RBG! RBG! Say it with me…RBG! Revolutionary but Gangsta! Back in the days, after the shutdown of Napster but prior to streaming services like Spotify, purchasing physical music CDs was actually a thing. Sure, this may give away my age a bit, but who cares, right? Hip hop duo Dead Prez was definitely on my radar at that time. Their debut album, Let’s Get Free, is considered a hip-hop classic for those who are in the know. Members M-1 and Stic.man are known to produce thought-provoking tracks. They are also not afraid to let you know where they stand politically. I remember fondly going into the record store to purchase their sophomore album, RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta. It was a pretty short album, clocking in under an hour of total playtime, but one of the songs on it made spending my hard-earned money at the time so worth it.

I remember listening to Hell Yeah (Pimp the System) the first time around and was so amazed at what I heard. Like many other good songs one comes across, I had to listen to it more slowly the second and third times around to really appreciate it. The theme of being dirt poor in the ghetto and devising ingenious ways of getting money and “pimping the system” was brilliant. The upbeat tempo of the beat and catchy hook can make one initially forget the sadness of it all, that there really are unfortunate people who actually go through what they are talking about each day to survive. I have to admit here that no, I fortunately am not part of that group, and I don’t live that life, but I can understand the struggle. It was also around that time that I worked my first minimum-wage job. It’s not hard to see how this can drive many people to just give up hope of building a better life for themselves and their families. You factor in the taxes owed to the government and whatnot, and it’s even more daunting. In fact, another song on the album goes over this very theme and is named quite appropriately: W-4.

Please enjoy “Hell Yeah” by this incredible duo. The song is as appropriate now as it was then. They even have a version of the song with Jay-Z as a feature on it. Yes, the Jiggaman himself. This should let you know that Dead Prez are damn legit. If you find yourself appreciating this song, then you definitely should listen to “Let’s Get Free.” It will amaze you.