February 25, 2015
The
Portland Observer Black
History Month
Page 11
Vancouver
East County
Beaverton
Mississippi
Alberta
North Portland
Rapper duo stic.man and M-1 of dead prez bring their music to Portland this Saturday for a concert at Mississippi Studios.
Activist rap
group Dead Prez
comes to
Portland
BY
O LIVIA O LIVIA
T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER
Portland will get up close to a
popular hip hop group known for
confronting social justice issues and
embracing Pan-Africanism when
dead prez plays Saturday at Missis-
sippi Studios.
The duo, comprised of rapper
stic.man and M-1 shared some of
their thoughts ahead of the concert
with the Portland Observer.
Portland Observer: You have
come to Portland before – how do
you feel about this place and the
changes the city has gone through?
M-1: We know the activists, so
we see the best parts of this city. One
time there was a young woman
named Kendra James, she was
killed, and I remember we were
We a Need
Revolution
here with the people seeking jus-
tice for her passing. We have worked
with Portland-based artists too, like
Myke G. and Mic Crenshaw, and so
for us even though has a lot has
changed a lot remains the same.
Portland Observer: What’s this
city like for you?
M-1: I love the open-mindedness
of the people here, the lifestyle, the
general sense of freedom, and the
environmental consciousness.
Portland is in many ways the full
package. It’s quirky, it’s urban, it
has a life of its own. I love coming
back here and I love performing
here.
Portland Observer: How has the
past year of high profile clashes
between police and young black
folks affected your music? Like
Mike Brown in Ferguson or Eric
Garner in New York?
M-1: This is nothing new for us.
It’s sad that we are used to this, this
brutality. People are just becom-
ing aware and springing into ac-
tion under a perceived newness.
Our communities are still hurting,
they still lack power. What changes
power in our community is having
some ability to determine our own
lives. Not making songs, not a new
march, not a new protest. We have
to change the very basis of the en-
tire country, not just a town or one
police force.
Portland Observer: I remember
you receiving criticism for videos
like Hell Yeah, which shows an
active robbery and was very contro-
versial. How do you guys react to
that kind of criticism?
M-1: Under duress, we as young
people of color, especially black
people, are pushed to do what we
have to do, not what we want to do,
but what we have to do, to survive.
No one wants to be a gangster or a
criminal. These are a means of sur-
vival. We don’t glorify it all. Our
music is about harsh realities and
many people refuse to even ac-
knowledge the lives of black people
and how difficult the decisions we
have to make are. And we don’t
have a lot of other options in this
era.
Portland Observer: Do you think
many people realize how bad things
are for poor black and working
class people of color?
M-1: There are people who want
to say this kind of reality that I sing
about no longer exists. I know this
is not true. I know for the most part
that people who are overqualified
are working meaningless, thank-
less jobs. If we were in the habit of
producing innovative resources,
we would be able to take care of
everyone in the black community.
Instead we’re just re-cooking the
same soup all the time. The basis of
capitalism depends on people not
having work. The only way to have
100 percent employment is through
slavery.
Portland Observer: Earlier we
learned that you have been involved
in local activist scenes. What have
been some strong connections
here?
Stic.man: My friend Karanja
continued
on page 13