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Freeplay: Civillianslave
By Shannon Yoshida
syoshida@mscd.edu

Civillianslave A Future In The Hands Of Fools

Who doesn’t like bashing the government?

Certainly Civillianslave shows the government no mercy on his latest hip-hop production, the 10-track LP A Future In The Hands Of Fools.

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Civillianslave’s records are produced with his PC and through live recordings. Sketchy production is expected with such a low-budget approach, but the main focus is his message. The album shows a wide variety of instruments and tones, with lyrics critical of the “system” in the United States.

In his first track, “Demokrassy,” blaring bagpipes turn the song into an anthem as he yells lyrics reminiscent of Bob Marley’s: “Get up, stand up/ and fight for your life/ This is what democracy sounds like.” The short song flows into the second and third tracks, which display gloomy backbeats and the same strong lyrical ideas.

The fourth song sports Indian-sounding instrumentals and shows Civillianslave’s true bitterness toward the government. His lyrics put his rebellion on parade: “Capitalism forced by the barrel of a gun,” he says, and, “For the rich, by the rich/ that’s how the story goes.”

Track seven introduces a lighter side of Civillianslave with mild beats sprinkled with brief, almost hidden piano notes and hints of violin.

Ultimately inspired by Saul Williams, Civillianslave writes his songs with a purpose, as opposed to mainstream rap about bitches, cars and money. He wants his music to be shared rather than becoming a lucrative asset, which is why he only puts his music on free websites. The record flaunts a revolutionary appeal while sticking to an underground hip-hop edge. There are no record labels for Civillianslave. As he writes on his MySpace webpage: “Fuck multinational record companies.”