The marriage of hip-hop and social justice has been an essential union ever since Melle Mel changed the game with tales of broken glass and urine soaked project stair cases decades ago. In fact, it is the spirit of resistance and activism that can be credited with the birth of hip-hop as a genre. However, what started as the critical, uncompromising voice of oppressed youth of African descent has been high-jacked by corporate interests and turned into a largely materialistic and self-destructive exercise set to watered down beats. There are very few artists left who seek to re-connect with hip-hop’s true roots of struggle and resistance, Progress is one of those artists. As an aspiring revolutionary, he is committed to the total liberation of oppressed peoples across the globe.

In his first official video release, “As I Reflect…”, Progress mixes raw social commentary with clever world play, helping to usher in a new renaissance of so-called “conscious” hip-hop. In his creation of this video’s concept, Progress aimed to give realistic, political information to viewers as they “reflect” on his offering. The track is produced by Freedom Writers heavy-hitter Big Sproxx, who also directed the debut video.