New York-based Supreme has announced plans for a capsule with dead prez, a U.S. rap duo made up of M-1 and stic (real names Mutulu Olugbala and Khnum Muata Ibomu) who are known for using music as a vehicle for pro-black activist efforts.
The two met while M-1 was attending Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. Following M-1’s work with the pan-African Uhuru Movement in Chicago, they relocated to New York where they formed dead prez and developed a name for their focus on activism-rooted hip hop.
Brand Nubian rapper Lord Jamar (real name Lorenzo Dechalus) discovered them in 1995 and became their advocate, a co-sign that lead to the group’s signing to Loud Records the following year.
The group is best known for Let’s Get Free, an album released in 2000 to wide acclaim. Highlighted by the single “Hip Hop,” the hard-hitting project addresses the ways in which black Americans have been impacted by a white supremacist-fueled system leading to economic inequality, the school-to-prison pipeline, corporate media manipulation, police injustice, the surveillance state, music industry exploitation and capitalist culture.
In addition to social critiques, dead prez also advocates for the black community by shining a light on the importance of healthy living, meditation and mindfulness, sustainability, entrepreneurship and the values of family and social service. “When you talk about growing, expanding and awakening, it allows you to open up like a lotus to all the things that are here in the world,” explains M-1 in a Supreme press release.
The Supreme and dead prez capsule includes a quilted jacket, hoodie, t-shirt, sweatpants, bandanna and cap, all of which are emblazoned with either the group’s signature lowercase typography or middle finger logo.
The collection will launch at Supreme’s Brooklyn, Los Angeles, London, Manhattan, Paris and San Francisco stores at 11:00 AM local time on December 5, 2019. Offerings will also drop on the same day on supremenewyork.com at 11:00 AM EST in the United States and GMT in Europe. Offerings will hit Japanese stores on December 7th.
Check out the capsule below.
