Best Songs about Anti-Racism/Non-Discrimination

Attention!!!

Are we not all guilty of racial profiling? In the wake of the terrible rise of ISIS, we see the gradual slow but steady ascension of racism. Discrimination is only skin deep, but not all of us are colour blind. The Holocaust was a horror for all of us, not just the Jews which suffocated in the gas chambers. The massacres and genocide in the name of purifying regions and nations has become a contemporary nightmare around the world, particularly in Africa and Asia. That does not in anyway mean that in the elitist areas of the developed Western world, that bigotry is dead. For those of African descent with dark skin have suffered immense discrimination at the hands of those with white skin, especially in the Americas. 

The root cause of racism is the mistrust among communities and terror outfits such as LTTE and ISIS have paved the way for certain ethnicities being classified and profiled as terrorists. The ugly truth is that the violent separatism advocated by the Tamil Tigers and the incessant Jihadist butchery of the IS militants have lead the world to stereotype these communities. #SayNoToRacism is a slogan popularized by activists, mainstream and social media these days. However, it is relevant to note how much of it has had an actual effect. 

Music has over the years dealt with many issues and non-discrimination is an area which it has touched upon, although there is no significant number. Bob Marley and the Wailers' War takes the crown as the Rastafarian sings bravely about the equal rights for different races. Michael Jackson with his 90s hit Black or White takes second place and the King of Pop is the only one to have two entries on the list. At a close third is Eddy Grant's Gimme Hope Jo'anna which refers to the Apartheid which prevailed in South Africa. There is no typical genre as it varies from pop and rock to reggae and rap. So here are the Top 25 songs about anti-racism and non-discrimination:

1. Bob Marley and the Wailers – War
2. Michael Jackson – Black or white
3. Eddy Grant – Gimme hope Jo’anna
4. Vanessa Williams – Colours of the wind
5. Billie Holiday – Strange fruit
6. Lady Gaga – Born this way
7. Bob Dylan – Hurricane 
8. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the love?
9. John Legend & Common – Glory
10. John Lennon – Imagine
11. B.o.B. ft. Taylor Swift – Both of us
12. Sam Cooke – A change is gonna come
13. Race Against The Machine – Killing in the name
14. Boyzone – A different beat
15. Sly and the Family Stone – Everyday people
16. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – Ebony and ivory
17. En Vogue – Free your mind
18. Jay-Z – 99 Problems
19. Michael Jackson – They don’t care about us
20. Gwen Stefani – Long way to go
21. Aerosmith – Livin’ on the edge
22. Cher – Half-breed
23. Red Hot Chili Peppers – The power of equality 
24. 2Pac ft. Pogo – I don’t give a fuck
25. Scatman John – Scatman’s world 

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!

Xposition - October, 2015

Attention!!!

Country Music's biggest night is just a few days away. The 2015 Country Music Association Awards or CMAs for short is to be held on November 4, 2015 hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley for the eighth consecutive year. Some of the biggest names in the industry have been nominated. Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Kelsea Ballerini are vying for the New Artist of the Year. It's a big battle among the contenders for Song of the Year - Kenny Chesney's American Kids, Little Big Town's Girl Crush, Lee Brice's I Don't Dance, Sam Hunt's Take Your Time and Eric Church's Talladega. All the heavyweights in the industry such as Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line, Zac Brown Band, Kacey Musgraves, Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood are all nominated. 

Next up we have the American Music Awards to be held on November 22, 2015 hosted by none other than Jennifer Lopez. Taylor Swift leads the nominations with 6 including Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Song of the Year. Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd have been each nominated 5 times while Nicki Minaj, Meghan Trainor and Sam Smith have been nominated four times. Swift, who has 16 career AMAs to her name (three of which are artist of the year honors), is a sweep away from eclipsing Whitney Houston as the AMAs' most decorated artist. Song of the Year can be anyone's guess as radio favorites like Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's See You Again, Uptown Funk! by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars, Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud and The Weeknd's Can’t Feel My Face and Swift's Blank Space face off. 

Moreover, Swift's Blank Space video has become the most watched video on VEVO surpassing Justin Bieber's Baby which previously held the record having garnered more than 1 billion views. Swift's milestones do not end there as there are whispers and whiffs of the contenders for the 2016 Grammys with Swift leading the way. With the eligibility period for the Grammys (September 30, 2015) behind us, now its going to be all about the Grammys. The contenders for the Album of the Year include Swift's 1989, The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, and Foo Fighters' Sonic Highways. 

For Record of the Year we have so many contenders but which one will get the nod. Uptown Funk!, Thinking Out Loud, Can't Feel My Face, Blank Space and Cheerleader all seem to be favored. For Song of the Year it does not seem to be a different blend since we do not know which song of The Weeknd or Swift will be chosen and what of Thinking Out Loud, Uptown Funk and also Rachel Platten's Fight Song, Lady Gaga's Til It Happens To You and John Legend and Common's Glory. 

Now we come to the 2015 MTV Europe Music Awards. With star studded performances by Jason Derulo's Want To Want Me, Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do, James Bay's Hold Back The River, Justin Bieber's What Do You Mean? and a stunning curtain closer with Pharrell Williams' Freedom the show proved to be entertaining. Best Song went to Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar's Bad Blood whilst Best Video went to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' Downtown. Some of the other significant winners include:

• Best Female - Rihanna
• Best Male - Justin Bieber
• Best New Act - Shawn Mendes
• Best Pop - One Direction
• Best Electronic - Martin Garrix
• Best Alternative - Lana Del Rey
• Best Hip-Hop - Nicki Minaj
• Best Rock - Coldplay

Meanwhile, the most anticipated song of the year debuted at the end of the month although its eligibility for the Grammys falls short. Adele's Hello is supposed to be the fastest selling digital single of 2015 which may break the record achieved by Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do early this year. Hello's performance on the charts are yet to be determined, although it is hyped up to debut at No.1. It's video is the second fastest to reach 100 million views second only to PSY's Gentleman which reached this feat in merely 4 days.

Over to the UK where this year's biggest chart battle, the prestigious Christmas No.1 looks pretty open for grabs. With the X Factor finals being held two weeks prior to Christmas, the crowning song will only debut on the charts the week prior to Christmas, which leaves the slot open. For the past two years the X Factor winner's singles Sam Bailey's cover of Demi Lovato's Skyscraper and Ben Haenow's cover of OneRepublic's Something I Need both debuted atop the charts during the Christmas week. So will it be a charity single, a fan favorite or a Christmas carol/song that takes the crown; we will have to wait and see.

Lady Gaga is to be feted as Billboard's 2015 Woman of the Year, succeeding Taylor Swift, who was bestowed with the honorary title that also celebrated Aretha Franklin, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Jessie J, Charli XCX and Idina Menzel at the Billboard's annual Women in Music event. She is to be felicitated for her industry leadership, artistry, philanthropy, innovative contribution to music and inspiration to millions. Meanwhile, Selena Gomez who is on a chart topping streak with her newest album Revival and smash hits The Heart Wants What It Wants, Good For You and Same Old Love will be honored with the Chart Topper award at the event, which was given to Iggy Azalea last year.

Moving on to the charts, in the US The Weeknd continued to reign atop the Hot 100 after replacing his Can't Feel My Face with The Hills. The latter gained quite a following after two remixes involving Eminem and Nicki Minaj were released. The Hills remained at the top for the entire month although Drake's Hotline Bling peaked at No.2 during the month attempting to grab the crown. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams and Shawn Mendes' Stitches entered the Top 10 during the month.

In the UK, Justin Bieber continued his reign with his comeback hit What Do You Mean? into the first week of October although it was replaced by Sam Smith's Writing's On The Wall during the second week. Writing's On The Wall released from the soundtrack of the newest James Bond film Spectre is the first James Bond theme song to reach the top in the UK. The third week saw Bieber returning to the top with What Do You Mean? and remained at the top for another week accumulating five non-consecutive weeks atop the charts. KDA ft. Tinie Tempah & Katy B's Turn The Music Louder (Rumble) took the crown in the fifth and final week.

Other songs which became popular during the month were:

• One Direction - Perfect
• Justin Bieber - Sorry
• Ellie Goulding - On my mind 
• Natalie La Rose ft. Fetty Wap - Around the world 
• Olly Murs - Kiss me 
• Selena Gomez - Same old love 
• Naughty Boy ft. Beyonce & Arrow Benjamin - Runnin' (lose it all)

Till the next beat...

At Ease!!!