Despite the declarations of a certain leader of the free world, Nelson Mandela is not dead.

And although the iconic South African leader's militant days are behind him, his philosophies of equality and empowerment continue to inspire countless others.

Sizwe Andrews-Abakah has drawn from Mandela both literally and figuratively, making his mark on the world as an elementary school teacher and founder of his own academy, as well as taking the name of the militant wing of Mandela's African National Congress, Spear of the Nation, as the moniker with which to represent himself as a hip-hop emcee.

On Spearitalk, Spear of the Nation's debut solo album, the Oakland, California-based emcee does Mandela proud.

On "Black Love," Spear echoes the lyrics of Black Star's "Astronomy (8th Light): "Black people unite and let's all get down." Over a rich electro synth and much-used Rakim sample on "Clap," Spear talks about strengthening local ties, protecting your own against a corrupt system, and "building an army like 'Pac in his prime."

The music is tight and the lyrics are laser sharp, but this isn't the beginning of the Spear of the Nation story.

Born and raised in LA, Spear's father was deep in the LA jazz scene and played saxophone in legendary jazz pianist Horace Tapscott's band the Horace Tapscott Arkestra.

His musical roots led him to hip-hop, and after attending Howard University in DC, Spear moved to the Bay Area and formed the crew Lunar Heights with Jern Eye and Khai Sharrieff, releasing the 2004 album Crescent Moon.

Spear has also been teaching elementary education for the past seven years. In 2006, he started the Spearitwurx Academy School of Science and Culture, an extension of his Spearitwurx Foundation, an organization established to support arts and education work in the community.

As you can guess, Spear of the Nation of the Nation has a full life, a fact that sets him apart from the litany of dime-a-dozen emcees spat out by the hip-hop machine. On Spearitalk, he proves that it is still possible to both feed the mind and get the a**es to follow.

Audio: Listen to Spear of the Nation here.