Junkyard Empire is a 5-piece band fronted by MC Brihanu, a rapper with politics and justice on his mind; he pulls no punches. This is not feel good music, it's feel pissed off and go out and do something about it music. They have been compared to Rage Against the Machine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and have shared the stage with the likes of Boots Riley and the Coup, the late Eyedea, Australian roots crew Blue King Brown, and a long list that keeps growing.
The last day of the 2008 Republican National Convention proved to be the beginning of the buzz on Junkyard Empire. With the backdrop of the Minnesota State Capital and the volatility of the time, the band's performance hit musical and political notes attendees (and the police charged with stopping it) did not soon forget.
Since that fabled day in St. Paul, Minnesota, they have performed in Havana, Cuba, as invited guests of the Ministry of Culture; played numerous rallys, fundraisers and parties for groups like Socialist Alternative, EWOK, the defense fund for the RNC 8, the Antiwar Committee among others; performed at a Bank of America protest in Union Square Park, NYC; and have shared the stage with the late Eyedea's Face Candy, Boots Riley and the Coup, Australian roots crew Blue King Brown, No Bird Sing, Kristoff Krane, Toki Wright, the Abstract Pack, Guante, and have enjoyed some decent college radio play of their third and fourth albums. It's hard to believe how much this band has propelled itself toward the national spotlight.
Music aside, the band's mission is revolution, and they are not afraid to address it, whether in interviews or lyrics. No unresolved issue of relevance is left intact within the four albums this band has released, from America's fiscal crisis and poverty at home to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and abuses occurring abroad. No subject is too controversial.
Fronted by MC Brihanu, Junkyard Empire's unique, musically complex sound is created by Christopher Robin Cox (keyboards/trombone), Bryan Berry (guitars), Steve Hogan (bass) and Graham O'Brian (drums).
On October 6, 2011, the band will be a featured group at the Stop The Machine! Create a New World! rally in Freedom Plaza, Washington, DC. This will be a several day long occupation in the style of the late 1960's, and will also feature Head Roc, David Rovics, the Raging Grannies, Watermelon Slim, and many many more.
What you will get from a live Junkyard Empire performance is everything you usually don't get from any other live hip-hop band in the country. That is a rapper who spits with the intensity of a John Coltrane solo, and a live band that will take the audience on instrumental journeys that have been compared to Led Zepplin, Weather Report, and Miles Davis. No samples needed.
"It's like listening to Red Hot Chilli Peppers fronted by Kweli, with the rush of Rage Against The Machine when they still had something to say." - Okay Player
"Many of the truths here are hard and uncomfortable, but thanks to Brihanu's flow and the ability of his band to jam, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down in what this critic would consider to be a delightful way."
- rapreviews.com
Discography
- Acts of Humanity, Vol. 1 & 2 (2011)
MediaRoots Music
- Rebellion Politik (2009)
MediaRoots Music.
- Rise of the Wretched EP (2008)
Self Produced, Self Released
- Reclaim Freedom (2007)
Self Produced, Self Released.
