[Thelafcobus] Runaway Slave and more...

Tao Ruspoli taoruspoli at gmail.com
Tue Oct 3 09:31:38 PDT 2006 

We just posted a new video we did for stic.man and young noble.
Look for my cameo as the slave master (They made me do it...my role in
camjackers didn't go far enough in showing me as the white oppressor:)

Also posted is a great interview with stic about art, politics, his
influences and his inspirations.

http://lafcovlog.blogspot.com

love,

Tao

from wikipedia:

*stic.man* (born Clayton Gavin, 1975, Shadeville, Florida, USA) is a rapper,
activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop
duo *dead prez <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Prez>*.

In 2006, stic.man demonstrated his writing talents with two books. The
first, entitled Warrior Names from
Afrika<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warrior_Names_from_Afrika&action=edit>,
is a compilation of African warrior names and their meanings. His second
book, The Art of
Emcee-ing<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Art_of_Emcee-ing&action=edit>,
is a 112-page resource that offers a step-by-step instructional guide on how
to emcee, unique tips on voice healing and vocal health practices, and an
explanation on many aspects of the hip hop industry, including terminology,
styles, and business dealings. About.com described the book as a "succinct
panoramic guide on hip-hop wordsmithing."
[1]<http://rap.about.com/od/reviews/gr/ArtofEmceeing.htm>

stic.man also maintains Boss Up,
Inc.<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Boss_Up%2C_Inc.&action=edit>,
an "Atlanta-based music and entertainment company that offers information,
music, and gear that reflects a sense of self-determination, creative
consciousness, and entrepreneurship."[2] <http://www.bossupbu.com/>

*dead prez* is the pair of underground alternative
rappers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rap>
stic.man <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stic.man> and
M-1<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M-1_%28rapper%29&action=edit>.
They have become known largely for their hard-hitting style and
politically-active lyrics, focusing on
racism<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism>,
critical pedagogy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_pedagogy>,
activism<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activism>against governmental
hypocrisy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocrisy>, and corporate
control<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatism>over the
media <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_media>, especially
hip-hop<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music> record
labels <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.W.A.>and
P.E. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy>
  Founding

In 1990, M-1 headed to
Tallahassee<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallahassee>to attend FAMU
(Florida
Agricultural and Mechanical
University<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Democratic_People%E2%80%99s_Uhuru_Movement&action=edit>(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 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_Nubian>'s Lord
Jamar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Jamar> discovered them in New
York<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York>and helped them sign a deal
with Loud
Records <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_bills>and toss
apples <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apples> into the audiences, declaring
that they must eat healthily).
[edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=2>
]

Music [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=3>
]

Releases

Their debut album was 2000's *Let's Get
Free<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Get_Free>
*, which featured a minor hit
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music>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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omali_Yeshitela>,
as well as "Animal in
Man<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Animal_in_Man&action=edit>"
- a retelling of George Orwell <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Orwell>'s
*Animal Farm <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Farm>*. The instrumental
version of their song "Hip Hop" was used as Dave
Chappelle<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Chappelle>'s
entrance music for his show on Comedy Central, and can be heard on every
episode. In 2001 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001> they collaborated with The
Coup <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coup>, another politically active
hip-hop outfit, to release *Get
Up<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Get_Up_%28album%29&action=edit>
*. In 2002, dead prez released the independent mix
tape<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mix_tape>
*Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape Vol.
1<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_off_the_Radio:_The_Mixtape_Vol._1>
*, followed by the release of *Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape Vol. 2: Get
Free or Die Tryin'<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Off_the_Radio_Vol._2:_Get_Free_Or_Die_Tryin%27>
* in 2003. In 2004, Columbia
Records<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Records>finally released
*Revolutionary But
Gangsta<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_But_Gangsta>
*. They were featured performers on the film Dave Chappelle's Block
Party<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Chappelle%27s_Block_Party>,
released in 2006. In 2006, they and former
2Pac<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2Pac>collaborators the
Outlawz <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlawz> will jointly release an album
titled *Can't Sell Dope
Forever<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Sell_Dope_Forever>
*.
 [image: dead prez uses the shi hexagram, "Leading" or "The Army", as part
of their logo.]
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Iching-hexagram-07.png> [image:
Enlarge] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Iching-hexagram-07.png>
dead prez uses the *shi*
hexagram<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Ching_hexagram_07>,
"Leading" or "The Army", as part of their logo.
 [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=4>
]

Lyrics

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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Center>,
the Pentagon <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pentagon>, and almost got the
White House <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House>Now everybody walkin'
round patriotic <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriotic>How we gon' fight to
keep freedom <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_%28political%29> when we
ain't got it?You wanna stop terrorists<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism>
?Start with the US imperialists <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism>Ain't
no track record like America's, seeBin
Laden<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osama_bin_Laden>was trained by the
CIA <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA>But I guess if you a terrorist for the
US then it's okay
[edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=5>
]

Controversy

Some of dead prez's fan base have accused them of giving up on their
revolutionary <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_nationalism> (especially in
the *Turn Off the Radio* mixtapes) over their original views of radical
socialism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_film> called dead
prez: It's Bigger Than Hip
Hop<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_prez:_It%27s_Bigger_Than_Hip_Hop&action=edit>.
The hour-long documentary featured live footage and interviews with dead
prez. It also featured interviews from Kamel
Bell<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kamel_Bell&action=edit>,
owner of Ankh Marketing<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ankh_Marketing&action=edit>and
son of incarcerated Black
Panthers <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Panthers> Herman
Bell<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herman_Bell&action=edit>;
Fred Hampton Jr.<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fred_Hampton_Jr.&action=edit>,
son of Black Panther Chairman Fred
Hampton<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton>;
Bay-area rapper Ise
Lyfe<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ise_Lyfe&action=edit>,
and hip hop activist and radio personality Davey
D<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Davey_D&action=edit>.
Among the topics discussed in the documentary are the inadequacies of the
public education system, minority entrepreneurship, and social revolution.
  *   *
[image: Dead Prez] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cquote1.png>
 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.  *   *
[image: Dead Prez] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cquote2.png>

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."
[1]<http://www.frostillustrated.com/news/2006/0522/Arts_And_Entertainment/027.html>
[edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=6>
]

Discography [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=7>
]

Albums  Album cover Album information
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DeadPrezLet%27sGetFree.jpg>
 *Let's Get Free <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_Get_Free>*

   - Released: March 14 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_14>,
2000<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: #73
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #22
   - Singles: "Hip Hop", "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop", "Police State", "I'm
   A African"/"The Pistol", "Mind Sex"/"Happiness"

   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Rbg_cover.jpg>
 *Revolutionary But
Gangsta<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_But_Gangsta>
*

   - Released: March 30 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_30>,
2004<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: #60
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #14
   - Singles: "Radio Freq", "Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)", "Hell Yeah
   (Pimp the System) (Remix)"

  [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=8>
]

Official Mixtapes  Mixtape cover Mixtape information
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Turnofftheradio.jpg>
 *Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape Vol.
1<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_off_the_Radio:_The_Mixtape_Vol._1>
*

   - Released: November 19 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_19>,
   2002 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: -
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #78
   - Singles: "Turn off the Radio"/"We Need a Revolution"

   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GetFree.jpg>
 *Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape Vol. 2: Get Free or Die
Tryin'<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turn_Off_the_Radio_Vol._2:_Get_Free_Or_Die_Tryin%27>
*

   - Released: October 21 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_21>,
2003<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: #144
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #32
   - Singles: "Fuck the Law"/"When Mamma Cries"

   <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cantsellforever.jpg>
 *Can't Sell Dope
Forever<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Sell_Dope_Forever>
* (with Outlawz <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlawz>)

   - Released: July 25 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_25>,
2006<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: -
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: -
   - Singles: "1Nation"

  [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=9>
]

M-1 solo albums  Album cover Album information
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Confidential.jpg>
 *Confidential <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidential_%28album%29>*

   - Released: March 21 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_21>,
2006<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006>
   - Billboard 200 chart position: -
   - R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #52
   - Singles: "Early"/"Comrade's Call", "'Til We Get There"/"The Beat"

  [edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=10>
]

See also

   - Mos Def <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Def>
   - Talib Kweli <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talib_Kweli>
   - Emcee Lynx <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emcee_Lynx>
   - The Coup <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Coup>
   - Immortal Technique <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortal_Technique>
   - Akir <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akir>
   - Poor Righteous
Teachers<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Righteous_Teachers>
   - Public Enemy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy>
   - Paris (rapper) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_%28rapper%29>
   - Tha Outlawz <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tha_Outlawz>
   - Black Market Militia<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Market_Militia>


   - Omali Yeshitela <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omali_Yeshitela>
   - Uhuru Movement <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhuru_Movement>
   - Fred Hampton <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton>
   - Fred Hampton, Jr. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton%2C_Jr.>
   - Marcus Garvey <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey>
   - Assata Shakur <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assata_Shakur>
   - Mumia Abu-Jamal <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumia_Abu-Jamal>


   - Police brutality <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_brutality>
   - News propaganda <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News_propaganda>
   - Black power <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_power>
   - Socialism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism>
   - Veganism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism>
   - Anarchism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism>

[edit<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dead_Prez&action=edit&section=11>
]

External links

   - Official Website (Columbia Records) <http://www.deadprez.com/>
   - Official Website (Sony / Loud
Records)<http://www.sonymusic.com/labels/loud/deadprez>
   - Official Store <http://www.bossupbu.com/>
   - Lyrics at ohhla.com <http://ohhla.com/anonymous/deadprez/>
   - M-1's MySpace.com page <http://www.myspace.com/m1rbg>
   - stic.man's MySpace.com page<http://www.myspace.com/sticman_deadprez>
   - March 2006 Interview with
M-1<http://www.meshsf.com/newpage/meshsf/article.php?id=311&section_id=6&front_id=15>
   - Dead Prez/Outlawz interview with
SoundSlam<http://www.soundslam.com/articles/interviews/interviews.php?interviews=in060823_dpol1>
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