Even if you’ve never heard of M1 or stic.man you’ll have heard Dead Prez. 2000’s monster hit ‘Hip-Hop’ has provided warm up material to literally thousands of hip-hop dj’s and is a sure floor filler. When dropped tonight the roof almost comes off the former Camden Palace as some 1,500 people raise their hands in tribute. But beyond that…

As a self proclaimed ‘revolutionary but gangsta’ act DP were never going to be your typical hip-hop showmen. Opening with ‘Turn off the Radio’ they immediately set about delivering messages against government infiltration (perceived, not proven) and the banal effects of mainstream media. Despite this their main target throughout the night was the evil of capitalism in all its guises. Chants of “f**k the USA”, “f**k Obama” and bizarrely “f**k the UK” (post-slavery capitalist bulls**t) littered their set which at times resembled a poorly orchestrated rally rather than a hip-hop show. After the first half hour music became a definite second to sloganeering. In 15 minutes just 2 tracks were player, the first an impressive freestyle whilst the second ‘Mind Sex’ was buttery r’n’b-hop at it’s best. In between they invited an unknown Palestinian mc onto the stage to repeatedly shout “f**k Israel” to (some of) the crowd’s delight and freestyle in Arabic. Asides from a small pocket of wannabee radicals most just stared blankly at this strange spectacle. I didn’t expect the high budget show of Jay-Z or the constant audible attack of Wu-Tang Clan but I expected to hear a lot more music.

It is perhaps ironic that M-1’s Che Guevara jacket was a customised Adidas whilst stic.man proclaimed his love of Converse sneakers on no less than 3 occasions. Similarly In over an hour fewer than twelve tracks were played in full. When DP were in full swing they were incendiary: the sound system was primed for sub-bass whilst their flows were crisp. But, this hardly compensated the constant barrage of half-baked sixth form politics which clearly drained energy from the crowd who, as the reaction to ‘Hip-Hop’ and ‘Hell Yeah’ shows were willing to show their appreciation.

As the hip-hop crowd drained out, and the indie crowd flocked in for Club NME I was left wondering just what I’d seen. Though they tout themselves as revolutionaries Dead Prez are anything but. On record they’re one of the world’s best hip-hop acts: intense, personal and lyrically brilliants, but in person they lack any subtlety in delivering their message and despite their calls for “love and music” neither seemed to be a priority.

Jack Taylor

Member of the music team @ Pulse Radio