Paradise Gray

Paradise Gray

So Kanye West never spoke out about the dark, twisted tragedy that is Alabama's immigration restriction bill HB 56 as called for by activists fighting to have the bill revoked -- Not a big deal. There are plenty of Hip Hop artists and activists willing and able to not just speak out, but act out about the shady Alabama legislation. Rappers Jasiri X , Rhymefest, Chino XL, Immortal Technique (pictured above from right to left) and Paradise the Arkitech of the legendary rap group X-Clan have all teamed up to tackle policies that turn Latino immigrants into targets for arrests and deportation. Banded together under Sound Strike, which was created by political music artist Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine, the rappers traveled to Arizona to fight SB 1070, the prototype anti-immigration bill that Alabama's HB 56 is modeled after. But Alabama's bill reaches farther, making it a much more despicable law in the eyes of all those who honor civil and human rights. Jasiri X told Loop 21 about his experience in Birmingham showing immigration advocates in the state that Hip Hop definitely had their back:

"We're all a part of Sound Strike, a coalition of artists that have committed to supporting the International Boycott of Arizona in the wake of the passage of SB 1070. The Executive Director Javier Rodriguez connected with an immigrants rights organization called 'America's Voice,' who are doing great work organizing in Alabama. They flew Javier, Rhymefest, Paradise, and myself to Alabama so we could speak directly with the communities most affected by the state's draconian HB 56 immigration law.