21st Century Wire says…
Activist and outspoken Hip Hop artist, Lowkey, has recently produced a haunting new track dedicated to the “Ghosts of Grenfell”. Lowkey does not shy away from confrontation with the ruling classes that he believes to have contributed to the tragedy that struck deep into the heart of London on the 14th June 2017.
21st Century Wire in collaboration with UK Column have conducted a series of interviews with residents of Grenfell Tower and the surrounding area since this devastating blaze destroyed not only the building but an entire community. Shock waves are still being felt even today and the establishment has tried to barricade itself against prosecution for negligence or even deliberate mismanagement, corporate manslaughter.
Lowkey’s hard hitting, poignant reminder can be heard here:
“Born of to an Iraqi mother and English father, [Lowkey] is a product of colonialism, the ancestors of Lowkey (real name Kareem Dennis) escaped Iraq in the 1970’s, according to his song “Cradle of Civilization,” a tribute to the land of Mesopotamia.
He rose to prominence in the British hip-hop scene entirely as an independent. He never signed with a record label as a matter of integrity and creative freedom. Lowkey has consistently warned the public against the illusion of “gangsterism,” which is pushed by rappers owned by corporate record labels who bank on gangster rap being used as a form of social engineering to dumb down the public into engaging in destructive behaviors, killing each other over drugs, all the while private prisons in Britain and America laugh all the way to the bank as they incarcerate the masses.
Lowkey’s music was filled with messages against egoism and especially against the objectification of women.
However, what caught the eye of the powers that be was his outspokenness about the ruling class in government, banking, media, and industry.[…]
Lowkey is not only outspoken as a hip-hop artist, but also as an activist. He spoke on the same stage as Julian Assange during a protest by Stop the War Coalition, a U.K.-based antiwar/pro-peace group led by iconic British politicians Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn, where he also was one of the few brave voices to speak out against Obama early into his presidency in 2009. He’s had appearances on many international news outlets as giving a series of lectures on Palestine with disabled British journalist Jody McIntyre and Jewish scholar Norman Finkelstein. Lowkey even turned down an appearance on the show of Tim Westwood, Britain’s most popular hip-hop radio/TV host, after Westwood was used as a propaganda tool by the BBC to promote the British occupation of Afghanistan.
Due to his outspokenness, as well as the respect he garnered from the eloquence and lack of profanity in his lyrics, he was targeted by the British government. According to a speech given in this video, in December 2010, Lowkey’s home was raided by the British government. They confiscated lyrics, clothes, merchandise, and anything with Arabic writing on it. On Lowkey’s last full-length album before his retirement, the song “Terrorist Part 2” delves into the situation surrounding his political arrest. No charges were ever brought against him, but he faced jail time for his activism for a better planet.
While he was able to tour America and Australia, he was not able to perform or even step foot in Westminster or London due to restraining orders placed upon him by the British government following his arrest. He was restricted from London because of the royal wedding happening under the guise of him being a threat to the Royal Family.
Due to his activism, the British government targeted him and many other activists. In that same speech, he referred to one of his friends who was beaten so badly by a police officer during a protest event, he needed brain surgery to survive. After facing a near death brutalization from British police, Lowkey’s friend stood trial and jail time. Additionally, Lowkey’s friend Jody McIntyre was pulled out from his wheelchair and beaten by police for non-violently protesting education cuts, which the police claimed was for McIntyre’s safety.
Lowkey referred to his targeting as being part of a systemic effort by the powers that be to control the way people look at the world by preventing individuals or groups from awakening members of the public to the actual reality we face in our world.”
Continue reading at Mint Press, After Being Targeted by UK Government, Lowkey Returns
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READ MORE GRENFELL TOWER NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Grenfell Files
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