Failed State Jukebox: 'Pale Horse Rider' by William Cooper feat. Autumn Turner
Mark Jacobson (left) and William Cooper (the rapper)
Failed State Jukebox brings you some of the most audacious (and absurd) examples of far-right, populist, and dystopian pop music. Except, of course, when the music we present actually is good, as is the case with the following track.
Conspiracy stalwart M. William Cooper (1943-2001) has influenced hip hop since 1991, when his book Behold A Pale Horse was first published. This raises a fascinating question: Why did this militia figurehead, a white guy living on a mountain in the Arizona desert, seem to speak for rap artists clear on the other side of the country? It's a question that journalist Mark Jacobson explores in his book Pale Horse Rider.
The following video is by a rapper who records under the name William Cooper, in honor of the late conspiracy theorist. Unlike most Failed State Jukebox selections, which are in the "so bad it's good" variety, this tune is just good. Great, even.
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Check it out for yourself below:
