyrics. Just hard for me to listen to a whole album of it

Some old school rap here, for sure. Seemed a bit dated and tame to me, I dunno, just ok...

I didn't listen to hip hop until recently so I'm late to the game. Really enjoying the 90s rap & hiphop scene. Enjoyed this album though by the last two songs, it was blending together. Great lyrics. Great propulsive beat. Added to my collection.

Ah man, i've got to make notes as I listen rather than a week later, so I've re-listened. This is industrial, alternative hip hop, with some great samples. Very well produced, with interesting themes.

A rather drawn out prospectus some of which resonates today. Not really a style that lends itself to repeated listening.

Czlowiek doczekal sie czasow gdzie z dnia na dzien dwa murzynskie albumy lista zatosuje, o ile MBDTF to album znany raczej kazdemu kto siedzi w czarnej muzycie, tak dzisiejszy hypocrisy is the greatest luxury, to jak na standardy listy prawdziwie podziemny krazek, bo samemu pierwszy raz slysze na jego temat, banda i jej czlonkowie sa mi rowniez nieznani, tylko 19 wersji wyszlo na przestrzeni lat, a sama plyta jest z 92, gatunkowo jest to takze ciekawy przypadek, bo wiki glosi, ze jest to industrialny hip hop, wiec rap ktory swoje beaty opiera na elektronicznych brzmieniach, a czasem nawet na halasach, bo nie wiem jak to lepiej okreslic, ale oczywiscie nie brakuje bardziej tradycyjnego samplowania, ale i tak jest sporo zywych instrumentow, bo wikia podaje sporo ludzi zamieszanych w tworzenie albumu, gdyby mnie wiki nie zbaisowalo, to raczej upatrywalbym gatunkowo tutaj politycznego rapu, co juz zapowiada sam tytul czy nazwa bandy, liryka skupia sie na obnazaniu tej wszechobecnej hipokryzji w zyciu czleka, zwlaszcza czarnego w bialym swiecie hameryki, wiec nie obejdzie sie bez narracji meczensko mniejszosciowej, ale sporo jest tez o zyciu politycznym, balansowaniu interesowania sie sprawami na skale panstwowa i lokalna, jakkolwiek by to dziwnie nie brzmialo, hipokryzje spoleczenstwa i jego norm, czy przyjetego establiszmentu politycznego, hipokryzji w mediach czy w samej rapowej grze, mozna by wypisywac i wypisywac gdzie pan Michael Franti, ktory jest liderem i ojcem projektu, bo zarowno liryka i wokale, jak i producerka to jego udzial, dlatego tez pewnie znajduje sie na okladce, wiec banda tylko z nazwy, a bardziej projekt jednego czlowieka, ktory chcial stworzyc cos jeszcze bardziej politycznego niz public enemy i musze przyznac, ze mu sie udalo, ale za jaka cene, o ile lirycznie jest to przepakowana do granic mozliwosci godzina i szesc minut cedeka, to jednak ta liryka jest recytowana bardziej niz rapowana, chociaz w niektorych momentach brzmi faktycznie jak pan Chuck D, ktorym musial sie z pewnoscia inspirowac, chociaz niekiedy kalibrem swoich przemyslen bardziej pasuje tu porownanie z X clanem, chociaz nie czuc tak bardzo afrocentryzmu, tak czy inaczej ciekawy pick, zwlaszcza ze nie sadzilem, ze uslysze cos rapowego czego bym nie znam juz wczesniej, wiec po ponad 300 pickach lista zaskoczyla, na plejke wrzuce songa na temat otumianiana spoleczenstwa przy uzyciu tv, television the drug of the nation, temat jak zawsze aktualny

Not really a big fan of this "lecture disguised as music" type of thing. There were definitely some clever turns of phrases that elevated this a little bit but it was still a little too preachy for me. Has a distinct Public Enemy feel in some places. Also much of the album just seemed like reciting poetry over a beat.

Quite enjoyable, but a little too preachy at times. I mean, "Television, the Drug of the Nation" has not exactly aged well. That would have fallen on deaf ears during the lockdown. I can't imagine how these dudes feel about smartphones. It's still better than most rap albums I've heard so far from this list. But like seemingly all rap albums, it's a little long. Is there some rule that every rap album needs to be over an hour in length?

Was just talking to my dad about the tipping point where increasing awareness of all humanity's biggest and darkest problems goes from motivating to parylzing. This album is an insurmountable list of problems. Suggesting solutions is cheesy. I suppose music and songwriting, in this reviewer's humble opinion, is better suited for nuanced storytelling rather than an artless list of high level grievances. Shout out to TDHoH for bringing attention to social determinants of health (Everyday Life Has Become a Health Risk) a decade before the WHO got on board. Also I can't disassociate Michael Franti from his cornball solo stuff. Funny thing is you could put these cheesy lyrics in Zach De La Rocha's mouth and all of a sudden it feels important again. What can we do about any of this? Take care of those close to us. Make socially, environmentally, and fiscally informed consumer decisions. Support political candidates capable of passing policies to support basic human rights and equal opportunity. Dismantle a fundamentally unjust capitalist economy. Abandon all possessions and the concept of ownership. Surrender all (flawed) individual choice to an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, AI? Listen to Spotify. C+

Not all of the songs from this album were on Spotify, but I didn’t seek out the rest on YouTube b/c I think I get the gyst: socially conscious lyrics a la public enemy and RATM, with choruses which repeat like mantras, poetic refrains, like a new age Gil Scott Heron. At first I was excited, then I realized how repetitive it was and it wasn’t necessarily a nuanced take. College Sophomore Matt would’ve loved this. 2

Jesus christ this got exhausting fast. I can't keep up with the laundry list of complaints

“Michael Franti's "intellectual grasp thrusts him immediately into pop's front rank.” I BLOODY LOVE MICHAEL FRANTI.

Not as bad as I thought it'd be, but still not great.. Lyrics get a bit much after a while and instrumentals are uninspired

Interesting early conscious rap. Liked the lyrics, music was very generic, not a lot of movement.

Something about this really just didn't click with me. I think the beats were great, and I found the subject matter important stuff to discuss. I just don't think the MC had the skill or charisma to make what he was rapping about not sound super preachy and condescending. Oh well.

This album has only two issues that I think would bring it down to a 4: bloat and availability. With great political rhyming, immersive soundscapes, and a unique vocal performance, I think this album is of particular note when looking at the grand scheme of things.

Bon album old school hip hop, mais pas le plus groundbreaking non plus. Bonne production mais style de rap un peu redondant. Ça serait bien d'avoir l'album au complet sur les plateformes de streaming pour le réécouter.

Vissa roliga låter men inge vidare

Whoa, these guys come right at us, don't they. I like it. It totally works for what they're doing. Powerful lyrics and the music is fantastic they create to support them. Very cool rhythms and instrumentals; quite a departure from most hip hop/rap I've heard (which, admittedly, is not a significant sample size). My only real criticism is the lyrics sometimes seem to me to be a bit heavy-handed, but that's forgivable in this context. "Music And Politics" is so cool; reminds me of Beatnik stuff but sounds much more contemporary. I really want to check out their other album (looks like they made only two...too bad; I would LOVE to hear their artistic take on current times).

Excellent, political, trueschool hiphop. Taking a lot of inspiration from PE but much cleaner production.

I appreciate the sentiment but a bit samey.

Hmmm... ja. Vi är återigen tillbaka vid den allt så återkommande hip-hopen, på gott och ont. Jag vill komma närmare genren och kanske att detta är ett steg i rätt riktning? Så långt som själva rappandet går har jag inte så mycket att säga, just den delen av musik har jag helt enkelt ingen fallenhet för. MEN, det jag gör denna gång (jag vet inte om det är The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy som gör det eller om det är mer av ett val från mig att tackla det på det viset), är att jag lägger större märke till saker i låtarna som inte är kopplat till rappen. Mycket sköna baslinjer och intressanta ljud och knep som tar över, vilket gör detta till en mycket mer trivsam upplevelse än mycket annan hip-hop jag konsumerat. Med det sagt så kommer ändå den där känslan av ointresse som så ofta kommer, men det är betydligt mer sällan än vad jag tidigare upplevt. Jag tänker välja att tro att The Disposable Heroes of Hyphoprisy känner att dom inte behöver stå i centrum, att allt inte ska handla om den som står och slänger ur sig de poetiska och fräna orden i rapp fart, att det inte bara är att dra igång ett soft beat och ha en cool text. Utan att det handlar om så mycket mer. Jag väljer att göra denna bedömning, vilket höjer dom i mina ögon, och vidare också höjer albumets kvalite i mina öron. Bäst: Jag gillar "Music And Politics" och "Television The Drug Of The Nation"

ну классный хап чо, есть конечно поинтереснее варики лично для меня - трайб колд квест например, но это дело вкуса.

Este disco debe estar entre mis discos favoritos de hip-hop especialmente de los 90s. El sonido es emblemático, cuando se escucha de inicio parece simplemente que suena a todos los grupos de su momento, esas trompetas tipo Cypress Hill que a veces se atisban, los ritmos rápidos, agresivos pero sin sonar del todo a Gangsta Rap aun. Sin embargo con un poco de atención hay muchísimo más trabajo y composición, sonidos de jazz que vienen al frente sin hacer que se sienta una fusión ni quitando energía. Las letras son excelentes, tienen ese componente de importancia a problemas sociales, con caracter, sin tratar nada más de escucharse como si fuera "este es rap pero con mensajito". En realidad me parecen composiciones que líricamente se pueden sostener a sí mismas como si fueran poemas aun sin la música. Un disco casi desconocido que de verdad se debiera escuchar al menos una vez.

La mezcla está muy bien cuidada, muchos detalles en el fondo y buena métrica generan canciones pegajosas. Mi problema es que quitando un par de canciones en el medio, es básicamente una gran canción de una hora. Quizá sea que no es mi género y aunque las canciones no son malas per sé, se sienten de repente como relleno. Songs: Language of Violence, Music and Politics

Hip Hop + Critical Social... ok, tiene su mérito, pero este ha sido uno de los álbumes más aburridos y tediosos que han tocado. -_-

Más hip hop. Tiene momentos buenos, no lo niego: a veces estaba sin darme cuenta medio bailando y todo, pero me pareció largo y ese estilo de rapeo que es más bien un discurso me cansa bastante y lo usa prácticamente todas las rolas. Además siento que casi todas las letras son como de onda moral o algo así. No es que quiera que hablen de bling bling (eso en serio no me gusta) pero de pronto sí se siente que es una y otra y otra rola con esa carga.

Loved this album! So introspective

Wow! I never heard of these guys before. Very powerful

fun album, i’ll give it a 7/10 that’s gotta be the preachiest album I’ve ever heard, but honestly he made plenty of good points. I really liked Music and Politics, those were cool instrumentals to rap/sing over. and then Television, The Drug of the Nation was just a straight up classic. I’ve never been a huge old-school hip-hop fan (which is apparent in my previous reviews) i’m not too critical on it, it just isn’t really for me. This album was unique and had a lot of personality so that’s why i’m giving it the 7/10.

Very lyrically heavy hip hop. Definitely some cool tracks.

12. Hypocrisy is the greatest luxury - The Disposable Heroes of HipHoprisy. 13 tracks. I don't mind hip hop as long as I can understand the lyrics and this was better than ok if a little "samey". 3/5.

Old school hip hop, very political lyrically covering societal issues, global events / politics. Some interesting beats with unique elements, first track has a lot of Jazz Sax playing with the drum beat. Spoken Word style delivery on the lyrics, every now and then he "sings" a bit but mostly very monotone even-keel delivery, but that works because the content seems to be pretty deep. I enjoyed this, though it's a very long album with the majority of songs 6 minutes or longer. Back half kicks up the energy a bit, and has more classic hip hop, still keeps the political messaging but a bit more focused on the beats. California Uber Alles is a great takedown of the governer at the time this album was out. A lot of the messaging still applies today about stripping social programs and stuffing the pockets of the rich, not much has changed.

Un flow pas pire, tres engage et production minimaliste qui rend bien les paroles. 3

Hip hop with a message, most definitely. I'm instantly a fan. Hip hop is the only genre of protest anymore. This is from 1992, but even then - mainstream music has little to no message, but that is not the case with music like this. The lyrics here are a lot to take in. They are critical, but not afraid to be self-critical. There are injustices and cultural/social problems that affect all people. Its a classist society that created a racist society, so he takes aim at the racism by bringing up the elites control the narrative through money, sports, media, television, etc. Language of Violence is going to be my go-to as a father of young kids (obviously not sharing the full song with them for years to come). Dehumanizing the victim makes things simpler. Mob mentality, all of it. Really thoughtful here and terribly tragic. This album was a masterpiece. There are two tracks not listed on the YouTube playlist, a "cover" of Dead Kennedy's California Uber Alles and Water Pistol Man that I suggest be sought out if you listen to this album.

Favs: Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury, INS Mehs: Water Pistol Man This is the first album we've had where I'd never heard the album or artist at all before. I liked it more than I expected. I particularly like his rapping voice and how it flows and his lyrics. "The problem has never been our political logic but the way we enact it We can imagine a perfect society but can't maintain a decent relationship The failure found in the luxuries not in the hardships." Pretty good stuff.

“Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury” by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopistry (1992) This album is not so much recorded music as it is a collection of lengthy poems which can be characterized as politically motivated doggerel, with very occasional highlights of cleverness and thought provoking synthetic connections. Lyricist/MC Michael Franti’s political claims are too frequently unsubtle, confused, and governed by a tendentious selectivity that amounts to cookie-cutter left wing radicalism. This criticism applies as well to his positions with which I personally agree (such as “Television, the Drug of the Nation”). But Franti’s politics lack both internal consistency and nuance. For example, although television as a ‘cathode ray nipple’ is a powerful metaphor, it is spoiled by confusion with previous line “imagination is sucked out of children”, where the sucking goes the opposite direction. It’s incoherent. The one grand exception to this admittedly grim assessment is the masterful “Music and Politics”, where we get a glimpse of humility, transparency, and a healthy dose of self deprecation, almost turning the rest of the album on its head. But the most potent passages of this track are too obscene to use here as illustrations. It is both curious and nice, however, to simply note that humility and obscenity are not mutually exclusive. There are some powerful grooves, but once they start, they are unrelentingly repetitive and monotonously unmusical. Talented performances of jazz electric guitar (especially “Music and Politics”), bass, and drums are the only good musical features on this otherwise lamentable record (although it is relatively well produced). In a recording such as this, diction is essential, and Franti’s diction could stand much improvement. Performed poetry loses potency when consonants are swallowed by gluttonous vowels. While there is so much that could be improved, given the political impetus, one must ask “Should it?” 2/5

It's not necessarily bad, just a bit too intense.

I like the social commentary, but most of these songs just repeat the same words and go on for too long.

I was well into this when it first started. Though after a while it all generally faded into oneness. I'd struggle to pick out specific moments for you. I was taking care of a leeeeetle bit of work when it was on so I get the impression you gottsta listen to whatever the hell they're trying to say but I just couldn't stomach the attention for it. Would listen again. Let's be honest, this has got FOUR written all over it but let's slap a 3 on it and be done with it.

Started out hearing this as an adorable Public Enemy impression minus the Basquiat explosiveness, but it quickly impressed its own qualities, starting with the lyrics. "The only cola that I support would be a universal Cost Of Living Allowance", "Not a single TV station showed dissension / Or made mention of the censorship of information", "The kids don't get diplomas / They get used for gunboat diplomacy" probably aren't the best here, just the ones I wrote down. Once I saw them typed out, the differences from PE started to emerge. Chuck D is the militant orator, proselytising mid-battle and on the hoof, but Michael Franti raps like he's in a lecture theatre, reading verbatim from his painstakingly written notes. After that, the music starting to signify: contemplative, repetitive but soothing, carefully organised to sound like the antithesis of the stupefying and haphazard media misinformation that's got Franti so pissed. Chief among the musical gifts here is Music and Politics. A totally surprising all-timer (on firsall-timer jazz rap that can hang with the best of its type. Scored big for The Winter of the Long Hot Summer too. Never hurts when the 7 minute track is one of the best.

Muito tempo ouvindo rap não é pra mim. Pelo menos tem um sample de California über Alles

This is an emigma, its technically a decent album. Good instrumentals and voice, and would be best suited playing at night, but just couldn't get into it. Felt bored after the first half and got a bit repetitive. It's a 5 but as I didn't enjoy it, 2 stars.

Amazing that the message is still relevant. TDHoH, PE, BDP, KRS-ONE, Marvin Gaye… etc - the list can just go on and on. Black political music has long been speaking truth to power and yet goes unheard. I hope that messages like this will no longer have to be recorded.

Cool ! Alleen te lang

Oooh heerlijke rap vol politiek, bartje wou dat hij zo hard kon spitten

Whole album not on spotify

This is pretty dope. Some hard truths on here that is still felt today.

Political hip hop is not really my jam. Spoken word at an open mic night - sure.

It’s start promisingly enough, but quickly became repetitive and tedious. Boy this album os long on its very one dimensional. These guys have a message and they are gonna beat you over the head with that message for a full hour. Cuz see they are smarter than you, they see things you don’t see and understand the world in a way you do not, got it? Maybe this would be more palatable if they were so condescending in their approach. And actually at time the lyrics are laughably bad. Atrocious even. Listening to this so many years after it was released you could suggest the lyrics were prophetic but the truth is that simply nothing has really changed. They fancy themselves as political poets, in reality they are just a shit imitation of other bands who have done this type of thing much better.

Interesting album. Never heard of them. Unlikely to revisit but fun nonetheless.

interesting album with alot of smart content

Cool slam-like lyrics, classic beats

This is another one of those super political ones, but the music is fun. 0RS

Preachy, but that's okay

Can't say i liked it. Usually conscious hiphop is exactly my bag, this however, wasn't it. The rapper had the charisma and flows of a piece of wood. His subject matter, politics, felt forced, boring, his analysis very much just pointing out the bad with no real point, as i don't understand how this would inspire anybody. I completely agree with pretty much every point he makes, it's just so boringly made. Beats were decent though, but not enough to put this above 1 star.

Really great lyrics but unfortunately it does not flow.

Great lyrics, but it doesn't flow as well as songs