Happy 20th Anniversary to Dead Prez’s debut album Let’s Get Free, originally released March 14, 2000.
M-1 and stic.man, better known as Dead Prez (commonly stylized in all lower-case as dead prez), are two very serious cats. Coming up in the late ‘90s indie rap boom, they were part of a second wave of political rap inspired by groups like Public Enemy, X-Clan, and The Coup. Like these groups, Dead Prez were militant, enraged socialists, but still knew how to rock a crowd at the same time. Their debut, 2000’s Let’s Get Free, remains their best work and is one of the strongest politicized hip-hop albums of all time. It is also among the last great records to be released on Loud Records, capping off an incredible run of albums from the label in the ‘90s that included classics by Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Xzibit, Big Pun, and Tha Alkaholiks.
Dead Prez broach a host of issues head-on, evident by the straight-to-the-point names of several songs: “They’ Schools” (about the lack of black history in educational programs), “Police State” (the oppressive, aggressive nature of law enforcement and Government), “Assassination” (how poverty breeds contempt, leading to violence and black-on-black crime), “We Want Freedom” (a call for revolution), and “Propaganda” (media manipulation and paranoia, featuring words from activist and Black Panthers cofounder, Huey P. Newton). There is no time for subliminal messages or beating around the bush on any of these songs, and such clarity makes every social issue touched upon feel sincere and full of compassion. M-1 and stic.man also deliver their messages in a very intellectual manner, especially on “Animal in Man,” where they retell the story of George Orwell’s Animal Farm as a modern take on the same allegory.
The album’s signature song is “Hip-Hop,” currently used as the theme song for the Netflix documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution. As flattering as this is, it’s also quite ironic. The series celebrates the rich history of rap music and how it went from the streets of the Bronx to becoming a multi-billion dollar cash cow, yet “Hip-Hop” is a call for an end to the self-exploitation and greedy nature of commercial rap, and the selfishness of wanting to get rich when so many people around them are poor. Because, as the hook of the song loudly proclaims, there are issues “bigger than hip-hop.”
Politics aside, Let’s Get Free also has many positive and uplifting moments. “Be Healthy” promotes looking after ourselves by eating right and respecting our bodies. It ends with some extra jewels of wisdom by none other than their Loud labelmate, the late Prodigy. It provides a nice counteract to Mobb Deep’s own 1995 song “Drink Away The Pain.” On that track, Prodigy talks about abusing his body with alcohol, but as a life-long sufferer of sickle-cell anemia, he had to watch what he ate.
“Happiness” is as joyful and inspirational as it sounds, encouraging people to appreciate the simple things in life and enjoy them, no matter what problems we have. You find yourself waiting for something terrible to come along and ruin the day, but it thankfully never does. On “Mind Sex,” M-1 and stic.man rhyme about partners connecting on a mental and spiritual level before a physical one. Talk of burning incense and drinking herbal tea with the special women in their lives honestly doesn’t fit that well within the overall album, and borders on Common territory. But just when you think they may be straying too far from what they are known for, Dead Prez bring it back by closing “Happiness” with a spoken-word outro by Abiodun Oyewole. He speaks soulful words here, but as a founding member of The Last Poets, there’s always an air of the political activist in his voice no matter what he’s saying.
Production on Let’s Get Free is handled by Dead Prez themselves and Hedrush. There are also contributions from Brand Nubian’s Lord Jamar, who helped the group get signed to Loud. Elsewhere there’s a remix of “Hip-Hop” co-produced by a young Kanye West—one of his first placements before hitting it big with Jay-Z. Looking back now, knowing what a raging capitalist West has become, it is very ironic he would help produce on a song the explores why rappers should not be making music for the money and fame.
Dead Prez still operate today and have recorded various projects in the 20 years since Let’s Get Free, but this is still their most successful and well-received record.
Note: As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism may earn commissions from purchases of products featured on our site.
LISTEN: