Dead Prez

English 2 Music Essay 3 dead prez

This social age we are living in will quite possibly be looked upon, by future historians as the ‘era of hell on Earth’. It might not be those exact words, but it will be something like that. The whole world is in shambles, and it may be not be in the publics eye but a quick search will yield the results like: 80% of the Earth’s population lives in poverty,1 and 30% of the world are unemployed2. There are wars, and genocide happening all around, right now as this paper is being read! Even in the United States, there are people oppressed mentally, and enslaved physically. Many men and women play the role of authority figures, and abuse citizens on a regular basis without ever answering for these crimes. As of late, this reality is beginning to be reflected. There are quite a few musical groups out there that send these truths across to their respective audiences. To write a paper about all the groups that use their talents in the fight against the ills that plague the globe would take ages, and make for a long paper. For now, we'll just focus on specific problems and a specific group named dead prez, and their work in the struggle against ingrained, and unspoken societal problems. Dead prez is an east coast Hip-Hop group, consisting of M1 and stic.man they are very marginal in terms of their lyrics, and aren't as well known as some of the 'pop' Hip-Hop icons. Their music is very

revolutionary. They fill a vital niche in terms of cultural thought in the Black community. The group has ingeniously done something that not many people have accomplished, and indeed even attempted. They've combined the very well known Black street culture revolving around gangs, open violence, drugs, and a multitude of other negative adjectives have combined it with the opposite, much less known culture of Black intellectuals, and scholars. Contrary to the organizations that exist in the streets(Crips, Bloods, Latin Kings, etc..) positive, alternative, useful, and attractive strategies have been conceptualized and materialized in their music. I'd assume that most Americans that would listen to any random d.p. record would be turned off. This music isn't for them. Dead prez have made a few mix tapes and two official studio albums. One called “Let's Get Free” and the other called “Revolutionary But Gangsta” To me, all their songs are good, and it is very difficult to choose one album and leave the others out. “Let's Get Free” was their first album, I'll be cherry picking a few tracks from there to express how it is related to the age in which it was released. The album I chose dropped at the turn of the millennium and was pitted against the newly created materialistic, “bling” culture was an exponentially expanding phenomenon. Southern rap had not taken off yet, but was gaining in popularity. From their beginnings, dead prez focused on a very specific audience. That was hip-hop heads that wanted more from their music than what was being offered. Not only that, they also appealed, and appeal to intellectual types of people

who liked hip-hop but couldn't be bothered with the detrimental type that existed at the time. The strong upsurge Pan-Africanist, nationalist attitude of the late 80's and early 90's345 were long gone, d.p. came at the right time. The opening track is of spoken word by Chairman Omali Yeshitela6 which compared the drug epidemic in the Black communities to an eskimo wolf hunting story:

“You got folks who are stuffed into these prisons all around the country who don't even understand why they are there. Many of them think it was their idea that they are there. They don't even understand that a drug economy has been imposed on our community where the legal capitalists deny African People the right to work in the legal capitalist economy. Then these same legal capitalists impose an illegal capitalist economy in the form of the drugs and you can't get a job anywhere else. I'm told the Native People in the Arctic, in order to kill wolves take a sharp knife, melt the ice, and bury the handle in the ice and let it freeze over with the blade projecting up. They would cover the blade with blood. Wolves would smell the blade and come to try to eat. They would lick the blade. When they licked the blade they would cut their tongues and they would drink their own blood. They really were thinking that they had a lot to eat then, and of course they were drinking their own blood and killing themselves in the process. That's what imperialism has done to our communities. It takes away the ability for you to live in a normal situation and then they bury a blade in the ice and put some blood on it. you come to lick the blade thinking that you're getting nourishment, and actually what you're doing is killing yourself in the process."

these several lines set the tone for the rest of the album. In these words Yeshitela was able to establish a reason for the epidemic, and in his poetic way show that the suppliers(native people of the arctic, US Government) of these deadly substances(swords, drugs) held equally

as much blame as the dealers(the wolf, young black pushers). The listener was to see what was in store. The next track was “I'm a African”7. This track was especially interesting and linked very well to the current mentality of descendants of Africans in the United States. It opens with the lyrics:

Nigga the red is for the blood in my arm The black is for the gun in my palm And the green is for the tram that grows natural Like locks on Africans Holdin the smoke from the herb in my abdomen Camouflage fatigues, and dashikis Somewhere in between n.w.a. and p.e. I'm black like Steve Biko Raised in the ghetto by the people Fuck the police you know how we do Ayo my life is like roots its a true story Its too gory for them televised fables on cable I'm a a runaway slave watching the north star Shackles on my forearm , runnin with the gun on my palm Im an African , never was an African-American Blacker than black I take it back to my origin Same skin hated by the klansmen Big nose and lips, big hips and butts, dancin, what

stic.man, in those words explained what the Black nationalist/African Diaspora flag means to them, and how it applies to their view of an oncoming revolution that will be the harbinger of peace and equality in this world. Termed “the revolution” by men and women of African descent. The next verse talks on the aesthetic and physical beauty of Black people, which is a low point in the collective subconscious self esteem of many blacks, and a major detriment to the seditious future. With a lack of love and value of self, there exists a void of reason to fight for anything. The next track is “They School8” it opens up with the words

Man that school shit is a joke The same people who control the school system control The prison system, and the whole social system Ever since slavery, nawmsayin?

This speaks on the problems that the school orthodox school system is known to bring to North American Blacks. It functions as a conduit from the cradle to the prison industry. Because so many can't relate to the lessons being taught, they lose interest early, are labeled demeaning terms and eventually fail out. Without marketable skills, in a capitalist society, the remaining options to feed one's self and family are undesirable, and lead to incarceration. Many studies have been done on this subject910 but, it's not quantum physics. If one isn't interested in something, their attention will go elsewhere. Throughout the song stic.man raps about the books he read, and the education he built on his own. So, the message is not that education is bad, or negative in any way, but the current system of education is flawed, especially in the case of Africans in the United States. The love of knowledge is shown in th final part of the song:

Cuz for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste And all yall high class niggas with yall nose up Cuz we droppin this shit on this joint, fuck yall We gon speak for ourselves Knowhatimsayin? cuz see the schools aint teachin us nothin They aint teachin us nothin but how to be slaves and hardworkers For white people to build up they shit Make they businesses successful while its exploitin us Knowhatimsayin? and they aint teachin us nothin related to Solvin our own problems, knowhatimsayin? Aint teachin us how to get crack out the ghetto They aint teachin us how to stop the police from murdering us And brutalizing us, they aint teachin us how to get our rent paid Knowhatimsayin? they aint teachin our families how to interact Better with each other, knowhatimsayin? they just teachin us How to build they shit up, knowhatimsayin? thats why my niggas Got a problem with this shit, thats why niggas be droppin out that Shit cuz it dont relate, you go to school the fuckin police Searchin you you walkin in your shit like this a military compound

Knowhatimsayin? so school dont even relate to us Until we have some shit where we control the fuckin school system Where we reflect how we gon solve our own problems Them niggas aint gon relate to school, shit that just how it is Knowhatimsayin? and I love education, knowhatimsayin? But if education aint elevatin me, then you knowhatimsayin it aint Takin me where I need to go on some bullshit, then fuck education Knowhatimsayin? at least they shit, matter of fact my nigga This whole school system can suck my dick, beeyotch!!

The next record is “Hip-Hop11” this was one of the title tracks from the album. In this track d.p. is calling out all the counterproductive, lyricist that exist and their “fake records”. They talk about how what they do is bigger than just hip-hop, and how what they do isn't about sex, money and drugs like most of the rap out there. The music video shows

Blacks exercising, having fun, and waving

nationalist flags . A strong contrast to the

popular rap videos which

feature loose women, jewelry, cars and a multitude of other unimportant materials. This is one of the most important tracks on the album. It was the title track, so the group had to really get a lot done with this album. They did a fine job too. It's a really good track that works on many levels. It can be played in a dance hall, at parties, at intellectual events, in fact this song is often played on comedian Dave Chappell's show. They showed that all the known markers of modern materialistic hip hop aren't needed to make an entertaining, valuable track. The previous descriptions are repeated in many of the tracks there are a couple of songs that stand out in the mosaic of music that is 'Lets Get Free'. One of those such tracks is entitled “Mind Sex”. This very interesting song is basically an homage to relationships between the Black man and his woman. There are countless of songs out there that talk about some black love. This one is very different

though. While most songs focus on her body, and sexual prowess, this one focuses on the mutually beneficial companionship that can exist between man and woman. In the beginning, stic.man raps Now I know you think I wanna fuck, no doubt But tonight well try a different route, how bout we start With a salad, a fresh bed of lettuce with croutons Later we can play a game of chess on the futon See I aint got to get in your blouse Its your eye contact, that be getting me aroused When you show me your mind, it make me wanna show you mines..

A song about a woman's mind and intellectual worth? Almost unheard of, and infinitely valuable, and needed in the black community. The culture of the United States is one of individualism, exploitation, and selfishness. This culture, such a far cry from the original African cultures have been all but destroyed and replaced by clones of European exploitative cultures. This can be seen in a quick comparison of continental African cultures, with ones assimilated by Africans in the Americas. Though, a little difficult to find, most studies find that Blacks in the US have an illegitimacy rate of about 70%12. The rate of the country as a whole is 43%. The rate in Benin, one of the modern countries of what was called the “Slave Coast” is around 30%13 The reason for this, according to psychologist Francess Cress Welsing is due to a historical devaluing of the Black family, by the European majority of this country. As she put it: ...Similarly, under the American slavery system, Black males and Black females were forbidden by law to marry and stabilize their relationships. To further prevent their unity, often Black males and females who became intimate were sent to different plantations by their slaveholders.....This explains why black males are victimized harshly

by police brutality and arrest and also illuminates why they are victimized most harshly by the educational system. Because of their extreme victimization in these two areas, black males have the highest levels of unemployment and underemployment, the highest rates of prison incarceration, the highest incidence of school failure and school drop-out rates, the highest incidence of alcoholism, the highest rates of drug use and addiction, the highest homicide rates...Also, the black male most often finds himself outside the black family structure...

The Africans in Benin, and the Africans in the USA have very few differences. One is the infusion of foreign blood, and the legacy of 300 years of bondage, a horrible throwback with still unknown consequences. It has become less common for a Black man to see past the physical beauty in their female counterparts. A song like “Mind Sex” that glorifies her mind, loyalty, and value is a big step toward regaining the destination that is the reemergence of African culture. The album is about 17 tracks long, but it full of songs that advocate liberation through any means, bodily maintenance through exercising and healthy eating, mental maintenance through self education, the reestablishment of the African family model and its subsequent maintenance. In this millennium, after 500+ years of oppression, and attempts at changing the conditions, this album expresses that obviously the previous attempts didn't work, and it may be time to look at other avenues of societal adjustment.

*numbers correspond to citations.

Works Cited Shah, Anup. "Poverty Facts and Stats ? Global Issues." Global Issues : social, political, economic and environmental issues that affect us all ? Global Issues. 22 Mar. 2009. World Bank. 30 Apr. 2009 . "CIA - The World Factbook -- World." Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central Intelligence Agency. 23 Apr. 2009. Central Intelligence Agency. 30 Apr. 2009 . Knight, Fahim A. "RECAPTURING THE AFRICAN MIND AND MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUTHOR BRUCE BRIDGES." Weblog post. 5 Dec. 2009. 20 Apr. 2009 . Mullen, LEah. "JOHN HENRIK CLARKE, RUNOKO RASHIDI RACE MEN of the NINETIES." JOHN HENRIK CLARKE, RUNOKO RASHIDI RACE MEN of the NINETIES. 30 Apr. 2009. Ihonvbere, Julius O. "Julius O. Ihonvbere: Pan-Africanism: Agenda for African Unity in the 1990s?" Hartford Web Publishing. The University of Texas at Austin. 30 Apr. 2009 . "Cairman Omali Yeshitela." African Socialist International (ASI). 30 Apr. 2009 .

"Dead Prez - I'm A African." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 30 Apr. 2009 . "Dead Prez They School." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 30 Apr. 2009 . Abante-Hayes, Zahraa. "The Black Commentator - How New York City is Failing Black Kids - Issue 136." BlackCommentator.com - April 30 , 2009 - Issue 322. 30 Apr. 2009 . Jackson, Phillip. "Failing our black children | Black Issues in Higher Education | Find Articles at BNET." Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. 23 Sept. 2004. 30 Apr. 2009 . "Dead Prez - Hip-Hop." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 30 Apr. 2009 . Welsing, Frances Cress. The Isis Papers The Keys to the Colors. Grand Rapids: CW, 2004.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13