Back in the hazy days of summer, 2001, The Coup planned a symbolic attack against the World Trade Center. Their target wasn’t the actual towers themselves though; their target was capitalism. The representational attack was being made as a protest against a culture that celebrated mindless consumption, gratuitous greed, and an insurmountable gulf between the classes.
As we all now know, Boots Riley and DJ Pam the Funkstress weren’t the only people planning a similarly symbolic attack. The latter, though would go far beyond a controversial photo and an album filled with incendiary lyrics.
The attack on the twin towers, 9/11, occurred before Warner Music and The Coup released Party Music; the original cover was, however, finished in June 2001. Though they were investigated by the FBI, they were quickly cleared of any wrongdoing. They did, though, have to redesign the cover. The newer cover was far more subtle: while it appears to be a celebration of Courvoisier and lust, it’s actually a symbolic call to arms. Did anyone spot the gas’ can sitting next to the martini glass?
While tracks like "5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO" and "Lazymuthafucka" pack a powerful punch even ten years on, I wonder: how many people heard their messages after all the controversy, shock and horror of the attack, and their new found fame, based purely on the hullabaloo surrounding the artwork of the original album cover?
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