1993
While most of his peers were rapping about crime and sex, 22-year-old Oakland native Boots Riley revived the political legacy of his Black Panther predecessors to create Kill My Landlord. It was the first hyper-political album from the West Coast that didn’t feel preachy or dull. Riley’s thick, organic-sounding beats reveled in '70s-style funk, and his down-home delivery only lent credence to the revolutionary messages of “Not Yet Free,” “Liberation of Lonzo,” and “Kill My Landlord.” His mission is best stated in a line from “The Coup”: “Getting drunk off liberation/F**k the Hennessey.” |
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1993 KMEL Dj Battle "the elimination"This was one of the first biggest battles that Pam the Funkstress made her debut to the big stage in San Francisco at City Nights. This video is just a glimpse of what was to be for the next 24 years.
Shout out to all those that were in the building. |
1994
The problem with most political rappers is that they frequently alienate themselves from their audience by criticizing fellow rappers and talking down to them. The Coup’s Genocide & Juice took the opposite tact, as group leader Boots Riley included Bay Area gangsta rappers like Spice-1 and E-40 in his juicy criticisms of the capitalist system. “Hip 2 tha Skeme,” “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish,” and “The Name Game” refuse to differentiate between street culture and revolutionary theory. Within a few years rappers would be openly idolizing CEOs, but the sidesplitting and scathing “Pimps (Free Stylin’ at the Fortune 500)” is a more persuasive take on corporate culture.
The problem with most political rappers is that they frequently alienate themselves from their audience by criticizing fellow rappers and talking down to them. The Coup’s Genocide & Juice took the opposite tact, as group leader Boots Riley included Bay Area gangsta rappers like Spice-1 and E-40 in his juicy criticisms of the capitalist system. “Hip 2 tha Skeme,” “Fat Cats, Bigga Fish,” and “The Name Game” refuse to differentiate between street culture and revolutionary theory. Within a few years rappers would be openly idolizing CEOs, but the sidesplitting and scathing “Pimps (Free Stylin’ at the Fortune 500)” is a more persuasive take on corporate culture.
1998
An extended edition of the 1998 Coup album Steal This Album, Steal This Double Album is not quite like anything else from the landscape of late-'90s hip-hop. These 17 songs show group leader Boots Riley pushing his beats toward the sound of a live band—all the better to emphasize his vision of a political movement powered by human strength. His lyrics remain focused on a critique of the American capitalist system, but his concepts have become cleverer and more audacious. “Me and Jesus the Pimp in a ’79 Granada Last Night” takes down capitalism, Christianity, and misogyny under the guise of a blaxploitation narrative. |
2006
In 2006, with the country mired in a Middle Eastern war and facing the oversights of the Bush administration, The Coup made the happiest-sounding record of their career. Despite its militant title, Pick a Bigger Weapon is danceable, lovable, and frequently hilarious. At the same time, the lyrics sting. Upbeat tunes like “Laugh/Love/F**k” and “ShoYoAss” rail against political complacency and ignorance. That the album is subversive is part of what makes it so fun, though it also boasts a few conspicuous fight songs, including “My Favorite Mutiny,” which feels like the ignition point for a unstoppable rally. |
1998By embracing a tighter, more traditional brand of hip-hop than he had on 1998’s Steal This Album, Boots Riley helped make 2001’s Party Music one of The Coup’s most convincing statements. “Wear Clean Draws,” “Ghetto Manifesto,” and “Tight” are three of the nastiest beats of Riley’s career, and even the rock-infused “Lazymuthafu**a” is driven by a ferocity that should be feared by feebler rappers. Riley’s intelligence is matched by his gutsiness. While Jay Z made CEO worship a fixture of hip-hop culture, The Coup were unafraid to dismantle his posturing with the merciless—yet highly danceable—“5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O.”
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2012
13 Songs, 46 Minutes Preview EDITORS’ NOTESThe Coup emerged from Oakland in the early '90s, dropping its debut--Kill My Landlord, featuring the hit single "Dig It"—in 1993. Several more records (Genocide & Juice, Steal This Album, and Party Music) followed, with the last of those making headlines due to its controversial Twin Towers cover art. Defiantly anti-establishment and pro-revolutionary, The Coup's frontman, Boots Riley, is a outspoken activist heavily involved in various political movements (such as anti-war groups and Occupy). Over the years, The Coup's music has become more and more message-oriented. While the group has been using a live band for awhile now, Sorry to Bother You is its most non–hip-hop project to date; it's concept album much heavier on the punk-pop guitars than traditional beats and samples. Lyrically it's still rock-solid and reliably anti-authority, but older fans might be surprised by The Coup's new sonic direction. Check out "You Are Not a Riot," "The Guillotine," and "We've Got a Lot to Teach You, Cassius Green." |
Pam The Funkstress Ill Techniques XXL Magazine April 2002
Ms Pam the Funkstress - Soundcloud/ 2014 - 2015
One of the nations most recognized female DJs, Pam The Funkstress is a true pioneer. The Hip Hop community has embraced The Funkstress for more than a decade not only as a club DJ but as a performing artist. She busted out on the recording scene as a member of The Coup. The Funkstress has been featured in music publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine, 4080, Rap Pages, Ms., Fader and Wired just to name a few. Known for cuttin’ the wax with more than just her hands, she has been asked to grace the opening stage for the elite in Rap music. From KRS-One to Grandmaster Flash to Sean “Puffy” Combs in Europe, Pam The Funkstress has answered the call of duty to get the crowd fired up.
Dope Magazine - Last interview -
Thank you dope Magazine for doing this article on Pam in your December 2017 The Women's Issue .