M-1 (rapper)

Last updated

M-1
NLN M1 Dead Prez.jpg
M-1 in New York City in 2009
Background information
Birth nameLavonne Alford
Also known as
  • Mutulu Olugbala
  • M-1
  • Eme Olu
  • Eme-Uno (in Spanish)
Born (1972-07-25) July 25, 1972 (age 51)
OriginBrooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
Years active1996–present
Labels
Member of Dead Prez

Mutulu Olugbala (born Lavonne Alford, July 25, 1972), better known by his stage name M-1 (sometimes stylized as M1), is an American rapper, songwriter, and activist from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo dead prez with stic.man.

Contents

Career

M-1's first solo album, Confidential, credited to "Dead Prez Presents M-1," was released on March 21, 2006, through Sotti/Koch Records. [1] Following Confidential M-1 worked on the album Can't Sell Dope Forever by Dead Prez & Outlawz. [2]

M-1 had the lead role in Broken Rhyme, a 2006 American 90-minute feature film and drama directed and produced by Detdrich McClure about a disillusioned rapper who goes to Japan to shoot a video there and encounters a mysterious Japanese woman who leads him on a spiritual journey and the heavy price he has to pay for turning his back on the forces that run the hip-hop music industry. The film premiered at the Filmlife and HBO American Black Film Festival in June 2006 as an Official Selection. [3]

M-1 is also featured in the UK documentary, Guilty or Innocent of Using the N Word . [4]

M-1 is also a political activist for many black and left-wing causes. [5] In July 2009, M-1 accompanied the Viva Palestina convoy, delivering humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. [6] In 2010, M-1 was featured on British-Palestinian rapper Shadia Mansour's single "Al Kufiyyeh 3arabeyyeh" ("The Keffiyeh is Arabian") in her response to the "Israeli Keffiyah", an attempt by Zionists to rebrand the garment as an Israeli attire. [7] [8] [9] M-1 is a co-founder of Urban Aroma, [10] "a platform for cannabis, art, activism and social equity with editorial and charitable commitments." [11]

Discography

Solo albums

Collaboration albums

Filmography

Videography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Prez</span> American hip hop duo

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.

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<i>RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta</i> 2004 studio album by Dead Prez

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stic.man Musical artist

Khnum Muata Ibomu, better known by his stage name stic.man and more recently as stic, is an American rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo dead prez with M-1.

<i>Cant Sell Dope Forever</i> 2006 mixtape by dead prez and Outlawz

Can't Sell Dope Forever is a collaborative mixtape by American hip hop groups dead prez and Outlawz. It was released in 2006 through Affluent Records. Production was handled by both of dead prez members stic.man and M-1, and Outlawz member E.D.I. Mean, as well as Chuck P, Eddie Coldfingers, New Muzik and Tai Rotan. It features guest appearances from Chae, Erica Fox, Layzie Bone, Malachi, Messy Marv, Scott Lo, and stic.man's mother Ms. Nora. The album did not reach the Billboard 200, however, it peaked at number 99 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States.

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<i>Confidential</i> (M-1 album) 2006 studio album by M-1

Confidential is the debut solo studio album by American rapper M-1. It was released on March 21, 2006 through Sotti/Koch Records as a DualDisc with a DVD side featuring a twenty-minute documentary on the making of the entire album in stereo sound. Production was handled by Fabrizio Sotti, Agallah, Black Jeruz, Butter, Eric "Ibo" Butler, LT Moe, Spoo Noodles and Tahir. It features guest appearances from Raye, Bang Double, Bazaar Royale, Cassandra Wilson, Ghostface Killah, K'naan, Q-Tip, Scrap Daddy, stic.man, Stori James, Styles P and Young Dre the Truth.

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Ansar El Muhammad, better known by his stage name Askari X, is a hip-hop artist from Oakland, California. He has released 3 albums, is on numerous compilation albums, and has been a guest on several albums. Stic.man and M-1 of Dead Prez refer to Askari X in their music and credit him as one of their main musical influences. Askari X advocates Black Power, Black Liberation, and Islam in his lyrics. His sound is characterized by slow drum beats and a verbal flow similar to Tupac Shakur. Askari X is philosophically aligned with the African People's Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement. His style may be considered as conscious rap.

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References

  1. Interview by Henri Adaso in About.com: A 'Confidential' Conversation With M-1 of dead prez
  2. Can't Sell Dope Forever Album on Discogs
  3. Filmlife and HBO American Black Film Festival official website
  4. Guilty or Innocent of Using the 'N' Word on IMDB
  5. Africana Media Project: About M1 / Interview with Russian Television RT
  6. A day in Gaza | SocialistWorker.org
  7. The Arab League of Hip Hop | The Middle East Channel
  8. "Shadia Mansour & M1 demand "El Kofeyye 3arabeyye" in latest video". MideastDynasty.com. October 2, 2011.
  9. ""Existence is Resistance": We spoke with Shadia Mansour, the first lady of Arabian hip hop". Noisey. September 20, 2017.
  10. Aroma, Urban. "Urban Aroma Partners with Mission Green to Launch A $30,000 Giving Campaign for Inmates Serving Life Sentences for Cannabis". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  11. "Urban Aroma". urbanaroma.com. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  12. IMDb: Broken Rhyme with M-1 in a lead role in the film