Today marks 70 years since the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet forces in World War II. As a third-generation survivor of the Holocaust, today I wonder: how am I supposed to feel?
I inherited the history of my grandparents' survival. From a young age, I heard the horror-stories second-hand through my mother's words. As I grew, I became increasingly obsessed with the topic, this word, this Holocaust, and I read and learned as much as I could, trying to make sense of it all. I eventually heard the unfathomable tales distilled down to individual stories told to me by my grandparents; stories of unloading rotting corpses from cattle cars, sweeping up ashes of the dead from large crematoriums. Tales of being chased, persecuted, lied to, beaten and starved, of eating out of trash cans to survive and working through malnourishment and exhaustion to avoid being murdered. In the devastating poignancy and matter-of-factness of my grandparents' telling, I came to the only rational conclusion I could about the Holocaust: that there is no making sense of it. That human beings are capable of literally creating the nightmares that they imagine is not up for debate. History has proven too many times that people are capable of terrible things - and history continues to prove its point, over and over again.
I came to another conclusion about the profound impact that my heritage had on me in my life: I'm alive because my grandparents survived. Had they not managed to beat the odds and survive the camps, if they hadn't then chosen to continue living their lives and create life despite the fact that the world had robbed them of them of the only lives they knew, then myself, my parents, my aunts and uncles, brothers and cousins, my nephews, and who knows how many countless generations to come would never have existed. We're alive because they survived.
So today, knowing what I know about what happened, knowing that what happened seems to have made little difference in altering the course of history and preventing modern genocides from recurring, fearing that the only living survivor I personally know is nearing the end of his life and that within the next few decades there will be no first-generation Holocaust survivors left - how am I supposed to feel?
I feel sadness and trepidation. I feel optimism and hope. I feel a bottomless despair and an insatiable yearning to make the world a better place in any way that I can.
I don't think I'll ever fully come to peace or make sense of the existence of a place like Auschwitz. I don't think that what I write at this moment will offer me any relief, nor do I think I will necessarily provide any sense of life-affirming contextualization or resolution for the reader. But I guess it's better to feel something than to feel nothing - to care enough to read or write or simply remember than not to. It's worth feeling the pain of the millions of unlived lives for even just a moment if it makes us more grateful to live the lives we live today, if it makes us better parents, lovers and friends, or if it makes us think twice about how we treat the strangers we meet on the paths we traverse in our lives.
Here's a song I wrote about the Holocaust at the age of 15:
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
BeLonging
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2015
“We all need to
belong, is that the wrong assumption?
Will we always be longing for something?”
–MC FÜBB
Toronto Hip Hop Artist MC FÜBB Releases New Project after
Two-Year Hiatus
(Toronto, ON) – After a two-year hiatus since his last
official release (the critically acclaimed EP, the poet), Toronto hip hop
artist MC FÜBB has teamed up with producer/emcee Noyz to release their new
collaborative EP: BeLonging. Thematically centered around the fundamental human
need to belong, MC FÜBB weaves together notions of authenticity, creativity,
peace, and finding one’s place in the world as he raps over a rich instrumental
tapestry created by beat-smith Noyz. Featuring soulful vocals by Mike Devine on
“Belong” and the buzz single “Grace,” the end result is a cohesive, five-track
musical project that aims to strike emotional chords with listeners through
thought-provoking lyrics, inspiring melodies, and songs with high replay value.
Here’s what Noyz has to say about the theme of new EP:
“The title ‘BeLonging’ and the artwork is a reflection of
struggles that we all face. We don’t want to feel left out; we want a place
that feels like home, where we know we belong. However, within this longing, we
often miss out on the truth that we already do belong. We are all created from
the same materials and the same source, and as beings in this universe, the
feeling of belonging is something that should be natural and innate within all
of us. Finding and strengthening that connection is a lifelong journey.”
BeLonging isn’t the first time that FÜBB and Noyz have
worked together: in 2011, the two artists released In the Face of No Agreement
(aka ITFONA), a full length album exploring the theme of using hip hop as an
empowering vehicle for overcoming one’s internal obstacles. Noyz also produced
“Poetically Correct” on MC FÜBB’s EP the poet, and FÜBB featured on the song
“Keep Moving On” on Noyz’s album Degrees of Freedom.
A release party for the new EP will be held on Thursday,
February 5 at Studio Bar (824 Dundas Street West, Toronto), featuring
performances by MC FÜBB, Noyz, reggae/funk band The Responsables, music by DJ
Xplisit, and special guest appearances.
Free streaming/download links to BeLonging:
(includes instrumentals, acapellas, and clean versions of tracks
– DJs: Feel free to remix away!)
For all media enquiries, please contact Daniel Farb at
mcfubb@gmail.com or call 647-201-9161.
###
Release Party + Show:
Where: Studio Bar – 824 Dundas Street West, Toronto
When: February 5, 2015 – Doors at 8pm; show starts at 9pm
Come and celebrate the release of MC FÜBB and Noyz's new EP,
"BeLonging" (and a belated release celebration of MC FÜBB's previous
EP, "the poet")!
Featuring performances by:
MC FÜBB
(Hip hop emcee)
Noyz
(Hip hop emcee and producer)
The Responsables
(Live reggae/funk band)
Music supplied by DJ Xplisit
(Toronto's craziest beatboxing DJ!)
Tickets are $5 (+$1.29 Eventbrite fee) in advance via
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/belonging-ep-release-party-tickets-15123761578
$10 at the door.
19+
Cover includes a physical copy of the BeLonging EP.
For all media enquiries, please contact Daniel Farb at
mcfubb@gmail.com or call 647-201-9161.
###
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Verse over "Ni**as in Paris" Instrumental
Here's a little 16 I recorded as part of the Late Shift Cypher at Euphonic Sound Studio. First time professionally recording something in over a year...
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Noyz - Keep Movin' On feat. MC FÜBB
My homie Noyz (who, in case you missed it, produced my my entire last album, ITFONA) has his new album, Degrees of Freedom (which is available in its entirety for FREE DOWNLOAD). Here is the track I collaborated with him on (track five on the album), "Keep Moving On":
Sunday, September 18, 2011
That's What She Said
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 18, 2011
FREE STREAM + DOWNLOAD: http://mcfubb.
DJ PACK: http://www.mcfubb.com/
"You spend too much time with your rhymes"
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!
"You don’t give me enough of your time"
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!
"And you ain’t really destined to shine"
THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID...
The Fresh Water Playlist EP
What's more satisfying that a tall glass of Fresh Water when you're thirsty? NewBreedMC
MC FÜBB
Rapping since the age of 15, MC FÜBB (pronounced "emcee foob") began taking his career as a hip hop MC seriously after graduating from the University of Toronto in the spring of 2009. In Sept. 2009 he dropped his debut EP Foundations and followed up with his Blue Collar Worker mixtape in May 2010. He is the founder of the Hip Hop Headz (H3) community with which he started the event THE CYPHER, where MCs/rappers come out to showcase their talents and skills. His first full length LP In the Face of No Agreement, a collaboration with Brampton producer Noyz, was released in April 2011 under his self-owned label Revolutionary Times Records (RTR). Whether laying down his poetic, intelligent, and intricate verses in the booth or just freestyling in a cypher, MC FÜBB brings a level of intensity and skill to be reckoned with in the world of hip hop.
That's What She Said FREE STREAM + DOWNLOAD: http://mcfubb.
That's What She Said DJ PACK: http://www.mcfubb.com/
NewBreedMC (@NewBreedMC): http://www.
MC FÜBB (@MCFUBB): http://www.mcfubb.
NTG Productions (@NTGProductions): http://www.
For all media/booking inquiries, please contact: mcfubb@gmail.com
###
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Mixtape Review: NewBreedMC – Silent Slang Mixtape
After a four year hiatus from recording, the Silent Slang Mixtape is an audacious release for Brampton resident NewBreedMC. Boasting 14 tracks over a diverse and well-selected variety of beats (all dubs – this is a promotional mixtape), NewBreed displays his ability to create a strong presence over a broad sampling of instrumentals. When I asked him what “Silent Slang” meant, NewBreed told me it was another way of saying “Unspoken Swagger;” a shared acknowledgment of something that doesn’t need to be explicitly stated to be noticed. Having recently witnessed a charismatic performance by NewBreed at a Killah Priest show, I can definitely cosign the fact that this is one MC who possesses “Silent Slang.”
NewBreed has a definite talent for making catchy hooks, evidenced throughout the mixtape (“Who needs and MC? You need an MC!” is now stuck in my head), and he even sounds melodic at times (e.g. the hook on “I’m the Man”). Some of the tracks on the mixtape have a “mainstream” sound (e.g. “Go Girl” and “Single Forever”), perhaps a result of some of the beats selected, but there’s an ample supply of more “underground” sounding straight hip hop gems on here. “All Lungs” is the stoner anthem of the mixtape, and perhaps one of the catchiest herb-smoking songs since Cyprus Hill’s “Hits from the Bong.” For those who enjoy a good storytelling song, “Great Canadian Fable” will please listeners with a psychologically in-depth crime tale (albeit with a predictable crime-story ending.
When it comes to braggadocio, NewBreed is a pro – for listeners who love punch-lines (and maybe even a few laughs), this mixtape definitely delivers. With lines like, “I’m a giver not a taker – I don’t even take advice” and “I get fly and ‘Neverland’ like Michael Jackson’s home/ I spit a line and ‘Breathe Again’ like Toni Braxton, holmes,” NewBreed displays skilled wordplay and punch-lines that deserve a few rewinds. NewBreed sounds at home on every track – his vocal presence is confident and his delivery is strong. His flows are on point and he displays versatility with his rapping ability. If there’s one major criticism I have of NewBreed on this release, it’s the banality and lack of substance in a lot of his rhymes. Much of what he raps about on this mixtape consists of stroking his own ego and talking about superficial clichés (although he does do this more entertainingly than the average rapper). That being said, it’s clear that NewBreed can be a lyrical beast and craft intelligent and complex verses when we wants to (listen to verse two on “SS Silent Slang” for evidence of this). When I asked him about this, NewBreed told me that he intended Silent Slang as an introductory project, and that “the message” in his lyrics would be coming more in subsequent releases. After listening to Silent Slang a few times and seeing NewBreedMC perform, I’m definitely looking forward to this artist’s future projects.
Download the Silent Slang Mixtape HERE.
NewBreedMC – Silent Slang Mixtape – Track Listing:
1. Who Needs an MC? - Produced by MoSS
(Original: DJ Deadeye and ST. The Squad – “Blood Brothers”)
2. All Lungz - Produced by Black Milk
(Original: Buckshot, KRS One Mary J Blidge –“The Way I Am”)
3. Many - Produced by Ski and Apple Juice Kid
(Original: MC Lyte – “Rocking with the Best”)
4. I'm the Man - Produced by Pharell
(Original: Clipse – “Popular Demand”)
5. Say What You Want - Produced by Kanye West
(Original: Drake – “Say What’s Real”)
6. Pablo Reverb - Produced by Rick Rubin and Beastie Boys
(Original: Beastie Boys – “Paul Revere”)
7. I'm Everywhere - Produced by Soundtrack
(Original: Lupe Fiasco feat Matthew Santos – “Shining Down”)
8.Single 4 Ever - Produced by Best Kept Secret
(Original: Wale – “Pretty Girls”)
9. Go Girl - Produced by Don Correll and Tony Taylor
(Original: Lupe Fiasco feat. Matthew Santos - “Say Ahh”)
10. Chamber 33 - Produced by J Dilla
(Original: Raekwon – “10 Bricks”)
11. In the Black – Produced by Black Milk
(Original: Elzhi – “That's that One”)
12. Great Canadian Fable – Produced by Focus
(Original: Slaughter House – “Lyrical Murderers”)
13. Silent Slang - Produced by RZA
(Original: Raekwon – “New Wu”)
(Original: New Boyz feat. Ray-J – “Tie Me Down”)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Words from Noyz - Through the Wall
Here are some humble words from my homie Noyz, who produced the entire ITFONA album:
"My goal with 'Shadow Gallery' was to create an album front to back with no other MC's. My goal with 'In The Face of No Agreement' was to do the opposite and hold down the production for an entire album. Fubb reached out to me late in the process of the album and asked me to have a verse prepared for the album's last song. He sent me a reference recording with his verses on it and I didn't want to do it because he bodied the track and I've had difficulty in the past writing to my own beats (as strange as that sounds). It took me a while to grow to like my verse but I still feel I got outshined on this by Fubb. The beat on this bangs though. I felt this was my strongest beat on the whole project. "
http://mcfubb.bandcamp.com/track/through-the-wall-feat-noyz
"I brought out my inner demons
hidden meanings in my scribbles as I pitted reason in a bitter region,
it's surrounded by insanity
the freedom of letting go
battles the security of holding on,
we never know
until we're free falling
cut cords, we keep calling
to release everything we keep balled in/
blunt force, now I'm bleeding through the wall
using it to write my music as a troubadour,
moving as the future calls
producing for the soundtrack of my destiny
a moving score, beautiful compositions, I view the war
standing in the midst of it
gathering the images
I channel through my fingertips
imagining the vividness
of words brought to life,
Fubb is the playwright
who resurrects them after I illumnate the gravesites
the pace might quicken,
the stage lights dimming,
we erase night giving great sight to your vision"
Friday, May 6, 2011
Album Review: Phat Tony and Theo3 - The 2 Week EP
The 2 Week EP is a street symphony, not just for the ghetto, but for the everyday citizen struggling to navigate and survive any urban landscape. On the intro track, Just Tryin' to Provide (Yung Santa), Theo raps with a beautifully paced double time flow, while also dabbling with some singing on the hook, executing both ends of the vocal spectrum very well. Lyrically, Theo touches on issues ranging from daily worries about financial security, to staying “every day ready for political disruption” in the city of Toronto (G20 reference included). The issues being expressed on Yung Santa are anything but simple - centered on the artist’s commitment to grow and develop in the world while at the same time facing resistance both from external circumstances and what seems to be an overactive critical analysis of himself. All the while, the necessities of working every day to literally survive in society remain a prevalent concern in the artist’s mind. While speaking from his own experience, Theo is able to touch on problems faced by anyone committed to greatness in the world, and expresses the inner-workings of his own mind and perspectives eloquently.
The second track, Outerspace, is perhaps the most experientially captivating of all the tracks on the EP. While production on the entire album is solid, Phat Tony definitely outdoes himself on this track. The creative use of guitar rhythms with futuristic sounding synthesizers and melodic samples with impeccably tuned effects come together smoothly over a beat that uses the hand-clap instead of a snare (all without sounding cheesy). Theo’s verses on Outerspace really are out of this world, with lines like: “grabbed on the back of a satellite to catch a flight / rode past Saturn with Gladys Knight / flashing lights / travelled through the Milky Way, landed on Mars / trade bars with the R on the back of Jimi’s guitar.” Ironically, it seems that Theo’s goal on this track is to bring gassed up rappers (claiming that their rhymes are “out of this world”) “right back to earth” – and he does so quite effectively, literally taking his lyrics into the cosmos.
Theo expresses the toll that the “struggling to survive and provide” paradigm has played on his psyche on the third track, Down. Opening with a series of “what ifs,” he expresess fears ranging from insanity to the fear that all the hard work and energy he's expended on his career will ultimately not pay the bills. Of all the questions Theo asks on this track, with intense flows and an almost frantic sounding tone at times, the one that stands out the most is: “when will I learn to give myself credit?” Lines like this really encompass the internal struggle that a lot of people (not just artists) face in modern society, adding to the The 2 Week EP’s cultural relevance.
Theo, always a beast on the track, dishes out a mix of precision double time flows and innovative pacing on Find These Things in You. Phat Tony’s production shines brightly on this track, with hard hitting, layered, trumpet-sounding hits and beautifully placed drums. In contrast to the previous track, Theo’s message is uplifting and inspirational, bringing forth his inner confidence and MC showmanship. Despite the trying circumstances he faces, Theo expresses his desire to continue “chasing after greatness,” because “amazing never happens if you stand around pacing.” True that!
Coming full circle on the EP’s final track, Theo articulates his goal to be the Greatest on Your Playlist, a commitment that carries him through the struggles he experiences. Riding not just for himself, but also for the hip hop culture that he loves and fears is dying, Theo experiments with different flows and cadences on this track – refreshing in an industry where the sound popular music is becoming increasingly homogenized. Again referencing himself as his own worst enemy, Theo writes: “Do you know what it’s like to be your arch-rival/‘cause your mind’s always bringing up the archival,” perhaps alluding to his tendency to over-analyze past experiences. If there’s one great insight in Theo’s writing throughout the Yung Santa EP, it’s that we as human beings internalize the obstacles we face in society, and are forced to wrestle with them internally. It takes a strong will and resolute commitment to something greater than oneself to maintain artistic integrity while at the same time staying relevant to listeners. Theology 3 balances this dichotomy very well, and is definitely one of the true MCs holding it down for hip hop culture in the world.
If there’s one complaint I have about this project, it’s that it’s too damn short! Phat Tony and Theo3 need to make a full length album together in the future, one which will allow Theo to touch on a wider range of topics and share more of his insights and diverse flows with listeners. Cop this album (and the entire Theo3 catalogue for that matter) and support dope hip hop. Theo – keep your head up! This is one member of the “Screwface Capitol” is proud to have you as a resident.
Toronto Hip Hop heavyweight Theo3 (DJ Eclipse’s 2010 Sleeper song of the year “It’s Theo3”) and much sought after producer Phat Tony created the eclectic and richly textured “2 Week EP” during 14 days in December. Phat Tony constructed a living, breathing musical landscape while Emcee Theo3 slid in the upstairs studio everyday after work as Coordinator of the newly opened Parkdale Youth Space in downtown west Toronto. The result is a descriptive and genre blending menu of social awareness, tongue in cheek braggadocio and topical rhymes laid out over an eye popping array of soulful musical productions. The deft mixing touch of legendary Toronto DJ and producer Scam of Time Bandits music gives the whole “2 Week EP” a new dimension of fullness and Universal appeal.
2 weeks to create, 2 weeks to mix and 2 weeks from the Beatz to the Streetz graduate showcase on January 25th 2011, Phat Tony & Theo3 release “the 2 week EP” with the goal of raising $1500 for Toronto youth program Beatz to da Streetz. Purchase it now at yungsanta.bandcamp.com for $3 and up!
Beatz to da Streetz is a youth-led arts program that aims to provide a safe and supportive space for youth ages 16-24. The program leverages the powerful connection between young people and music to promote opportunities for creative expression and self-discovery, building life skills opening access to professional mentorship, education and income generation for marginalized youth ages 16-24. The program reintegrates youth with their communities and gives supports for achieving long-term livelihood development
Phat Tony & Theo3 are Toronto Hip Hop artists with an extensive track record of International success and critical acclaim. With 2 highly rotated singles to their credit, How I Flow part 1 and Turnaroundagain!, fans have eagerly anticipated the new release. Stream & Purchase the 2 Week EP today. Blog it, Share it and Play it Loud!!
Beatz to da Streetz is a youth-led arts program that aims to provide a safe and supportive space for youth ages 16-24. The program leverages the powerful connection between young people and music to promote opportunities for creative expression and self-discovery, building life skills opening access to professional mentorship, education and income generation for marginalized youth ages 16-24. The program reintegrates youth with their communities and gives supports for achieving long-term livelihood development
Phat Tony & Theo3 are Toronto Hip Hop artists with an extensive track record of International success and critical acclaim. With 2 highly rotated singles to their credit, How I Flow part 1 and Turnaroundagain!, fans have eagerly anticipated the new release. Stream & Purchase the 2 Week EP today. Blog it, Share it and Play it Loud!!
credits
released 11 January 2011
Written and performed by THEO3
Produced by PHAT TONY
Mixed by SCAM of TIME BANDITS MUSIC
Guitar additions by SY WYLD
Written and performed by THEO3
Produced by PHAT TONY
Mixed by SCAM of TIME BANDITS MUSIC
Guitar additions by SY WYLD
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
"Shadow Gallery" by Noyz
Peep the new album by the homie Noyz - Shadow Gallery.
Noyz and I are collaborating on a next project, "In the Face of No Agreement."
REAL HIP HOP. Check it.
http://noyzhiphop.bandcamp.com/album/the-shadow-gallery
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Breaking the Silence
You’re in a bad situation, why you making it worse?
break your neck with the mic. so you can break in the Hearse
this ain’t what I wanna do, man, it’s what I gotta do if you provoke me
your arm’s too short to choke me
this ain’t a hoax, B
writing down the facts that you won’t see
cuz you think that I’m joking
what the fuck you smoking?
my rhymes leave your pride broken
yo, you better wake up
now here’s a parable:
you try to mess with me and that’s a terrible idea
my rhymes send you straight to hell
I’m MC FÜBB, get to know the name well
I rebel on the mic., I give a fuck if this will sell
most fiending to get played on radio and TV
be infecting the game like an STD
next to me, they’re in a false state of ecstasy
I spit ‘em rhymes that they’re far too perplexed to see
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
When I’m spitting the writtens, I start foaming like rabies
what I write for the mic could be inspiring babies
to resist, raise a fist to the mass assimilation
mediocrity of minds is destroying the nation
political lies are pitiful, with ridicule
heads follow it and swallow it like brainwash videos
but I ain’t gonna pout – that’s not what I’m about
living in revolutionary times, no doubt
the greatest evil that a good man can do is sit back and do nothing
while hatred goes un-confronted
let me tell you something
better put down the blunt and stop frontin’
cuz this ain’t a joke cousin
this is in your face shit
not some outer-space shit
write my rhymes in ink so that nobody can erase it
spit so much truth in one rhyme, I make your brain sick
like heroin withdrawal, I know your dying to taste it
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
When I’m wilin’, freestylin’, I start breaking the silence
rhymes freeing and flying out the cell, like Riker’s Island
filing and piling these rhymes, as I start smiling
multiplying rhyming while these people crying and dying
how many people lacking the choices
‘cause they ain’t got voices?
still they dream of owning Rolls Royces
they focused on situations hopeless
the motive for most is to find where the dope is
like players with no coaches, lost in the scramble
trying to manage lives that they just can’t handle
struggling to live, yo – how does that make sense?
trying to make it big when they can’t even pay rent
here is my statement:
everybody’s gotta live for something;
if we don’t create meaning then our lives mean nothing!
subdued long enough, now I write these rhymes to free minds
we live in revolutionary times
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
Bridge:
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, we breaking the silence
Are you breaking the silence?
or are you causing the violence?
I start hearing those sirens
and it’s telling me we gotta be breaking the silence
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
break your neck with the mic. so you can break in the Hearse
this ain’t what I wanna do, man, it’s what I gotta do if you provoke me
your arm’s too short to choke me
this ain’t a hoax, B
writing down the facts that you won’t see
cuz you think that I’m joking
what the fuck you smoking?
my rhymes leave your pride broken
yo, you better wake up
now here’s a parable:
you try to mess with me and that’s a terrible idea
my rhymes send you straight to hell
I’m MC FÜBB, get to know the name well
I rebel on the mic., I give a fuck if this will sell
most fiending to get played on radio and TV
be infecting the game like an STD
next to me, they’re in a false state of ecstasy
I spit ‘em rhymes that they’re far too perplexed to see
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
When I’m spitting the writtens, I start foaming like rabies
what I write for the mic could be inspiring babies
to resist, raise a fist to the mass assimilation
mediocrity of minds is destroying the nation
political lies are pitiful, with ridicule
heads follow it and swallow it like brainwash videos
but I ain’t gonna pout – that’s not what I’m about
living in revolutionary times, no doubt
the greatest evil that a good man can do is sit back and do nothing
while hatred goes un-confronted
let me tell you something
better put down the blunt and stop frontin’
cuz this ain’t a joke cousin
this is in your face shit
not some outer-space shit
write my rhymes in ink so that nobody can erase it
spit so much truth in one rhyme, I make your brain sick
like heroin withdrawal, I know your dying to taste it
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
When I’m wilin’, freestylin’, I start breaking the silence
rhymes freeing and flying out the cell, like Riker’s Island
filing and piling these rhymes, as I start smiling
multiplying rhyming while these people crying and dying
how many people lacking the choices
‘cause they ain’t got voices?
still they dream of owning Rolls Royces
they focused on situations hopeless
the motive for most is to find where the dope is
like players with no coaches, lost in the scramble
trying to manage lives that they just can’t handle
struggling to live, yo – how does that make sense?
trying to make it big when they can’t even pay rent
here is my statement:
everybody’s gotta live for something;
if we don’t create meaning then our lives mean nothing!
subdued long enough, now I write these rhymes to free minds
we live in revolutionary times
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
Bridge:
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, I’m breaking the silence
Yeah, we breaking the silence
Are you breaking the silence?
or are you causing the violence?
I start hearing those sirens
and it’s telling me we gotta be breaking the silence
Chorus:
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
breaking the silence is my contribution
A generation screams for revolution
blood and guns just ain’t the solution
vengeance and violence only brings police sirens
my contribution is breaking the silence
Friday, October 16, 2009
Bonus Track verses
MC FÜBB sensation coming right across your nation
I surpass assimilation, lyrical assassination
of the bullshit conversation seeking annihilation
and death and desecration to my verbal transformation
I developed it through patience, through my wilful dedication
bring emancipation to the soul incarceration
to people of races I will make association,
grow a plantation to the enforce the foundation,
this rapping federation isn’t basing on the hating
or sedation of elation to the vocal elevation
here’s the demonstration, you don’t like it, change the station
this is not a connotation, feel the intonation, what I’m saying:
we don’t need to bring our own destruction,
meeting at the junction to get the brain suction,
lose the mind function so the game can’t operate,
turn hip hop to a mockery? this I can’t tolerate
It’s no upside-down kingdom or a castle in the sky,
I’m laying the foundations for the future here’s why:
without a foundation, your house will collapse
likewise, with no foundation, most these rappers are spitting crap!
been through hell and I’m not going back
I’ma stay on my track
mind sober, can’t afford to relapse
so if I hear ‘em spit wacks, I’ma melt ‘em like wax
turn the heat up on these iced-out rappers, their bound to crack
writing like a titan, like a sniper I be sighting
the words that I’m reciting gonna tell you why I’m fighting
for the greater wrong to righten, yo the cause is so inviting
clench my verbal fist, make the dark world brighten
I penetrate to infiltrate, through the cracks I percolate
rhyming start to circulate, never to impersonate
hating isn’t worth the hate, they violate to compensate
violence come to bring the fate, silence to emancipate
the symptoms of another state that dealers wanna instigate
I descend through the valley-great so rappers can retaliate
eliminate the bitter taste dictating the race
to sit and wait until the date that we will pass through golden gates
unto a place you never heard, make your life swerve
talking shit like you the man, but you do not deserve
to even be called a rapper, you just get on people’s nerves
might not like the taste, but your dinner is served
couldn’t wait for fate cuz I surpassed passed that mind-state
had to create, like De La Soul set a grind-date
sometimes when I rap, I sound irate
but that’s only because I think that society tries to dictate
the way we livin’, way we’re raising our children
the way we’re driven, all of this just to prevent us from building
a new foundation, here’s a new revelation,
conversation some don’t want us to have,
yo I start getting mad
it’s like that mic., they don’t want me to grab
sharp with the vocab, hours spent in the lab
just so I could get my message across,
so many lost, thinking that ice to floss is the endgame?
ha! a platinum chain around your neck is still a chain
even free physically, we’re locked down inside our brains
it’s a crying shame, man I’m sick of the crying game
gone through the growing pains, passed through the glowing flame
despite it all, yo, I overcame
now you’ve gotta know the name
I don’t have time to listen to the criticism
my mission requires precision, I got a vision
I can grip it in my hand, it’s unmistakable ‘cause
I’ve seen images of what we are capable of
the potential force pounds like my heart ventricle
possibilities wrap my brain like a tentacle
try not to be cynical, believe in the miraculous
but negative states of mind are constantly attacking us
smacking us, telling us that we’re insufficient
but the myth of self-worth has got us trapped in a prison
so that’s why I’ve risen up, to get ya’ll to listen up
hittin’ up your ears with the message that’s it’s enough
of sitting and waiting for the world to get better
while we’re hating on each other instead of building together
acting like we’ll be living forever
but we only live forever through our deeds
we satisfy our needs, then we drink and smoke weed
succumbing to greed, yes indeed
it’s a sad state of affairs
but no-one seems to care, content to just stare
out our skulls, we’re drifting like ships with no hull
in shark infested water, like lambs to the slaughter
sometimes I wonder about our sons and daughters
all these little kids, boys and girls
it’s for THEM that we gotta make a difference in the world
I surpass assimilation, lyrical assassination
of the bullshit conversation seeking annihilation
and death and desecration to my verbal transformation
I developed it through patience, through my wilful dedication
bring emancipation to the soul incarceration
to people of races I will make association,
grow a plantation to the enforce the foundation,
this rapping federation isn’t basing on the hating
or sedation of elation to the vocal elevation
here’s the demonstration, you don’t like it, change the station
this is not a connotation, feel the intonation, what I’m saying:
we don’t need to bring our own destruction,
meeting at the junction to get the brain suction,
lose the mind function so the game can’t operate,
turn hip hop to a mockery? this I can’t tolerate
It’s no upside-down kingdom or a castle in the sky,
I’m laying the foundations for the future here’s why:
without a foundation, your house will collapse
likewise, with no foundation, most these rappers are spitting crap!
been through hell and I’m not going back
I’ma stay on my track
mind sober, can’t afford to relapse
so if I hear ‘em spit wacks, I’ma melt ‘em like wax
turn the heat up on these iced-out rappers, their bound to crack
writing like a titan, like a sniper I be sighting
the words that I’m reciting gonna tell you why I’m fighting
for the greater wrong to righten, yo the cause is so inviting
clench my verbal fist, make the dark world brighten
I penetrate to infiltrate, through the cracks I percolate
rhyming start to circulate, never to impersonate
hating isn’t worth the hate, they violate to compensate
violence come to bring the fate, silence to emancipate
the symptoms of another state that dealers wanna instigate
I descend through the valley-great so rappers can retaliate
eliminate the bitter taste dictating the race
to sit and wait until the date that we will pass through golden gates
unto a place you never heard, make your life swerve
talking shit like you the man, but you do not deserve
to even be called a rapper, you just get on people’s nerves
might not like the taste, but your dinner is served
couldn’t wait for fate cuz I surpassed passed that mind-state
had to create, like De La Soul set a grind-date
sometimes when I rap, I sound irate
but that’s only because I think that society tries to dictate
the way we livin’, way we’re raising our children
the way we’re driven, all of this just to prevent us from building
a new foundation, here’s a new revelation,
conversation some don’t want us to have,
yo I start getting mad
it’s like that mic., they don’t want me to grab
sharp with the vocab, hours spent in the lab
just so I could get my message across,
so many lost, thinking that ice to floss is the endgame?
ha! a platinum chain around your neck is still a chain
even free physically, we’re locked down inside our brains
it’s a crying shame, man I’m sick of the crying game
gone through the growing pains, passed through the glowing flame
despite it all, yo, I overcame
now you’ve gotta know the name
I don’t have time to listen to the criticism
my mission requires precision, I got a vision
I can grip it in my hand, it’s unmistakable ‘cause
I’ve seen images of what we are capable of
the potential force pounds like my heart ventricle
possibilities wrap my brain like a tentacle
try not to be cynical, believe in the miraculous
but negative states of mind are constantly attacking us
smacking us, telling us that we’re insufficient
but the myth of self-worth has got us trapped in a prison
so that’s why I’ve risen up, to get ya’ll to listen up
hittin’ up your ears with the message that’s it’s enough
of sitting and waiting for the world to get better
while we’re hating on each other instead of building together
acting like we’ll be living forever
but we only live forever through our deeds
we satisfy our needs, then we drink and smoke weed
succumbing to greed, yes indeed
it’s a sad state of affairs
but no-one seems to care, content to just stare
out our skulls, we’re drifting like ships with no hull
in shark infested water, like lambs to the slaughter
sometimes I wonder about our sons and daughters
all these little kids, boys and girls
it’s for THEM that we gotta make a difference in the world
F.U.B.B.
There were times in my life only the beat could comfort me
I meditate and wait for the lyrics to come to me
like 1, 2, 3…I start writing
in a world of clenched fists, the poet with his pen fighting, reciting
raps from the depth of his soul
through a hole in his flesh, he spits the vocals
dice rolls, switching flow from ordinary to bold
like the difference in lustre from bronze to gold
cuz what’s sold and on the radio, not biting of those
with a pen in my hand, I be fighting my foes
sprouting life from a desolate landscape
God transforms a small part of himself into a man’s shape
and manifests in the rhythm
saying “FÜBB, hit ‘em!”
shift their minds to an alternate position
so the rhymes get written,
subsequently I’m spittin’
to the beat,
vocals fittin’ with heat to bend iron wills into submission
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
The rhetoric’s pathetic
I’m real, never synthetic
I’ma spit the truth just one time, so don't forget it
through struggles, I came from days of spitting with a muzzle
no words could escape from society’s bubble
fuck the trouble it brings, I got songs, not to sing
but to rap, I rep the mic. not the “bling-bling”
or the claps of guns, people fucking with the funds
tryna make a living? hell nah, yo, they tryna run
this whole rap game and dominate the industry
they look like grown men but their minds are in their infancy
and literally lyrics are stretched like ductility
in the heart of the facility, they have no stability
mental infertility, they can’t see my ability
I would try to reason but they have no civility
so I’m left with this responsibility:
I got a destiny to fill ‘cause it won’t be fulfilling me
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
Check the way I put it up when I come up to set it up
make them look impotent like men who can’t get it up
got a federation, you best believe I’m setting up
rap: my occupation, I’m sure the fuck not letting up
the mic. is like an empty bottle, with my spit I’m filling it
not at all sadistic yo, but on the mic I’m killing it
people sit in shadows or they dwelling in the dust
when everybody cowers, tell me, who can you trust?
so I get up and I bust, pick up the mic. and thrust it
to the air, ‘cause I care, phony emcees should beware
got the skill to make the competition stop and stare
elevating mental stairs, getting grizzly like a bear
this is my dream, I’d be damned not to follow it
my rhyme is revolution in a pill, can you swallow it?
it’s not about the killing or the dawn of the apocalypse
the message that I’m sending you is that you won’t be stopping this!
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
I meditate and wait for the lyrics to come to me
like 1, 2, 3…I start writing
in a world of clenched fists, the poet with his pen fighting, reciting
raps from the depth of his soul
through a hole in his flesh, he spits the vocals
dice rolls, switching flow from ordinary to bold
like the difference in lustre from bronze to gold
cuz what’s sold and on the radio, not biting of those
with a pen in my hand, I be fighting my foes
sprouting life from a desolate landscape
God transforms a small part of himself into a man’s shape
and manifests in the rhythm
saying “FÜBB, hit ‘em!”
shift their minds to an alternate position
so the rhymes get written,
subsequently I’m spittin’
to the beat,
vocals fittin’ with heat to bend iron wills into submission
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
The rhetoric’s pathetic
I’m real, never synthetic
I’ma spit the truth just one time, so don't forget it
through struggles, I came from days of spitting with a muzzle
no words could escape from society’s bubble
fuck the trouble it brings, I got songs, not to sing
but to rap, I rep the mic. not the “bling-bling”
or the claps of guns, people fucking with the funds
tryna make a living? hell nah, yo, they tryna run
this whole rap game and dominate the industry
they look like grown men but their minds are in their infancy
and literally lyrics are stretched like ductility
in the heart of the facility, they have no stability
mental infertility, they can’t see my ability
I would try to reason but they have no civility
so I’m left with this responsibility:
I got a destiny to fill ‘cause it won’t be fulfilling me
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
Check the way I put it up when I come up to set it up
make them look impotent like men who can’t get it up
got a federation, you best believe I’m setting up
rap: my occupation, I’m sure the fuck not letting up
the mic. is like an empty bottle, with my spit I’m filling it
not at all sadistic yo, but on the mic I’m killing it
people sit in shadows or they dwelling in the dust
when everybody cowers, tell me, who can you trust?
so I get up and I bust, pick up the mic. and thrust it
to the air, ‘cause I care, phony emcees should beware
got the skill to make the competition stop and stare
elevating mental stairs, getting grizzly like a bear
this is my dream, I’d be damned not to follow it
my rhyme is revolution in a pill, can you swallow it?
it’s not about the killing or the dawn of the apocalypse
the message that I’m sending you is that you won’t be stopping this!
Chorus:
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
a lot of kats be talking shit but lacking any relevance
Let me tell you about the self you can’t see
let me tell you why this emcee’s F-U-B-B
Foundations of Understanding Based on Benevolence
show me reverence, I’m taking rap back to its elements
Life is a Blessing
It’s undisputable;
there’s something about this world that’s inherently beautiful
so I try to express it through rhymes suitable
to explain
how I can see the sun through the rain
how I can find God’s love in the midst of the pain
but there’s an essence even poets can seldom touch
the unexpected rush of God’s presence
it’s a universal beauty that’s perceived by millions
like the innocence reflected in the eyes of children
or the force that flows through my pen when I’m building
these rhymes, to make my words etched in time, still I’m
searching for solidarity in broken glass
‘cause the material shatters so fast
and I won’t pretend to know what the future holds
so I’m living for today ‘till the days that I’m old
and I refuse to take life for granted
even with my head in the clouds, I keep my feet firmly planted
CHORUS:
Because life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah – because life is a blessing
Yeah, life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah, baby – because life is a blessing
Sometimes I tune out the world, put my headphones on
‘cause I get cynical, hearing all the shit that goes on
if all men are really created equal
then why’s there so much slander directed against my people?
represent .02 percent the world population
but get 80 percent of media discrimination
realities like this, make me insist
that utopia cannot exist
and it’s easy to get pissed
spitting rhymes is my form of clenching of fist
I ain’t endorsing the violence
in the chill of the breeze, I feel my soul in the silence
praying that God gives me guidance
so I can move mountains inside of myself and maybe become
the type of man that someday might raise a son
but for now I just strive to enjoy what I’ve been given
I’m living for today so I don’t need to be forgiven
CHORUS:
Because life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah – because life is a blessing
Yeah, life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah, baby – because life is a blessing
there’s something about this world that’s inherently beautiful
so I try to express it through rhymes suitable
to explain
how I can see the sun through the rain
how I can find God’s love in the midst of the pain
but there’s an essence even poets can seldom touch
the unexpected rush of God’s presence
it’s a universal beauty that’s perceived by millions
like the innocence reflected in the eyes of children
or the force that flows through my pen when I’m building
these rhymes, to make my words etched in time, still I’m
searching for solidarity in broken glass
‘cause the material shatters so fast
and I won’t pretend to know what the future holds
so I’m living for today ‘till the days that I’m old
and I refuse to take life for granted
even with my head in the clouds, I keep my feet firmly planted
CHORUS:
Because life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah – because life is a blessing
Yeah, life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah, baby – because life is a blessing
Sometimes I tune out the world, put my headphones on
‘cause I get cynical, hearing all the shit that goes on
if all men are really created equal
then why’s there so much slander directed against my people?
represent .02 percent the world population
but get 80 percent of media discrimination
realities like this, make me insist
that utopia cannot exist
and it’s easy to get pissed
spitting rhymes is my form of clenching of fist
I ain’t endorsing the violence
in the chill of the breeze, I feel my soul in the silence
praying that God gives me guidance
so I can move mountains inside of myself and maybe become
the type of man that someday might raise a son
but for now I just strive to enjoy what I’ve been given
I’m living for today so I don’t need to be forgiven
CHORUS:
Because life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah – because life is a blessing
Yeah, life is blessing
and I’m learning through its lessons
asking the right questions
realizing that my life is my most valuable possession
yeah, baby – because life is a blessing
Piece of Mind
I’m not Superman, Spiderman or Batman
hold a microphone instead of holding a gat, man
understand, that I got this phat plan
to blast through industry brains like splat! man
now that I’ve got your attention,
let me mention
the way my rhymes relieve tension
similar to distension in the stomach,
these kats stretch wacks on tracks, but can’t run it
a lot of ya’ll talk that bullshit
about busting off with a full-clip
but one thing you’ve gotta realize
that’s the reason Biggie and Pac died
time to reflect that inward eye
locate the truth, dispel the lies
realize what’s been circumscribed
in your mind are signs to coincide with the times
no it’s not fine, and I’m not ok with it
am I sincere? yes, check the cadences
so many profess that banal faithlessness
won’t talk about a dream, let alone go chasing it
a glorious life, most folks ain’t tasting it
truth defacing it, love erasing it
running from life instead of embracing it
lost true faith so we try replacing it
with drinks and drugs, props and hugs
timbs and lugz
gold chains, fake tits and thugs
I fit you with the truth like a hand to glove
in tryna act cool, we lost the love
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
Without the love, what you got to live for?
If it’s all about me, what I got to give for?
Like I’ma take mine, you can take yours
and if I’m stronger, you take a loss
and while I get richer, you can get poor
you can just rot while I’m rockin’ on tour
that’s an attitude I refuse to adopt
refuse to cop, like Q-Tip Breathe and Stop—
and show me what you got
if you follow so far, I can thicken the plot
we’re consumed by selfishness,
lost in senselessness,
straight defencelessness
to the censorship
locked down like we serving life sentences
pleading to the lord for our repentances
wonder ‘bout my lifestyle, was I meant for this?
should I enter this, or put an end to this?
topic I rock it, you can knock it or cop it
I’ma hold it I got it, hands out of my pockets
mic. grippin, no bitchin, heavy hitting I pop it
out the park, while I trench thru the dark section
taking bold strides cuz ain’t no half-steppin’
some give me daps but still disrespectin’
I don't really care, stay my learning my lessons
know-it-all kats can burn in mic sessions
I’m guessing, sophistry they professin’
instead of just talking, try asking the question
two eyes and ears, what’s that about?
look and listen before that shit comes out your mouth!
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
(2x)
peace of mind I seek, thru these rhymes I speak
right on time with beats, for mics. I’m a freak
I keep droppin shit, they keep talkin shit
say one thing and do the opposite
I don’t got time for that, bullshit lying crap
I find the truth where my brain fibres at
I hear one more wack track, I’ma snap
mission in rap’s to put T-dot on the map
most don’t capitalize, time, they fraternize
rap, they patronize, rhymes, they bastardize,
hip hop, scandalized, sex, tantalized,
meanwhile, with these skills I maximize
my potential, dent you with rhythm I sent you
if I bent you with the force message I meant to
not offend you, but to mend you, whether or not you consent to
with the pencil, I wrote down, barriers I broke down
rap about hope now, people get choked up
sleeping in misery? time that we woke up
people rather smoke up, drink and get doped up
instead of smelling flowers they be sniffing the coke up
noose around our own necks as we pull the rope up
time bombs ticking in our chests to blow up
still I rhyme so sick that you could throw up
it’s time for rappers on the mic to grow up
instead of rapping ‘bout how you’re so fly
talking that you can dress better than I
look into the mirror into your own eyes
and ask yourself where your true self lies
my appeal, is simply to keep it real
cuz most headz won’t just say what they feel
it’s not about sense, it’s ego and nonsense
slaves to our pride, we should listen to our conscience
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
(2x)
hold a microphone instead of holding a gat, man
understand, that I got this phat plan
to blast through industry brains like splat! man
now that I’ve got your attention,
let me mention
the way my rhymes relieve tension
similar to distension in the stomach,
these kats stretch wacks on tracks, but can’t run it
a lot of ya’ll talk that bullshit
about busting off with a full-clip
but one thing you’ve gotta realize
that’s the reason Biggie and Pac died
time to reflect that inward eye
locate the truth, dispel the lies
realize what’s been circumscribed
in your mind are signs to coincide with the times
no it’s not fine, and I’m not ok with it
am I sincere? yes, check the cadences
so many profess that banal faithlessness
won’t talk about a dream, let alone go chasing it
a glorious life, most folks ain’t tasting it
truth defacing it, love erasing it
running from life instead of embracing it
lost true faith so we try replacing it
with drinks and drugs, props and hugs
timbs and lugz
gold chains, fake tits and thugs
I fit you with the truth like a hand to glove
in tryna act cool, we lost the love
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
Without the love, what you got to live for?
If it’s all about me, what I got to give for?
Like I’ma take mine, you can take yours
and if I’m stronger, you take a loss
and while I get richer, you can get poor
you can just rot while I’m rockin’ on tour
that’s an attitude I refuse to adopt
refuse to cop, like Q-Tip Breathe and Stop—
and show me what you got
if you follow so far, I can thicken the plot
we’re consumed by selfishness,
lost in senselessness,
straight defencelessness
to the censorship
locked down like we serving life sentences
pleading to the lord for our repentances
wonder ‘bout my lifestyle, was I meant for this?
should I enter this, or put an end to this?
topic I rock it, you can knock it or cop it
I’ma hold it I got it, hands out of my pockets
mic. grippin, no bitchin, heavy hitting I pop it
out the park, while I trench thru the dark section
taking bold strides cuz ain’t no half-steppin’
some give me daps but still disrespectin’
I don't really care, stay my learning my lessons
know-it-all kats can burn in mic sessions
I’m guessing, sophistry they professin’
instead of just talking, try asking the question
two eyes and ears, what’s that about?
look and listen before that shit comes out your mouth!
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
(2x)
peace of mind I seek, thru these rhymes I speak
right on time with beats, for mics. I’m a freak
I keep droppin shit, they keep talkin shit
say one thing and do the opposite
I don’t got time for that, bullshit lying crap
I find the truth where my brain fibres at
I hear one more wack track, I’ma snap
mission in rap’s to put T-dot on the map
most don’t capitalize, time, they fraternize
rap, they patronize, rhymes, they bastardize,
hip hop, scandalized, sex, tantalized,
meanwhile, with these skills I maximize
my potential, dent you with rhythm I sent you
if I bent you with the force message I meant to
not offend you, but to mend you, whether or not you consent to
with the pencil, I wrote down, barriers I broke down
rap about hope now, people get choked up
sleeping in misery? time that we woke up
people rather smoke up, drink and get doped up
instead of smelling flowers they be sniffing the coke up
noose around our own necks as we pull the rope up
time bombs ticking in our chests to blow up
still I rhyme so sick that you could throw up
it’s time for rappers on the mic to grow up
instead of rapping ‘bout how you’re so fly
talking that you can dress better than I
look into the mirror into your own eyes
and ask yourself where your true self lies
my appeal, is simply to keep it real
cuz most headz won’t just say what they feel
it’s not about sense, it’s ego and nonsense
slaves to our pride, we should listen to our conscience
HOOK:
I hear these people talking all this bullshit on the daily
I think if I keep listening to it I might go crazy
I try to silence all the voices echoing in my mind
no wonder why this peace of mind I seek is so hard to find
(2x)
Metamorphosis
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
Don’t tell me people can’t change
I’ve seen change occur with my own eyes
experienced my own ties severed,
done things that I once swore never would I do—
I guess I thought I was clever
In my endeavours pursued my desires
without paying my dues, wanted to be admired,
walked through fire
emerged on the other side, scathed and burned,
had to learn, there’s reasons to be showing concern
when you dance with devil, best not to get close
cuz the poison that you love can also hurt you the most
I learned that the hard way, believe me there’s a better way
saw my share of pain, but prayed for a better day
I believe that we find what we’re looking for
and if we’re looking for trouble, that’s what’s in store
operating from a theory that we gotta prove
and if we’re open to love, then we can have it too
we all do what we gotta do to get by
years ago, I would do anything to get high
but then I, opened my eyes, I realized
that I didn’t have to live that way, I metamorphosized
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
I metamorphosize dreams into reality
It seems today to do that’s an abnormality
Although rocking mics doesn’t pay a salary
it’ll take more than financial fears to rattle me
and shake me off the path that I’m determined to
walk upon, regardless of the topics that I talk upon
stalking on, these beats, ain’t got time for toking chron
spoken on, truths sharp like the pain of broken arms
now we can face our fears or just run from ‘em
so many dreams go up in smoke, get done from ‘em
that’s the virtue in being courageous
to act despite fear is a force that amazes
with the wisdom of sages, to do it at the right time
gotta make the picture clear, I guess that’s why I write rhymes
I hear some of ya’ll claim that you’re never scared
you’re either lying through your teeth or you’re unaware
of the world that you’re living in, without a care
which makes you crazier than a schizo in a rocking chair
this whole egocentric way of life has gotta stop
I metamorphosize in every single line I drop
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
metamorphosizing, cuz I’m rising to a better day
I’ma walk this path, regardless what the weather say
rain, hail, or snow, I’ma still go,
I’ma bust my flow,
and given the chance, then I’ma blow
up, like a mushroom cloud that is atomic
so sick, I make these pussy MC’s straight vomit
like gin with no tonic, burning suckas like chronic
I’ma hit you with the rhythm ‘till you staring catatonic
I rock it, over ranges of topics, mastering my ebonics,
while these dumb rappers hooked on phonics
my flow, they can’t stop it or block it,
even at the end of my rope,
I still cope, dope, like narcotics
so you can take in your vein,
just to ease the pain
ya’ll can get aboard the train,
of thought inside my brain
I’m not just here to entertain,
or spit a lot of game
I’m here to send a message in the hopes that some of ya’ll will gain
some perspective and insight
so you can ignite the light inside your soul and shine it bright
love, hope and faith aren’t weak, that’s all lies
we can learn the truth if we learn to metamorphosize
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
Don’t tell me people can’t change
I’ve seen change occur with my own eyes
experienced my own ties severed,
done things that I once swore never would I do—
I guess I thought I was clever
In my endeavours pursued my desires
without paying my dues, wanted to be admired,
walked through fire
emerged on the other side, scathed and burned,
had to learn, there’s reasons to be showing concern
when you dance with devil, best not to get close
cuz the poison that you love can also hurt you the most
I learned that the hard way, believe me there’s a better way
saw my share of pain, but prayed for a better day
I believe that we find what we’re looking for
and if we’re looking for trouble, that’s what’s in store
operating from a theory that we gotta prove
and if we’re open to love, then we can have it too
we all do what we gotta do to get by
years ago, I would do anything to get high
but then I, opened my eyes, I realized
that I didn’t have to live that way, I metamorphosized
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
I metamorphosize dreams into reality
It seems today to do that’s an abnormality
Although rocking mics doesn’t pay a salary
it’ll take more than financial fears to rattle me
and shake me off the path that I’m determined to
walk upon, regardless of the topics that I talk upon
stalking on, these beats, ain’t got time for toking chron
spoken on, truths sharp like the pain of broken arms
now we can face our fears or just run from ‘em
so many dreams go up in smoke, get done from ‘em
that’s the virtue in being courageous
to act despite fear is a force that amazes
with the wisdom of sages, to do it at the right time
gotta make the picture clear, I guess that’s why I write rhymes
I hear some of ya’ll claim that you’re never scared
you’re either lying through your teeth or you’re unaware
of the world that you’re living in, without a care
which makes you crazier than a schizo in a rocking chair
this whole egocentric way of life has gotta stop
I metamorphosize in every single line I drop
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
metamorphosizing, cuz I’m rising to a better day
I’ma walk this path, regardless what the weather say
rain, hail, or snow, I’ma still go,
I’ma bust my flow,
and given the chance, then I’ma blow
up, like a mushroom cloud that is atomic
so sick, I make these pussy MC’s straight vomit
like gin with no tonic, burning suckas like chronic
I’ma hit you with the rhythm ‘till you staring catatonic
I rock it, over ranges of topics, mastering my ebonics,
while these dumb rappers hooked on phonics
my flow, they can’t stop it or block it,
even at the end of my rope,
I still cope, dope, like narcotics
so you can take in your vein,
just to ease the pain
ya’ll can get aboard the train,
of thought inside my brain
I’m not just here to entertain,
or spit a lot of game
I’m here to send a message in the hopes that some of ya’ll will gain
some perspective and insight
so you can ignite the light inside your soul and shine it bright
love, hope and faith aren’t weak, that’s all lies
we can learn the truth if we learn to metamorphosize
CHORUS:
Rock with me, if you’ve had enough sorrow
Walk with me, and believe in a better tomorrow
Talk to me,
if you wanna face the truth and won’t resist
when it’s time to experience the metamorphosis
Foundations Intro. verse
Foundations, because they are the basis of creation
and all I hear is bullshit on the radio station!
it’s all about drugs, ice, and carrying fire-arms
if rappers spit flames on tracks, this is a fire-bomb
wack emcees get me vexed, that’s why I hittin’ you
and everyone I talk to says that they’re sick of you
best rhymes are pitiful, intellectually minuscule
in a world full of pretense, consider this an interlude
(that) ya’ll can just listen to
ya’ll can just move to and groove to
(and) learn something from it if you choose to
(while) most hustle aimlessly, tryna get paid
right here, this is where the Foundations get laid
and all I hear is bullshit on the radio station!
it’s all about drugs, ice, and carrying fire-arms
if rappers spit flames on tracks, this is a fire-bomb
wack emcees get me vexed, that’s why I hittin’ you
and everyone I talk to says that they’re sick of you
best rhymes are pitiful, intellectually minuscule
in a world full of pretense, consider this an interlude
(that) ya’ll can just listen to
ya’ll can just move to and groove to
(and) learn something from it if you choose to
(while) most hustle aimlessly, tryna get paid
right here, this is where the Foundations get laid
Devoted
my pen touch the paper, I explode with emotion
rise like the tide carries waves in the ocean
don’t care about clout, can’t doubt my devotion
boom-baps with original rap, catch my notion?
I’m floating, high above the limits that were dictated to me
refuse to be jaded, conveying what was related to me
state it how I create it, impossible to see through me
predictable high quality, this ain’t no B-movie
shifting gears, similar to a Ferrari Testarosa
hours spent writing these rhymes, what I devote-ta
the art, yes I’m playing my part
by expressing the truth that’s inside of my heart
thru the light and the dark, I use the mic. as my spark
to light the torch for the quest upon which I embark
and I don’t take life for granted
cuz sure as I’m living on this planet,
any day, in any way, I could dearly depart
though it’s hard, I refuse to let the raps be corroded
raise your fist in the air if your heart is devoted!
Chorus:
I’M DEVOTED; in every single line I compose
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I write these poetry and prose
I’M DEVOTED; every time I pick up the mic.
I’M DEVOTED; every single day of my life
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I pray to God when I rise
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I can’t believe all the lies
I’M DEVOTED; to surpass societal norms
I’M DEVOTED; to hip hop, in all of its forms
I stay devoted
duly noted, let me quote it:
“with this art we can’t compromise,” like Shad wrote it
I been broken
been tokin’, been chokin’
but after all the pain that I’ve been thru, I’m still hopin’
well spoken, so I stick with the rappin’
I refuse to get pissed without taking some action
put the core of my essence on the track, no actin’
get attention of the masses without the gun clappin’
it’s hard to motivate and relate, when being faced with hate
ignorance spreads across human-kind like a plague,
to this date
it’s not a matter of fate
our reality’s dictated by choices we make
so I choose to committed, refuse the counterfeited
falsities repulsing me, lusting me like adultery
tryna put the fault on me, but I stand solidly
cuz I’m a man of God, regardless of what they’re calling me
vandals of hip hop owe the culture an apology
nod if you identify, you don’t gotta follow me
if you spit real raps and your own hand wrote it,
raise your fist in the air cuz your heart is devoted!
Chorus:
I’M DEVOTED; in every single line I compose/
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I write these poetry and prose/
I’M DEVOTED; every time I pick up the mic./
I’M DEVOTED; every single day of my life/
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I pray to God when I rise/
I’M DEVOTED; that’s why I can’t believe all the lies/
I’M DEVOTED; to surpass societal norms/
I’M DEVOTED; to hip hop, in all of its forms/
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