Dead Prez

Artist ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap

Comprised of stic.man and M1, dead prez carry the torch first lit by socially conscious groups like Public Enemy and X-Clan, espousing political awareness and active resistance in their lyrics. Years after their first meeting on the Florida A&M campus in the early 1990s, the two decided to form a rap duo and relocate to New York. A meeting with Lord Jamar led to a deal with Loud Records and their debut--2000’s LET’S GET FREE. With elevated lyricism that highlighted a self-reliant Afrocentric philosophy and took aim at the state, LET’S GET FREE established dead prez as the premier revolutionary rap group of their generation. After two successful mixtapes, their sophomore effort, RBG (REVOLUTIONARY BUT GANGSTA), was released in 2004.

February 7, 2000 at PST
Let's Get Free
The combination of engaging music and eye-opening political education is a rare one. Few artists manage to create music that will make you reassess the world around you while also making your nod your head or tap your feet tap. In 2000, in the aftermath of Y2K hysteria—and on the precipice of some unpredictable historical happenings—Dead Prez pulled off this rare feat with its debut album, Let’s Get Free.

Over the course of 18 tracks, the duo of M-1 and stic.man present an eye-level, pro-Black, and pro-worker critique of the systems we all live under. But unlike some of their “conscious rap” cohorts, the group also offers up material solutions for society’s ills in the form of radical change for the world. “Hip-Hop,” Let’s Get Free’s breakout single, arrived as the genre was reaching peak commercial viability—and being co-opted by Madison Avenue. “Hip-Hop” served as a counterpoint to the rap game’s excess, and a reminder that conspicuous consumption was a distraction from bigger issues: “Would you rather have a Lexus or justice?/A dream or some substance?/A Bimmer, a necklace, or freedom?”

It’s not the only song on Let’s Get Free to examine everyday topics through a revolutionary lens. “Police State” takes aim at a system that surveils, criminalizes, and unjustly punishes marginalized communities. The somber “Behind Enemy Lines'' tackles mass incarceration and the realities of life behind bars, with a focus on political prisoner Fred Hampton, Jr. The duo also rails against the miseducation of Black youth on “They School,” and challenges corporate media narratives on “Propaganda.” But M-1 and stic.man also find time to balance their militance with flirtation and straight-up joy on “Mind Sex” and “Happiness”—proving that, at the end of the day, radicals are people too. And while the revolution may not have been televised, it definitely got the soundtrack it deserved with Let’s Get Free.
18 Tracks
March 29, 2004 at PST
RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta
14 Tracks
January 28, 2013 at PST
Information Age Deluxe Edition
18 Tracks
November 3, 2008 at PST
Manhood (Deluxe Edition)
17 Tracks
June 22, 2009 at PDT
Pulse Of The People
14 Tracks
October 20, 2003 at PDT
Turn Off the Radio Vol.2 (Get Free Or Die Tryin)
16 Tracks
February 7, 2000 at PST
It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop - EP
5 Tracks
March 29, 2004 at PST
Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz
19 Tracks
December 6, 1999 at PST
It's Bigger Than Hip Hop UK - Single
4 Tracks
July 27, 2015 at PDT
Soldier 2 Soldier
16 Tracks
February 20, 2006 at PST
The Mix Tape, Vol. 1: Can't Sell Dope Forever
14 Tracks
October 15, 2012 at PDT
Information Age
The NYC duo’s first album after an eight-year hiatus might sound surprisingly club-friendly for those familiar with “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop,” but stic.man and M-1’s sharp sociopolitical consciousness remains intact. On “A New Beginning,” the duo anxiously riff on climate change over a glossy beat that bridges the gap between Afrika Bambaataa and EDM, while “What If the Lights Go Out” just might be the first rap song that lays out a survival plan for a post-apocalyptic world.
12 Tracks
January 28, 2013 at PST
Information Age (Deluxe Edition)
18 Tracks
May 18, 2009 at PDT
Summer Time / Gangsta, Gangster / $timulus Plan - EP
3 Tracks
March 6, 2006 at PST
Against All Oddz & Soldier 2 Soldier (Deluxe Edition)
30 Tracks
June 4, 2020 at PDT
Together (feat. Dead Prez) - Single
1 Trackfalse
April 23, 2007 at PDT
Gutterfly (The Original Soundtrack)
MC Vursatyl, MC/producer Jumbo, and DJ Shines star in their very own, very theoretical blaxploitation flick (loosely based on an aborted ‘80s film concept by Baraka Feldman) about three ghetto strivers escaping the morass of their Portland, um, Razorblade City environment. While the narrative thread winds up being far beside the point, Gutterfly uses the funk and soul sounds of the blaxploitation era to great effect — and, with its often sharp sociopolitical commentary, shows how little the urban landscape has changed in the past 30 years. “Double Up,” densely and woozily produced by Oh No, boasts flute and horn loops that nod to the ‘70s, but the jagged beats and cuts by Shines and Jumbo are pure 21st century West Coast hip-hop. The title track, with rapper Camp Lo, bounces rhymes off straight-ahead, trumpet-fueled funk rhythms, while the mellow, jazzy soul of “No Surprise” (produced by Vitamin D) and the menacing, slightly exotic guitar and bass of “A Serpent’s Love” (featuring Digable Planet’s Ish) explore wider sonic territory. Fishbone provides appropriately dark instrumental support on “Dead Ones,” and “Night Out” features soulful background singers against the vocal musings of George Clinton. Most powerful is the inspirational, anthemic “Freedom Walk,” where they’re joined by rappers Dead Prez and guitarist Vernon Reid.
17 Tracks
May 5, 2016 at PDT
Between Me and the World
10 Tracks
November 17, 2022 at PST
Soldier 2 Soldier (Special Edition)
17 Tracks
April 7, 2016 at PDT
Killing It (feat. Blakkamore) - Single
1 Trackfalse
March 29, 2004 at PST
RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta
14 Tracks
March 18, 2013 at PDT
No Way As the Way - Single
1 Trackfalse
October 15, 2012 at PDT
Information Age
The NYC duo’s first album after an eight-year hiatus might sound surprisingly club-friendly for those familiar with “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop,” but stic.man and M-1’s sharp sociopolitical consciousness remains intact. On “A New Beginning,” the duo anxiously riff on climate change over a glossy beat that bridges the gap between Afrika Bambaataa and EDM, while “What If the Lights Go Out” just might be the first rap song that lays out a survival plan for a post-apocalyptic world.
12 Tracks
August 14, 2006 at PDT
Louder Than Fiction
18 Tracks
May 4, 2013 at PDT
Superheroes (feat. Dead Prez) - Single
1 Trackfalse

Dead Prez

Content Link

Short Link

Badges and Lockups

App Icon

QR Code