Michael Franti (born April 21, 1967 in Oakland, CA) is a gifted and much-heralded spoken word artist and political activist from San Francisco, CA. As leader of the politically and socially-charged group Spearhead, Franti is at the forefront of hip-hop’s renaissance, expanding the music’s boundaries as he draws on funk and soul-driven beats. Through his music and poetry, Franti tackles a range of issues–the criminal justice system, corporatization of our daily lives, AIDS, gay rights, homelessness, the death penalty, drug addiction and suicide.