In this video I was going through why I think even in the face of AI, algorithm slop, oversaturation of the music space, it's still important to make music in 2026 to document the wild-ass times we live in.

It led me back to one of my favorite albums, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On?", which when you listen, you feel like could have been written ABOUT 2026 and the times we live in today.

It made me wonder—who could make a project with that earnest of a political statement in 2026 I think we all might think of the same person but is there anyone else who you think could surprise people

None

Honestly a solid 1/4 to 1/3 of random hardcore/punk bands no one has ever heard of with a couple hundred followers from their little town/city/scene

None of them blow up or get any more listeners than that and it feels like something is happening to prevent it

We're all waiting for Tyler the Creators tragic and confronting concept album about biphobia

Miguel already did it

Using this space to plug Marvin Gaye’s “we need a lady president” song, which, while ultimately ineffective, is still heavily under-appreciated

@op is your shirt a 90’s soda brand?

look how they did michael jackson

Did you mean candles in the sun

2slimey could

drake

Owl City x Hov tape should do it

youngboy and lil durk

What made What's Going On special was that it was actually well-produced/euphonic and appealed to conventional pop sensibilities in a time where most protest music was ramshackle hippie drum circle nonsense. It had three Top 10 singles. Punk and hardcore acts might be able to make good politically conscious music, but they could never replicate that. It needs to be a pop/R&B artist.

Frank Ocean

Genuinely woulda been D'Angelo if he hadn't have passed

Yeaaa Vault

I knew I saw that somewhere

thought it was a brasil shirt or something lol

he could but he never would, he's not politically interested or educated like that

Brazilian pole vaulting

yeap

Damn.

The closest we got is RXKNephew tbh

never heard of attention economy until now