The Coup

The Coup were one of the most overtly political bands in rap history. Formed in the early '90s, the Coup were obviously influenced by the Black power rhetoric of "conscious" rappers like Public Enemy and KRS-One, but were perhaps even more inspired by a heavy-duty, Leftist reading list that included Marx and Mao. Lead rapper/producer Boots (born Raymond Riley) was involved in political activism long before he was a musician. His fervent dedication to social change, from his work with the Young Comrades through his deep involvement with the Occupy Oakland movement, was the over...