Dead Prez - Lets Get Free [2LP]

While modern rap as a whole may have lost touch its roots as protest music, there are still a handful of artists who go out of their way to educate and instigate the masses, railing against social injustices and teaching the next generation about the wicked ways of the government. M-1 and stic.man pull no punches on their first album as they cry revolution on nearly every track, sounding off against police, politicians, public schools, processed foods, and the like. They are unapologetically pro-Black, which, like X-Clan or Paris before them, has prompted some to cry "racist," though ironically their fanbase is significantly pale. On their own, some of the lyrics could be considered a bit heavy-handed, but together with the top-flight, extremely varied production (from Lord Jamar, Hedrush, and DP themselves), it comes off just right. Be sure to check the adrenaline-boosting anthem "Hip-Hop," the Afro-hippie natural love jam "Mind Sex," and the furiously ethnocentric, electro-laced "I'm A African."

TRACK LISTING:
A1. Wolves
A2. I'm An African
A3. 'They' Schools
A4. Hip Hop
A5. Police State
B1. Behind Enemy Lines
B2. Assassination
B3. Mind Sex
B4. We Want Freedom
B5. Be Healthy
C1. Discipline
C2. Psychology
C3. Happiness
C4. Animal Man
D1. You'll Find A Way
D2. I('s Bigger Than Hip Hop
D3. Propaganda
D4. The Pistol