Description
dead prez – RBG (Revolutionary But Gangsta) / Sony Urban Music Audio CD 2004 / 515392 2
UPC 5099751539223
RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta is the second studio album by hip-hop duo dead prez. It was released March 30, 2004 on Sony Records.
RBG was described by M-1 as a movement that "comes off the back of the Honorable Marcus Garvey." According to him, "RBG means Red, Black and Green," the traditional African colors created by the UNIA, which are featured on the album cover. With this album Dead Prez "made it Revolutionary But Gangsta."
On RBG: Revolutionary but Gangsta, Dead Prez talks about ending poverty, the mental illness of depression, reliance on the government but of "pimping the system" as a means to this end and to the cause of liberation. On "Hell Yeah," Dead Prez declares "Fuck welfare / we say reparations".
Inside the album liner notes, RBG is variously described as standing for; "revolutionary but gangsta", "real big guns", "real black girls", "ready to bust gats", "reaching bigger goals", "read 'bout Garvey", "rappers be gassed", "red black green", "rider's basic guide", and "rollin big ganja".
The song "Radio Freq" first appeared on Turn Off the Radio: The Mixtape Vol. 1 as "Turn Off the Radio" and is considered an homage to Ice Cube's song "Turn Off The Radio".
In 2003, the song, "Hell Yeah" was featured on the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack.
Tracklist:
| 1 | Don't Forget Where U Came From
Recorded By, Mixed By – dead prez
Recorded By, Mixed By – dead prez
|
1:14 | |
| 2 | Walk Like A Warrior
Bass – Tahir
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Featuring, Rap [Guest Verse] – Krayzie Bone
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Bass – Tahir
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Featuring, Rap [Guest Verse] – Krayzie Bone
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
|
3:32 | |
| 3 | I Have A Dream, Too
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2), Doug Wilson
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Producer – Tahir
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2), Doug Wilson
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Producer – Tahir
|
4:00 | |
| 4 | D.O.W.N.
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2), Guru (13)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2), Guru (13)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
|
2:07 | |
| 5 | Hell Yeah (Pimp The System)
Bass Guitar – Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
Electric Guitar – Laurent "Tippie" Alfred
Engineer [Mix] – Dave "Supastar" Dar
Engineer [Recording] – M1 (2)
Keyboards [Additional Keys] – Vijay Ire
Producer [Drum Production] – Metaphysics (2), Sol Messiah
Vocals [Additional] – Blue (8)
Bass Guitar – Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
Electric Guitar – Laurent "Tippie" Alfred
Engineer [Mix] – Dave "Supastar" Dar
Engineer [Recording] – M1 (2)
Keyboards [Additional Keys] – Vijay Ire
Producer [Drum Production] – Metaphysics (2), Sol Messiah
Vocals [Additional] – Blue (8)
|
4:12 | |
| 6 | W-4
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Aisha Mic
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson*
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Aisha Mic
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Assistant Recording] – G*Man
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
|
4:04 | |
| 7 | Radio Freq
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Guru (13)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Scratches [Cuts] – Sean C
Voice [Bling Bling Caller] – D-Prosper
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Guru (13)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Scratches [Cuts] – Sean C
Voice [Bling Bling Caller] – D-Prosper
|
2:51 | |
| 8 | Fucked Up
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Recording] – Abu (2)
Mixed By – Apple Juice (5), Henny (4)
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Engineer [Recording] – Abu (2)
Mixed By – Apple Juice (5), Henny (4)
|
2:43 | |
| 9 | 50 In The Clip
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Co-producer – L.V.
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Producer – Sean Cane "Sean C"
Voice [Countdown] – Wu Hylton
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson*
Co-producer – L.V.
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Engineer [Recording] – Bob Brown (2)
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Producer – Sean Cane "Sean C"
Voice [Countdown] – Wu Hylton
|
2:42 | |
| 10 | Way Of Life
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Electric Guitar – Bernard Grobeman
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Recorded By – Bob Brown (2)
Bass Guitar – Ed Golson
Electric Guitar – Bernard Grobeman
Engineer [Mix] – Katherine Diehl
Mixed By – Brian Stanley
Recorded By – Bob Brown (2)
|
2:57 | |
| 11 | Don't Forget Where U Goin'
Recorded By, Mixed By – dead prez
Recorded By, Mixed By – dead prez
|
2:09 | |
| 12 | Hell Yeah (Pimp The System) (Remix)
Bass Guitar – Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
Electric Guitar – Laurent "Tippie" Alfred
Engineer [Mix] – Dave "Supastar" Dar
Engineer [Recording] – M1 (2)
Featuring – Jay-Z
Keyboards [Additional Keys] – Vijay Ire
Producer [Drum Production] – Metaphysics (2), Sol Messiah
Vocals [Additional] – Blue (8)
Bass Guitar – Gregory "Bassie" Jackson
Electric Guitar – Laurent "Tippie" Alfred
Engineer [Mix] – Dave "Supastar" Dar
Engineer [Recording] – M1 (2)
Featuring – Jay-Z
Keyboards [Additional Keys] – Vijay Ire
Producer [Drum Production] – Metaphysics (2), Sol Messiah
Vocals [Additional] – Blue (8)
|
4:20 | |
| 13-19 | (no audio) | ||
| 20 | Twenty | 2:22 | |
| 21 | Hell Yeah (Rock Remix) | 5:06 |
- Art Direction – dead prez
- Art Direction, Design – Chris Feldmann
- Design [Prop Designs] – DPZ
- Executive-Producer – M1 (2), Sean C, Stic
- Graphics [Graphic Artist] – David Santana (2)
- Mastered By – James Cruz
- Other [Hair Braider] – Kiva
- Other [Stylist] – Harriet's Alter Ego
- Photography By – Oluwaseye*
- Producer – Downbeat Production Collective (tracks: 5, 12), M1 (2) (tracks: 5, 12), Stic (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 8, 10 to 12)
- Product Manager [Marketing] – David Belgrave
- Written-By – A. Henderson (tracks: 2), M1 (2) (tracks: 1 to 12, 20, 21), S. Carter (tracks: 12), Stic (tracks: 1 to 12, 20, 21)
Yep, this is Dead Prez's famously long-delayed album, finally surfacing after a string of label deals gone wonky, but no amount of red tape could've stopped the Red, Black, and Green movement--colors of the African Liberation flag--that is tirelessly championed here. Equal part activists and MCs, Stic and M1 continue their unwavering quest to rally the oppressed for a full-scale war against the State, as evidenced early on in "Walk Like a Warrior." When guest Krayzie Bone starts his triple-time rhyming against societal oppression--now that's beyond gangsta. DP slyly churn out their Pan-Africanist agenda throughout these 12 tracks, but it's actually their more focused tirades that win out: on "W-4" they rail against unjust worker conditions and wages, and on "Radio Freq" they implore folks to "turn off the radio" to protest the monotony that plagues commercial urban radio. There are a few less, er, diplomatic tracks that might not win over new fans who don't share their interest in radical activist dogma; on the other hand, a track like "Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)"--with its get-money-quick schemes (performing stick-ups or skimming cash from the register at work) and a remix featuring Jay-Z--might expand the audience. Although not as sonically fluid as their Let's Get Free debut, RBG's great in-house beats still magically match the intensity of their rhymes. Now how many other politico MCs can claim that? --Dalton Higgins
