Show Recap: dead prez Transports Brooklyn Crowd to the Information Age
At Public Assembly in Brooklyn Wednesday night (September 12), M-1 and stic.man of dead prez announced that their long-awaited album, Information Age is finished and will be released on October 16. Stic.man talked about the new album and explained the evolution of their work in a pre-show interview with XXL: “The theme of Let’s Get Free was all about the freedom struggle. The theme of RBG (Revolutionary But Gangsta) was how the freedom struggle relates to the streets. Information Age is how the freedom struggle relates to the spirit. We’re dealing with consciousness and all different forms of awakening.”
It was impossible to miss those themes at last night's show. From the Buddhist prayer beads stic.man wore, to the duo rapping “Malcolm, Garvey, Huey” over the “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” instrumental, M-1 and stic were displaying their artistry by showcasing multi-dimensional aspects of their influences.
The night's playlist was heavily filled with tracks from the group's earlier albums, including their most recognized and crowd-energizing anthems, “Hip-Hop,” and “Radio Freq.” The set also gave a sneak peek of some upcoming materials from Information Age. When asked to describe the sound of the album, stic.man stated, “It'll be futuristic, ’hood, introspective, new-age, unorthodox, esoteric, ghetto, grimy all in one bundle.”
On top of their usual calls encouraging fans to stay healthy, stic.man performed “Back on My Regimen,” a track off his recent solo venture, The Workout—an album he designed to accompany and inspire fitness training. Stic dubbed his new style “fit hop,” and had the whole crowd bouncing and chanting, “I could get swole like Tookie with it.”
M-1 and stic.man swooped into their home territory last night with a level of energy and focus that far outweighed the small stage and venue. As the expansiveness of their new material shows, dead prez's mission is still bigger than hip-hop. —Katie Moore