Dead Prez: Plantation Life

[Skindiana bon3z]

dead prez: Plantation Life
By Sista Fayemi



Fans have anxiously awaited an album release from internationally acclaimed rap duo, dead prez, for several, painful months. While it has already garnered stellar reviews sources at Columbia Records have revealed (off the record) that dead prez was no longer on its payroll. The group was allegedly dropped according to unofficial reports as a result of what was deemed “as poor projection of sales.”

The politically charged group's debut Let's Get Free, moved approximately 300,000 copies in the United States. Execs were apparently concerned about the upcoming project, despite already being completed.

In an interview prior to the disappointing, but not surprising news, M-1 likens industry life to plantation life and explains why they "stic" with it.

AllHipHop.com: when you and stic first started looking for a deal who did you reach out to and what was your experience?

M-1: We had a few friends that gave us some names and numbers because in the beginning we didn't know all the names and titles of those people at the labels. Then we started calling people and going up in the offices like you need to see us. We approached Russell a few times up in the elevator and his words to us were. ' Y'all need to stop cursing so much.' Cause he knew…he knew we was cursing at the government. He could get with DMX but he couldn't get with us cause he knew our intentions were different. We tried to get with this lady at Columbia but at the time she took a little too long so we went to Steve Rifkin's office at Loud Records. They had a good rep in the streets.

AllHipHop: What was your experience with Loud?

M-1: We were on Loud for 6 years. Four of those years were spent without releasing our first album, Let's Get Free even though it was ready to go. We saw Big Pun come, we saw Wu-Tang come with albums, we saw a lot happen while we was just sittin. Then, Loud started going through a lot of changes with its distributors we were caught in the middle. Every time they switched distributors, our release date was pushed back. Because once the distribution changed, the partners changed and the company began a new relationship in dealing with the money exchange. Those distributors were the beneficiaries who bankrolled what would happen to Loud Records, the backers. How the checks got cut, new deadlines were set, everything would change each time. That's why it took four years until we finally saw Sony.

AllHipHop: What happened when Loud finally folded?

M-1: Once Loud became unable to keep up with Sony's high standard to put out the kind of records that it sells for the 40 million dollar per year entity that it is. I mean you really have to do a lot of platinum to keep up with that and Loud Records was not a powerhouse platinum label like a Def Jam. For the most part their artists had a cult following but they needed that attention paid but they wanted Mariah Careys. Eventually, that worked to the detriment of Loud because eventually their departments became swallowed up as they couldn't produce. Loud itself fell into Sony companies, dissolved it and sold it to different parts. That's how we ended up on Columbia.

AllHipHop: Was that your choice? Did you have any say so?

M-1: Oh hell no. Hell no. I would have been free. We tried to run from the plantation. We saw the plantation was burning down we was trying to escape in the middle of the night. Ol' dude was standing in the corner and snatched us up when we were trying to sneak into the woods and took us to the next plantation.

AllHipHop: same shit different day, huh?

M-1: That's my total analogy. For anybody that can't understand that I don't know how to get it through any clearer than that. We were sold like slaves in the middle of the night

AllHipHop: What led to the decision to put out the mixtape you guys released?

M-1: In a good way that experience of being bought and sold and feeling like a slave led us to think of ways to do for self on our own. That's when we produced the mixtape, Turn off the Radio Volume 1. There was a serious lack of understanding and vision on the part of people just paid to do a job in the industry. We could have used some great guerilla tactics promotion and marketing tactics to do a lot more for what I think dead prez needed. But scared money don't make money. Bossman was too scared to put his money where his mouth was and we ended up making some great records that never came out. Some of them were used on the mixtape. We did some songs with the Marleys, Damon, Julian and Steven. We made relationships with people like Sol Slim from the New Orleans camp. We did some things with Beatnuts, our crew, Tahir, Larry Blackman from Cameo but hey that's what Turn Off the Radio ended up becoming. We were able to make some statements because a lot of times people look for rap that makes sense but without correct political education you can't make sense of all this. So, that album helped us to make statements about Iraq and other issues, when there really were no avenues on the radio or anywhere else to do it.

AllHipHop: How do you think current attacks on civil liberties like the Patriot Act affect hip hop and do you feel there are efforts made to suppress political voices in hip hop?

M-1: Yes. There has to be. Music is the primary tool by the voiceless used to get our culture. With access to it, bourgeois media will suppress our voices, BET, MTV… Whatever. They will govern that to make sure nothing gets through that could impede the steady propaganda that they feed us. We are clear on that. They got the Patriot Acts 2 and 3 on its way. So if they are thinking that far ahead we need to be thinking that far ahead.

AllHipHop: Is it your agenda to expose or prove that? M-1: I don't have to expose it. People know it for themselves.

AllHipHop: Do you really think people know it?

M-1: People do. It's popular now to question the government more than ever. The majority of people are not with the US government.

AllHipHop: If people know it, why continue to support the criminality of black males?

M-1: I think there is a difference in do people think the system is broken and what people will do to make money. For some people just because they know the system is broken doesn't mean well let's fix the problem. It means well what that gotta do with me.

AllHipHop: So what do you think will happen to hip hop as a result of that mentality?

M-1: The same thing that's going to happen to Black people as a result of that mentality. Hip hop is a microcosm of the real world. It is not the real world. So whatever would happen to Black people, Latino people the people who really know are suffering still. I'm not talking about the 'burbs or those people who ran out and bought Eminem's album. Even though 50 ain't selling crack on the streets he's selling crack on his raps. We suffering still.

AllHipHop: How can you explain the overwhelming support you have among white youths in contrast to the Black/Latino youths you make your music for in the ghetto?

M-1: We are in the interest of building power that's all. Power is the main focus. It doesn't matter who unites with it. Ever body must unite with it but we gon' make sure that our people unite with it. There is no diversion. I'm not thrown off by it. I see it and I understand the phenomenon. Those middle class kids have an affinity for this working class sentiment. It makes sense, it answers all the questions they need to hear. It is the reason why they are going to school. When they see it in the raw, they have to unite.

AllHipHop: Yeah but when its time to pick a side who's side will they pick?

M-1: Well that remains to be seen. None of this is based in trust. I have no trust in white people but why should I just by the way we have been betrayed. There has to be a relationship built by solid real work. Them shouting I'm an African at our shows just provides a basis on which to confront them. Oh yeah, you willing for us to be free? How far are you willing to go? If you can not be held accountable and organize, to hell with you coming to my concerts saying I'm an African. But that's the job of the movement is now I got you what you gonna do now. I saw you move to a side, I saw you pick it now what are you gonna do now? Call ' em on the question and that way we can clear up the bullshit. Believe me I don't expect them kids in Portland and Seattle and especially in those "hip hop" backpackin circuits to do much. But when you hear this sentiment right here believe me its no hate. It is just irony. It's irony that this music we so intended for our community went to the sons and daughters of the mutha fuckas we sold the shit. The people who owned the masters just sold the shit to they cousins and them over in Middle America with soccer moms and all that. When we wanted to sell it in our hoods but that wasn't their concentration. It's just so ironic.

AllHipHop: Have you like many artists have had the experience of people and friends approaching you hoping you could help them get on who weren't aware of your situation?

M-1: Oh yeah. People don't understand our relationships and our resources. It's almost like saying just because you work somewhere you can get somebody a job. It's not true. If that were the case your whole family would be working. I'm not in a position to do much if anything for anybody when it comes to that but people don't understand.

AllHipHop: Why make the decision to be your own management?

M-1: We could probably benefit from having someone to manage us but we don't do commercials and shit like that. We don't do ads for nobody unless they going to pay for the hood. We tried working with different people a few times and it never worked out so we just decided to do it ourselves and we'd have a lot less headaches. It's a lot to deal with sometimes but we'd rather that than deal with somebody who doesn't understand our vision trying to get us to do soda commercials.

AllHipHop: how frustrating is it to deal with the labels at this level?

M-1: Some times I sit back and I….I hate them. But I have to do it. I think it's something in my heart. In the middle of the night last night I woke up to write at 2 in the morning. That's why I have to do it. I have to get it out. I have to say what's in me. I don't care if anybody ever hears it ever. But there's something in me that says, 'Yo you gotta explain this or somebody gotta explain it to me.

AllHipHop: Do you get frustrated with the masses?

M-1: You gotta have faith. One thing you can't lose is faith in the masses. What humbles me is we are only as strong as our weakest link no matter what. I don't care how strong the rest of this whole shit is. And the people have all the answers. They will pull it out on you and show you what you been doing wrong the whole time but you gotta have faith.

[Hatesrats™]

Dead prez: Plantation Life
By Sista Fayemi

AllHipHop: So what do you think will happen to hip hop as a result of that mentality?

M-1: The same thing that's going to happen to Black people as a result of that mentality. Hip hop is a microcosm of the real world. It is not the real world. So whatever would happen to Black people, Latino people the people who really know are suffering still. I'm not talking about the 'burbs or those people who ran out and bought Eminem's album. Even though 50 ain't selling crack on the streets he's selling crack on his raps. We suffering still.

 
Hatesrats 2oooTre