From Public Enemy to J. Cole and DMX, Hip-hop has continued to take a stance for civil rights
and equal opportunity paying homage to those who lost the fight and those that keep
fighting. 2022 was the year for Hip-Hop, as we close the 50th year of one of music’s most
influential genres Oakland’s own Ras Ceylon gave the world his latest album “To Srv The Ppl”.
The politically charged album sends a message of positivity and hope for social change.
Ceylon, a huge supporter of the Justice for Oscar Grant movement, dedicated this project to his
continuing efforts to rise above oppression and advocate for the voices who cannot speak for
themselves. The project being his 1st project in 10 years (7th overall) was the perfect release to
end the year. The project starting from its cover art, paints the story of injustice, economic corruption, the Covid-19 Pandemic, the rise in rebellion and riots in the United States and more.
The project made its mark for us at Digiindie from the cover art down to the last track. The cover
art is a photo of Ceylon at the Oscar Grant protest against Johannes Mehserle, who was released
after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and serving just 11 months in county jail.
The photo itself shows that he lives for his purpose.
The project is an electrifying melding of hip-hop, reggae and dancehall with the lyrics revolving
around freedom, family, his spiritual and political stances. He calls for a revolution in the song
“Resolution” fusing both hip-hop dancehall and reggae calling for everyone to come out of the
dark and be their true selves. “Summer of 2020” serves as an anthem of what happened to the country. You can feel the conviction as he aggressively discusses the riots and rebellions following the isolation of the pandemic, police brutality and giving power to the people after George Floyd and Breonna Taylor murders. For real hip hop, checking out this project is a must.
