Biography
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Born
6 March 1974 (age 50)
stic.man (born Clayton Gavin, 1975, Shadeville, Florida, U.S.) is a rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop duo dead prez along with M-1. He is known largely for their hard-hitting style and politically active lyrics, focusing on racism, critical pedagogy, activism against governmental hypocrisy, and corporate control over the media, especially hip-hop record labels. dead prez made their stance clear on their first album, declaring on the lead song, "I'm a African" that the group is "somewhere between N.W.A. and Public Enemy.".
stic.man was born and raised in Shadeville, Florida, a rural unincorporated community in the panhandle. His elementary school was predominantly white and rural, leading him to rap in the song They Schools "I went to school with some redneck crackers". He used to relax on the campus of FAMU though he was never enrolled for classes. There he and M-1 met and connected due to their mutual love of music and knowledge. The two comrades' growing sense of Black pride and political theory served as a common bond as they joined various community groups, eventually forming dead prez as a rap group and moving to New York. After a chance meeting with Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar at a Brooklyn block party, the duo signed a recording deal with Loud Records, which released Let's Get Free in 2000. But even before the release of the record, dead prez amassed a strong and loyal underground following through their explosive live shows, ardent community organizing and top notch unreleased material.
"I don't really consider myself no producer, but I have fun trying to make music that I wanna hear," confesses stic. "We work with live musicians as well as beat machines. We lay the foundation. We might lay some drums, and then build, either getting samples or some type of rhythm in the instruments, or we might come up with a melody. A lot of times the melody is the first thing for me in terms of creating a song. I just start singing some shit and then we start".
In 2006 stic.man demonstrated his writing talents with two books. The first, entitled Warrior Names from Afrika, is a compilation of African warrior names and their meanings. His second book, The Art of Emcee-ing, is a 112-page resource that offers a step-by-step instructional guide on how to emcee, unique tips on voice healing and vocal health practices, and an explanation on many aspects of the hip hop industry, including terminology, styles, and business dealings. About.com described the book as a "succinct panoramic guide on hip-hop wordsmithing."
stic.man also maintains Boss Up, Inc., an "Atlanta-based music and entertainment company that offers information, music, and gear that reflects a sense of self-determination, creative consciousness, and entrepreneurship."
stic.man is an atheist, expressing it in Dead Prez albums.
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