They are known for their sometimes confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice, and also positivity. The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip-hop record labels.
'They' Schools
dead prez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man that school shit is a joke
The same people who control the school system
Control the prison system,
And the whole social system
Ever since slavery, know what I'm sayin'?
Right around the time 3rd Bass dropped the cactus album
But I was readin Malcolm
I changed my name in '89 cleaning parts of my brain
Like a baby nine
I took a history class serious
Front row, every day of the week, 3rd period
Fuckin' with the teachers had, callin' 'em racist
I tried to show them crackers some light, they couldn't face it
I got my diploma from a school called Rickers
Full of, teenage mothers, and drug dealin' niggas
In the hallways, the popo was always present
Searchin' through niggas possessions
Lookin' for, dope and weapons, get your lessons
That's why my moms kept stressin'
I tried to pay attention but they classes wasn't interestin'
They seemed to only glorify the Europeans
Claimin' Africans were only three-fifths a human being
They schools can't teach us shit
My people need freedom, we tryin' to get all we can get
All my high school teachers can suck my dick
Tellin' me white man lies, straight bullshit (bullshit)
They schools ain't teachin' us
What we need to know to survive (say what, say what)
They schools don't educate
All they teach the people is lies
You see dog, you see how quick these motherfuckers be to like
Be tellin' niggas get a diploma so you can get a job
Know what I'm sayin'? But they don't never tell you how the job
Gonna exploit you every time, know what I'm sayin'?
That's why I be like 'Fuck they schools!'
School is like a 12-step brainwash camp
They make you think if you drop out you ain't got a chance
To advance in life, they try to make you pull your pants up
Students fight the teachers and get took away in handcuffs
And if that wasn't enough, then they expel y'all
Your peoples understand it but to them, you a failure
Observation and participation, my favorite teachers
When they beat us in the head with them books, it don't reach us
Whether you breakdance or rock suede Adidas
Or be in the bathroom with your clique, smokin' reefer
Then you know they math class ain't important 'less you addin' up cash
In multiples, unemployment ain't rewardin'
They may as well teach us extortion
You either get paid or locked up, the principal is like a warden
In a four year sentence, mad niggas never finish
But that doesn't mean I couldn't be a doctor or a dentist
They schools can't teach us shit
My people need freedom, we tryin' to get all we can get
All my high school teachers can suck my dick
Tellin' me white man lies, straight bullshit
They schools can't teach us shit
My people need freedom, we tryin' to get all we can get
All my high school teachers can suck my dick
Tellin' me white man lies, straight bullshit
They schools ain't teachin' us
What we need to know to survive (say what, say what)
They schools don't educate
All they teach the people is lies
'Cause for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste
And all y'all high class niggas with y'all nose up
'Cause we droppin' this shit on this joint, fuck y'all
We gon' speak for ourselves
Know what I'm sayin'?
'Cause see the schools ain't teachin' us nothin
They ain't teachin' us nothin but how to be slaves and hardworkers
For white people to build up they shit
Make they businesses successful while it's exploitin' us
Know what I'm sayin'?
And they ain't teachin' us nothin related to solvin' our own problems
Know what I'm sayin'?
Ain't teachin' us how to get crack out the ghetto
They ain't teachin' us how to stop the police from murdering us
And brutalizing us, they ain't teachin' us how to get our rent paid
Know what I'm sayin'?
They ain't teachin' our families how to interact better with each other
Know what I'm sayin'?
They just teachin' us how to build they shit up
Know what I'm sayin'?
That's why my niggas got a problem with this shit
That's why niggas be droppin' out that shit 'cause it don't relate
You go to school, the fuckin' police searchin' you
You walkin' in your shit like this a military compound
Know what I'm sayin'?
So school don't even relate to us
Until we have some shit where we control the fuckin' school system
Where we reflect how we gon solve our own problems
Them niggas ain't gon relate to school
Shit, that just how it is
Know what I'm sayin'?
And I love education, know what I'm sayin'?
But if education ain't elevatin' me
Then you know what I'm sayin'
It ain't takin' me where I need to go on some bullshit
Then fuck education
Know what I'm sayin'? At least they shit
Matter of fact my nigga
This whole school system can suck my dick, BEEYOTCH!!
Dead Prez's song 'They' Schools is a commentary on the public education system in the United States. The lyrics suggest that the school system is controlled by the same people who control the prison system and the entire social system, ever since slavery. The song criticizes the way in which the education system seems to only glorify European history and claims that Africans were only three-fifths of a human being. The track argues that schools are not teaching students what they need to know to survive and that they are only teaching lies. The song suggests that schools are brainwashing camps that try to make students believe that if they drop out, they have no chance of advancing in life.
The lyrics further explain personal experiences of the artist's schooling experience. He mentions attending a school where police were always present and would search people's possessions looking for dope and weapons. The song alleges that the school system glorifies European history, while ignoring the crucial issues faced by the black community. The lyrics highlight the necessity for Black youth to understand their significance as they are exploited by white people to build up their businesses successfully while exacerbating the predicaments Black people face. The song argues that the school system caters only to the success of white people and that by doing so, it only propagates the larger system of oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
Man that school shit is a joke
The education system is not taken seriously and is considered ineffective
The same people who control the school system Control the prison system, And the whole social system
The same authorities who oversee schools also have control over prisons and the entire societal structure
I changed my name in '89 cleaning parts of my brain Like a baby nine
In 1989, I underwent a personal transformation, cleansing and refreshing my mind just like cleaning a small gun
I tried to show them crackers some light, they couldn't face it
I attempted to enlighten ignorant individuals, but they were unable to accept or confront the truth
I got my diploma from a school called Rickers Full of, teenage mothers, and drug dealin' niggas
I obtained my diploma from a school named Rickers, which was populated with young mothers and individuals involved in the drug trade
In the hallways, the popo was always present Searchin' through niggas possessions
The police were frequently present in the school hallways, conducting searches of students' belongings
Lookin' for, dope and weapons, get your lessons
They were searching for illegal drugs and weapons, which served as a lesson for students about the reality of the authorities' focus
They schools can't teach us shit
The schools are incapable of providing us with meaningful education
My people need freedom, we tryin' to get all we can get
My community desires liberation and is striving to achieve success in all aspects
Tellin' me white man lies, straight bullshit
The education system is feeding me falsehoods and lies favoring the perspectives of white individuals
School is like a 12-step brainwash camp
School acts as a conditioning program that attempts to control and manipulate our thinking
Students fight the teachers and get took away in handcuffs
Students who engage in conflicts with teachers end up being apprehended by the authorities
Your peoples understand it but to them, you a failure
Even though your community comprehends the issues within the education system, they perceive you as a failure
They may as well teach us extortion
It would be better for them to provide instruction on illegal practices like extortion
The principal is like a warden In a four year sentence,
The principal takes on a role similar to that of a prison warden, overseeing students' four-year confinement
But that doesn't mean I couldn't be a doctor or a dentist
Despite the limitations and shortcomings of the education system, it should not discourage me from pursuing careers like being a doctor or dentist
'Cause for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste
A person's mind is incredibly valuable and should not be wasted or neglected
'Cause see the schools ain't teachin' us nothin
The schools are failing to provide us with any meaningful knowledge or skills
They ain't teachin' us nothin but how to be slaves and hardworkers
The only thing the schools are teaching us is how to conform to a system that subjugates and exploits us
They ain't teachin' us nothin related to solvin' our own problems
The schools neglect to educate us on resolving our own issues and challenges
They just teachin' us how to build they shit up
Instead, the focus of education is on enabling others to achieve success and build their own wealth
That's why my niggas got a problem with this shit
This is why my community has an issue with the education system
You go to school, the fuckin' police searchin' you
When you attend school, the police constantly search and invade your privacy
So school don't even relate to us
School is not relatable or relevant to our lives and experiences
Until we have some shit where we control the fuckin' school system
Unless we have the power to shape and control the education system ourselves
Where we reflect how we gon solve our own problems
Where we can determine how to solve our own issues
Them niggas ain't gon relate to school
Those individuals will not find any connection or relevance in the education system
This whole school system can suck my dick, BEEYOTCH!!
I have extreme frustration and dissatisfaction toward the entire education system
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network
Written by: Gavin Clayton, Michael Santigo Render, Ricardo Ducent, Shaun Pizzonia
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Zay-zg8js
@@AbsurdTurk The Absurdist clearly you dont understand
You just made a bunch of claims.
You say its racist I dont know how and you didnt give a reason so I guess you dont either
You say its self victimizing when it isn't at all. Unless you just mean they are a victim. In the song they acknowledge the problem black people have as a whole then they identify the cause of the problem and propose a solution which was to create an education system that is practical and relatable for most black people that will help improve the black community.
They say in the video that black people need to create a system that will solve black people's problems.
So you're wrong when you say its self victimizing
Maybe you can quote the line(s) where they compare school to prison maybe I missed it. Also you didnt say why that comparison was ridiculous and if they did make the comparison you didnt say why their comparison is ridiculous. (I have heard white kids compare school to prison though)
@Zay-zg8js
@@AbsurdTurk when they say the school aren't teaching they mean as a whole the education system hasn't proved to be a practical solution to improving the black community and that some of the things they teach are false and can be detrimental
You say them claiming women aren't respected in society is hilarious.
But it happens.
You say its hypocritical for them to say it but I've never heard or seen dead prez disrespect women only uplift they have songs and lyrics that specifically uplift women and encourage men to do the same check their song Black Girl Shine or Beauty Within where they specifically say I'll never call you b*tch again
If white owned Viacom decides to promote a man that disrects women on the airwaves that has nothing to do with dead prez.
Based off your comment I would say you didn't understand the lyrics of the song
@raukurawaihaha
Kia ora brothers n sisters from the sovereign nation of Waitaha/Waihaha.
Waihaha means "The tail end of exploding planets, where the ancient came to bathe their young".
We were the original peaceful groups who left Atlantis and went to the mountains of Peru, Tibet and Turkey.
We reconvened here as a multicultural peaceful society until the warring waka turned up and started exterminating us.
Then the English tried to do it to the descendants of the waka and Waitaha, who the mainstream refer to as 'Maori' but they couldn't stomp us out n we have a contract with the crown and are sovereign.
We will set up vertically integrated hemp communities based on the principles of Ubuntu and it will spread.
I feel it's important to share encouragement and possible solutions in these times of focus 🙏🏿
This feels like the appropriate place to drop knowledge for the people. We are all one.
Kia ora brothers n sisters ✊🏿
@davidbarber3821
This is 1 of the most underrated albums of all time
@farley9255
David Barber I have it as the greatest ever created( from the albums I've experienced).
@yulboothe4540
Facts!!
@laman012
Who underrated it?
@crisjj2
100 percent
@LiBlub1
@Sapo 4774 stfu. Slave trade was large scale industrial project which implicated the whole 1st world economies. Stop with the antisemitism and read Marx
@mrlofi333
One of the greatest albums and single of hip hop.
@eduardhsia5337
Dead Prez songs teach you more facts, truth, and important matters than school had ever taught you in your whole life. Facts.
@audiomonkery5425
Fiction!!!
@tovarisch3039
No not really