stic.man was born and raised in Shadeville, Florida, a rural unincorporated community in the panhandle. His elementary school was predominantly white and rural, leading him to rap in the song They Schools “I went to school with some redneck crackers”. He used to relax on the campus of FAMU though he was never enrolled for classes. There he and M-1 met and connected due to their mutual love of music and knowledge. The two comrades’ growing sense of Black pride and political theory served as a common bond as they joined various community groups, eventually forming dead prez as a rap group and moving to New York. After a chance meeting with Brand Nubian’s Lord Jamar at a Brooklyn block party, the duo signed a recording deal with Loud Records, which released Let’s Get Free. But even before the release of the record, dead prez amassed a strong and loyal underground following through their explosive live shows, ardent community organizing and top notch unreleased material. “I don’t really consider myself no producer, but I have fun trying to make music that I wanna hear,” confesses stic. “We work with live musicians as well as beat machines. We lay the foundation. We might lay some drums, and then build, either getting samples or some type of rhythm in the instruments, or we might come up with a melody. A lot of times the melody is the first thing for me in terms of creating a song. I just start singing some shit and then we start”.[cite this quote] In 2006 stic.man demonstrated his writing talents with two books. The first, entitled Warrior Names from Afrika, is a compilation of African warrior names and their meanings. His second book, The Art of Emcee-ing, is a 112-page resource that offers a step-by-step instructional guide on how to emcee, unique tips on voice healing and vocal health practices, and an explanation on many aspects of the hip hop industry, including terminology, styles, and business dealings. About.com described the book as a “succinct panoramic guide on hip-hop wordsmithing.”[1] stic.man also maintains Boss Up, Inc., an “Atlanta-based music and entertainment company that offers information, music, and gear that reflects a sense of self-determination, creative consciousness, and entrepreneurship.”[2] stic.man is an atheist, expressing it in Dead Prez albums. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Young Noble: Rufus Cooper III (born March 21, 1978), also know by his stage name Young Noble is an American rapper who worked with the group Tha Outlawz in 1996. Noble appeared on Shakur’s album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory on the song’s “Bomb First (My Second Reply)”, “Hail Mary”, “Life of an Outlaw”, “White Man’z World” and “Just Like Daddy”. On December 21st 1999, Shakur album Still I Rise was released which consisted of material recorded with 2Pac and one solo song. Noble replaced Fatal’s vocals on the songs. |
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