Spinning the Music
By Simisola Komolafe, 09.27.06

Extending their platforms beyond the musical stage, musicians are lending their voices to social causes.

Artists like Alicia Keys, Jay-Z and Gwen Stefani are supporting causes like water distribution, aids awareness and hurricane relief efforts.

“To an extent, I can understand where they are coming from,” said Jorge Retamal, a 23-year-old musician. “Everybody wants to pursue greatness and affect the world.”

As a solo artist and lead musician for “One Accord” Jorge Retamal agrees that mainstream musicians have become more political. Retamal sees that some musicians have peaked in popularity and would like to make a positive difference in society.

Unfortunately, not all artists who endorse social causes do it for the right reasons.

“Sometimes they don’t know what they are talking about,” Retamal said. “They have a cause just to have a cause. It may be something to make them feel good.”

An artist pushing a political agenda may not be received well by fans.

“It may be frustrating for fans who go to a concert expecting music not a run down of political views,” Retamal said.

For Retamal, when large groups of music artists gather together to push a political agenda like Bush bashing, it is not constructive.

Josiah Reid, member of the band, “The Novel I” agrees. Although he has a background in political science, Reid says musicians should not push political agendas due to the fact that lot of mainstream artists have no political credibility.

“If an artist is supporting a non-political cause like sponsoring a child, it’s cool,” Reid said.

Reid said he respects an artist like Bono because has established political credibility through traveling the world and meeting with presidents and political leaders. On the other hand Reid disagrees with the methods of a band like “Greenday,” who devoted an entire album to bashing President Bush.

“When I go to a concert, I don’t really want to hear a band preach,” Reid said. “They are losing fans by doing that.”

Joshua David Hanna, a musician for 24 years, has mixed feelings about musicians promoting global causes.

“It depends on their motives and also what they support,” Hanna said. “Nothing is worse to me than seeing an artist publicly supporting, helping people-type causes but they make records singing about how they hate everyone or that life is terrible with no resolve,” Hanna said.  “I've never understood this.”

Hanna wonders if musicians are promoting social causes because caring sells or if they are doing it in order to truly help people.

“It's hard to tell,” Hanna said. “I am happy that good does come out of it though.”