dead prez: Hip Hop

dead prez és un duo de hip hop underground format per stic.man i M-1. Es van donar a conèixer per les seues líriques centrades en la política, el racisme, la pedagogia crítica, l'activisme contra la hipocresia governamental, i el control corporatiu dels mitjans de comunicació. Deixaren ben clara la seua postura en el seu primer àlbum, declarant en la cançó "I'm A African" que el grup està "en algun lloc entre Niggaz With Attitude i Public Enemy". En 1990, M-1 va assistir a la FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) en Tallahassee, on va conèixer stic.man i van connectar a causa de el seu amor per la música i els seus coneixements. "Vaig ser absorbit pels Panteres Negres en la seua integritat", recorda M-1, que es va unir al International Democratic People’s Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) a Chicago durant tres anys, mentre que stic.man va romandre a Florida i va començar a clavar-se en problemes. Cremat per l'ardu treball d'Uhuru, M-1 va decidir que era hora de donar començament a la seva carrera dintre del món de la música i stic.man hi va estar d'acord.
Influenciats per Malcolm X i Public Enemy, dead prez va transcriure l'educació política que van adquirir en la poesia lírica. Lord Jamar de Brand Nubian els va descobrir a Nova York i els va ajudar a signar un contracte amb Loud Records. Però ser els nous nois del barri en un segell principal com Loud (casa de Wu-Tang Clan i Mobb Deep) no va ser fàcil. dead prez no era sempre la prioritat de Loud, però això no els va detenir per a construir-se un gran ventall d'admiradors gràcies a la seva música. El seu àlbum debut va ser Let's Get Free en 2000, on s'incloïa l'èxit menor "Hip Hop".

Uh, uh, uh, 1, 2, 1, 2
Uh, uh, 1, 2, 1, 2, uh, uh
All my dogs

Hook

Its bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip
Its bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop

Uh, one thing bout music, when it hit you feel no pain
White folks say it controls your brain
I know better than that, thats game and we ready for that
Two soldiers head of the pack, matter of fact who got the gat?
And where my army at?
Rather attack and not react
Back the beats, it dont reflect on how many records get sold
On sex, drugs, and rock and roll, whether your projects put on hold
In the real world, these just people with ideas
They just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear
Again the real world (world), its bigger than all these fake ass records
When poor folks got the millions and my womans disrespected
If you check 1,2, my word of advice to you is just relax
Just do what you got to do, if that dont work then kick the facts
If you a fighter, rider, ? bouter? , flame ignitor, crowd exciter
Or you wanna just get high, then just say it
But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-cry agent with a wire
Im gonna know it when I play it

Hook

Uh, who shot biggie smalls?
If we dont get them, they gonna get us all
Im down for runnin up on them crackers in they city hall
We ride for yall, all my dogs stay real
Nigga dont think these record deals gonna feed your seeds
And pay your bills because they not
Mcs get a little bit of love and think they hot
Talkin bout how much money they got, all yall records sound the same
I sick of that fake thug, r & b, rap scenario all day on the radio
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material, yall dont here me though
These record labels slang our tapes like dope
You can be next in line, and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke
You would rather have a lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance?
A beamer, a necklace or freedom?
Still a nigga like me dont playa hate, I just stay awake
This real hip hop, and it dont stop until we get the po-po off the block
They call it....

Hook

Uh, dps got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up
John blazed and shit what

Repeat

Fake, fake, fake records