Mutulu Olugbala (born Lavonne Alford, May 12, 1975), better known by his stage name M-1 (sometimes stylized as M1), is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, songwriter, and activist from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He is best known for his work as one half of the

political hip hop Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social and/or political activism. Inspired by 1970s political artists su ...

duo

dead prez Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, sel ...

with stic.man.

Career

M-1's first solo album, ''

Confidential Confidentiality involves a set of rules or a promise usually executed through confidentiality agreements that limits the access or places restrictions on certain types of information. Legal confidentiality By law, lawyers are often required ...

,'' credited to "Dead Prez Presents M-1," was released on March 21, 2006, through Sotti/Koch Records. Following ''Confidential'' M-1 worked on the album ''

Can't Sell Dope Forever ''Can't Sell Dope Forever'' is a collaboration studio album between hip hop groups dead prez and Outlawz. The album was released on Affluent Records July 25, 2006, and executive produced by Oscar Sanchez. Stic.man and M-1 of dead prez are most ...

'' by Dead Prez &

Outlawz Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...

. M-1 had the lead role in ''Broken Rhyme'', a 2006 American 90-minute feature film and drama directed and produced by Detdrich McClure about a disillusioned rapper who goes to Japan to shoot a video there and encounters a mysterious Japanese woman who leads him on a spiritual journey and the heavy price he has to pay for turning his back on the forces that run the hip-hop music industry. The film premiered at the Filmlife and HBO American Black Film Festival in June 2006 as an Official Selection. M-1 is also featured in the UK documentary, ''

Guilty or Innocent of Using the N Word ''Guilty or Innocent of Using the N Word'' is a 2006 British Documentary film, documentary short film directed by British director Bhavna Malkani. The documentary explores questions and issues surrounding the word ''nigger'' that many feel con ...

''. M-1 is also a self proclaimed political activist for many black and left-wing causes. In July 2009, M-1 accompanied the controversial

Viva Palestina Viva may refer to: Companies and organisations * Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator * Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia * Viva Air Dominicana * VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company * V ...

convoy, delivering humanitarian supplies to Palestinians in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

. In 2010, M-1 was featured on British-Palestinian rapper

Shadia Mansour Shadia Mansour ( ar, شادية منصور , born 1985), also known as "the first lady of Arabic hip hop" See also is a British-Palestinian rapper who performs in Arabic and English. Much of her music revolves around Middle Eastern politics ...

's single "Al Kufiyyeh 3arabeyyeh" ("The

Keffiyeh The keffiyeh or kufiya ( ar, كُوفِيَّة, kūfīyah, relating to Kufa, link=no), also known in Arabic as a ghutrah (), shemagh ( '), (), in Kurdish as a Shemagh ''(''شه‌ماغ'')'' or Serwîn (سه‌روین) and in Persian, as a ...

is Arabian") in her response to the "Israeli Keffiyah", in what political commentators such as Mary Lorian viewed to be "crude" and "racist". M-1 is a co-founder of Urban Aroma, "a platform for cannabis, art, activism and social equity with editorial and charitable commitments."

Discography

Solo albums *2006: ''

'' Collaboration albums *2011: ''AP2P – All Power to the People'' (with Bonnot) *2013: ''Evolutionary Minded (Furthering the Legacy of Gil Scott-Heron)'' (with Kentyah, Brian Jackson & The New Midnight Band) *2016: ''Between Me and the World'' (with Bonnot)

Filmography

*1999: ''Whiteboyz'' *2001: ''

Brooklyn Babylon ''Brooklyn Babylon'' is a 2001 film written and directed by Marc Levin, and a modern retelling of the Song of Solomon, set against the backdrop of the Crown Heights riot, starring Black Thought of The Roots. Plot summary In Brooklyn's Crown ...

'' *2006: ''

'' as Himself (documentary) *2006: ''Broken Rhyme'' as Himself (feature film)IMDb: ''Broken Rhyme'' with M-1 in a lead role in the film
/ref> *2012: ''Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal'' as Himself (documentary)

Videography

*2006: "Till We Get There" feat. Stori James and

K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali-Canadian musician. He rose to prominence ...

References

External links

M-1
on Myspace * * {{DEFAULTSORT:M-1 1977 births Living people African-American male rappers Rappers from Florida American socialists American pan-Africanists Hip hop activists 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people