Pop music's political voice is carried predominatly by women artists argues The Guardian's Lynsey Hanley in "Rap On The Knuckles," a feature about Ms. Dynamite's new album that looks at the broader issue of protest in song.

"Because it is women in music, most notably, those working in hip hop and R&B, who are making the most of their chances to be heard by writing and recording songs with explicitly political lyrics. Ms Dynamite's new album includes songs about domestic violence, gun crime, low aspiration, war and poverty, while Sri Lankan-British artist M.I.A, among the favourites to win this year's Mercury, has sold more than 100,000 copies of her class- and culture-conscious debut Arular, itself named after songwriter Maya Arulpragasam's Tamil activist father."

Are female artists more apt to inject politics into their lyrics? Or is it that listeners are more welcoming of politics in music if it comes from a female? Perhaps there's a difference between the U.K. and America. I'd like to think we're accepting of politics in music but looking at the charts I may be wrong.

Every time I think of a popular American artist -- male or female -- who would generally be considered politically active, I wonder how often those politics make it into song. Bruce Springsteen? Not really. P. Diddy and the rest of the "Rock the Vote" opportunists? Nope. Staind, who have the current #1 album? No. Black Eyed Peas? Not a chance. Eminem? Very, very little. The Killers? Only if eyeliner becomes a campain issue. The most politically charged statement in Green Day's American Idiot comes from its title. Audioslave? Some vaguely political lyrics even though it's a very politically aware and active band.

System of a Down? Yes. Finally I thought of one. Country artists, now there's your politics. Not always popular within the musical elite, but pop country artists are much more likely to be political than other pop stars.

In "The Rap on Kanye" Newsweek's Lorraine Ali finds Kanye West still hasn't found modesty. Of his upcoming album, Late Registration, West told Ali, "I'd like to add that I think this is the best-produced record—ever." Ali herself calls it "the most dynamic and original album of the fall—maybe even the year." It was co-produced by Jon Brion, producer of the leaked version of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine.