The Coup

The Coup is a hip-hop group based in Oakland, California. It formed as a three-member group in 1992 with rappers Raymond "Boots" Riley and E-Roc along with DJ Pam the Funkstress. E-Roc left on amicable terms after the group's second album, and The Coup is now a duo.

History

The Coup, politically radical and Marxist in their music, align themselves with other radical hip-hop groups like dead prez. Their music is characterized by electronic sounds and bass-driven backbeats overlaid by humorous, cynical and sometimes violent lyrics criticizing capitalism, American politics, prostitution, and police brutality, among other things.

The Coup's debut album was 1993's Kill My Landlord. In 1994 they released their second album, Genocide and Juice. After a four-year recording hiatus, the group released the critically acclaimed Steal This Album in 1998, with a title reminiscent of anarchist Abbie Hoffman's Steal this Book, and a stand-out single in "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night". The online magazine Dusted called Steal This Album "the best hip-hop album of the 1990s". [1]

In 2001, The Coup released Party Music to widespread praise; however, in part due to distribution problems, sales of the album were low. The original album cover art depicted group members Pam the Funkstress and Riley standing in front of the twin towers of the World Trade Center as they are destroyed by huge explosions; Riley is pushing the button on a guitar tuner. The album's planned release date was just after the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the cover art was withdrawn hastily. The cover art was finished in June 2001; there was no connection between the band and the attacks. The album release was held back as alternative cover art was prepared.

The attention generated to the album's cover art generated some criticism of the group's lyrical content as well, particularly the Party Music track "5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO". The song's rap includes lines like, "You could throw a twenty in a vat of hot oil/When he jump in after it, watch him boil". Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin cited the song in calling The Coup's work a "stomach-turning example of anti-Americanism disguised as highbrow intellectual expression". [2]

On November 15, 2005, Tarus Jackson (AKA Terrance), who had joined the group as a "hype man", was shot dead during a robbery at his home in Oakland.[3]

December 2, 2006 saw another tragedy for The Coup: About two hours following a performance at the San Diego House of Blues, the tour bus in which they were riding drove off the road and flipped over before becoming engulfed in flames.[4] All passengers managed to climb out alive, though some were badly injured. They did, however, lose all of their clothes, computers, cash, identification, house/car keys and cell phones as well as all of their instruments and sound equipment. Since an insurance settlement is potentially a year away, they were forced to cancel the rest of their tour. They have set up a PayPal account on their MySpace page for donations.

Current members

Boots Riley

Since the age of 14, he has considered himself to be a communist:

I think that people should have democratic control over the profits that they produce. It is not real democracy until you have that. And the plain and simple definition of communism is the people having democratic control over the profits that they create. [5]

In 1991, he and other artists founded the Mau Mau Rhythm Collective, a group set up to use the power of hip hop music to publicize other efforts and movements. The next year, Riley founded The Coup.

Riley wrote and performed the music for The Simpsons episode "Pranksta Rap". Matt Selman wrote the lyrics for the songs.

Pam the Funkstress

Pam the Funkstress was a student of the late DJ Prince of Charm. In addition to DJing, she currently owns and operates a successful catering business in northern California. As of the 2006 tour promoting Pick a Bigger Weapon, Pam does not tour with The Coup. Instead, Boots performs with a three-man band.

Discography

Sources

• The Coup's official website
• Speakoutnow.org on Boots Riley
• people.bandwave.net
• Piccadilly Catering Pam the Funkstress' catering business

Wikipedia information about The Coup This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Coup". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.