Michael Franti
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Michael Franti publicity photo |
Michael Franti (born
April 21,
1966, in
Oakland, California) is an
African,
Irish, and
German American poet,
musician, and
composer.Franti is currently the
singer-songwriter for
Spearhead, a
band that blends
hip hop with a variety of other styles including
funk,
reggae,
folk, and
rock.
Franti was part of the
industrial punk band
The Beatnigs with DJ
Rono Tse, which released a self-titled LP, and an EP
Television on
Jello Biafra's
Alternative Tentacles records, which achieved high status according to many reviewers.
His next project,
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, found Franti continuing his collaboration with Tse, and working with
jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, and
electronic musicians
Mark Pistel (
Consolidated) and
Jack Dangers (
Meat Beat Manifesto). The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy wrote biting, progressive lyrics that railed against the injustice of the world and yearned for democratic reform, set to a fusion of
industrial and
hip hop. Their first album won acclaim for its social commentary, and they were chosen by
U2 to open for their
Achtung Baby tour.
Franti and the Disposable Heroes put together another record of music accompanying
novelist William Burroughs' readings for an album entitled
Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales. This album diverged greatly from the style of the band's previous work, as they were largely providing musical background and accompaniment to Burroughs' spoken readings from several of his books.
In 1994, Franti formed a new band called
Spearhead. While he continued to create politically and socially conscious lyrics, Spearhead's music drew more from
funk and
soul than the industrial sound of his previous groups. Spearhead released their first album,
Home, in September of 1994. Their follow up album
Chocolate Supa Highway was released in March of 1997. It should be noted that these two albums were released under the band name "Spearhead", while the name on all subsequent albums would be "Michael Franti and Spearhead".
At the time, some in the
rap community attempted to dismiss Franti's critique of the rampant, overt violence present in
gangsta rap by ridiculing Franti's
white adoptive parents. But Franti's supporters note that he pushes for
peace and
justice regardless of
race, and attempts to address contemporary social issues in such as
AIDS,
homelessness,
kidnapping,
police brutality and the
death penalty. They also note that he is a tireless crusader for peace in the
Middle East, having recently returned from a visit to several countries in the region. Franti is an ethical
vegan.
In
1999, Franti retreated from the major-label grind to explore his music and
politics. He returned the following year as an organizer and cultural worker tied to the rising movements against the death penalty, the
prison-industrial complex and
corporate globalization, voicing his observations through his music.
Stay Human was released in
2000 on his own
indie label,
Boo Boo Wax and Six Degrees. The album's themes are justice and survival, touching on issues like
media monopolization and
incarceration. In an interview, Franti talks about what his message is now: "Half the record is songs about what's happening in the world right now, and the other half is about how we cope with it as people who are concerned about what's going on," he says. "This spectre of war, intimidation, this nation vs. the rest of the world, it wears us out. Half the record is a healthy dose of venting anger about that, and the other half is about how do we hold on to our spirituality, our community and our connectedness to each other." [
1]
Everyone Deserves Music was released in
2003. Franti composed many of the songs from his guitar and, like fellow
21st century cultural globalists
Manu Chao and
Ozomatli, continues to synthesize his eclectic influences. In a departure from the noise of the Beatnigs and Disposable Heroes, and the minimalism of early Spearhead, Franti's affirming lyrics are now set to appropriately swelling rock chords, while keeping a world-wise groove nodding towards reggae,
dancehall,
bossa nova,
Afrobeat, and funk. Anthems like the title track "Everyone Deserves Music", "Yes I Will" and "Bomb The World" are constructed with a nod to the
'80s rock of
The Clash and U2, as well as classic
soul from
Stax and
Motown. The song "We Don't Stop" (featuring
Gift of Gab from
Blackalicious and Spearhead's rapper/
beatbox technician Radioactive) even manages to bridge the two sounds in a "Magnificent Seven" style mash-up. And on "Love Why Did You Go Away" and "What I Be", Franti's reveals an alluring, sensual
singing voice. Two gems, "Pray For Grace" and "Bomb The World (Armageddon Version)" pair Franti with the reggae/funk giants
Sly and Robbie (Grace Jones, Rolling Stones, Black Uhuru, No Doubt), collaborations designed to move minds and bodies.
Everyone Deserves Music might be called a movement record dedicated to the preservation of "the motion of the hips." Also in 2003, Franti released a solo album,
Songs from the Front Porch. Unlike all of his previous albums,
Songs from the Front Porch is entirely acoustic and contains rearrangements of older songs from
Chocolate Supa Highway,
Stay Human and
Everyone Deserves Music as well as new material.
Spearhead continues to hit the
festival circuit worldwide, in addition to producing the annual
"Power to the Peaceful" festival, which has drawn more than 20,000 people to
Golden Gate Park in
San Francisco over the past seven years. In both popular music and the peace movement, Franti has never been more relevant and influential. Lyrics from his song "Bomb The World", written in the dark aftermath of
September 11, have found their way onto
protest signs and
T-shirts all over the world from
Los Angeles to
Berlin, San Francisco to
CNN, as millions have
marched for peace. "You can bomb the world to pieces," he sings, "but you can't bomb it into peace."
On
July 25, 2006, Michael Franti & Spearhead released their new album, entitled
Yell Fire!, inspired by Franti's trip to war-torn
Baghdad, the
West Bank, and the
Gaza Strip.
"Right now, people ask me, 'What can one person do to change what's going on with the world?'I don't know what one person can do except to connect with other people. In doing that, each of us play our roles," he says. "My role is as a storyteller and a songwriter. I'm somebody who is trying to keep the spirits of other people up, despite all the chaos and fear around us"
In the summer of
2004, Franti travelled with a group of friends to
Iraq, the territories within the Palestinian Authority, and
Israel. He brought
video cameras and a guitar with the intent of exploring the human cost of
war.
A compelling soundtrack, visual and musical montages, and Franti's intimate voiceovers make the
film speak to the
MTV,
X,
Y &
Z generations, as well as the
baby boomers. With its
guerrilla style footage captured in active war zones, the documentary is unlike the many academic and politically driven pieces in the marketplace, instead offering the audience a sense of intimate travel and the opportunity to hear the voices of everyday people living, creating and surviving under the harsh conditions of war and occupation. see also
I know I'm not alone* Since
2000 he is
walking through life
barefoot except, occasionally, for going on an
airplane or into a
restaurant when he wears
flip-flops. Franti feels there is a division in the world between the
consumer nations who buy
shoes and the nations where people
make shoes but
can't afford them. So he decided to go for three days without shoes, and liked it ever since.
| Artist | Title | Year | Label | | The Beatnigs | The Beatnigs | 1988 | Alternative Tentacles |
| The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy | Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury | 1992 | 4th & Broadway |
| The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy w. William S. Burroughs | Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales | 1992 | 4th & Broadway |
| Spearhead | Home | 1994 | Capitol |
| Spearhead | Chocolate Supa Highway | 1997 | Capitol |
| Michael Franti and Spearhead | Stay Human | 2001 | Six Degrees |
| Michael Franti and Spearhead | Everyone Deserves Music | 2003 | Boo Boo Wax |
| Michael Franti | Songs from the Front Porch | 2003 | Import |
| Michael Franti and Spearhead | Live in Sydney | 2005 | MVD |
| Michael Franti and Spearhead | Love Kamikaze (Singles and Remixes) | 2005 | Liberation |
| Michael Franti and Spearhead | Yell Fire! | 2006 | Anti |
*
1 Giant Leap*
9/11 Truth Movement Franti has signed the 9/11 Truth Statement calling for new investigations.
*
The World Can't Wait Franti has signed the public statement calling for the Bush administration to be driven from power.
*
SpearheadVibrations - official Website*
Power to the Peaceful - official Website*
I know I'm not alone - official Website*
FreakyandFree - Fansite from Australia*
LoveIsDaShit - Fansite from USA*
Power to the Peaceful - Fansite from Belgium*
Spearhead-Home - Fansite from Germany*
Michael Franti*
Mother Jones: Interview with Michael Franti* Go behind-the-scenes with Michael Franti on
KQED's Spark*
Listen to Michael Franti's song Bomb The World
