Not many groups have spanned the eras from early-90s Afrocentricity to 21st century raptiviam as do Boots Riley and Pam the Funkstress (original member E-Rock left the group to become a longshoreman in 1997). Along the way, they've 'counted coup' with three classic albums, Kill My Landlord (1993), Genocide and Juice (1994), and Steal This Album (1998), earning them critical acclaim and a solid fan base. In the 80s and 90s, as a member of the youth activist groups Mau Mau Rhythm Collective and Young Comrades, Boots helped to organize effective community protests against racist conditions in the Oakland school system and an anti-cruising law enforced by the Oakland Police (which was later repealed by the Oakland City Council). Of late, raptivism has reemerged on a national level, with the success of artists like Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def and dead prez. Not surprisingly, Boots has played an active role in this latest resurgence, appearing with dead prez on the No More Prisons compilation and campaigning against Mumia's execution and California's controversial youth crime initiative, Prop 21. Meanwhile, DJ Pam the Funkstress has emerged as a star in her own right; in fact, she's become a role model for real women in hip hop--holdin' it down as one of the most visible female DJs in the entire rap world. Her club sets have become legendary and when not on tour with the rap group, she is highly requested draw at the Bay Area's many all-female hip hop shows and community-oriented events. With the Coup's politics playing such a big part in their image, their music has sometimes been unjustly overlooked. Which is a shame, because the group's musical growth over the last eight years has been tremendous. They've gone from basic sample-and-loop aesthetics to increasingly complex arrangements, incorporating live instruments, multilayered background vocals, interludes and skits, turntable scratching and as always, slumpin' beats capable of rattling in the trunk and in your noggin at the same time. As the group's primary producer, arranger and songwriter, Boots has been responsible for the evolution of the Coup's sound. Indeed, their most recent album, Party Music (with a track featuring dead prez) sounds different from anything you've ever heard from the group before. In keeping with the theme of the album, Boots undertook a conscious effort to fashion more uptempo, even danceable, songs-something both you booty and your brain can feel, fa sho'. Overthrowing the system has never been so much fun! WEBSITE: http://www.thecoup.net The Coup - Fat Cats and Bigga Fish Pick a Bigger Weapon The Coup $12.98 Party Music The Coup $14.99