Artist     : Dead Prez
Album      : Let's get free
Source     : (CD/DD)
Year       : 2000
Label      : Loud
Genre      : Hip- Hop

Encoder    : Unknown
Codec      : Fraunhofer
Bitrate    : 192K/s  44100Hz  Stereo
ID3-Tag    : ID3v2.3

Ripped By  : Unknown on 7/31/2000
Posted By  : Unknown on 6/8/2005
Posted To  :

Track Listing

1. Wolves                    (2:16)
2. I'm A African             (3:19)
3. "They" schools            (5:06)
4. Hip-hop                   (3:33)
5. Police state              (3:40)
6. Behind enemy lines        (3:03)
7. Assasination              (2:01)
8. Mind sex                  (4:51)
9. We want freedom           (4:33)
10. be healthy                (2:34)
11. Discipline                (1:37)
12. Psychology                (5:56)
13. Happiness                 (3:48)
14. Animal in man             (4:31)
15. You'll find a way         (3:13)
16. It's bigger than hip-hop  (3:55)
17. Bonus track 1             (5:14)
18. Bonus track 2             (4:25)

Total Playing Time: 67:42 (min:sec)
Total Size        : 92.4 MB (96,894,948 bytes)

PopMatters review:
Dead Prez
Let's Get Free
(Loud)
US release date: 8 February 2000

by Dave Heaton

Stic and M1, who make up the duo Dead Prez, see themselves as hip-hop freedom fighters
following in the footsteps of the Black Panthers, always gearing up for the inevitable
struggle. They're training in martial arts, living a health-conscious lifestyle, and
gathering like-minded people to their side. Their enemies are the gargantuan forces
of capitalism, imperialism, and white supremacy, manifested in tangible form by police,
schools, politicians, and giant corporations. Dead Prez are looking for a few good
revolutionaries, and their debut Let's Get Free is the invitation for you to join
the team.

Dead Prez aggressively and articulately attack the forces that contribute to inequality
in modern society. While there are current hip-hop groups who are just as politically
motivated, I can't think of another act in the hip-hop game right now who is quite as
outspokenly Afrocentric. They see themselves as Africans stranded in a land where they
don't belong, living in a thoroughly unequal society where the deck is consistently
stacked against them. Let's Get Free recalls the day when strongly Afrocentric groups
like X-Clan, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Brand Nubian not only existed, but were
successful. This is a relief for those of us who miss that side of hip-hop, who
understand Dead Prez' concern that capitalism is invading music to too great an extent.
A key difference between Dead Prez and the Afrocentric groups of the past is that they
have more concrete goals and plans; they're calling for community building and grassroots
activism. They also give their message a deeper layer by focusing on the economic roots
of injustice instead of just complaining about the surface-level problems.

Dead Prez don't pull punches; these are two MC's who deliver their message as forcefully
as possible. The big shame here is that they have such a dull musical backdrop for such
bold statements. The album's beats and musical flourishes have nothing distinct or
interesting about them whatsoever. Maybe this is intentional; all the attention is drawn
to their voices, since there's hardly anything else of interest to listen to. But even
their rhyming skills aren't all that exciting. They make their points, yes, but it's
all direct communication. There are no rhymes delivered in a way that makes your jaw
drop or makes you want to rewind and catch that last verse again.

As a means of delivering a message, Let's Get Free is effective. The extent to which
Dead Prez rely on messages to carry them means your taste for their music might depend
on how much you agree with what they have to say. Dead Prez have unbreakable conviction
that what they're saying is true and important. For this very reason, this album is
powerful enough that it can't help but spark discussions, which seems to be one of
Dead Prez' goals. On the track "Mind Sex" they express the desire to have good
conversations. With Let's Get Free, they've created quite a tool for getting people
to talk about timely issues.