Let's Get Free

03/14/2000 3:00 AM, Yahoo! Music
Dan Leroy

Hearkening back to the Afro-centrism that infused hip-hop a decade ago, this young twosome will be a revelation to those turned off by the materialistic rap that's been ascendant in the post-Puffy era.

M-1 and stic.man waste no time setting the agenda: "Wolves," a two-minute denunuciation of white imperialism, segues into the hard, basic beats of "African," where the pair chant "I'm an African/and I know what's happenin'." From there, Dead Prez touch all the usual bases, attacking schools, the police and Uncle Toms, while preaching self-improvement on "Discipline" and "Be Healthy."

The pair is often too heavy-handed, covering points handled more eloquently by other rappers, as well as the authors who get frequent namechecks. But that simplicity is also a strength--unlike most post Wu-Tang hip-hop that willfully spurts unintelligible rhymes and rhyme schemes. So, give Dead Prez credit for getting in your face with their clearly articulated verses and ideas.

Despite the political tough talk, there's also a sensuous Eastern vibe snaking its way through several tracks, most overtly on the I-love-you-for-your-smarts "Mind Sex." And the group's musical inventiveness reaches full flower on the awesome "Hip Hop," which feeds off a magnificently wobbly synth-bass line and a drum loop referencing the Dirty South, while the duo ruthlessly tear down hip-hop's street mystique.