Soundtrack to the Struggle
Encyclopedia
Soundtrack to the Struggle is the second studio album by rapper Lowkey
, which was released on 16 October 2011. Four singles have been released in preparation of the album from 2009 to 2010. The album entered the UK Albums Chart
at number 57 on 23 October 2011 - becoming Lowkey's first national chart entry.
While discussing the name of the album to BBC Radio 1Xtra
presenter Charlie Sloth
, Lowkey said: "It comes from my position in the game is as an artist, trying to do my thing independently. It is a struggle - it's not easy. We have barriers placed in front of us at every single level. And so we have to fight for everything we get. As an artist I've never had anything put on a plate for me. I've had to struggle to put my music out there." And also added that; "it's about the widest struggle that I am part of, which what I feel is to wake people up to the humanity of people that we are sort of encouraged to ignore every day." On the subject of the album, Lowkey commented that: "The album has just got a lot of heartfelt music that is really and truly an expression of me. Say I died tomorrow, I want this album to be the last thing I say to the world and I want people to remember it and to recognize it as me. No one else." Later on he added "This album might change how people see the music industry and how its been destroyed, please wake up."
Track 8 off the album, "Dreamers", premiered on BBC Radio 1Xtra
on 24 September 2011. Lowkey described the meaning of the song: "The track is about people with mental illness. Because I've known people that have issues with mental illnesses and is quite common. Like I say at the beginning there is people that see things that aren't there, and ask why not. Because they see further than a lot of people that are perceived as normal." Track 22, "Obama Nation (Pt. 2)" samples a lyric from the political hip hop
song "Words I Never Said
" by Lupe Fiasco
, which Lowkey got permission to use via the social networking and microblogging
service Twitter
by Lupe.
, was released on 16 August 2009 (Amazon) and 21 September 2009 (iTunes
) for digital download. The next single, "Long Live Palestine", released on 16 December 2009 (Amazon) and 1 January 2010 (iTunes
). A sequel to "Long Live Palestine" was released together with Part 1 as an EP on iTunes
but Part 2 is not included on the album. "Something Wonderful", was released as the third single on 10 February 2010 (Amazon) and 1 March 2010 (iTunes
) and the fourth single "Obama Nation" released on 8 April 2010 on Amazon, and was later released on iTunes
in 3 May 2010.
, number 69 in Australia
and #79 in the US.. On iTunes
the album charted in the Hip Hop Album Chart; debuting at #1 in the UK, #3 in Canada, #4 in Australia and #8 in the US. The album was expected charted at #33 in the national UK Albums Chart
(compiled by The Official Charts Company) according to the midweek chart
of 19 October 2011 but didn't manage to chart in the Top 40 - entering at number 57. In the UK Download Chart, Soundtrack to the Struggle peaked higher than it's UK Albums Chart
position - at number 14. And in the UK R&B Chart
, the album received it's highest OCC position, number 6. In the UK Indie Chart
, the album peaked at number 9.
Lowkey
Kareem Dennis is a musician and political activist of English and Iraqi descent, better known by his stage name Lowkey. He first became known through a series of mixtapes he released before he was 18, before taking a hiatus from the music business...
, which was released on 16 October 2011. Four singles have been released in preparation of the album from 2009 to 2010. The album entered the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number 57 on 23 October 2011 - becoming Lowkey's first national chart entry.
Background
The album has been in production since 2009. Songs from the album were revealed and released from 2009 to 2011. Music videos were created for the songs "Too Much", "Hand On Your Gun", "Terrorist?", "Something Wonderful", "Obama Nation", "Cradle of Civilization", "Blood, Sweat and Tears", "My Soul", "Obama Nation Pt. 2" and "Million Man March".While discussing the name of the album to BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...
presenter Charlie Sloth
Charlie Sloth
Charlie Sloth is a hip hop artist who was born and raised in Camden Town, North London, England.Sloth become notorious for his "Cant forget about UK" track which named pioneers such as MC Duke, Stereo MC's and TY...
, Lowkey said: "It comes from my position in the game is as an artist, trying to do my thing independently. It is a struggle - it's not easy. We have barriers placed in front of us at every single level. And so we have to fight for everything we get. As an artist I've never had anything put on a plate for me. I've had to struggle to put my music out there." And also added that; "it's about the widest struggle that I am part of, which what I feel is to wake people up to the humanity of people that we are sort of encouraged to ignore every day." On the subject of the album, Lowkey commented that: "The album has just got a lot of heartfelt music that is really and truly an expression of me. Say I died tomorrow, I want this album to be the last thing I say to the world and I want people to remember it and to recognize it as me. No one else." Later on he added "This album might change how people see the music industry and how its been destroyed, please wake up."
Track 8 off the album, "Dreamers", premiered on BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra is a digital radio station in the United Kingdom from the BBC specialising in new black music, sometimes referred to as urban music. Launched at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been codenamed Network X during the consulation period and is the sister station to BBC Radio 1...
on 24 September 2011. Lowkey described the meaning of the song: "The track is about people with mental illness. Because I've known people that have issues with mental illnesses and is quite common. Like I say at the beginning there is people that see things that aren't there, and ask why not. Because they see further than a lot of people that are perceived as normal." Track 22, "Obama Nation (Pt. 2)" samples a lyric from the political hip hop
Political hip hop
Political hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed in the 1980s. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group...
song "Words I Never Said
Words I Never Said
"Words I Never Said" is the second single from Hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco released from his third studio album Lasers. The single features vocals from singer-songwriter Skylar Grey and was released for digital download on February 8, 2011...
" by Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, which Lowkey got permission to use via the social networking and microblogging
Microblogging
Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically smaller in both actual and aggregate file size...
service Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
by Lupe.
Singles
From 2009 to 2010 three singles were released from the album. The first single, "Voices of the Voiceless" featuring American rapper Immortal TechniqueImmortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
, was released on 16 August 2009 (Amazon) and 21 September 2009 (iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
) for digital download. The next single, "Long Live Palestine", released on 16 December 2009 (Amazon) and 1 January 2010 (iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
). A sequel to "Long Live Palestine" was released together with Part 1 as an EP on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
but Part 2 is not included on the album. "Something Wonderful", was released as the third single on 10 February 2010 (Amazon) and 1 March 2010 (iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
) and the fourth single "Obama Nation" released on 8 April 2010 on Amazon, and was later released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
in 3 May 2010.
Chart performance
Soundtrack to the Struggle performed well in the download charts. The album's highest digital peak in the UK currently stands at number 8, number 52 in CanadaCanadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, number 69 in Australia
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and #79 in the US.. On iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
the album charted in the Hip Hop Album Chart; debuting at #1 in the UK, #3 in Canada, #4 in Australia and #8 in the US. The album was expected charted at #33 in the national UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
(compiled by The Official Charts Company) according to the midweek chart
Midweeks
Midweeks are lists of sales figures for music albums and singles in the United Kingdom during the period between the weekly chart publication on Sundays...
of 19 October 2011 but didn't manage to chart in the Top 40 - entering at number 57. In the UK Download Chart, Soundtrack to the Struggle peaked higher than it's UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
position - at number 14. And in the UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
, the album received it's highest OCC position, number 6. In the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
, the album peaked at number 9.
Track listing
The official track listing released in May 2011.Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
57 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
6 |
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
9 |
| UK Download Chart | 14 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
16 October 2011 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Mesopotamia Music |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |