Let's Get Free
Encyclopedia
Let's Get Free is the debut album by the political hip hop
duo dead prez
, released on February 8, 2000 on Loud Records
.
Critically acclaimed upon its first release, Let's Get Free was called a "return to politically conscious rap" and, "the most politically conscious rap since Public Enemy"; the duo's messages also earned them favorable comparisons with Brand Nubian
and X-Clan
. The album's lyrics, performed in front of sparse beats that many critics derided as a "dull musical backdrop" are startlingly direct, militant and confrontational. M-1
and stic.man
excoriate the media, the music industry, politicians and poverty, and rap about Afrocentrism
and Black Power
. Rolling Stone
gave the album four stars and lauded its equation of "classrooms with jail cells, the projects with killing fields and everything from water to television with conduits for brainwashing by the system". The album art is a homage
to the Tricontinental Conference promotional posters.
, of the InterNational Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement, describing a method of hunting which lures wolves to suicide, and makes the analogy to self-destruction fueled by crack in the black community.
The duo's radical pan-Africanism
is established on the album's first rap, "I'm an African", which contains the lyric "I'm an Africa
n/Never was an African-American". The same song explains their musical stance as "somewhere between N.W.A. and P.E.", referring to the two major hip-hop groups of late 1980s hip hop
, West Coast's N.W.A.
, and East Coast's Public Enemy.
"They Schools" assaults the dominance of whites in the public education
system in the United States
, from the accusatory title to the opening, "I went to school with some redneck crackers/right around the time 3rd Bass
dropped The Cactus Album", referring to an interracial, middle-class trio from the East Coast.
"Hip-Hop," the most well known song from the album clearly states their beliefs concerning the modern music industry being over-commercialized. They also illustrate their beliefs, stating "Who shot Biggie Smalls/If we don't get them they gon' get us all, I'm down for runnin' up on them crackers in they City Hall."
"Animal in Man" is an adaptation of George Orwell
's Animal Farm
and begins with a sound excerpt from the movie Beneath the Planet of the Apes
. The story mirrors Orwell's Animal Farm until the Stalinist character, Hannibal, attempts to re-organize the society into a class system, at which point all the animals reject this, execute Hannibal quarter his body and put it on display. "Behind Enemy Lines" namechecks Black Panther
Fred Hampton
.
Among the rallying cries for black liberation/socialism, dead prez
include entreaties for self-respect/love: "Be Healthy" is about eating right "I don't eat, no meat no dairy no sweets" and has become very popular in the vegetarian and vegan community; "Mind Sex" is about getting to know your lover and appreciate a person's mind as well as their body "maybe later we could play a game of chess on the futon"; "Discipline makes things easier, organize your life"; and "Happiness" is about warm weather as a tool for the liberation struggle. Dead prez
member stic.man
also discloses his religious beliefs in the track "Propaganda" "I believe man created God out of ignorance and fear" and also gives another rallying call for Huey P. Newton
, explaining that the black population understands that the system killed the Black Panther
leader because he had "the answer". This is in direct conflict to the official story that Newton was killed in a drug deal that went astray.
As well as hip-hop beats, many tracks contain live instruments, such as "Psychology", "Animal in Man", and "You'll Find a Way."
Political hip hop
Political hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed in the 1980s. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy were the first political hip hop group...
duo dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, released on February 8, 2000 on Loud Records
Loud Records
Loud Records is a subsidiary of SRC Records founded by Steve Rifkind in 1992.Loud was a hip hop label which has released material by acts such as Wu-Tang Clan, Big Punisher, Mobb Deep, Krayzie Bone, The Beatnuts, M.O.P., Tha Alkaholiks, Pete Rock, Lil' Flip, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat, Xzibit,...
.
Critically acclaimed upon its first release, Let's Get Free was called a "return to politically conscious rap" and, "the most politically conscious rap since Public Enemy"; the duo's messages also earned them favorable comparisons with Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian
Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, consisting of three MC's: Grand Puba , Sadat X and Lord Jamar , and two DJs: DJ Alamo and DJ Sincere...
and X-Clan
X-Clan
X-Clan is a hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York, originally consisting of Grand Verbalizer Funkin' Lesson Brother J, Professor X The Overseer, Paradise the Architect, and Sugar Shaft the Rhythm Provider...
. The album's lyrics, performed in front of sparse beats that many critics derided as a "dull musical backdrop" are startlingly direct, militant and confrontational. M-1
M-1 (rapper)
Mutulu Olugbala also known by his stage name M-1 is a rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo Dead Prez along with his friend stic.man...
and stic.man
Stic.man
Khnum Muata ”STIC” Ibomu or Clayton Gavin, better known as stic.man, is an American emcee, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop duo dead prez.-History:...
excoriate the media, the music industry, politicians and poverty, and rap about Afrocentrism
Afrocentrism
Afrocentrism is cultural ideology mostly limited to the United States, dedicated to the history of Black people a response to global racist attitudes about African people and their historical contributions by revisiting this history with an African cultural and ideological center...
and Black Power
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave the album four stars and lauded its equation of "classrooms with jail cells, the projects with killing fields and everything from water to television with conduits for brainwashing by the system". The album art is a homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the Tricontinental Conference promotional posters.
Overview
The record opens with a speech by Chairman Omali YeshitelaOmali Yeshitela
Omali Yeshitela the founder of the Uhuru Movement a left wing, African Internationalist organization based in St...
, of the InterNational Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement, describing a method of hunting which lures wolves to suicide, and makes the analogy to self-destruction fueled by crack in the black community.
The duo's radical pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a movement that seeks to unify African people or people living in Africa, into a "one African community". Differing types of Pan-Africanism seek different levels of economic, racial, social, or political unity...
is established on the album's first rap, "I'm an African", which contains the lyric "I'm an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n/Never was an African-American". The same song explains their musical stance as "somewhere between N.W.A. and P.E.", referring to the two major hip-hop groups of late 1980s hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, West Coast's N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
, and East Coast's Public Enemy.
"They Schools" assaults the dominance of whites in the public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
system in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, from the accusatory title to the opening, "I went to school with some redneck crackers/right around the time 3rd Bass
3rd Bass
3rd Bass was an American hip-hop group that rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip-hop groups.-Career:...
dropped The Cactus Album", referring to an interracial, middle-class trio from the East Coast.
"Hip-Hop," the most well known song from the album clearly states their beliefs concerning the modern music industry being over-commercialized. They also illustrate their beliefs, stating "Who shot Biggie Smalls/If we don't get them they gon' get us all, I'm down for runnin' up on them crackers in they City Hall."
"Animal in Man" is an adaptation of George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's Animal Farm
Animal Farm
Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...
and begins with a sound excerpt from the movie Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Beneath the Planet of the Apes is a 1970 American science fiction film directed by Ted Post and written by Paul Dehn. It is the second of five films in the original Planet of the Apes series produced by Arthur P. Jacobs...
. The story mirrors Orwell's Animal Farm until the Stalinist character, Hannibal, attempts to re-organize the society into a class system, at which point all the animals reject this, execute Hannibal quarter his body and put it on display. "Behind Enemy Lines" namechecks Black Panther
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton
Fred Hampton was an African-American activist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party...
.
Among the rallying cries for black liberation/socialism, dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
include entreaties for self-respect/love: "Be Healthy" is about eating right "I don't eat, no meat no dairy no sweets" and has become very popular in the vegetarian and vegan community; "Mind Sex" is about getting to know your lover and appreciate a person's mind as well as their body "maybe later we could play a game of chess on the futon"; "Discipline makes things easier, organize your life"; and "Happiness" is about warm weather as a tool for the liberation struggle. Dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
member stic.man
Stic.man
Khnum Muata ”STIC” Ibomu or Clayton Gavin, better known as stic.man, is an American emcee, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop duo dead prez.-History:...
also discloses his religious beliefs in the track "Propaganda" "I believe man created God out of ignorance and fear" and also gives another rallying call for Huey P. Newton
Huey P. Newton
Huey Percy Newton was an American political and urban activist who, along with Bobby Seale, co-founded the Black Panther Party for Self Defense.-Early life:...
, explaining that the black population understands that the system killed the Black Panther
Black panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
leader because he had "the answer". This is in direct conflict to the official story that Newton was killed in a drug deal that went astray.
As well as hip-hop beats, many tracks contain live instruments, such as "Psychology", "Animal in Man", and "You'll Find a Way."
Track listing
| # | Title | Length | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Wolves" | 2:16 | Clayton Gavin, Lavon Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | dead prez | Chairman Omali Yeshitela Omali Yeshitela Omali Yeshitela the founder of the Uhuru Movement a left wing, African Internationalist organization based in St... |
| 2 | "I'm a African" | 3:19 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals by Indo and Abu) |
| 3 | "They Schools" | 5:06 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (chorus vocals by Keanna Henson) |
| 4 | "Hip-Hop" | 3:33 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | dead prez | stic.man, M-1 |
| 5 | "Police State" | 3:40 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (opening vocals by Chairman Omali Yeshitela) |
| 6 | "Behind Enemy Lines" | 3:03 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (phone calls by Ness, Toya and Divine) |
| 7 | "Assassination" | 2:01 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, Lorenzo Dechalus | Lord Jamar Lord Jamar Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1 |
| 8 | "Mind Sex" | 4:51 | C. Gavin, L. Alford | dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals by Umi, Becca's Smoke and Candy Store; poem by Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole , is a poet, teacher and founding member of the American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets that developed into what is considered the first ever hip hop group.... ) |
| 9 | "We Want Freedom" | 4:33 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals from "The Spook Who Sat By the Door") |
| 10 | "Be Healthy" | 2:34 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, V. Williams, A. Mair | Hedrush, dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals by Prodigy Prodigy (rapper) Lance Albert Johnson Banks, better known as Prodigy, is an American rapper and one half of the hip-hop and rap duo Mobb Deep.... ) |
| 11 | "Discipline" | 1:37 | C. Gavin, L. Alford | dead prez | stic.man, M-1 (phone call by Dedan and Nimrod) |
| 12 | "Psychology" | 5:56 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, L. Dechalus | Lord Jamar Lord Jamar Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals by True Image; poem read by Umi) |
| 13 | "Happiness" | 3:48 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, L. Dechalus, Curtis Mayfield Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly... , Gilbert Askey, Mary J. Blige Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has... , Sean Combs Sean Combs Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally... , Jean-Claude "Poke" Olivier" Trackmasters The Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R... , Arlene Devalle |
Lord Jamar Lord Jamar Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1 |
| 14 | "Animal in Man" | 4:31 | C. Gavin, L. Alford | dead prez | stic.man, M-1 |
| 15 | "You'll Find a Way" | 3:13 | C. Gavin, L. Alford | dead prez | *Instrumental* |
| 16 | "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" | 3:55 | C. Gavin, L. Alford | Kanye West Kanye West Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1, Tahir |
| 17 | "Propaganda" | 5:40 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, L. Dechalus | Lord Jamar Lord Jamar Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1 (additional vocals by Becca's Smoke and Candy Store, ending vocals by Huey Newton) |
| 18 | "The Pistol" | 4:27 | C. Gavin, L. Alford, L. Dechalus | Lord Jamar Lord Jamar Lord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos... , dead prez |
stic.man, M-1, Maintain |
Album singles
| Single information |
|---|
"Police State"
|
| "Hip-Hop"
|
| "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop"
|
| "I'm a African"
|
| "Mind Sex"
|
Album chart positions
| Year | Album | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | |||
| 2000 | Let's Get Free | #73 | #22 | |
Singles chart positions
| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
||
| 1999 | "Hip-Hop" | - | - | #49 |
| 2000 | "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" | - | - | #43 |
Personnel
- stic.manStic.manKhnum Muata ”STIC” Ibomu or Clayton Gavin, better known as stic.man, is an American emcee, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop duo dead prez.-History:...
— Lead vocals, production, executive producer, art direction - M-1M-1 (rapper)Mutulu Olugbala also known by his stage name M-1 is a rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo Dead Prez along with his friend stic.man...
- Lead vocals, production, executive producer, art direction - Hedrush — Production, drum programming
- Lord JamarLord JamarLord Jamar is an American emcee and actor. He is a member of the hip-hop group Brand Nubian, which formed in 1989. As an actor, he is best known for his role of Supreme Allah on the TV series Oz. He has appeared on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, and The Sopranos...
— Production - Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
— Production - Tahir (of Hedrush) - Vocals
- Maintain (of Illegal Tendencies) - Vocals
- Indo (of People's Army) - Additional vocals
- Abu (of People's Army) - Additional vocals
- Keanna Henson — Additional vocals
- Ness (of A-Alikes) - Additional vocals
- Toya (of People's Army) - Additional vocals
- Divine (of People's Army) - Additional vocals
- Umi — Additional vocals
- Becca's Smoke and Candy Store — Additional vocals, keyboards
- Abiodun Oyewole (of The Last PoetsThe Last PoetsThe Last Poets is a group of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African American civil rights movement's black nationalist thread...
) - Additional vocals - ProdigyProdigy (rapper)Lance Albert Johnson Banks, better known as Prodigy, is an American rapper and one half of the hip-hop and rap duo Mobb Deep....
(of Mobb DeepMobb DeepMobb Deep is an American hip hop duo from Queensbridge, Queens, New York, U.S., that consists of Havoc and Prodigy. The duo is "one of the most critically acclaimed hardcore East Coast hip-hop groups." The group is best known for its dark, hardcore delivery, as exemplified by the single "Shook Ones...
) - Additional vocals - Dedan (of Illegal Tendencies) - Additional vocals
- Nimrod (of Illegal Tendencies) - Additional vocals
- True Image — Additional vocals
- Mark BatsonMark BatsonMark Batson is an American record producer, arranger, and songwriter from Bushwick, Brooklyn, now based in Los Angeles.As a co-writer and producer with Dr. Dre, he is responsible for Jay-Z's 2006 single "Lost One", as well as tracks for Eminem, 50 Cent, Game and Snoop Dogg. As a co-writer and...
— Keyboards - Christos Tsantilios — Recording, mixing
- Blair Wells — Recording
- Nastee — Recording
- Doug Wilson — Mixing
- Bernard Grubman — Guitar
- Pressure of Fambase — Keyboards
- Melvin GibbsMelvin GibbsMelvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist, composer, and producer who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Gibbs has been called "the best bassist in the world" by Time Out New York magazine....
— Bass - Laura J. Seaton-Finn — Strings
- Joshua — Horns
- Mista Sinista (of The X-EcutionersThe X-EcutionersThe X-Ecutioners is a group of hip hop DJs / turntablists from New York.-History:Formed as a DJ crew in the early nineties and originally including 11 members, under the name X-Men, which was chosen partly because of their rivalry between Super DJ Clark Kent's crew of DJs, known as the Supermen,...
) - Scratching - Sean Cane — Drums, executive producer
- Matt Life — Executive producer, A&R
- Schott Free — Executive producer, A&R
- A. Jabbar — Assistant A&R
- Malachi — Assistant A&R
- Lincoln Weir — A&R administration
- Tra Frazier — A&R administration
- Kyesha Bennett — Product manager
- Exodus — Management
- Stuart "Kamau" Lyle — Cover concept
- Kerry DeBruce — Art direction, design
- Lorraine West — Illustration
- Anthony Cutajar — Album photography
- Saba — Road photography
- Corbis — Archival images