The Dope Poet Society
Encyclopedia
The Dope Poet Society is a politically charged hip hop
group from Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. Their music is characterized by clever and sometimes controversial lyrics. ProfessorD.us (formerly Professor D) is the lead vocalist of the group, known for his tongue twisting, “rapid fire” rap style. The group has been active since 1995 and has toured around the world. They have also performed and collaborated with some of the most influential artists in Hip Hop including Public Enemy, Dead Prez
, Jeru the Damaja
, and Boot Camp Click.
Professor D changed his name to ProfessorD.us with the release of his 2008 album, Third World Warriors Vol.1, which lists the artist as "ProfessorD.us - The Dope Poet Society".
The group founded Justus League Records and released their first vinyl single and music video, "Too Many Years" (1995), which appeared on Rapcity and was featured on MuchMusic's Indie Spotlight. Their debut album, Dangerous Days (1997), was the first full length CD to be independently released by a Canadian hip hop group. It was credited by Now
as "fostering a… sense of community" in Toronto’s hip hop scene. Their second album, Hipolitics (1999), spawned their first major hit, "Fuck Mike Harris
!" In their review of the EP, Now wrote, “If Dalton McGuinty
or Howard Hampton
[Ontario provincial opposition leaders of the time] wanted to really make their point with the youth, they'd adopt the lead cut on this five-song EP as their campaign theme song.” The song became a huge hit on college radio across the province and across the country. Public Enemy frontman, Chuck D, began playing the song on his internet radio show on bringthenoise.com and began a relationship with the group which led to mentorship and collaboration.
The Dope Poet Society is known for quickly responding to political events with critical material. In 2000, they became the first group to release a song “dissing” George W. Bush
, and condemning him as a “terrorist". Two weeks after September 11, 2001, the group released their CD 9/11 World Trade. In the title track they allude to Malcolm X
’s likening John F. Kennedy's assassination to "chickens coming home to roost", implying that September 11 was another case of "the chickens coming home to roost". In 2003, in response to the US’s invasion of Iraq, The Dope Poet Society released the single "War of Terrorism". The song was debuted at Toronto’s Metro Hall to a crowd of 80,000 anti-war protestors on February 15, 2003. Jeff Chang
wrote in the UK’s New Internationalist
, “The Dope Poet Society's song 'War of Terrorism', challenged the moral righteousness of the war and echoed many anti-war activists' concerns that far more insidious motives were driving it.” In an article commissioned by The Centre for Political Song at Glasgow University, Janis McNair notes that "The Dope Poet Society’s track War of Terrorism, expressed a fundamental conjecture of anti-war protestors: the root of the conflict is oil." The title of the group’s latest album, “ProIntelPro: Promote Intelligence Program” is a play on the FBI’s COINTELPRO
operations, as the group’s self-proclaimed aim is to “promote intelligence rather than counter it”.
The Dope Poet Society was the first Canadian Urban act to perform at MIDEM
, the world's largest music conference. They were introduced by Chuck D
and joined on stage by Canadian rap godfather Maestro
and up-and-comer Rochester.
. In 1994 they performed and aggressively participated in rallies organized by Anti-Racist Action Network (ARA) and other local groups with the express purpose of physically confronting neo-Nazis that had been organizing and harassing people of colour in Toronto’s East end. In the late 90s the group was active in a culture jamming
group known as the Toronto Media Collective, profiled in Naomi Klein
’s book No Logo
. In 2000 members of the group founded the Toronto Hip-Hop Cultural Arts Centre (THC) and were actively involved in the centre’s programs. The THC hosted community events involving all the elements of HipHop and offered computer access, homework assistance, general advice and job counseling to local youth. The organization faced racially motivated attacks and police harassment. The centre closed in 2005.
. In the song, ProfessorD.us raps about Haiti’s under-heralded place in history as the site of the world’s greatest slave revolution and of that nation’s continued oppression by The USA, France and Canada, under the guise of foreign aid. The music video is directed by US journalist and Filmmaker Kevin Pina
and features original footage daringly shot by Pina in Haiti. The ‘B-side’, “Everything’s Political”, features M-1 of dead prez. The song is ProfessorD.us and M-1’s sharp response to all those who ask, “Why is your music always so political?” dead prez
, like the Dope Poet Society, cite Public Enemy as a major influence, and the groups consolidated their revolutionary camaraderie while sharing various stages around the world.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Their music is characterized by clever and sometimes controversial lyrics. ProfessorD.us (formerly Professor D) is the lead vocalist of the group, known for his tongue twisting, “rapid fire” rap style. The group has been active since 1995 and has toured around the world. They have also performed and collaborated with some of the most influential artists in Hip Hop including Public Enemy, Dead Prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, Jeru the Damaja
Jeru the Damaja
Kendrick Jeru Davis, known as Jeru the Damaja is an American rapper and recording artist who has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, whom he has known since high school.-Biography:...
, and Boot Camp Click.
Professor D changed his name to ProfessorD.us with the release of his 2008 album, Third World Warriors Vol.1, which lists the artist as "ProfessorD.us - The Dope Poet Society".
History
The Dope Poet Society, in their early teens, recorded a song and music video for YTV, entitled Canadian Unity (1992).The group founded Justus League Records and released their first vinyl single and music video, "Too Many Years" (1995), which appeared on Rapcity and was featured on MuchMusic's Indie Spotlight. Their debut album, Dangerous Days (1997), was the first full length CD to be independently released by a Canadian hip hop group. It was credited by Now
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
as "fostering a… sense of community" in Toronto’s hip hop scene. Their second album, Hipolitics (1999), spawned their first major hit, "Fuck Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
!" In their review of the EP, Now wrote, “If Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
or Howard Hampton
Howard Hampton
Howard George Hampton, MPP is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He has served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada, since 1987 as the Member of Provincial Parliament from the northern riding of Kenora—Rainy River. A member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he was also the party's...
[Ontario provincial opposition leaders of the time] wanted to really make their point with the youth, they'd adopt the lead cut on this five-song EP as their campaign theme song.” The song became a huge hit on college radio across the province and across the country. Public Enemy frontman, Chuck D, began playing the song on his internet radio show on bringthenoise.com and began a relationship with the group which led to mentorship and collaboration.
The Dope Poet Society is known for quickly responding to political events with critical material. In 2000, they became the first group to release a song “dissing” George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and condemning him as a “terrorist". Two weeks after September 11, 2001, the group released their CD 9/11 World Trade. In the title track they allude to Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
’s likening John F. Kennedy's assassination to "chickens coming home to roost", implying that September 11 was another case of "the chickens coming home to roost". In 2003, in response to the US’s invasion of Iraq, The Dope Poet Society released the single "War of Terrorism". The song was debuted at Toronto’s Metro Hall to a crowd of 80,000 anti-war protestors on February 15, 2003. Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang is a Taiwanese male singer, who performs sentimental Mandarin pop ballads.Chang was born in Yunlin, Taiwan. He started off his showbiz career by winning a singing competition while in college...
wrote in the UK’s New Internationalist
New Internationalist
New Internationalist is a magazine from New Internationalist Publications, a co-operative-run publisher based in Oxford, England. It has editorial and sales offices in Toronto, Canada; Adelaide, Australia; Christchurch, New Zealand; and New York, USA....
, “The Dope Poet Society's song 'War of Terrorism', challenged the moral righteousness of the war and echoed many anti-war activists' concerns that far more insidious motives were driving it.” In an article commissioned by The Centre for Political Song at Glasgow University, Janis McNair notes that "The Dope Poet Society’s track War of Terrorism, expressed a fundamental conjecture of anti-war protestors: the root of the conflict is oil." The title of the group’s latest album, “ProIntelPro: Promote Intelligence Program” is a play on the FBI’s COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
operations, as the group’s self-proclaimed aim is to “promote intelligence rather than counter it”.
The Dope Poet Society was the first Canadian Urban act to perform at MIDEM
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
, the world's largest music conference. They were introduced by Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
and joined on stage by Canadian rap godfather Maestro
Maestro (rapper)
Wesley Williams , better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop".In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have...
and up-and-comer Rochester.
Activism
The Dope Poet Society has been politically active from its inception. They have performed at countless protests and political events across North America. In 1993 they performed their anti-sexist song “Lady Killer” at North York City Hall for that year’s commemoration of the École Polytechnique massacreÉcole Polytechnique massacre
The École Polytechnique Massacre, also known as the Montreal Massacre, was a hate crime perpetrated on December 6, 1989 at the École Polytechnique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Twenty-five-year-old Gamil Rodrigue Liass Gharbi, who had changed his name to Marc Lépine, armed with a legally obtained...
. In 1994 they performed and aggressively participated in rallies organized by Anti-Racist Action Network (ARA) and other local groups with the express purpose of physically confronting neo-Nazis that had been organizing and harassing people of colour in Toronto’s East end. In the late 90s the group was active in a culture jamming
Culture jamming
Culture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
group known as the Toronto Media Collective, profiled in Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
’s book No Logo
No Logo
No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies is a book by Canadian author Naomi Klein. First published by Knopf Canada in January 2000, shortly after the 1999 WTO Ministerial Conference protests in Seattle had generated media attention around such issues, it became one of the most influential books...
. In 2000 members of the group founded the Toronto Hip-Hop Cultural Arts Centre (THC) and were actively involved in the centre’s programs. The THC hosted community events involving all the elements of HipHop and offered computer access, homework assistance, general advice and job counseling to local youth. The organization faced racially motivated attacks and police harassment. The centre closed in 2005.
Third World Warriors Vol. 1
The 2008 album from ProfessorD.us – The Dope Poet Society, is entitled Third World Warriors Vol. 1. The record focuses on world politics dropped with “constantly morphing… tongue twisting flows” and an army of guest contributors including award winning musicians, rappers, singers and producers. The album’s first single and video is called “Freedom in Haiti”. Produced by Justus League virtuoso Jad-X, the track incorporates elements of Rock, Hip-Hop and a spellbinding chorus by Toronto R&B sensation ObieObie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
. In the song, ProfessorD.us raps about Haiti’s under-heralded place in history as the site of the world’s greatest slave revolution and of that nation’s continued oppression by The USA, France and Canada, under the guise of foreign aid. The music video is directed by US journalist and Filmmaker Kevin Pina
Kevin Pina
Kevin Pina is an American journalist and filmmaker. He is known for his reporting that focused on human rights abuses in Haiti following the ouster of Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004 and the installation of the interim government of Gerard Latortue and Boniface Alexandre in March 2004...
and features original footage daringly shot by Pina in Haiti. The ‘B-side’, “Everything’s Political”, features M-1 of dead prez. The song is ProfessorD.us and M-1’s sharp response to all those who ask, “Why is your music always so political?” dead prez
Dead Prez
Dead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, like the Dope Poet Society, cite Public Enemy as a major influence, and the groups consolidated their revolutionary camaraderie while sharing various stages around the world.
Albums
- 1997 Dangerous Days
- 1999 Hipolitics
- 2001 9/11 World Trade
- 2005 ProIntelPro: Promote Intelligence Program
- 2008 Third World Warriors Vol. 1
Singles
- 1995 "Too Many Years"
- 1999 "Fuck Mike Harris"
- 2000 "Bushit (George Bush is a Terrorist)"
- 2003 "War of Terrorism"
- 2005 "All of Us" Featring various artists
- 2005 "Hurricane Katrina" Featuring Ian Smith
- 2008 "Freedom in Haiti" Featuring Obie