MTV's Mixtape Monday - March 27th, 2006

Artist: M-1

Representing: RBG

Independent Album: Confidential

411: Dave Chappelle says it best in his film "Dave Chappelle Block's Party": Dead Prez will probably never get played on the radio. Their politically charged messages are too militant to be digested by a mainstream audience. But for the past six years, the DPs haven't had to depend on radio play. Their messages are so powerful that they have become one of the most respected duos in hip-hop: Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Chappelle, Mos Def and the late Big Pun have either publicly given Dead Prez props or have worked with them.

Fans of Dead Prez take note: The release of M-1's solo LP doesn't mean that he and partner Stic.man are disbanding — they are expanding. Stic (he appears on the LP as well) has a solo LP coming soon as well, and both MCs say the revolution is just starting. Oddly enough, M has recently been able to gain some spins on the airwaves with his first single, " 'Til We Get There."

Joints To Check For:

* "Too Smart." M sarcastically plays up what naysayers have been telling him most of his career: "N---a, you too smart/ ... Is it art imitating life, or just art?" he raps on the chorus. Later he promises to continue to lead his revolution. "Just like Malcolm Little sitting in a cell/ I'mma give 'em hell, show 'em how to rebel/ Strike back like the empire/ ... I was told that we was sold, but worth more than the price of gold."

* "Comrade's Call" featuring Styles P and Bazaar Royale. In M-1's verse, he weaves a story about a conflict in the 'hood that he equates with a battle in Iraq. Later he finds himself surrounded by the boys in blue in the middle of Times Square. Meanwhile Styles rhymes about being in dire straits after he's surrounded by some unknown enemies who he thinks may have been sent by the government.

* "Land, Bread & Housing" featuring My Momma and Rays. M takes us on a trip from being his momma's little warrior through the beginning of his career, ending where he is now. "I take this friendship over this rap sh-- any day," he says in reference to his partner Stic. "Better revolutionary than a rapper anyway."

Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week

* Dirty Money's "The Come Up #8" DVD
* Little Brother's Separate but Equal
* Mick Boogie's More Money, More Murda
* Ikeyes' Brooklyn Legends, Volume One
* DJ Kay Slay's Down With the King Part 4: The Final Chapter
* DJ G-Spot's Inspired by the South, Volume 6
* Young Focus' The Real Talk of New York, Volume 1
* Big Cas' Back to the Future: The Mixtape
* DJ Juice's "Mixtape Video Blendz Volume 64" DVD

'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar

* "Shakey Dog" by Ghostface Killah
* "Top Back" by T.I.
* "Pearly Gates" by Mobb Deep featuring 50 Cent
* "The One" by Megan Rochelle featuring Fabolous
* "Dope Girl" by Brooke Valentine featuring Pimp C

Celebrity Faves

Academy Award winner Denzel Washington says there's a certain legendary crooner whose albums he would buy no matter what. "Anything by Anita Baker I would pick up," he said. "Keyshia Cole, I just bought that. Thelonious Monk, Tony Bennett. Those are the last ones I picked up."

The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground

With a movie and an album coming out this week, T.I. says he has no time to be beefing with anyone. He's focused on getting his bread, and he scoffs at all the rumors going around about who he is calling out on the Just Blaze record "I'm Talking to You." Contrary to chatter, Tip says he's not getting at Lil Wayne, Lil' Flip or Ludacris. He's not spitting at anyone — at least no well-known rappers in particular.

"I don't feel like hearing the backlash of, 'Who you talking to?' " Tip said. "N---as expect me to have some elaborate story of who I'm talking to. But on the real, I'm talking about anybody who's representing fake sh--. Ain't nobody specific. ... But if the shoe fits, kick it. If that's what you represent and think these are the things you embody, then yeah, I'm talking to you. If you feel a certain way, then I must be. It's tailor made? Go ahead and wear it."

Tip, who drops lines such as "Had it out with Cris, but that's still my n---a" on the track, says the high-speed delivery on his flow is nothing new; he just hasn't used it in a while.

"That's that old-school T.I. sh-- that people liked from 'I'm Serious,' " he said. "It's the same flow from 'I'm Serious,' with me and Beenie Man. I re-created and blew it up. I ain't really f---ed with it since Trap Muzik on 'Long Live Da Game.' "

Tip wants to tour later this year, and he plans to do it on a major scale. "I want to do a Leaders of the New South tour. Me, Cris, UGK, probably Boyz N Da Hood, Jeezy, Trick Daddy, Mike Jones, Paul Wall. Whoever wanna come. Slim Thug, Young Buck — I just got off the phone with Buck — Killer Mike, Big Boi and them. Lil Jon.

"Come on, let's get it like they used to do back in the old days on the East Coast," he said. "Leaders of the New South is like union. N---as is connected. As time goes on, the union gets bigger. I remember when it was just me, Bone Crusher, Killer Mike and Lil Jon. It's spreading out like wildfire." For more from Tip, check out the feature "T.I.: Expanding An Empire." ...

?uestlove says he's been kind of shy about doing press in advance of his Roots crew's concerts on May 18 and 19 at New York's Radio City Hall because he doesn't want to let any of the surprise guests' names out of the bag. So we did the only thing we could think of to get him to holla at us: hold Black Thought hostage. But seriously, folks, not only did we get to hear three of the Roots' new singles from Game Theory (due in late August) last week, ?uest elaborated on one his group's major surprises — from the album, not the show.

"That's gonna be like our white label [underground single]," ?uest said of the track "In the Music." "That's our announcement calling. The most significant thing in that song is not the full return, but the resurrection of the once-invisible Malik B, a member of the Roots that has been missing for the past six years. We talked about his issue on the song 'Water' on Phrenology. That's pretty much the surprise of the record. Malik makes a wonderful return on the microphone on some cuts."

"In the Music" also features a new MC from Philly named Porno. "Porno has one of my favorite voices," Love said. "It always sounds likes he's crying when he talks. But that's his natural voice. It's so unique. He's been around waiting in the wings since we came out. I always thought it was a travesty he never got put on." ...

Three 6 Mafia say they weren't stunting when they were seen in Los Angeles carrying their Oscar around with them everywhere for two straight weeks. They were just being cautious.

"We was in L.A. for two weeks and we didn't get a chance to go home," Juicy J explained during a trip to NYC last week. "So we had to carry the Oscar everywhere we went because they said we should get insurance for it because somebody might try to take it or rob you for it. It's gold. It weighs eight and a half pounds."

The Juice says rolling with Oscar paid off immediately.

"I couldn't get in a club, so I pulled out the Oscar and they let me right in," he revealed with a chuckle. "When I got back to Memphis, I put the Oscar in a fireproof safe. So if you try to burn the house down, you can't burn the Oscar."

Three 6's homies weren't fazed by the group winning such a prestigious award. Heck, some of them didn't even know what exactly the Mafia won.

"A lot of my friends don't even know what an Academy Award is," Juicy said. "They thought I won a Grammy. I said, 'N---a, you crazy. This is an Oscar, one of the biggest awards you can get.' " ...

Everybody is talking about R. Kelly's brother Carey putting him under the bus on the new Drahma Magazine DVD, but the producers have a few more exclusives in store. Tru Life and Remy Ma each perform for the disc, and DJ Kay Slay sounds off about DJs hating and explains why he and Papoose haven't been jumping at any record deals on the table. Speaking of Pap, we ran into him last week and he told us that he's picked up Chris Lighty of Violator (50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott) as his manager and that he feels that he'll have a deal signed in no time. He also has a new record produced by Swizz Beatz hitting soon.