Taking the Pulse of ‘Gangsta Revolutionaries’

In a conversation with The Root, the hip-hop duo Dead Prez sounds off on their new mixtape, the good news about the economic slump and their thoughts about Obama’s presidency.

“The real fight for people, as much as we project it out, is in our own consciousness,” says Stic-Man, one half of the hip-hop duo Dead Prez. A decade after the release of their wildly successful street anthem “It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop,” Stic and his partner, M-1, are still chopping it up about revolutionary activism. On June 23, Dead Prez will release Pulse of the People; a new mixtape produced by DJ Green Lantern, followed by their third proper album, Information Age, this fall.

The Root connected with the two “gangsta revolutionaries” to chat about everything from Obama to addiction. Here is a taste of our 71-minute conversation that stings beautifully and rocks hard.

The Root: I think many agree that DP’s work has had a major impact on the collective consciousness. What impact has your work made?

Stic: One of the things DP has grown into, and we’re still trying to grow into, is being a bridge for the streets and the struggle. We coined the phrase ‘revolutionary, but gangsta.’ We’re trying to take the most proactive elements of the hood, our culture, the everyday life of surviving and make a bridge with the revolutionary aspirations of our movement.

M-1: I believe that we have made a collective cultural dent in the imaginary wall that white power imperialism has put up [….] Say somewhere like the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We’re not Democrats, yet our voice can be used in the same way that Fred Hampton Sr. did it during 1968 at that Democratic National Convention.  

The Root: At the height of the recent presidential race, you all released a song called “Politrikkks.” Why was it important for you to release that song at that particular time?

Stic: More than us trying to have a big debate on Obama’s legitimacy to the community … with “Politrikkks,” I wanted to make the distinction that we’re talking about the seat of the presidency, itself, and what that represents in terms of furthering the American white power agenda, even though it’s a black face in that seat.

The Root: Tell me about the new record.

Stic: Pulse Of The People, produced by DJ Green Lantern, is really just a pit stop before Information Age, which is our next full album.

M-1: If you know the stuff Green did on Nas’ The N Mixtape, that’s his production, the sound and grittiness of it, the concrete swag it has, is the sound of the production coming from Green.

We made songs like “Africa Hot” or “Devil Get Off Me,” which features K9.

Stic: You all got to check another joint called “War Path.” It’s about the rampant police terrorism that’s going on in our neighborhoods.

The Root: As creative entrepreneurs, how have you both been relating to the economic slump? Have you found a way to reject the overwhelming sense of scarcity that’s so prevalent now?

Stic: Well, as far as I know, ever since I was born, we've been in a recession. [Laughter.] When I look back at my momma and all her mommas and grandmommas, we've been in a recession. The mentality of people that suffer from this so-called recession is thinking that the government was going to take care of them in the first place.

M-1: African people have been forced to deal with limited resources ever since we were stripped from the main place that had provided resources for the whole world—Africa. Now we’re seeing a dying system [….] The trickle-down effect from our local communities and local government—even those processes are being interrupted because of the crisis of imperialism now. That’s the reason why we have to be a part of influencing what happens next. Now is the perfect time for anybody who is full of bravery and courage with good ideas. 

The Root: If we accept the premise that each soul, groups of energies, has a reason for being on the planet, why is Dead Prez here? 

Stic: We’re here to express our own and our generation’s perspective on our struggle. Dead Prez is going to continue to be an example of the ideas in our music. 

M-1: Dead Prez is here to complete the revolution that’s happening inside of us personally and the one that’s happening around us politically.

K. Neycha Herford is a musician, writer, transformational counselor and new media journalist living in Brooklyn. Read the full transcript of this conversation here.