This piece was originally published at BESE in August 2018.
Open up Twitter on your phone right now and, within seconds, something political will hit your screen. Whether addressing border politics, reproductive rights, or economic disparity by race, chances are good that the messaging comes courtesy of one of your favorite musical artists, by retweet or by comment. Shared freely and vehemently over social media, such social justice stances have become more or less the norm with musicians today, egged on by their online fanbases.
That wasn’t the wave in the 1990s.