Dead Prez

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dead prez is the pair of underground alternative rappers stic.man and M-1. They have become known largely for their hard-hitting style and politically-aware lyrics, focusing on racism, critical pedagogy, activism against governmental hypocrisy, and corporate control over the media, especially hip-hop record labels. dead prez made their stance clear on their first album, declaring on the lead song, "I'm A African" that the group is "somewhere between N.W.A. and P.E."

In 1990, M-1 headed to Tallahassee to attend FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) where he and stic.man met and connected due to their mutual love of music and knowledge. "I was soaking up the Black Panther Party as a whole," M-1 remembers. "I learned about their lives and it helped mold me."

"I realized there's a struggle already going on and I have to try to help ride it out," interjects stic.man. M-1's quest for insight led him to join the International Democratic People’s Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) in Chicago for three years while stic.man remained behind in Florida and started getting into trouble. Burned out by the arduous labor of Uhuru, M-1 decided it was time to focus on music and stic.man agreed.

dead prez transcribed the political education they acquired into lyrical poetry. Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar discovered them in New York and helped them sign a deal with Loud Records. But being the new kids of the block on a powerhouse label like Loud (home to the Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep) wasn't easy. dead prez wasn't always Loud's priority but that didn't stop them from building a fan base around their over-the-top performances (they've been known to ignite dollar bills and toss apples into the audiences, declaring they eat healthy).

Their debut album was 2000's Let's Get Free, which featured a minor hit with the song "Hip Hop" from the year before. The album was critically well-received, and included intense political diatribes featuring prominent black activist Omali Yeshitela, as well as "Animal in Man" - a retelling of George Orwell's Animal Farm. Some argue that Let's Get Free is one of the most influential albums in rap. In 2001 they collaborated with The Coup, another politically active hip-hop outfit, to release Get Up. In 2002, dead prez released the independent mix tape Turn Off The Radio volume 1, followed by the release of Get Free Or Die Tryin mixtape volume 2 in 2003. In 2004, Columbia Records finally released Revolutionary But Gangsta.

dead prez uses the shi hexagram, "Leading" or "The Army", as part of their logo.

An example of the dead prez rap style is in the song "Know Your Enemy" from Turn Off The Radio:

[stic.man]

They hit the World Trade, the Pentagon, and almost got the White House

Now everybody walkin' round patriotic

How we gon' fight to keep freedom when we ain't got it?

You wanna stop terrorists?

Start with the US imperialists

Ain't no track record like America's, see

Bin Laden was trained by the CIA

But I guess if you a terrorist for the US then it's okay

Some of dead prez's fan base have accused them of giving up on their revolutionary aspects, in exchange for their 'Gangsta' side after Revolutionary But Gangsta was released, while others say the group has begun to emphasize their black nationalism (especially in the Turn Off the Radio mixtapes) over their original views of radical socialism, and that this is alienating to previous fans of their work. Even still, other fans insist that the revolutionary lyrics are still prominent.

In June 2006, the cable movie network Starz InBlack began airing an original documentary called . The hour long documentary featured live footage and interviews with dead prez. It also featured interviews from Kamel Bell, owner of Ankh Marketing and son of incarcerated Black Panthers Herman Bell; Fred Hampton Jr., son of Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton; Bay-area rapper Ise Lyfe, and hip hop activist and radio personality Davey D. Among the topics discussed in the documentary are the inadequacies of the public education system, minority entrepreneurship, and social revolution.

"Our aim is to provide a programming experience that viewers will not get anywhere else. We like to push the limits and go where other networks fear to tread. We recognized in dead prez a message that deserves to be heard. Not everyone will agree with them, but that's okay. We aim to enlighten and entertain, and 'dead prez: It's Bigger than Hip Hop' does both." David Charmatz, senior vice president of channel management, talking about the programming philosophy at Starz InBlack. [link] M1 states that "we've never had the opportunity to express ourselves on this level of magnitude. Starz InBlack taking a chance on us lets us know that the work we are doing is not in vain. That our message is penetrating, it's getting through." [link]

Discography

Let's Get Free (2000)
Turn Off the Radio Vol. 1 (2002) (Mixtape-CD)
(2003) (Mixtape-CD)
Revolutionary But Gangsta (2004)
dead prez Presents: M-1 - Confidential (2006)
dead prez and Outlawz present: Can't Sell Dope Forever (mixtape) (to be released July 25, 2006)

External links

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Dead Prez

Discography

See also

External links