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What Protest Songs Sound Like in 2016

Nicholas Balanon via flickr Creative Commons
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https://flic.kr/p/rCWAPk
Kendrick Lamar performing at Pot of Gold music festival - Tempe AZ

Nina Simone, along with Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and countless others made important contributions to the rich canon of protest songs during the civil rights movement. A canon so strong, that the term "protest song" often conjures images of artists from the 1960s.

The tradition didn't stop there, however, it just sounds a bit different today. We spoke with Justin Charity, a staff writer with Complex magazine about what protest sounds like in 2016.

Below is the list of songs we discussed during the interview.

Listen to the interview:

Kendrick Lamar - "Alright"

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Janelle Monae - "What the Hell You Talmbout"

Killer Mike - Ferguson Grand Jury Speech

Rhiannon Giddens - "Cry No More"

D'Angelo - "1000 Deaths"

Prince - Baltimore

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