Combining with DJ Green Lantern on the third installment of their Turn Off the Radio mixtape trilogy, M1 and stic.man continue to do their thing, preaching against the injustices of the racist American empire. With a black man in the white house, their outlook hasn't softened at all and the militant Brooklyn duo has a plethora of new grievances to air as they speak on the lingering consequences of war, police brutality, media mind control, and third-world exploitation. On the poignant "Don't Hate My Grind," Dead Prez and ...
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Combining with DJ Green Lantern on the third installment of their Turn Off the Radio mixtape trilogy, M1 and stic.man continue to do their thing, preaching against the injustices of the racist American empire. With a black man in the white house, their outlook hasn't softened at all and the militant Brooklyn duo has a plethora of new grievances to air as they speak on the lingering consequences of war, police brutality, media mind control, and third-world exploitation. On the poignant "Don't Hate My Grind," Dead Prez and guest Bun B sound off against the effects of the recession on poorer communities as stic.man characterizes himself as "tired of watchin' all these companies get bailed out/when the only thing that poor people get is another jailhouse/that's why ain't nothin' patriotic in me/for they system, my heart is empty." Later on, corporate bailouts are furthered examined on the compelling "$timulus Plan," which comes complete with media soundbytes and cash-register percussion. On the production end, Green Lantern composes a set of apocalyptic soul tracks, getting sinister sonic landscapes out of familiar samples from Curtis Mayfield and Teddy Pendergrass, and enlists New York alt-rockers Ratfink to provide live instrumentation on two rock-tinged cuts -- the raucous anti-police anthem "Warpath" and the introspective "Life Goes On." While the feel-good "Summer Time," which has stic and M describing the joys of summer in the city, and the uplifting "Helpful" provide welcome breaks from the heavier protest-themed tracks which dominate Pulse of the People. ~ Matt Rinaldi, Rovi
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