Rap Against the Machine

Hip-hop has become the protest music of the 21st century. Even striking workers in Serbia are now marching to the beat of local rappers Belgrade Syndicate, writes Aleksandar Mitic in the Prague-based cultural Webzine Central Europe Review. In late 2002, an independent labor syndicate blared the tune ?Here Comes the Syndicate? over loudspeakers as workers rallied outside the Serbian parliament building. And a new single released last fall called ?Govedina? (?Beef?) caused a political uproar with its blistering verbal assault on the new political elites of Serbia and Montenegro. The main state TV station refused to air the song?s video, and band members even appeared side-by-side on a TV talk-show with Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica.
-Leif Utne

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