Rating:
  Release Date: March 21, 2006
  Website: Dead Prez Website
  Label: Koch Records

M-1 “Confidential” Album Review
Although I believe I was born aspired to be an advocate of change and growth, and feel I have held strong to this aspiration in the short time I’ve lived, I’ve never considered myself a revolutionary. Through the education many of us receive in this country’s often inadequate public school systems, we are taught that a revolutionary, at least to some extent, believes in rapid, abrupt and often violent change, even if it takes his life.

And although I have always been able to see the need for social and political change in the United States, I was never down for dying for it, or at least, it was never necessary to do so in my situation.

I mean, I ain’t gon’ lie. I grew up pretty well … suburbs, loving family, countless opportunities, safe environment. In a situation like this, although a person may sympathize with the revolutionary frame of mind, he is never raised desperate, and is thus unlikely to be willing to sacrifice too much for change. Now a cat that grows up with nothing … that’s a revolutionary. Someone who’s never had long enough to become blinded by what’s material and what’s not … that’s a revolutionary. Someone who truly understands the faults in our country’s social and political systems through personal experience … that’s a revolutionary. Not some guy like me who just reads about struggle and sympathizes. Nah, I’m more of a reformist.

Revolutionary Hip-Hop
Regardless, what I like to consider revolutionary rap has always been a big favorite of mine. And I’m not just talking revolutionary as in being different or classic; I’m talking revolutionary as in hip-hop that is demonstrating thoughts or values of a real revolution. To this day, a big part of my playlist is composed of politically revolutionary rappers, including Tupac, Public Enemy, Dead Prez, The Coup, Immortal Technique, Paris and many others. So when M1 from Dead Prez and Public Enemy with Paris came out with albums in the same month, I was eager and excited to hear what they had to say.

As noted in my “New Whirl Odor” review, PE had a significant impact on me as a young boy. In a similar fashion, Dead Prez had a significant impact on me as a college student. Both groups raised questions that made me second guess a lot of things, especially in regards to what you can’t and can’t believe as relates to our country’s government, justice system and media. I remember asking my grandmother for Malcolm X‘s autobiography as just an elementary school student because I heard his name in a PE song. In college, the words of Dead Prez influenced me to read about the likes of Nat Turner, Fred Hampton, and Assata Shakur. Recently, I have been reading the works of Mumia Abu-Jabal in response to Immortal Technique’s last album. All people not talked about in school, and all people I probably never would have thought to research without revolutionary rap.

Founded on Revolution
Now whether or not you consider yourself a revolutionary, we all should be educated on people who are. After all, this country was founded on revolution. While history books taught me about Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, it is hip-hop that has taught me about the less-accepted or publicly favored revolutionaries, especially those of our own generation. And that is perhaps the major importance of revolutionary rap. It talks about things you don’t hear on CNN or Fox News; the things you don’t learn about in school or college; the facts that are essentially hidden from us.

So check out some revolutionary rap. Public Enemy and Paris’ “Rebirth of a Nation” and M1′s “Confidential” give great insight into the history, present and future of revolutionary thought and practice among the hip-hop generation. I believe we can use this knowledge and understanding to create important change within hip-hop culture and the current state of our society. And that would make us all revolutionaries. Peace.

M1 – Confidential
What I admire about M1, and Dead Prez in general, is the focus on hard work and discipline. In past albums, the duo has talked about subjects ranging from eating healthy, exercising frequently, training daily and sacrificing pleasure for hard work. M1 continues this motivational tone with tracks such as “Early,” “5 Elements” and “Comrade’s Call.” He also speaks on love and relationships in a tight way only Dead Prez seems able to do with “Land, Bread & Housing,” “For You” and “Love You Can’t Borrow.” And the social and political tracks such as “Confidential,” “Don’t Put Down Your Flag” and ‘Til We Get There” contain brilliant reflections on the paths and struggles of revolutionaries.

And most of all, M1′s “Confidential” bumps. The production touches on that edgy hardcore side that allows you to feel the music with the same velocity as the lyrical content. Keep the bass down though. A couple of these tracks could definitely blow it out if you have horrible quality speakers like I do. Check out some of my favorite verses below.

Early
Early, you already know
Pop cash, strategize, man you know how it go
The nigga that’s putting in work is the nigga that blow
So I’m up early, you already know

The early bird catches the worm
You live and you learn
A wise man never spends more than he earns
And the goodie man don’t wait his turn
He thirst for the burn
Playing with that fuego
And letting go of your Eggo

Land, Bread & Housing
This is for the food, clothes and shelter
And for the land, bread and housing
This is for the children’s education
And for the next generation
For my family
And for my niggas that understand me
For my brothers on the rebound
And for my sisters up in lockdown

Me and my man Stic done been through a lot
From eating Ramen out the pot
To seeing Cayman on a yacht
And yo, even though we may disagree
We still family
Through him I see a better man than me
I take his friendship over this rap shit any day
Better revolutionary than a rapper anyway

For You
I would ride for you, die for you
Right by your side it’s the truth
Cross my heart and swear to God
We under incredible odds
Cause a cracker with a federal job
Would rather work in the mob
Then see us live like we done evolved
Is this love? Well it feel like hate
What’s the problem girl? Tell me can you relate
Cause see this ain’t no game
And yes I’d do the same for you
Think a nigga won’t train for you
If a nigga try to aim for you
Fuck standing in the rain for you
I’m the one that take the blame for you
They’ll never do a thing to you
Why, when the rest let you out to hang
Guess who is ready to bang
So I live for you, die for you
Right by your side it’s true

Confidential
You ever hear the echo on the phone
Look behind you feeling like you ain’t alone
No paranoia, you ain’t out of your dome
Yes they really invading your home
And if you looking for Assata Shakur, she right here
It’s me, her and Tupac over here having a beer
Cheers. A toast to a lovely revolution
What’s hush hush? They know what we doing
And you’re presently resisting
Ain’t no justice in the system
Don’t nobody want to be a victim
What’s the big secret?
Guess I’ll just have to leak it
It ain’t just me, please believe it
Everybody wanna be free
Just keep it to yourself, you ain’t heard it from me

And if we move the phone, homie
We ain’t alone homie
I put a dollar on it
Please don’t holler on it
Cause you might end up on a list
If there’s even a list, still the rumors exist
It’s a big conspiracy with a twist
And they calling you a terrorist
If you put up your fist these days
So before they start locking the folks
For rocking the boat It was me knocking the vote

Love You Can’t Borrow
You gotta go, you making moves, you on the grind
Another life, another day, it ain’t no time
You gotta make time, make life, make love
Cause a dream is just reality you think of
This ain’t a mind game, shorty this is mind sex
Get out the rain, sweet thing, before you get wet
I’m here to serve and protect, cause you deserve some respect
I’m just a soldier for your love to the death

5 Elements
Do or do not do
These are the five elements now it’s up to you
50 in the clip
Can’t let my fitness slip
RBG for life
These are the five elements

The first element is power
Ten on the fist
The second element represent inner strength
Symbolized by a ten clip on the fingertips
The third element is justice
And it’s symbolized by a ten clip on the fist
The fourth element is wealth
The hands connect in the shape of a diamond
You do ten reps
The fifth element is support
Symbolized by a ten clip down with my palms on the floor

Power is realizing your strength
Inner strength . controlling yourself
Justice, principles, protocols and codes
And rules and regulations we all should know
And wealth, we gotta boss up economic values
And have support; you for me and me for you

Comrade’s Call
Soon as my comrade’s call
I’mma be right there strapped up ready for war
All for one, one for all
Who can you call when your back’s against the wall?

Don’t Put Down Your Flag
But what if we could all get united
Cause we know how it feels to be divided
Come we get down, black and brown, we never tried it
One nation under a flag that we decided
Cause we need these warrior tribes
It should be easy if you choosing a side
Cause over here we fighting for the future of the seeds
And over there they fighting for money, oil and greed

Been Through
Aiyyo I’m not supposed to be here, I’m beating their odds
Beating their charts and graphs, yo I’m beating their god
And I’m not the only one, see the drama is common
Ask my homie what he been through and he started bombing
He said don’t push me I done pushed crack cocaine
And I done pushed dope in my vein
I done sold it to my main man, moms too
It’s horrible the things we do
In pursuit of the loot

‘Til We Get There
Much success to you comrade
To who I’ve wronged, if it’s never been said before, my bad
And took a page from the book of Martin Luther
And decided that it’s better to hug you than to shoot you

That’s what’s called solidarity
When we struggle its therapy
After chaos we got clarity
My enemy’s enemy is my man, remember
I ain’t trying to be end up in this man’s dilemma
We only here for a minute
It’s what you make it, so live it
See I’m a rider and I’m gonna be remembered
For those of you not born to those of you not here
I wish you the best and that’s real

Too Smart
Just like Malcolm Little sitting in a cell
I’mma give ‘em hell, show ‘em how to rebel
Strike back like the empire
Show ‘em how to use fire
But not to fight fire, we fight fire with water