Dead Prez w/ Skyzoo, Landon Wordswell & More

Dead Prez

w/ Skyzoo, Landon Wordswell & More

Friday 9.26.25

Charleston Pour House

Main Stage

7:30pm doors/ 8:30pm show

$40 advance / $45 day of show

Dead Prez

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

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. The fan base Skyzoo has been able to acquire stretches across a wide blanketed range, cultivating in a cult like following of fans who’ve been attached to Sky since his first release a decade and a half ago, which has all lead to memorable placements in both the souls of listeners and the eyes of corporate America.

Musically, he’s collaborated with a plethora of artists and producers, including the likes of Jill Scott, Just Blaze, Dr. Dre, Bilal, Tyrese, Jadakiss, Black Thought, Pete Rock, Illmind, John Legend, Apollo Brown, Griselda, Raheem Devaughn, Talib Kweli, and Spike Lee, just to name a few. His most recent album, “The Mind of a Saint” is a conceptual album that sees Sky speak solely from the perspective of Franklin Saint of FX’s “Snowfall”. Produced by DC duo The Other Guys, the album has been critically acclaimed by critics and fans alike for its vivid storytelling and layered lyricism, merging a fictional character with the times of our real world, circa the show’s 1986 landscape, all while debuting as the #1 hip hop in the country on Apple Music the week of release.

From the MLB/The Jackie Robinson estate to HBO and NBA 2K to ESPN and Buffalo Wild Wings, Sky has lucratively brought corporate America along for a Brooklyn ride. 2023 saw Skyzoo write and perform all of the the music as well as narrate the entire Jackie Robinson documentary “Get To The Bag”, with Skyzoo becoming the face of the doc which was executive produced by La Dodger superstar Mookie Betts and presented by the MLB.

Outside of writing music, he’s lent his pen to other literary areas. In 2017 the world saw the release of “Patti Cake$”, a major motion picture released in the summer of ‘17 to critical acclaim (sweeping the Sundance fest and labeled the “must see” move of the summer by People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly) which he co-started in, served as the lead actor’s consultant, and is an associate producer/co owner of. He’s also started in films with Denise Richards, Richard Gunn and more. In light of that success, he’s currently developing and pitching scripted television pilots and full length films, and he’s ghostwritten and done song writing for a countless list of Grammy award winning and platinum selling Hip-Hop and R&B artists, charting on Billboard countless times.

The embodiment of a DIY attitude, he’s achieved his success in the form of truly being an independent artist, thus molding him into so much more. Skyzoo has become known as being the ultimate artist, one able to make classic music with a lasting impact. Listeners can identify with his story, they can see the many sides of themselves in him. No matter the mood, season, or circumstance, Skyzoo offers music to live to and live by. The best way to describe him? Let the people tell it and words such as “brilliant”, “classic”, and “masterpiece” are constantly used to describe his catalog, with each yearly entry raising the stakes. The beauty in it all is as his slogan goes: “Lyrics Will Never Be The Same”.

Landon Wordswell

Landon Wordswell is an 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. Seeing both sides of the poverty line has shaped this emcee’s perspective as well as his pen. That constant growth can be heard from his first solo effort, “The Mourning After Pill”, “New Flexico”, and his latest full length album “I’m Tired.

Along with touring all over the United States with his past tour partner, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), he has also completed a full European tour with the Artifacts and a national tour with the very legendary Talib Kweli in 2018. Diversity being on of Landon’s strong points has led him to also perform and/or tour alongside greats such as Mos Def, The Game, Slum Village, Warren G, Mobb Deep, Elzhi, 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!

* Show is 21+. Attendees under 21 must be accompanied by a parent & will be subject to a $5 surcharge. The surcharge must be paid in cash at the door on the day of the event.