The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy was a rap/hip-hop band active during the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti and Rono Tse, and introduced the work of guitarist Charlie Hunter. The band's name was derived in part from the phrase "The Disposable Heroes of Hypocrisy", used in some Socialist literature.
The group were associated by genre with others of the time, including House of Pain and Pop Will Eat Itself. They also were somewhat reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron due to the vocal styles of Franti and the up-front political messages in the music. They played many concerts, sometimes opening the bill for more well-known acts such as U2 (on their landmark Zoo TV Tour), Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Arrested Development.
Their debut album, Hypocrisy Is the Greatest Luxury, received critical and underground acclaim upon its release in 1992, but was never commercially successful. Franti's lyrics address a wide range of issues, from Mass Media bias and abuse on "Television: Drug of the Nation" to racial equality on "Socio-Genetic Experiment", in large part inspired by his own childhood, and Homophobia, in the song "Language of Violence". The album also included a cover of the Dead Kennedys track "California Über Alles" (with updated lyrics about Governor Pete Wilson). "Television," which received wide airplay on college and alternative radio stations, had previously been recorded by Michael Franti's first band, The Beatnigs. "Language of Violence" tells the story of a 15 year old boy who is beaten to death for his being gay by homophobes, and the subsequent ironic treatment of the murderers once sent to prison as a form of natural justice. The chorus contains an intricate commentary on how language can be used to dehumanize an individual, transforming them into an "inanimate entity", and thus rendering them disposable and easy to discriminate against.
In common with other bands of the time on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy used sampling and scratching as a primary tool of music recording, and mixed Rock, Hip-Hop, Rap, and Jazz in combinations that were ground breaking for the time.
Among their contemporaries, the band had strong artistic, political, and personal ties to both Meat Beat Manifesto and Consolidated. The recording of Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury was co-produced by Consolidated's Mark Pistel, and prolific Meat Beat Manifesto frontman Jack Dangers assisted with mixing.
In 1993 the duo worked with William S. Burroughs, recording music for a collaborative album entitled Spare Ass Annie and Other Tales. This album diverged greatly from the style of the band's previous work, as they were largely providing musical background and accompaniment to Burroughs' spoken readings from several of his books. The Disposable Heroes split up shortly after. Michael Franti formed Spearhead, who (to date) have released 7 albums and are still a going concern, while Tse worked with the Mystick Journeymen.
