"Hip-Hop" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dead Prez | ||||
from the album Let's Get Free | ||||
Released | March 30, 1999 [1] | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 3:34 | |||
Label | Loud | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Hedrush | |||
Dead Prez singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Hip-Hop" on YouTube |
"Hip-Hop" is a song by American hip hop duo Dead Prez, released on March 30, 1999 as a single from their debut studio album Let's Get Free (2000). Produced by production group Hedrush and Dead Prez, it is the duo's best-known song.
The production of the song features a "warped, wobbly" bassline. Lyrically, Dead Prez criticizes the capitalist functions of the music industry and its exploitation of black people ("These record labels slang our tapes like dope / You can be next in line and signed and still be writing rhymes and broke"), [2] and encourages the idea of using hip hop music as a means to promote social change. [3] In the first verse, M‑1 promotes staying true to oneself as a rapper, and Stic.man echoes the song's message in his final lines. [4]
The song received positive reviews from music critics. Andy Capper of NME described it as "A truly remarkable, inventive track - with its crazy, twisting boa constrictor bassline and blazing, call-to-arms chorus - it's a fierce declaration of war on hip-hop capitalists and an urgent reminder for rappers and fans alike to consider the bigger picture, asking them: 'Would you rather have a Lexus or justice?'" [3] Billboard ranked it as one of the greatest songs of 1999. [4]
A remix of the song "It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" appears on Let's Get Free. This version features Tahir (of Hedrush) and The People's Army and was produced by Kanye West and Dead Prez. [5]
The song served as the opening music for Chappelle's Show (where the instrumental version of the song is used) [2] [5] and the documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution .
Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
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UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 41 |
US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [7] | 49 |
Chart (2000) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [7] | 43 |
Dead Prez is an American hip hop duo composed of M-1 and stic.man, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self-determination, and Pan-Africanism. The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip hop record labels.
Let's Get Free is the debut studio album by hip-hop duo dead prez. It was released on February 8, 2000, on Loud Records.
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