by SCOTT C

If you’re thinking politically conscious rap in 2006, it’s hard not to think of Dead Prez, who burst onto the scene in 1997 with a verbal assault on the status quo. This week, M-1, one half of a crew that has never been afraid to say what needs to be said, comes to Montreal to promote a new solo album out on Koch Records in March, called Confidential. The Mirror spoke to M-1 as he drove through the streets of New York City.

Mirror: What does it really mean to be revolutionary in hip hop in 2006?

M-1: You have to continue to recognize what side you are on, because there is a lot of blurring of the lines these days. It’s still the people versus the oppressor. To be a revolutionary is to speak with the voice of the people, carry out the people’s struggles and uphold the code of the culture.

M: Is there a lot of pressure on you and groups like Dead Prez to uphold this notion of consciousness and political-mindedness once you’ve attached yourselves to it, or is the voice of the revolutionary a lot broader than it used to be?

M-1: I welcome the pressure. In fact, the whole purpose of my new album Confidential is to broaden the voice of the revolutionary. I want people to know that there are other revolutionaries in hip hop other than Dead Prez, and that it’s not all about a bunch of lip service and what you’re talking about in your raps. There’s a lot of people talking about community service, positivity and consciousness in their raps, but aren’t really doing anything outside of that song. Then on the other hand, you have people who are saying absolutely nothing conscious, but are running successful programs that aid and give back to their communities.

There is no cookie-cutter concept for a revolutionary. We carry the legacy of our movement on our backs, but we don’t carry anybody’s morality, we don’t carry anybody’s ideas or agenda other than the agenda that works with the whole African Liberation movement. So anyone who thinks that because I’m in Dead Prez and I have to say this or I have to say that has got me all fucked up. I can talk about sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, and then pop my politics.

M: It sounds like the expectations that people have thrust upon you have resulted in some new approaches to music.

M-1: Well, hip hop has turned into a career for a lot of people, and is no longer a labour of love for some. It is a career and a job. So people are like, “Where do I fit in to do what I want to do and make money,” you get the stereotypes. If it’s gonna be commercial, then you can’t talk about this, or if you’re gonna be conscious, you can’t talk about that. When Rakim was rapping back in the day, he was an unapologetic member of the 5% Nation in almost all his raps, but was idolized by the drug dealers, pimps and hustlers all over the world. The business has changed, and it’s not as organic. They try to present us in primary colours when there is in fact a full spectrum of colours. You have to look deeper.

With Umi, Solo, Sosa & Miklos, Casper & Millz and more at Spag on Saturday, Feb. 4, 9 p.m., $20

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