DILATED PEOPLES
‘Worst come to worst my peoples come first‘
It all started when…
Dilated Peoples also reflects on its formative years on the bone-crushing “Cut My Teeth.” Evidence recalls his time coming of age in Venice Beach, while Rakaa revisits his time in Mid City Los Angeles. Indeed, growing up in Southern California has its own unique set of issues. Being raised in the entertainment capital of the world, Rakaa explores everything from simply loving life to a healthy fear of boredom on “Show Me The Way.”
“The hustle and grind can help to give you most of the basic resources necessary to fulfill your dreams, but there are times when you may feel disconnected from it all,” he says. “It’s about understanding and appreciating the light of our pyramid ”“ of the fire inside.”
Rakaa applies that internal fire and passion to “Century Of The Self,” a song that features him rapping about the negative aspects of business and how humans exploit nature for profit. Since Dilated Peoples released its last album, Rakaa returned to college and completed his degree, allowing him to dedicate more time to some of his favorite subjects.
“I have always been fascinated by the concept of propaganda and social manipulation, so I ended up getting my BFA in Advertising,” he says. “One of the things that I came across in my studies was Adam Curtis’ The Century of the Self documentary series. The song -- like the series -- explores some of the underlying issues that fuel the consumerism, self-centeredness and decay of family and social structure that we are all confronted with daily.”