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Stic.man of Dead Prez was the special guest speaker for the first session of the Journey to Freedom Project's Conscious Rap Boot and Book Camp (Read about the first session here). Following his lecture and workout with the campers, The Skanner caught up with Stic.man to discuss Dead Prez's activity in Portland, activist work and upcoming music projects.
Bruce Poinsette: First off, how long have you been working with Karanja (Crews) and the Journey to Freedom Project?
Stic.man: I met Karanja a couple years ago when he introduced me to the game, the history game he put together, on a tour. Then we talked about doing some projects and still connecting and working it out.
BP: How often are you able to come out to Portland?
S: We are out here a couple times a year, man. Dead Prez on tour. We're headed to Washington right after this. Portland, Eugene, you know what I mean. We're all over.
BP: What is the value, especially talking about healthy eating and healthy living, in reaching kids at an age like this?
S: I think the value is the younger you start good habits the healthier your life will be and the more help they can be to their communities. It's good they're starting now before the habits are too ingrained. A lot of times when we get 20, 30, 40, 50 we don't want to change. It's harder to change. It's good to set a good foundation.
BP: I know Dead Prez is involved in a lot of things but could you talk a little about the activist work you guys are doing?
S: Dead Prez, you know, to us life is activism. The music we do is being proactive. The lifestyle we live is proactive. Taking care of our children is proactive. Supporting programs like this is proactive. We believe activism don't just have to just be a response to something negative. It should be an affirmative action in a positive direction. We work with political prisoners. We work with health. We work with sustainability projects in terms of organic gardens and farms in urban areas. Wherever we can be of use with our platform we try to be there.
BP: Could you talk about what you're working on musically?
S: Musically, we got a new album dropping Sep. 11, 2012 called "Information Age". That's a Dead Prez album. I'm working on part two to "The Workout" album that I did and we've got RBGFitClub.com, which is our online movement for health and wellness through hip hop culture.
BP: Is there anything else you would like to add, whether it is about Dead Prez or healthy eating and healthy living?
S: I would like to say that it's not about a diet, it's about a lifestyle. Our health is truly our best investment. It keeps families stronger. It makes our goals and objectives truly attainable. It makes us feel good and it makes people around us feel good. Health is the true wealth and it's the new gangsta.
