Dead Prez : Let's Get Free

Dead Prez may have been slightly ahead of their time during their golden years, but that is definitely meant as a compliment. Sermonizing Black Nationalism, Pan-Africanism and the benefits of a healthy and just lifestyle during the height of the Bad Boy / Roc-A-Fella era of nihilistic excess in the late 90s, they also signed to a major label (Loud / Columbia) despite leaning much more towards the burgeoning indie aesthetics of the day. But this was a good thing using major label muscle to wake up righteous hip-hop fans who might have fallen asleep at the wheel.

The group itself consisting of MCs stic.man and M-1, who produced or co-produced most of the duos music was formed in Tallahassee, Florida in the early 1990s (M-1 originally hailed from Brooklyn). By later that decade, the duo had started making significant waves, having their music heard on the soundtracks to Soul In The Hole and Slam, as well as appearing on albums by Big Pu