Okay players, it appears to be that time of year again. Instead of inundating you with clichés about summer in the city and the good things warm weather brings, we’ll get right to the good stuff: free music and arts series Summerstage NYC has announced its 2013 lineup, and lucky for the dwelling in the rotten apple (or passing through this summer) it’s action-packed with lots of free music and films to enjoy those oh-so-amazing summer evenings with. The best part is, most events are at 7:00PM or earlier, meaning beginning in June, you now have the perfect outdoor pregame situation lined up for your after-work / pre-party shenanigans.

The Underachievers, Yasiin Bey, Shuggie Otis, Femi Kuti are but a few of the names you’ll find listed on the following pages of our Summerstage selections and that’s not even mentioning the epic DJ Premier vs Pete Rock DJ Battle closing out the summer–in fact there are so many Okayplayer-friendly acts this year we had to make this listing a Top 20. More information on park locations and a full list of all activities and performances can be found here. To find out where and when Okayplayer will be doin’ it in the park this summer, check out our list below.

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dead prez perform tonight as part of the VEVO Showcase – one of a week-long series of events from the music and media group at SXSW 2013. dead prez will share the bill with Khaleet, Nyzzy Nyce, Dustin-Prestige, Karma Jonze, Ain’t No Love, The Chicharones, Third Root and Riders Against The Storm. The performance kicks off at 7PM tonight in the VEVO TV Control Room. dead prez hits the stage at 12:10 AM to cap the evening’s festivities. Don’t miss it!

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This weekend the Brooklyn Academy of Music aka BAM will host the 3^rd Annual New Voices in Black Cinema Film Festival. Presented by ActNow Foundation and BAMcinématek, it’s a weekend filled with over 35 full-length features and shorts, kicking off tonight at 9:45pm with the post-Iraq action flick Kill Hole. The goal of New Voices in Black Cinema is to showcase all the different stories that exist in both African American communities and the diaspora. As festival director, Curtis Ceasar John puts it, “There is no one African American experience, it’s varied and it’s wide.” Yet Okayplayers–from Saul Williams to Chuck D and stic.man of dead prez to dancehall star Aidonia–make there present felt throughout this Very Large Array of diasporic visions.

>>>Check Out The Full Festival Line-Up Here

>>>Purchase Tickets for  New Voices in Black Cinema Festival here

And click through these pages for a breakdown of the films, including trailers and showtimes (if you’re in Brooklyn).

The post Pass The Popcorn: New Voices In Black Cinema Film Festival [Trailers & Times] appeared first on Okayplayer.

dead prez continue to promote positive vibes on a new track, “No Way As The Way,” which can be heard on the deluxe edition of the duo’s most recent release, Information Age. M1 and stic.man have dropped a Danny Hastings-directed video for the song which shows footage of them rapping as well as people engaging in various religious practices. Stic gave Complex some background information on the song:

“The song ‘No Way As The Way,’ that title comes from my martial arts practices. Jeet Kune Do is one of the arts that I’ve had the chance to practice. Jeet Kune Do was created by Bruce Lee. It’s an approach to martial arts that says that having no way as the way, is the way. To make it simple: not being locked into any particular way as the only way to get something done, in terms of your fighting…When we decided to write a song on Information Age about spirituality and religion, it was so fitting.”

Be sure to check out the posse-cut remix to “Time Travel” featuring Bun B Reek Da Villain and purchase Information Age Deluxe Edition via iTunes.

The post dead prez – “No Way As The Way” [Official Video] appeared first on Okayplayer.

dead prez‘s Information Age received some mixed reviews when it dropped last October. Comparisons to Enya were made. And while the beats have undeniably strayed from classic dead prez style, M1 and stic.man do what they always do; lyrically motivate, organize, and rally their listeners.  ”Time Travel”–with its positively Weezy-ish, sizzurp drenched hook–is a case in point, an update of their approach on “Bigger Than Hip-Hop” formula in the sense that they prefer to spit their revolutionary but gangsta-isms over the latest street sounds (it’s worth remembering that the dirty-south bass groove of what is now acknowledged as among their most classic tracks definitely threw off some of dead prez’s Rawkus-reared listeners at the time). Now, they’ve dropped a posse-cut remix for the track featuring Bun B of UGK and Brooklyn newcomer Reek Da Villain, who is currently under the tutelage of Busta Rhymes. Bun B takes point, before the others jump in and talk about everything they want to see and do in the past, present, and future. This version of “Time Travel” can be found on the deluxe edition of Information Age which you can cop here. Listen below and judge for yourself.

The post Dead Prez x Bun B x Reek Da Villain – “Time Travel” (Remix) appeared first on Okayplayer.

Mikeflo, resident DJ for dead prez (as well as a revolutionary but gangsta MC in his own right) speaks to I Don’t Camouflage about his taste in purple sneakers and his don’t-give-a-f*ck approach to life and fashion. Watch below and get more from the dangerous minds of dead prez here (and while you’re up, watch the I Don’t Camouflage convos with Jean Grae, Pharoahe Monch and Aja Monet.

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As promised, here’s part 2 of the Out Da Box TV interview with hip hop legends, dead prez. This time the duo discusses the issue of overcoming struggle, the importance of health and fitness (specifically stic.man‘s “workout motivated music”), and their legacy overall. They also take the opportunity to set the record straight on whether they will remake “Let’s Get Free,” staying true to the idea of moving forward and never being at a standstill. Finally, the two leave Out Da Box TV with how they want their musical legacy to be remembered when they look back at their careers. Peep Part 1 of the interview here and then watch below to hear the duo spit wisdom.

The post Video: dead prez Speak On Health And Fitness, Struggle & Musical Legacy [Part 2] appeared first on Okayplayer.

dead prez has been doing their thing for over 12 years now and luckily for us, they’re still hard at the grind. Out Da Box TV had the opportunity to sit down with M-1 and stic.man and chop it up about their latest album Information Age, their own growth as individuals and artists, as well as Obama’s first term and what we should have learned from it. The duo spoke about the “Information Age” beyond just the name of their album and more about how our own society is affected by technology and information.

We watch the TV and the news and we just get bombarded with things that don’t teach us the true nature of who we are and our potential and encourage us to be that and bring it out or show us how to do that. So we out here in the dark.

But dead prez isn’t about staying in the dark; forever committed to the People’s Upliftment, the duo offer their take on how to solve some of the most prevalent social issues that plague our information-driven society. They also talk about how they’ve managed to stay together as a strong hip-hop brand and partnership, showing a longevity that we don’t always get the opportunity to see in hip-hop these days. These guys are a real inspiration to the industry, not only because of their conscious (yeah, Complex, I said it) attitude, but also because of their commitment to evolving as the world evolves, staying relevant at every step of the way. So peep Part 1 of the interview below and stay tuned for Part 2 (which should drop next week sometime). And if you haven’t copped Information Age, you can find it right here.

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It’s no secret that dead prez have been championing social action and promoting pan-Africanism since day one — see: most any track on their 2000 debut album Let’s Get Free (in particular “I’m A African”). So we were thrilled when M1, mere weeks after hopping off Damon Albarn‘s Africa Express Train Tour through the UK, hit us up with his own episode of Africa In Your Earbuds.

AIYE #32: M.A.M.A. Vol. 1, mixed by DJ/producer mikeflo, runs through a steroid-injection of mainstream hits and classic tunes with ties to the continent featuring D’banj, The Very Best, Estelle, D’Angelo, LL Cool J, R. Kelly, Youssou N’Dour and more. Stream and download this special edition of Earbuds below. Credit to Underdog for the artwork.

M1 of dead prez & mikeflo present: M.A.M.A. Vol. 1
D’Banj – Oliver Twist (Nigeria)
Estelle – Oliver Twist Remix (UK/Senegal/Grenada)
The Very Best – Yoshua Alikuti (Malawi/Sweden)
Soul Makossa – Manu Dibango (Cameroon)
African Funk – Monomo, Mandrill, Peter King
Canibus ft. Youssou N’Dour – How Come (Haiti/Jamaica/Senegal)
K’naan – Somalia (Somalia)
Tlahoun Gessesse – Yene Mastawesha (Ethiopia)
Toto – Africa (UK?)
Nakaaya – Mr. Politician (Tanzania)
Third World Girl – Marvin Gaye (US/DC)
Asa – Jailer (Nigeria)
Stephen Marley – Made in Africa (Jamaica/Nigeria/Ghana)
Luciano – One Way Ticket (Jamaica)
LL Cool J – Def Jam in the MotherLand (US/NYC)
Stetsasonic – A.F.R.I.C.A. (US/N.Y.C.)
Awadi – Roots (Senegal)
Awadi – LeSilence (Senegal)
D’Angelo – Africa (US/Virginia)
R’Kelly – My Africa (US/Chicago)
Maurice Joshua – R. Kelly (US/Chicago)

Previously on Africa In Your Earbuds: BODDHI SATVA, L’AFRIQUE SOM SYSTEME, NOMADIC WAX, THE BROTHER MOVES ON, LV, BEN ASSITER [JAMES BLAKE'S DRUMMER], JAKOBSNAKE, CHRISTIAN TIGER SCHOOL, SAUL WILLIAMS, TUNE-YARDS, MATHIEU SCHREYER, BLK JKS, ALEC LOMAMI, DJ MOMA, AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA, PETITE NOIR, OLUGBENGA, RICH MEDINA, VOICES OF BLACK, LAMIN FOFANA, CHICO MANN, DJ UNDERDOG, DJ OBAH, SABINE, BROTHA ONACI, DJ AQBT, JUST A BAND, STIMULUS, QOOL DJ MARV, SINKANE, CHIEF BOIMA

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M1 (of dead prez fame) hit us with a new one a few days ago, featuring this one dude Nas (you heard of ‘m. official Queensbridge murder dem) on the mic and beat cats Beatnick & K-Salaam on the beat, hook and scratches. This track is an ode to Denmark Vessey, who was freed from slavery over 200 years ago on November 9, the same day M1 dropped this joint for us. The track opens with a politically and socially infused flow:

“I’m from east avenue, stretch boulevard, murder row/ where bullet scar stories are all that told, right off the fear freeway, I take genocide highway, exit 187 palm side hill, where I stay, where you can die today.” 

M1 and Nas spit about the dangers of streetlife while Beatnick & K-Salaam counter with some hope of escape on the hook. The result is this banger right here. Even though we haven’t heard any solo jawns from M1 in a minute, after “Genocide Highway,” I think its safe to say the wait wasn’t too bad. Take the exit and jump on the highway below.

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