Gay Chicago musician Scott Free wants to bring protest music back to the mainstream. With his new album Songs to Fight Oppression, Free has unveiled several new sing-along social justice songs to accompany protests, or simply be sung by a campfire.
The 12-track album covers many modern hot-button social issues, such as the fight for LGBTQ+-rights, abortion access and calls for a living wage. Free did not just focus on American culture either; his album tackles African liberation from imperialism as well, with the track "Uprising" featuring Nigerian singer Agosa.
A longtime Chicagoan and member of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame since 2010, Free grew up in the suburbs before taking a brief detour to New York. He returned to Chicago in the '80s, after he became excited over the city's bustling house music scene. Songs to Fight Oppression is Free's fifth album under his stage name, and his second tackling politics head on, after 2020's The Last Revolution.
Free intended to take a positive approach to his music on the new album, despite the heavy subject matter. "A friend who heard it…said it's actually more like a children's protest album," Free said laughing, adding that that effect was intentional, so the music would be more "user friendly."
Noticing a dearth of political music compared to the boisterous era of the '60s and '70s, Free's goal was to fill a void desperately needed in the modern music industry. He intended for the songs to be "very direct" in their messaging, providing chants that can be easily picked up at protests. He was largely inspired by Pete Seeger, who was releasing folk music with a social justice flair as far back as the '40s.
With overt song titles and catchy hooks, Free wanted to make the folk album as accessible as possible, removing himself from the songs and allowing the messages to stand on their own. The album has social unity at its core, reminding listeners they're all in this fight together.
But even as he harkened back to the golden age of protest music, Free was also focused on modern industry machinations: namely, making the music available through TikTok. With easily searchable songs, the streamlined titles allow for easy access, helping them be spread across the social media platform.
While he describes Songs to Fight Oppression as folk music, Free ultimately explored a number of genres, ranging from ska to bluegrass. The tracks feature raw vocals and live instrumentals, both of which Free felt were important in allowing the songs to translate to protest music.
"I just feel that playing live instruments and getting together and playing with other people is so important," he said. "That's the space that I want to be in when I create social justice songs."
Opening track "Welcome Here" is perhaps Free's favorite work on the album. The song has a simple message: we're all welcome. The music video, depicting a number of people receiving hugs, encompasses the ethos at the album's core, Free said.
"I was just trying to come up with a way to express community and how, yes, we've got these horrible things going on in this world, but at heart, people are good," he explained. "They are engaged and very supportive and loving."
Songs to Fight Oppression is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, and a digital album is available for purchase on Bandcamp.
