Dead Prez Facing Video Censorship

08/30/2000 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Wendy Hermanson

(8/30/00, 4 p.m. ET) - Dead Prez has received requests to edit the music video for its "They Schools" single. The group has been asked to delete shots of the members wearing nooses around their necks in the clip. Dead Prez says the noose represents the conditions of the country's school systems.

"The video for 'They Schools' doesn't just represent Dead Prez," group member M1 said in a statement. "It represents our people -- poor and oppressed -- trying to claim their right to a fair and just life. The U.S. educational system has been the primary force behind the miseducation of our people and is a system that leaves us powerless and hopeless. In the video, the wearing of the noose, the rebellious students, and the presence of the police and military in our educational process represent a hostile environment that our children are miseducated in. This is a serious situation. 'They Schools' is a tool for change -- to change the video would be an injustice."

Dead Prez's debut album, Let's Get Free, has been on the R&B charts for 24 weeks.

-- Soren Baker, Los Angeles