In the wake of the events that transpired at Washington’s Evergreen State College recently, Dead Prez’s Stic.man gets with OnSMASH to set the record straight and to talk about his upcoming projects including books, films, and collaborating with Nas on Nigger.
So all of a sudden the [news] media is trying to make you guys known for the wrong reasons.
Oh no, not the media!
So do you want to talk about what happened at Evergreen State College? Because as always, they’re trying to throw some blame at you guys.
Well whoever is trying to throw blame at us can definitely get some of this class action lawsuit, no problem. We takin’ them as they come! What I want to say about Evergreen State is that they definitely got some heart up there and I definitely support the students who felt that one of their fellow students was being treated unfairly and I support their right to stand up [for themselves]. That’s my comment.
Did you know what was going down while you guys were performing?
Well what was going down is still somewhat of a mystery because there’s like thousands of different reports we were doing a show so our vantage point was from the stage to the crowd and what I’ve heard was happenin’ was going on outside. I’m readin’ the newspaper like everybody else. But whatever happened somebody lost some radar guns and whatever else they said in the newspaper, if that’s true. I definitely support the students and I think they are in a tough situation based on things that’ve been going on at Evergreen College definitely before that event just in terms of the local relationship that they have with the police and those kids. That’s an issue that needs to be taken up locally.
Elaborate on that. Is there a situation where there’s been tension between the students and the police? ‘Cause I have no idea, I didn’t even know this school existed until this happened.
Yeah, exactly I learned all this in the aftermath of all this. You can probably do better research than what I can give you, but different people were saying there was some—I don’t know if it was tank—but there was some type of military equipment that they were trying bring to this area and some of the students responded by trying to non-violently protest. The police had used excessive force [to break up the protest] and it was this big thing—I think it was last year—and those tensions have not been resolved. A lot of people feel like justice hasn’t been served in regards to that and then a lot of other things students were saying. You know how it goes. The police tension across the country in our community you could blame anything at any moment there could be some unrest because there’s no justice. You always have to place the circumstances that make people feel like they have no other means of expressing themselves and getting justice.
So dispel this right now: I’m looking at an article that says someone in your group encouraged what was happening outside [while on stage] true or false?
I don’t know what happened outside so I’d have to say that was false. But again I support the students so take it how ever you want to take it.
Aiight, so let’s move on to some other stuff. Let’s talk about the work you’ve doing. ‘Cause M-1 released a solo album, you just released yours, Manhood, but DP’z has been kinda quiet. What’ve you been up to?
First of all Bossupbu.com is our headquarters on-line we’re over platinum every month with new visitors so we’re taking part in the technological revolution of taking art into your own hands my partner M-1 released an album called Confidential which is his solo vision I recently released my solo vision, Manhood, Dead Prez is workin’ on a new album and we about six songs deep. Boss Up inc. is the label I released Manhood on and I been doin’ other things besides music with my company in particular I started a publishing company my first book was The Art of Emceein’ and I have two new books that I’m publishing for other authors. One is by my martial arts teacher its’ a bout the origin of the martial arts being traced back to Africa and it’s called “The African Martial Arts: Discovering the Warrior Within” and one of the martial arts I study now called Egbe Ogun is explored in that book. Then my wife is dropping a book this summer called “The Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy”. She’s a holistic health counselor, she helped me heal when I had gout when I used to be a blunt-smokin’, alcohol drinkin’ every day type of person and she got me real focused based on her vegetarian lifestyle. So this book is a practical, layman’s terms guide to the whole galaxy of the lifestyle. Not just lifestyle, not just recipes—which it’s full of—but grocery shopping, reading labels, “what is genetic engineering?”, the whole revolution that’s happening with our understanding of how our diets and lifestyles affect our health. Those are two books comin’ out through Boss U inc. and we’re just furthering the mission of trying to empower our people with information, with inspiration, we’re trying to do it off the plantation! There’s so many things we got crackin’. On another level I’ve been getting into the film soundtrack game. I’ve been doing some martial arts acting and scoring for a few films one is called The Black Panther directed by R.L. Scott [it’s based on] the old Marvel Comics character.
So this is like a major motion picture?
Actually it isn’t what you would call “major” but it’s an artistic piece done by R.L. Scott who is a director who just got a deal with Miramax to do another martial arts movie which will be a major motion picture called Slums 13. Akon is in that one Taimak from the Last dragon is in it, I play this character named Chapel and its gangster-ed out in a real authentic martial arts way. The story and the drama is really good—
Have you begun production on that yet?
We’ve shot some trailers and done some training but we’re still in production and The Black Panther is complete and I think we’ll be doing a premiere soon in Atlanta because it’s a short film. I also been doing production on this movie called The Fix with this director named Tao Ruspoli he got three new songs [for it] that me and my partner put together, I did the production but Dead Prez is featured on all three. This movie is about a brother’s addiction to heroin and this cat is tryin’ to free him from his situation. We been on that level getting it in and I been in the label with Nas workin’ on the Nigger album.
How did that come about?
We had a relationship with Nas from before. He just reached out and said “I’m workin on my album wanna fly y’all out and we went out to Cali and just got it in. Actually, I’m on my way back out there to do a little more and put some finishing touches on some things and it’s been great. I don’t wanna let no cats out the bag but the album is hard! It’s gonna make you think and it’s some classic Nas with a little touch of that Sticky Icky here and there!
How many joints are you guys on?
That’s all in the final cut I don’t do that all I’m doing is being a soldier and a comrade to the process. I definitely did a lot of beats and production—not just beats, but producing and arranging and bringin’ in musicians to give this Picasso of our time the best platform I could offer. We collaborated on a lot of stuff lyrically but at the end of the day we’re here to support Nas’ vision and make sure he shines so we may have some things where we rappin’ or it might just be our production but ultimately him and def Jam are gonna make that decision.
When he first approached with the concept for the album and its title what was that conversation like?
It was just real talk! Brother to brother— somethings is not for the media but he’s coming from a sincere place in terms of that title and a lot of people is pre-judging him like he made that word up! And America don’t want you to show them they shit in they face so they act like “Oh! How dare you say that?” But he’s got good intentions and the content definitely speaks for itself when you hear the record. It ain’t like he [Nas] had to preach that to us, we already know it’s Never Ignorant Getting’ Goals Accomplished that’s what “nigga” is, anything else and you could get a black eye.
What’s up with the new DP’z album?
Look for that new Dead Prez later this year, [entitled] Information Age.
You wanna say anything about the direction of that album before we get outta here?
Dead Prez new record is an international sound, high energy nothin’ but the truth on every joint and is nothing like any music we’ve ever done before. That’s real talk! Me and M-1 been in the lab ain’t takin’ no showers seven days in a row, just goin’ hard! We have not broken up. We not beefin’, we workin’. We just growin’ up as men. On the album we bustin’ shots—in a positive way.