Revolutionary and still grindin’: an interview wit’ Stic.man of dead prez

by The People’s Minister of Information JR

Last year the legendary rap group dead prez celebrated 10 years since they dropped their monumental classic album, “Let’s Get Free.” Since then, they have dropped a lot of music together, including a dead prez album that they did with the Outlawz called “Can’t Sell Dope Forever,” and they also have done solo albums.

Stic.man-and-M1-of-dead-prez, Revolutionary and still grindin’: an interview wit’ Stic.man of dead prez, Culture Currents The group consists of Stic.man and M1, and at this point the dj is Mike Flo. They will be coming to the Bay Area to perform at Yoshi’s in San Francisco this Friday. We wanted to catch up wit’ dead prez to talk a little bit about what has been going on with them lately since they dropped their free mixtape, “Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz,” which was one of the dopest albums dropped in 2010.

Don’t take my word for it; you can get it at deadprez.com. Here is Stic.man, one half of the revolutionary rap group in this exclusive Q&A …

M.O.I. JR: You just dropped a free mixtape called “Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz.” What inspired y’all to do this mixtape?

Stic: We were just in a creative zone. We had just redesigned deadprez.com and wanted to get something out to the people to celebrate 10 years since we dropped “Let’s Get Free.”

M.O.I. JR: How did you pick which beats you wanted, considering you used beats from Donny Hathaway, Drake, Mary Mary and more?

Stic: We picked songs that were either favorites of ours or songs that were in heavy rotation that we felt lyrically could use a “takeover” – like Gucci Mane’s “Wasted.” Drake had used a bit of M1’s flow from hip hop so Eme (M1) wanted to get some get back, too. It was all in fun, paying homage to our hip hop culture.

M.O.I. JR: Why did y’all make this album free?

Stic: It was in honor of our first album’s success, so we thought giving it away free would be a nice way to celebrate it.

M.O.I. JR: What are you working on? When is it planned to drop?

Stic: My new album “The Workout.” It’s 14 new tracks self-produced, themed around health and fitness. No cursing, just hardcore motivation music. The Bay’s very own Martin Luther is featured on guitar and vocals on one of my favorites, called “Runner’s High.” It will be available in April 2011 and people can get it on itunes (under stic.man) or the deluxe edition on our new community health campaign site www.rbgfitclub.com.

Revolutionary-but-Gangsta-Grillz-by-dead-prez, Revolutionary and still grindin’: an interview wit’ Stic.man of dead prez, Culture Currents We will be touring for “The Workout” and doing health and fitness workshops around the country. If anyone is interested in bringing the workshop to their school or community organization etc., please reach out to us at Facebook.com/RBGFITCLUB.

The album is called “The Workout” and it is my favorite work to date. It’s in the vein of “50 in the Clip,” “Way of Life” and Be Healthy,” but the lyrics are for all ages – all positive content, motivational music for our health and well being. There’s a tribute song to “Bruce Lee” on the “Workout” as well.

Other areas of interest touched on on the album are boxing, yoga, nutrition, vegetarianism, weightlifting, martial arts, substance abuse, running, calisthenics and much more. For me, “The Workout” is a new form of activism to encourage health and fitness in our communities. We are looking to work with other brands and companies who share the same lifestyle and I’m excited to partner our hip hop platform in numerous ways with the health and fitness community.

M.O.I. JR: Any books in the works?

Stic: Me and my wife, Afya Ibomu, author of “The Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy,” are finishing up our book, “Revolutionary Love.” We’ve been together 18 years and our book celebrates our story and our unique nontraditional philosophies on how we keep our relationship happy and strong. I’m doing a mini soundtrack album for the book as well. Stay tuned to my facebook.com/sticrbg for details.

M.O.I. JR: I know that you heard about the verdict of involuntary manslaughter in the case of Johannes Mehserle, the pig who pulled the trigger killing Oscar Grant. What are your thoughts on the situation?

Stic: My thoughts are justice was not served by that verdict. And I support the rights of Oscar Grant’s family and community to be respected. I feel like the work that people like you do is key to keeping the momentum going for real justice and in defining what that will look like and the best ways in which to achieve it.

M.O.I. JR: Is dead prez rocking with a full band on stage at Yoshi’s on March 4 in San Francisco?

Stic: Top secret! Just know it’s gonna be revolutionary but gangsta’d up to the fullest! Don’t miss it!

M.O.I. JR: How could people keep up with you online?

Stic: I’m always available directly at facebook.com/sticrbg or contact my wonderful coordinator, Cynthia Charles, at Cynthiacharles915@gmail.com.

Email POCC Minister of Information JR, Bay View associate editor, at blockreportradio@gmail.com and visit www.blockreportradio.com.