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Editors, Asheville Global Report,

I’m really confused why people seem to make so many exceptions for Dead Prez. I’ve heard it a bunch. “Yeah, some of their lyrics aren’t so great towards wimmin, but...” or “Their new CD has some homophobic lyrics on it, but...” Why do we do this? Are we so starved for revolutionary inspiration? Do people really think Dead Prez is their only choice for revolutionary inspiration from non-white sources? It seems like it. I’ve also heard the “Well, lyrics like that are just a part of hip-hop culture.” line many times from supposedly anti-sexist minded folks.

I just read Kent’s review of the latest Dead Prez offering. It seems he’s aware of the sexism, but excuses it with lines like, “This album doesn’t fail to tokenize females either: in the intro, a woman is heard only in the kitchen cooking, and the further objectification of women ... can be heard only minutes later. But at the same time it is condemned...” Kent later writes, “A sexist tone is taken, but never entirely grabs a hold.”

Is this okay? Do people really feel comfortable with not wanting anything to do with an album only after ‘a sexist tone ENTIRELY grabs a hold?’

Dead Prez offers some really amazing material, but as I see it, it comes down to a simple question for each of us: Do you want to work against sexism and dismantle male domination, or not?

Donny
Asheville, NC

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