Jasiri X

Jasiri X (born Jasiri Oronde Smith) is an American rapper and activist who gained attention for his 2007 song "Free the Jena 6." He is a recipient of the Rauschenberg Artist as Activist award

Jasiri X has created music addressing social and political issues, including his 2007 song "Free the Jena 6", "Do We Need to Start a Riot?" and "What if the Tea Party was Black?" He encouraged other hip-hop artists to engage these concerns as well.

In 2010 he released his first album, American History X. In 2013, Jasiri X was part of a delegation of artists and activists, including labor leader Bill Fletcher and writer Dream Hampton, who visited the State of Palestine and Israel. The Carter Center funded the trip. Jasiri produced a music video for his rap song "Checkpoint," which is based on the occupation, oppression, colonialism, and discrimination he witnessed firsthand during his trip to Palestine and Israel. The video features footage Jasiri himself captured of Israeli soldiers and newsreel clips of Israel Defense Forces brutality against Palestinians.

In 2015, he released Black Liberation Theology, with features from David Banner and Tef Poe among others. He has mentioned Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, the Notorious B.I.G., Public Enemy, and KRS-One as among his musical influences.

Jasiri X also has a YouTube-based show "This Week with Jasiri X" particularly as it relates to protecting access for low-income people of color.

In 2006, he cofounded the anti-violence group 1Hood, which includes a media academy teaching young black boys to analyze media as well as create their own.

Awards and grants 2015 "Artist as Activist" fellowship at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation 2015 USA Fellow, a $50,000 award from United States Artists for "innovative, accomplished artists...for their fresh perspectives, unique artistic vision, and impact on their field" 2015 commission from the Open Society Foundation to create a film on the effects of the drug war on South America 2016 honorary doctorate from the Chicago Theological Seminary