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" All my songs are different, but from the overall experience, I want people to sense that they can overcome and move through difficult times and find strength in my music. Maybe it's a song that makes them cry and move through something else. "

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" I came up playing in both punk rock bands and hip-hop bands, and I found a more universal way of reaching people, especially with music that has a message to it. "

Michael Franti

Way

Hip-Hop

Rock

" I took a trip in 2004, a year after the war started in Iraq. I played music on the streets of Baghdad for Iraqi civilians. I'd also play for U.S. soldiers at night when they were off duty in the bars. Then I would talk to people, and I would film them and ask them about their life and the conflict. "

" Our country was founded on immigration. We are all occupying Native American land here. At what point do we say 'It's our land, and nobody else can come here.' "

" Through music I either tame my demons or unleash them and allow them to be what they are. I don't want the music to be about provocation, I want the music to bring you to a place where you feel at home. "

" I have moments all the time when I play. "

" Traveling to the Middle East and playing music for people on the street, for soldiers, for people in hospitals, and for people who lost their homes, and seeing people open up through the experience of music really restored my faith in music, in art, and in culture to change things. "

" After a show, I'll get the 16-year-old white kid whose lip is pierced, his head is shaved and his parents hate him, and the young gangster from the screwed-up 'hood, and they say that now they realize there's someone out there who thinks like they do. "

" To sit back and say, 'Oh, we're going to let the government do whatever they want, right or wrong,' is giving up. "

" Not all artists have a responsibility to be socially or politically aware, but they do have a responsibility to make great art. They have to find some truth and put that in their music. "

" I hope I inspire people to dream bigger than what they are living, but a dream within their reach. "

" I'm always trying to find optimistic ways to express myself. "

" Rap has so many possibilities that need to be explored. There are different factions of rap, but some are in a rut. Rap doesn't have to be about boosting egos and grabbing your crotch and dissing women. There's a way to make political and social issues interesting and entertaining to the young rap audience. "

" My parents said sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you. But I always felt a sense of exhilaration after a fight; it was the names that really hurt me. "

" It doesn't matter if you're black, white, gay, straight, come from different countries, different language... every single person is significant and is meaningful. "

" People underestimate the hip-hop audience and the capacity to understand politics when it's part of music. "

" In the '80s, Ronald Reagan inspired me to become politicized, because I grew up in that era when everything I cared about was under attack. "

" Music has the power to bring people together like no other art form. "

" The corporate media is there to push the agenda of the sponsors, and many of those sponsors are weapons manufacturers. So it stands to reason that you won't get a diversity of opinions on television. "

" When someone can't afford to wear shoes, it's not just about them not having shoes on that day. It's about a cycle of poverty that exists within their community. "

" I try to use the attention that I get to help and to serve, and that's really what I'd see as my work - to serve my community, serve the planet, serve my family. And I think a celebrity is someone who draws the attention on themselves, and then it kind of stops there. "

" History shows that Americans believe in doing the right thing. "

Michael Franti

Believe

History

Doing The Right Thing

" My music is part of the quest I have to find new ways of telling stories, and also, I want to inspire people. "

" Music is sunshine. Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose. "

" Every single soul is a poem. "

" I drive a hybrid. It's a Ford Escape. That's my only car. "

" All the freaky people make the beauty of the world. "

" During my travels in Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and all over the United States, I have seen and heard the voices of people who want change. They want the stabilization of the economy, education and healthcare for all, renewable energy and an environmental vision with an eye on generations to come. "

" I think my soul is intact, but my methods of reaching people are completely different. "

" My house was filled with music. We had a piano, and my brothers and sisters played instruments. Even though I was around it, I played basketball. "

" You learn a lot when you're barefoot. The first thing is every step you take is different. "