Dead Prez - "Lets Get Free" 25th Anniversary Tour

w/ Skyzoo, Landon Wordswell
Treefort Music Hall
Friday, August 15th, 2025
7:00PM
All Ages
Tickets
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Dead Prez is the pair of politically militant rappers, Stic.Man and M-1. They have become known for their hard-hitting style and socialist lyrics, focusing on anti-racism, anti-capitalism, critical pedagogy, as well as activism against social injustice and corporate control over the media (especially hip-hop record labels.)

In 1990, M-1 headed to Tallahassee to attend FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) where he and Sticman met and connected due to their mutual love of music and knowledge. “I was soaking up the Black Panther Party as a whole,” M-1 remembers. “I learned about their lives and it helped mold me.”

“I realized there’s a struggle already going on and I have to try to help ride it out,” interjects Stic.man. M-1’s quest for insight led him to join the International Democratic People’s Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) in Chicago for three years while Stic.man remained behind in Florida and started getting into trouble. Burned out by the arduous labor of Uhuru, M-1 decided it was time to do that music thing and Stic.man agreed.

Dead Prez transcribed the leftist political education they acquired into lyrical poetry. Brand Nubian’s Lord Jamar discovered them in New York and helped them sign a deal with Loud Records. But being the new kids on the block of a powerhouse label like Loud (home to the Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep) wasn’t easy. dead prez wasn’t always Loud’s priority but that didn’t stop them from building a fan base around their over-the-top performances. (They’ve been known to ignite dollar bills and toss apples into the audiences, declaring they eat healthy).

With hard-hitting beats, politically aware rhymes, deft lyricism and strong song concepts, dead prez emerged in 2000 as one of rap’s most politically strident outfits. Stic.man and M-1’s music provided a voice for the voiceless, a sobering look at the global power structure that was crippling billions of people internationally and millions of Americans domestically. The duo’s first two studio albums, 2000’s Lets Get Free and 2004’s RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta, were accompanied by four acclaimed Turn Off The Radio mixtapes and solo albums, and in 2012 they returned with Information Age.

Dead prez’s consistent artistry, and activism, has earned them legendary status, and they remain one of the driving forces in Hip-Hop today.

Skyzoo

Skyzoo

Growing up just a block away from The Notorious B.I.G., watching him go from local corner boy to rap superstar, Skyzoo couldn’t help but dream big. The Brooklyn, NY native saw life in all of its “heaven and hell” juxtaposition, being from the infamous home of both Jay-Z and “Do The Right Thing”. He started rapping at age nine, writing about what he witnessed on his daily routines as a child. Those years of observation have turned into first person narratives that have labeled Skyzoo as a “new legend” and have led to his albums being critically acclaimed by fans and critics alike. His storytelling has been commended by all walks of literary life, from hip hop royalty to university professors and everyone in between.

An artist in his own right as well as a songwriter for others, he’s collaborated with a plethora of artists and producers, including the likes of Jill Scott, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, Tyrese, Wale, Jadakiss, Black Thought, Illmind, John Legend, Raheem Devaughn, Talib Kweli, and Spike Lee, just to name a few. His most recent album, “Retropolitan”, a full length collaborative album with legendary producer Pete Rock, has been garnering praise and attention since word of its inception leaked. What stands out most in regards to all of Skyzoo’s accomplishments is how they’ve all come to fruition on account of his own work and will. As his slogan states: Lyrics Will Never Be The Same.

Landon Wordswell

Landon Wordswell

Landon Wordswell is a 33 year old Atlanta, GA resident by way of the St. Louis area and Santa Fe, NM. Those cities combined have influenced and crafted the emcee’s tenacity, perspective, and insight. Landon’s stage performance & delivery have been praised on tours both nationally & internationally for it’s captivating crowd appeal. Wordswell specializes in utilizing intricate rhyme schemes often being coupled with tightly knitted personal lyrics and a bold truth. 
 The Indianapolis, IN born emcee was immediately moved to Brooklyn, IL (St Louis Area) where his single mother taught him honor, resilience, and hustle on a day to day basis by simply living as an example of it. Seeing these qualities pay off led to his family relocating to a much safer, well established area in his late childhood. Constant growth can be heard from his first solo effort, “The Mourning After Pill”, to his forthcoming, “New Flexico”. 
 Along with touring the United States with his past tour partner, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), he has also completed a full European tour with the Artifacts and and national tour with the very legendary Talib Kweli in 2018. Landon Wordswell has also performed and toured alongside greats such as Mos Def, The Game, Slum Village, Warren G, Mobb Deep, Binary Star, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Skyzoo, Black Milk, Zion I, Raekwon (Wu-Tang), Jeru The Damaja, Guilty Simpson, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Devin The Dude, Aceyalone, Freestyle Fellowship & many, many more!