West Coast Hip Hop Artist and Activist to Appear at Carleton College

Raymond “Boots” Riley, an Oakland, California-based rapper and activist, will appear Friday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m. to speak in the Carleton College Concert Hall. The appearance, part of a series of events taking place at Carleton in conjunction with Black History Month, is free and open to the public. Contrary to a previous report, Riley will not be performing but will instead talk about his efforts as a passionate advocate for change.

Famous for combining his two passions, music and activism, Riley is attributed with creating a new medium called Raptivism, hip hop for social justice. Riley is co-founder of the hip hop group The Coup, a fiercely outspoken collective whose song titles, such as “5 Million Way to Kill a CEO,” are considered rallying cries for social activism. The Coup’s music is characterized by electronic sounds and bass driven beats overlaid with politically motivated lyrics on American politics, police brutality and racism.

In 2001, Rolling Stone and the Village Voice both named the band’s release “Party Music” best hip hop album of the year and the Washington Post selected it as best pop album of the year. Rolling Stone calls their latest release, “Pick a Bigger Weapon” (2006), “the rare record that makes revolution sound like hot fun on a Saturday night.” Riley is also known for his work on “The Simpsons” television show, where he wrote and performed the music for the episode entitled “Pranksta Rap.”

Riley was raised amidst political action in Oakland, where since the age of fifteen he’s been involved in organizing and inspiring youth. From student organizing in public schools, to serving on the central committee for the Progressive Labor Party, holding the presidential position for InCAR (International Committee Against Racism), and organizing to build California’s Anti-Racist Farm Workers’ Union, Riley has been an integral part of a progressive struggle for radical change through culture.

In 1991, the year he co-founded The Coup, Riley, along with a group of artists and activists founded the Mau Mau Rhythm Collective. The purpose of this organization was to use culture (mainly hip hop) to publicize campaigns by organizations such as the Women’s Economic Agenda Project, the International Campaign to Free Geronimo Pratt, and various anti-police brutality campaigns. In 1996, Riley helped to organize the Young Comrades, a political organization dedicated to working on material reform issues using a revolutionary class analysis.

Riley is an outspoken critic of the bombing of Afghanistan as well as the war in Iraq and has appeared on various national news media outlets, such as Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” and Fox News’ “Hannity and Colmes.” Riley has been featured and interviewed in various international media, speaking on a variety of subjects from music, to grassroots organizing, to U.S. imperialism and racism. Recently honored by the AFL-CIO for his participation with the “Tell Us the Truth Tour,” Riley continues to effect social change through his artistic and political work.

Riley’s appearance is sponsored by Carleton’s Black Student Alliance (BSA), the African Students Association (AFRISA), the Wellstone House of Activism (WHOA), the office of intercultural life, and the office of cross cultural studies. For more information and disability accommodations call (507) 222-4014.