Immortal Technique

A viciously lyrical emcee and budding producer based in New York City, Immortal Technique is arguably the most important political rapper in the game today. Born in a South American military hospital, his family relocated to Harlem when he was a youngster and he grew up as a child of hip-hop, doing grafitti and rapping at a young age. Like many men uptown, he got into his fair share of street drama, resulting in multiple arrests and eventually landing him in prison on aggravated assault charges. While serving a short bid, he honed his rhyme skills, penning many songs when he wasn't battling opponents in the yard. Upon his release in 1999, Immortal Technique hit the streets hard, staying out of trouble but developing a strong reputation as one of the city's premier battle rappers. He won many verbal showdowns, destroying lesser emcees at events like the Rocksteady Anniversary and Braggin Rites. Soon he released his first independent album, Revolutionary Vol. 1, which balanced his hardcore mic skills with a heavy dose of well-informed anti-government sentiment. The CD sold thousands of copies and earned him "Unsigned Hype" status in The Source magazine in late 2002. Revolutionary Vol. 2 followed the next year, and found him sharpening his lyrical swords and continuing his attack on the injustices of American law enforcement, the military, covert ops, racist drug wars and President Bush. The album also featured Mumia Abdul Jamal and like-minded artists such as C-Rayz Walz, with provocative cover artwork that depicted many high-ranking U.S. officials shot to death in the Oval Office. The album moved even more units than his earlier efforts, won press from I>XXL and the Washington Post and further irked the police, who raided Tech's hotel room under false pretenses when he was touring in 2004. While the mainstream rap market is all about glorifying corporate-sponsored thuggery, Immortal Technique, like Public Enemy and dead prez before him, is on the forefront of bringing intelligent, politically-charged hip-hop back to prominence. With his high-quality songs, business-minded work ethic, and relentless performances, he is a much-needed element in the industry. Assuming he can avoid the wrath of the black helicopters, he could very well usher in a new movement of social justice in popular music.