Death Drive is a collision of two distinct worlds: the scorched-earth-of-indie-rap legend Sole and the concrete jungles of certified platinum producer DJ Pain 1. Combining modern pop / rap aesthetics with a political edge reminiscent of hip-hop classics like Fear of a Black Planet, the duo employs the golden era hip-hop approach of a rapper and DJ without resorting to gimmicks or clichés typical of more formulaic two-turntables-and-a-mic unions. Cross-pollination between mainstream music and the underground has been happening for years, but anything that bubbles up is always devoid of substance; Death Drive is a political rap album that eschews the rapper persona of savior / prophet and speaks from the riot line. In a period of human history where critical music is absent from the airwaves, this is true resistance music. Sole is the founder of Anticon Records, the first collectively owned indie hop hop label in the United States. He has released ten full-length albums and performed over a thousand shows throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East and Japan. Sole's activism reaches beyond the studio and stage into his everyday life where he is deeply involved in many projects that engage directly in the class struggle. Known for his 2008 breakout beat on "Don't Do It" for Young Jeezy's platinum-selling album The Recession, producer DJ Pain 1 stays busy. He tours as a DJ, produces full albums and creates original and free content for the producer community. Pain 1 co-founded the first hip hop performing arts program to be hosted in an institute of higher education in his city, and has garnered attention for his YouTube video series on both production technique and music business know-how.