thaFormula.com - First off, much respect for puttin down one of the best albums of the year.

dead prez - Thank You.

thaFormula.com - Has the theme changed?

dead prez - Not at all man. We still need to be free. As a matter a fact the record ain't really able to reflect the kind of struggles that were really going through. I think that's why making a record for us is important because you kinda got to grow between each one. Now it ain't even freedom for us no more. It's freedom for the babies that we have and it's freedom for just all kind of future dreams. So the theme hasn't changed. What has changed is our intensity on how we gonna get it across and make it happen. I think it's with a serious mindedness and just with the realization that we got to get real and true power. We not the same Dead Prez that we always was from before organizationally or even ideologically from my political standpoint. Alot of things have happened, alot of people have been murdered, alot of good soldiers have passed away and situations have changed. So the theme hasn't changed, it's just the way that we dealin with it. Dead Prez is not nobody really. We just represent a cultural aspect that reflects what's really going on. That's why we spell it with a lower case d and a lower case p because the people come first and it's not about no certain kind of ego trippin thing where we think it's some sort of thing like that. So the theme is still here and were still enduring the same conditions, so I hope we can relate to all our regular people and people can take it real serious. The same way we want the next car, the next piece of clothing, or jewelry or whatever. I hope we can also set our sights on being free.

thaFormula.com - How did you end up on Loud Records?

dead prez - Basically we went up in there. We were lookin for a deal. We were lookin for a way to magnify what we were already doing. We knew that if we kept it just local to Tallahassee, which is where we was at, we weren't really going anywhere. We figured we were probably gonna end up doing something else to pay the rent and that might be something that might not be so positive. So we moved to New York and we pursued a deal. I went everywhere. We went to alot of little labels. We ended up at Loud cause we was organized and went in there with a strategy and we were hungry as fuck. At this point it was live or die, know what I'm sayin.

thaFormula.com - Was it a problem finding a label cause of the content or anything like that?

dead prez - Nah, cause they didn't even understand how serious it was. To them it could have been some sort of gibberish or code words that sounded cool cause you know that's how the labels do. They didn't know that we were serious about it and that we were ready to really organize and deal with issues. Alot of times people talk shit in abstract and it hasn't been really effective. The industry niggaz didn't know what we were doing. They thought we were coming through the door speaking that 5% shit or Wu Tang shit. Some people associate dead prez with just dollars and some people when they hear dead prez, they know what time it is all the way up and down.

thaFormula.com - So what is dead prez view on September 11th?

dead prez - Whatever happened on September 11th in New York City at the world trade center fit the agenda of White world power which George Bush is beginning to run and head up. It's showing up and anchoring up and rousing the people towards this white washing or red, white, and blue washing. I think it's another leap at world power and world domination and it's cloaked under this thing called terrorism. I think it intends to make a claim that everybody who is not of the same opinion of the United States government or those enforcers of that are terrorist, when in fact the U.S. is the real terrorist. I don't know who did it. I don't know if Osama Bin Laden did it. I just know that out in the world what I recognize now, is that there is somebody else who feels the same pain that I felt all my life livin in Brooklyn or livin in Florida growin up in the projects. Their is somebody else who feels that there is a war that is being waged against them and wants to strike back and that's what I think is happening to the U.S. and I'm not surprised by it at all. I think our response has to be one that calls for real justice because that's what I think is gonna solve the problem, not vengeance. Everybody is talkin about going to war and bombing Bin Laden. Dr. Dre is talkin about bombin Bin Laden and all this other bullshit. Everybody is wearin red white and blue and I think that's the wrong thing to do. I don't think going out and bombing those countries is gonna bring justice in our hood. I think our position has to be one of Anti war and I say that only because their is a war that has been going on in our community and the only way we gonna resolve it is if we get power. So once we get power then we don't have to live under this war that has been happening. I'm ready for the war to stop too, but under my terms and I wanna be free. I'm prepared to choose sides right now and take the right position. We still need freedom.

thaFormula.com - What should or does the American Flag represent to you?

dead prez - It represents greed, slavery, and bondage. It represents stolen wealth. It represents a great lie that has been told and made to look good. It represents a pirate economy and nation. The only reason why I'm here and the Africans that are here are here is because of that flag. I wouldn't even be here, I would be in Africa where my people originated or I'm indigenous to. So, uh, FUCK THAT FLAG!!

thaFormula.com - When you are performing "I'm an African" in front of alot of Europeans and stuff like that, what does it feel like to see them with there fist pumped up in the air screamin "I'm an African".

dead prez - All I can say is that it's political education and truly shouldn't be confused. We have to be clear on what side we are. If your North American or European or what they call a white person. I don't like to say white or black person cause really you are indigenous to a certain place or world and it's either in North America or Europe. That's what most white people are indigenous too. I'm indigenous to Africa and places like that so when I begin to talk about that and I see either North American or European people responding with "I'm and African", I hope that it becomes political education and allows them to understand that I have the right to say that I'm an African only because you called me an African American and that statement makes you recognize that I do, uh, even aside from all the brain washing that has happened and whatever. I recognize the truth inside all that bullshit. And if that let's them see that this whole thing has a fault and that it's full of bullshit. That the education that we been receiving has been a brainwashed education, then that's good. But I will never be confused about who white people are and what I meant by the song and I don't think white is inherently bad. I just think that the North American and European population has benefited from the whole process, which has been exploitation of us and the world. If you wanna get on the right path, the best thing to do is to admit that these people that you been callin black are really Africans. They are the African people that you stole.

thaFormula.com - What do you think is the biggest problem concerning the exploitation as far as the industry is concerned towards the black community or the African Community as far as what they play on the radio goes?

dead prez - It's the media and it all has one function. It functions the same. White power as a whole so even the radio station which has hip hop blasting through the airwaves is not owned and controlled or operated by the African community, nor is this industry who benefits from the talents and the resources of our culture benefit the African community at all. It's totally contradictory and it's exploited. It's sucks to blow up in the community and send that dollar into the white community. It's really economic slavery and it's really connected to a whole capitalist economy and not just the industry. It's a blood sucker and that's what hip hop is. I think the answer to that is that we circulate the dollar economically back through our community. Not to make black people rich though. It's that so we can create some sort of structure that can be a powerhouse that can challenge that bullshit. So that we don't got to get jobs over there and take them bullshit slave wages just to make ends meet or as rappers sign a bullshit contract for pennies just so you can get your little stuff out here cause it's all the same thing.

thaFormula.com - Do you believe in segregation or separation of culture?

dead prez - I believe in freedom. I believe in African international revolution.

thaFormula.com - So do you think that Africans can attain freedom integrated within this culture?

dead prez - If integration into this culture means that we have to be indoctrinated into this culture, then no we can't achieve freedom that way. I think we have to clear individually on our responsibility and our role to an organized function that is gonna bring us to freedom and any kind of revolutionary tactic. I don't care if you are one black person in the middle of a white university. You have to be clear that you are an African and that your role is to free African people and that even you have to have the role to politicize all the white people around you to fight for black people to be free. Not to be black, but to fight for black people to be free. So I don't believe that you have to leave that university. I don't say black people all have to go to the same school or live in the same part of town or that it has to be an all black organization. As a matter of fact, contrary to that I believe that there has to be white organizations that are organized by white people under the leadership of black people so that white people can be down with freedom because that's the real shit I'm trying to be down with. Those are the white people that I'm trying to really have any kind of relationship with at all.

thaFormula.com - Are you involved with any political organizations besides People's Army?

dead prez - Well, People's army is really an extension of the music more so then a political organization. It can be if serious minded soldiers did take that road and extend it. At one point it did have other branches. Most roads of that were led to the Uhuru movement and that's where we came from to where we learned to organize. I have been a part of and been a member of The Uhuru Movement, which is based in St. Petersburg Florida and Uhuru means freedom in Swahili. I been a member of that organization since 1992. My involvement as a street organizer has been limited now. I don't do that as much as I used too and I used to be in a leadership position at a local organization here in New York, but I don't do that much any more either. Most of my time is occupied through this music stuff. At this time I am a member of the Uhuru movement and I urge African people to be organized.

thaFormula.com - What's the basic doctrine of that movement? Is it Pan African?

dead prez - It's not Pan African at all. It has an international platform that it talks about Democratic rights, and I don't mean to be a Democrat. It's to take on basic issues, school issues, health issues, and police brutality issues and prison issues in a basic way. Like how to move people towards actually changing it and we say that Democratic process, that means like pwoplw get involved and all help making the decisions. So it's like a mass part of it and it's called NPDUM or National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement and that's the basis. But it comes under the umbrella of the African people's socialist party, which has a socialist directive. It believes that socialism is the direct answer to what capitalism has been and I'm talikn about socialism as it's interpreted by African people from Africa. Also, we do Black August here with the Malcolm X grassroots organization and also the Malcolm X grassroots has been doin some things here in New York City which have been shaking things up. I just urge people to get organized as much as they can and just be serious about how we gonna really get free in our own lifetime. I'm not talkin about something that I ain't gonna live to see.

thaFormula.com - We have noticed that alot of people refuse to hear your music. On message boards and forums we see people callin you guys racist or wack mainly because they just can't seem to deal with what you guys are sayin. How do you try to change something like that?

dead prez - Where I'm comin from has alot to do with what I see as the objective truth. I don't think I've told a lie. I don't think what I've said is racist. I think it has alot to do with gettin power. If people said it was racist then I think they need to check what racist means. Racism is and only exists as the idea of superiority of one race over another and that idea can't do anything to hurt me. White people's idea that they are better then me, which is a racist idea, doesn't hurt me. But what really hurts me is that there racist idea is backed by power that they have had by the theft of my resources, killing all my brothers and sisters and rapin' and doin all the bullshit that has come with that. So when they talk about that were racists, I think that's bullshit and they need to check themselves and check they head for there definition of racism. It is only a byproduct of capitalism and who is in control does not happen to be dark skinned people of the world and I think that's a tragedy. I think when we look at how 3/4's of the world's resources are engulfed by only a people who make up less then 1/4 of the world and those happen to be the European and North American people and the rest of the world is starving, I think it's a tragedy. I think that's racism and I think if your not ready to hear that, I can understand why. Because it may make you scared. You may think that I hate you cause of that, but I don't. I don't hate you, I just love freedom and the truth and really it just boils down to sooner or later you got to hear it. Because it's the 3/4 of the world who don't have nothing, who is not gonna sit here forever and let that go down that way. So either you gonna die cause you ain't willin to face the truth and somebody is gonna come in your house and take what belongs to them back. Those ones who are privileged enough to be sittin up in those chat rooms and talk about freely there opinions that ain't anchored to shit in the real world cause when you come to the hood, you see the evidence of the war. So to all that I say they need to check themselves and if were wack then so be it. We really made the music that we made to communicate efficiently to African people to be free cause I think that that's gonna be our own willing determination. White people won't be able to free us. No one can give us freedom, we have to take freedom and we will. Although it will take some white participation. But their are some white people who I'm convinced won't participate at all and that doesn't surprise me, so it's cool. But I hope you have chosen your side, because I definitely done chose mine.

thaFormula.com - What about Lord Jammar. How big of a part does he play in dead prez?

dead prez - He's not any part of dead prez anymore. We had a relationship with Lord Jammar where he was jerkin us on our contract and we were fighting to get off of it for a long time. Now we are finally free of him and on this second album were not affiliated with Lord Jammar at all.

thaFormula.com - Now I had heard that he found you guys and was a big part in everything?

dead prez - I guess if I was lost, he could have found me, but I wasn't lost. I know exactly where I was. If anything we found him cause he was damn sure lost. I think Brand Nubian got a resurgence from our relationship with dead prez. But I think more then anything, we had a relationship with Lord Jammar where we learned alot about what it means to do your part in the industry and we learned a valuable lesson about greed and we did work with Lord Jammar for a period of time. We made some music together and we did come through the Loud doors at the same time. However, he didn't play any part in the Let's Get Free album, which is the reason why we think he shouldn't get any resources from the album.

thaFormula.com - So he was involved contract wise with the album?

dead prez - Yes he was. We were signed to his production company and he was jerkin us with our contract and not comin through with the work he was supposed to be doing. He did help on the production of some work on the album and some of those you will see he has the credit for. But as far as business relationship, we don't work together anymore. I have no personal problems with Lord Jammar at all.

thaFormula.com - Alot of people say you guys talk alot of shit about this and that, but they signed to Loud Records. Why did you sign to a label like Loud?

dead prez - Let's see, how can I start from the top. In order for us to get power, I think what were gonna have to do is use the resources that we have now to gain some sort of power. That's gonna take a strategy that somehow is gonna be able to win up some sort of momentum where black people can see that way to get that power. In order to start in capitalism, you have to start a capital. Like they say, you can't make money without havin money. It's true and we as poor broke black people, uh, distribution and marketing aren't made available to us just like ownin a franchise ain't available to us. Those positions are already taken, they are inherited, so what we intend to do is get in. Some people do that by going to college. If you go to college, that college is owned by the white man, even the black college is owned by the white man. Some people say I will go work at Wendy's or McDonald's and I will save my check every week and won't spend no money and then I will do what I wanna do while I'm still steady workin for the white man. Don't confuse the politics that we have with no, uh, see I don't hate white people. What were trying to get is power. I'm talkin about world wide power and I'm serious about that. I don't want people to get confused about what dead prez means. I know because we are strong and we are African that it does pose a threat to white people, but I don't hate white people. I just don't like what white people have done to me.

thaFormula.com - What do you think is the cause of what European people have done?

dead prez - Evidently it's greed. I think it comes as a direct response of what's happening in the world. Look at North America. Look at Europe. Look at it's relationship that it has to Africa, which is the richest place in the Earth and still is. Even look at where Afghanistan and Yemen and all that is situated. That's Africa damn near. That's right there in Egypt and Israel and all that thing. I think there is a reason why North American and European people have attacked the world in order to gain the resources. I think for years they seen a lack of those things and the way to get it. We could have easily shared. Africans were sharing. Not to say everything was all hunky dory in Africa, but it wasn't World War III or capitalism. It wasn't in the way that it is now. I think socially we were looking towards progression, where right now in the world with George Bush at the helm were looking at Barbarism and Terrorism. So I think like the basis of what white people have done is in order to cheat their way to the top is to get somebody else to do the work for them. I think in a fair economy, we would all work and not just us. Just us is the only ones working now. White people for the most part and people who collaborate with them just push pens and decide how much work will be done. And in many ways bet on it, to see how fast they slaves can work and beat out the other ones and that to me is a crime. I think if we evened the tables in terms of things like that everyone would have to work.

thaFormula.com - Where does the Latino fit in all this?

dead prez - Those are my brothers. I hope we recognize all people as one. That would be my true hope. I guess that's why I try to spend as much time in Cuba and Puerto Rico as possible so we can make those links. I think that's very important. I think we have yet to make that relationship clear. Some people like my partner from the people's Army who is Puerto Rican and my partner Devine from The People's Army who is too Puerto Rican will also help to make that relationship clear. Right now we are in the process of working with a few Cuban artists and I don't know what project this will be on. One of them may come with Tony Touch. But were trying to do some songs that are gonna address our brotherhood with the Latino community and we look for that to come in the future.

thaFormula.com - What are you feelin right now?

dead prez - Right now I'm diggin Dr. Dre's production. I'm always feelin the Dungeon Family. Them is my people man. I like the feel of what's going on in the South with Trick Daddy and UGK and The Dungeon Family. I like the production that is comin out of the West and I also dig Timberland's production as well. Although I would like to see it over something more serious minded. I'm liking the wit and the tenacity of what's going on up North when you listen to Jay - Z and when you listen to Jadakiss. Back in the days in another interview, I would have just reverted back to sayin something like Fela Kuti should be the album of the year. He was a Nigerian version of what James Brown was, but he was black power and if I can just drop that to anybody that's listening. He passed away, but he had made over 26 albums. All were anti government albums from Africa and he's the creator of what they call Afro Beats and he's incredible.

thaFormula.com - Will their ever be a Roots and dead prez collaboration?

dead prez - Well, we did some work with Black Thought on his album Masterpiece Theatre, but I don't know when that's scheduled to drop. We did a few tracks. we didn't do it with the whole Roots group playin or anything, but I think that's something that may happen in the future. I definitely enjoyed going on tour with them.

thaFormula.com - Is it true you guys have alot of problems at clubs?

dead prez - We just have a problem with police everywhere we go. I think the police knows about black people who ain't gonna take no shit. They know about freedom fighters. They know about the reputation of a Black Panther and they know the reputation of people who know what time it is and they recognize dead prez as that. If you know your P'z and Q'z and you ain't takin no shit from no security and you know what time it is, it will be you too.

thaFormula.com - Have people in the industry tried to distance themselves from you as far as industry parties and shows go or has the industry shown you love?

dead prez - I don't really know. I don't that we have alot of good friends man. We have many allies in the game. Many more then I thought that I would have and everywhere I go there is alot of love. Much more love then anything else and we gonna get free man foreal!

thaFormula.com - How did you and Stic Man meet?

dead prez - We met at Tallahassee Florida then we joined it together at the same time. This was around 1992. We met previously a year or two before that in Tallahassee just kickin it and rappin and strugglin and fighting the pigs. When I met that brother he was already rappin and he had songs. He was very organized with it and very professional and quite good at it. Better then most mc's where I was from and he was from a little country dirt town and he was kickin ass. At that time most of my experience with with hip hop was djing, bboying, and graffiti writing. I knew how to rhyme but I didn't write many lyrics. But at that time I felt it was something that we had to do. I had a responsibility to do it because I know so much about it. I lived rap. I was and I am hip hop and I had the responsibility to communicate it, because if I didn't to many people would be playin with it.

thaFormula.com - Are you familiar with Griot?

dead prez - yeah, but griot is more like an entertainment. I want to introduce a new term. It's called a bjali. A bjali was more then what a griot was. A bjali not only spread down the culture of the tradition of the people, but a bjali was a person that would do it in order to insight the rebel or the warrior out of a particular group of people. It wasn't just to tell the story to make the children laugh, he was there really looking for the people who would take these stories and pass them as revolutionary stories to incite young people to take on that responsibility.

thaFormula.com - What's your opinion of the sudden rise of the white mc?

dead prez - Well white people have always emulated what black people have done. They have stole it and that's been the tradition of music. That goes for jazz, blues, rock and roll all the way up and down so who is surprised.

thaFormula.com - Do you see this happening in hip hop?

dead prez - It's already happening. I think the problem is you can co modify hip hop, but you can't co modify black people. So No, not to an African audience. They can't do that. What I'm trying to tell you is, you can't take these experiences that our people is going through and communicate that through any level of white people. I don't care how many dope beats or dope producers you got. But what can happen is they can call it hip hop and it may even sell records and it may even be something that people dance too, but it's not gonna be what black people is gonna listen too at home tuned in to their hearts. In the end white people could even have hip hop totally to themselves cause I think that Black people would only invent a new cultural tradition and call it what it is and then White people will steal that about 40 years after that.

thaFormula.com - So do you feel that will ever change?

dead prez - Ah, that won't ever change. It will always be the same cause were always gonna try and talk in a language that they can't understand cause we got stakes in doing that. We need to be saying things that sometime they can't hear. So that's what hip hop was and now they got hip and think they know the language. Alright cool, you might know one dance step, but we know 4.

thaFormula.com - So then you don't feel European mc's are a part of hip hop?

dead prez - Yeah they are. I said that they can have hip hop. Hip Hop ain't revolution. Hip Hop ain't never been just revolution. I didn't get that confused.

thaFormula.com - Yeah, but hip hop is a reflection of African life. That's what it began as..

dead prez - Yeah, and I think that white people have tried to be that. I've never seen a more Africanized culture. Look at Eminem totally surrounded by Africans. He's a reflection of African culture. I ain't even trying to say the shit don't sound good.

thaFormula.com - What do you say when you see someone like Fabulous covered in red white and blue in his video?

dead prez - I think he's been bought. We been bought as African people. He may not even realize it, but I don't think it's him. The system that taught him what he knows, uh, i think it's logical why he's wearing it, but I just think he has to realize exactly who he is and then I think he will find a contradiction with that flag.

thaFormula.com - What are your thoughts on Raptivism and everything they are trying to do?

dead prez - I think Raptivism has done some good work. I think that with the No More Prisons album it could get more exposure. I hope that Raptivism as a label and as an organization can get to be a shining example of what it means to be a outlet for revolutionary culture, like Tahir's album which is called the Homecoming and which is out right now. It has some tracks with dead prez, people's army and I think they should keep the work up and continue to push forward.

thaFormula.com - Yeah man, uh much respect and much love. It's good to hear somebody that's just real and afraid to speak his mind?

dead prez - No doubt, no problem. Anytime. I wanna stress that Fred Hampton Jr. is free now, he's out of prison. He's attempting to come to a city near you and he will probably be on tour and in concert with us everywhere we go. If you don't know about the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton Jr. was locked up fir 9 years and now he's back on the streets and he represents another generation of freedom fighters. He's about our age. About 27 years old now and still on the street organizing an example of what's happening out here so I wanna give that update to you all as well. Thank you all and all power to the people.

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