Where shall we start talking about Class Actions? Anal sex with Kate Middleton on their The Royals anti Royal Wedding rap? Or perhaps their Fuck The BNP track? Or how about their Hooligan Sound video on YouTube complete with images of the Red Army Faction?
Nah, let's start with the music which is nowhere near the standard Chipmunk and Eminem hip hop and rap that's so at home on the music video channels. Class Actions are coming from somewhere else completely, where didgeridoos meet swirling synths in producer Mike F's original backing tracks, with huge added beats where they're needed.
At the fore is Aslan AK, half rapping, half chatting, half chanting but always nailing his political heart to one great big mast.
"Musically we don't fall into any category, grime, hip hop, pop rap or whatever" says Aslan AK "What's great about Class Actions is that the musical side is such a great fusion. And lyrically we're dealing with social and political themes that not enough people are addressing. Obviously some rappers are like Public Enemy, MC Nxt Gen's Andrew Lansley Rap, Immortal Technique…Our lyrics have intellectual depth, it's not just a case of loads of rap clichés.
Mike F agrees: "We're not going to be pigeon holed into doing the same thing, which gives us space to work with other musicians who are in a genre" he adds "It gives us more variety and different styles."
What is constant all the way through Class Actions' music is the sentiments of the far left for which they don't apologise. Their anti Royal Wedding rap, The Royals, hit The Guardian on wedding day, and their Fuck The BNP rap has brought threats. But the collective also cover issues like the takeover of Liverpool by Militant councillors twenty years ago, and have done a song for politician Tommy Sheridan who went down for perjury recently.
Cherie Blair also features on a track called Terrorist on their debut album Keep Your Pride which came out last year, while Margaret Thatcher's chilling `U-turn if you want to' speech begins a brilliant song with a circus feel called M Is 4 Maggie which has the chorus `Thank you very much for what you did for me/There's no such thing as society…'
Indeed, every sound aims to blow up mainstream ideology, or as one track titles it, `Repress Your Oppressor' and another titles it `House Nigger No More'…
"We've got a video coming out this year for House Nigger No More which is one of our more controversial songs" says Aslan AK without a hint of irony "We got a lot of criticism for using the `N' word and we even debated it on radio. But it's an anti racist song with a twist. House Nigger is a term that black people working on slave plantations used to describe anyone who worked closely with the plantation owner. We extended the term to include anyone who brown noses their oppressors. Scabs if you like."
Meanwhile, Class Actions have got a free Mixtape coming out on May 30th called ConDem Killers Volume 1…
"It's called ConDem Killers because we believe that the current government's policies will result in the death of lots of ordinary people, so it's parodying their policies" says Aslan AK "And there's also going to be a Volume 2 this year before we release our second album in 2012."
While Class Actions are aiming for national targets, the inspiration is coming from their homes in Weaste and Seedley in Salford – from the sounds of Happy Mondays, to the view from the top of Eccles Old Road…
"From there you can look across the city to the Quays and you can see the opposites of two worlds" says Mike F "When you look down there you can see people scraping to make a living and then in the distance all these flats where people don't have anything to do with the community. It's terrible the way this is happening around an area where people are having their houses bought out for nothing, then redeveloped, and they can't go back to the place where they were living."
To underline the Salford connections, Class Actions are playing live at the Salford Against The Cuts gig this Friday (27th May) at Islington Mill.
"In my view it's very important to play it, we practice what we preach" says Aslan AK "We don't just do political songs, we're politically active as well. We believe that working class and middle income people shouldn't suffer because of the bankers' mess and Government cuts.
"When I write my lyrics I take no prisoners, there's no holds barred, and I'm prepared to put my neck on the line" he adds "We stand up for what we believe. How many people write raps about Margaret Thatcher, Militant, the Royal Wedding? Not many but I'm just glad we're doing something different."
Class Actions are certainly doing something different. And then some.
Absolutely crucial for 2011. And beyond…
To download a free copy of ConDem Killers Volume 1 and more info on the band go to www.classactionsuk.com , where you can also listen to the Keep Your Pride album and other tracks, including The Royals.
Class Actions are one of five bands playing live for Salford Against The Cuts this Friday at Islington Mill. Click here for further details.
See also the video for Holligan Sound on You Tube click here
And see more on The Royals rap on Salford Star click here
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
(3).jpeg)
.png)
(1).JPG)
