Immortal Technique and Dead Prez

[blackrevolutionary]

I was just wondering if anyone had heard of them. Immortal Technique's song 4th Branch is lyrically amazing and quite powerful. Many of his other songs sound like he believes in communism.
The Dead Prez song Revolution is also about revolting, maybe not a communist state but to a better place free of capitalism and opression.
Immortal Technique - The 4th Branch Lyrics
[Talking]
The new age is upon us
And yet the past refuses to rest in its shallow grave
For those who hide behind the false image of the son of man
shall stand before God!!! It has begun
The beginning of the end
Yeah..
Yeah... yeah, yeah

[Verse 1]
The voice of racism preaching the gospel is devilish
A fake church called the prophet Muhammad a terrorist
Forgetting God is not a religion, but a spiritual bond
And Jesus is the most quoted prophet in the Qu'ran
They bombed innocent people, tryin' to murder Saddam
When you gave him those chemical weapons to go to war with
Iran
This is the information that they hold back from Peter
Jennings
Cause Condoleeza Rice is just a new age Sally Hemmings
I break it down with critical language and spiritual anguish
The Judas I hang with, the guilt of betraying Christ
You murdered and stole his religion, and painting him white
Translated in psychologically tainted philosophy
Conservative political right wing, ideology
Glued together sloppily, the blasphemy of a nation
Got my back to the wall, cause I'm facin' assassination
Guantanamo Bay, federal incarceration
How could this be, the land of the free, home of the brave?
Indigenous holocaust, and the home of the slaves
Corporate America, dancin' offbeat to the rhythm
You really think this country, never sponsored terrorism?
Human rights violations, we continue the saga
El Savador and the contras in Nicaragua
And on top of that, you still wanna take me to prison
Just cause I won't trade humanity for patriotism

[Hook]
It's like MK-ULTRA, controlling your brain
Suggestive thinking, causing your perspective to change
They wanna rearrange the whole point of view of the ghetto
The fourth branch of the government, want us to settle
A bandana full of glittering, generality
Fighting for freedom and fighting terror, but what's reality?
Read about the history of the place that we live in
And stop letting corporate news tell lies to your children

[Verse 2]
Flow like the blood of Abraham through the Jews and the Arabs
Broken apart like a woman's heart, abused in a marriage
The brink of holy war, bottled up, like a miscarriage
Embedded correspondents don't tell the source of the tension
And they refuse to even mention, European intervention
Or the massacres in Jenin, the innocent screams
U.S. manufactured missles, and M-16's
Weapon contracts and corrupted American dreams
Media censorship, blocking out the video screens
A continent of oil kingdoms, bought for a bargain
Democracy is just a word, when the people are starvin'
The average citizen, made to be, blind to the reason
A desert full of genocide, where the bodies are freezin'
And the world doesn't believe that you fightin' for freedom
Cause you fucked the Middle East, and gave birth to a demon
It's open season with the CIA, bugging my crib
Trapped in a ghetto region like a Palestinian kid
Where nobody gives a fuck whether you die or you live
I'm tryin' to give the truth, and I know the price is my life
But when I'm gone they'll sing a song about Immortal
Technique
Who beheaded the President, and the princes and sheiks
You don't give a fuck about us, I can see through your facade
Like a fallen angel standing in the presence of God
***** niggaz scared of the truth, when it looks at you hard

[Hook]
It's like MK-ULTRA, controlling your brain
Suggestive thinking, causing your perspective to change
They wanna rearrange the whole point of view in the ghetto
The fourth branch of the government, want us to settle
A bandana full of glittering, generality
Fighting for freedom and fighting terror, but what's reality?
Martial law is coming soon to the hood, to kill you
While you hanging your flag out your project window

[Talking]
Yeah..
The fourth branch of the government AKA the media
Seems to now have a retirement plan for ex-military officials
As if their opinion was at all unbiased
A machine shouldn't speak for men
So shut the fuck up you mindless drone!
And you know it's serious
When these same media outfits are spending millions of dollars
on a PR campaign
To try to convince you they're fair and balanced
When they're some of the most ignorant, and racist people
Giving that type of mentality a safe haven
We act like we share in the spoils of war that they do
We die in wars, we don't get the contracts to make money off 'em
afterwards!
We don't get weapons contracts, nigga!
We don't get cheap labor for our companies, nigga!
We are cheap labor, nigga!
Turn off the news and read, nigga!
Read... read... read...

[Tekun]

I agree with u about the message that IT spits on the 4th branch of Gov
He spits alot of truth and reality
However, he has on many occasions denied that he's a communist
Meaning, he's more like a radical liberal, if the term makes any sense

In addition, many RevLefters have often criticized him for using demeaning terms against homosexuals, when he has all along said that he does not judge ppl or follow mainstream hip hop trends
Many members, including myself, are skeptical about his whole revolutionary image considering the lyrics that he writes

If u like IT, listen to Sun RA, a true communist MC
http://www.bareregular.com/sunriseabove/enter.html

[Solitary Mind]

personally love them both...communist or not, their music and message are on the right path...and if technique isn't socialist, he's damn near close to it lol

[Flatline]

I love them both
All the people on other threads say that immortal is not politican and some one who is out to shout off and make a point
Altho some of the raps do sway to the far left
he is the only moden political rapper who seem to use the world around him and make a point
its not all about bush and his war there are other things happening in the world

[R_P_A_S]

I like immortal technique! he is really dope! i dont like his "fagget" and "dike" references either. but i would say that 95% of this raps are pure far left socialistic radical lyrics and i love it.

I've met stickman from dead prez. also really good group

[Ze]

Love em both, might want to check out some Lupe Fiasco's stuff or anything from Public Enemy. DP's lyrics also tend to be homophobic but not to the level of IT, but DP definitely has racist lyrics which I'm not cool with.

[Flatline]

i know that IT has some homophobic but that is in only one song that i have heard
there are many others out there
i agree with ZE Public Enemy are good and they were rapping when bush was in nappies so non of this bush crap that seems to be in modden political rap

[KC]

DP's lyrics also tend to be homophobic but not to the level of IT, but DP definitely has racist lyrics which I'm not cool with.

Where has Dead Prez ever been homophobic or racist? :blink:

[bunk]

One of the best songs ever

40 acres and my props

[intro: showbiz & a.g.]
Showbiz got props, tell me who got the props
A.g. got props, tell me who got the props
Give me my props for ’92
It’s me and showbiz, and this is what we gonna do
Give you some now, save some for later
Here’s a portion, yo show, kick the flavor

[showbiz]
Record labels try and juice me (for what? ) for my papers
The offer me a mule (and what else? ) and 40 acres
I’m dissing snakes now, there’s no time to catch the vapors
I’m not a pup (for what? ) a muppet caper
And all the ghetto groupies get free with the quickness
And show concentrates and only thinks about business
I hate a sellout cause he puts me in a rage
I play krs and throw that ass off the stage
So give me my props cause I always stay clever
And ain’t nothing changd but the weather
Get your act together, cause I got mines together
Don’t front on the brother with the pelle pelle leather
I’m show b-i-z, my partner’s a.g.
Chill with greg n-i-c-e or my brother d-r-e-s
And what’s up to lord finesse
And I’d like to give shouts to my peeps shorty and wes
People say I’m soup, crazy cash I recoup
Nowadays I just troop in my green legend coupe

[a.g.]
Record companies try to juice me for my papers
They offer me a mule and about 40 acres
They try ot gain from my royalties
Push me towards the dotted line but you know I didn’t sign
Labels know straight up when we meet
Interfere with my career and it’s back to the streets
Bang bang or the pow pow
I settle the beef the best way I know how
Release the savage beast if I’m not taking care
Rap is my career and it’s my only way outta here
Every chance I do damage
And I manage to use all the anger to my advantage
All that is cool, but my brain is the tool
Gimme my props so we all can rule
Don’t show off my skills, I just sprinkle em
And you’re sleeping on my props, wake up before you wrinkle them

Gimme my props yo, more than a cop yo
Til I master hip-hop, I won’t stop yo (repeat 4x)

[showbiz]
The say bmw’s a black man’s wish
I wish for an sp-1200 and some discs
Negativity the least, my material’s is cease
Saying peace to the brothers in the belly of the beast
People saying why show wanna rhyme?
I didn’t wanna get back and do fed time
I wanna live right and exact, I don’t wanna be the fat cat
Off the crack and have the feds down my back
If the money’s stacked, take a step back, black
Or you’ll be wearing four four numbers like a quarterback
I was raised one deep by mom dukes and no dad
And now I grab a #2 pencil and a pad
Or erasermate if I make mistakes I erase
And me a diamond go diggin’ in the crates
(where’s my 40 acres? ) not the projects of course
I asked for a mule, I got an iron horse
Shit goes on as the song plays
Can a devil fool a muslim? nah, not nowadays

[a.g.]
On your mark, get set, pass the 40, let’s jet
A fat rhyme is what you want, a fat rhyme is what you’ll get
It’s thorough, from begining to end
The beat is fat, what can I say? show you did it again
I got the hat on my head, pepe’s on my behind
Fans on my back, and money on my mind
I don’t sweat the stress, take the bitter with the sweet
Did I let you know I have the tims on my feet?
You know my stats when I came around
Saying damn he’s living fat when I haven’t even gained a pound
Friends til the end, never will I diss ya
My people’s r.i.p., you know I’m gonna miss ya
40 acres and my props, the name of the song
A.g. is saying peace and I’m gone

Gimme my props yo, more than a cop yo
Til I master hip-hop, I won’t stop yo (repeat 4x

[Tekun]

Originally posted by Khayembii [email protected] 23 2006, 01:37 PM

DP's lyrics also tend to be homophobic but not to the level of IT, but DP definitely has racist lyrics which I'm not cool with.

Where has Dead Prez ever been homophobic or racist? :blink:
"They Schools"


Why haven't you learned anything?

Man that school shit is a joke
The same people who control the school system control
The prison system, and the whole social system
Ever since slavery, nawsayin?

[Verse 1]
I went to school with some redneck crackers
Right around the time 3rd Bass dropped the cactus album
But I was readin Malcolm
I changed my name in '89 cleaning parts of my brain
Like a baby nine
I took a history class serious
Front row, every day of the week, 3rd period
Fuckin with the teachers had, callin em racist
I tried to show them crackers some light, they couldn't face it
I got my diploma from a school called Rickers
Full of, teenage mothers, and drug dealin niggas
In the hallways, the popo was always present
Searchin through niggas possessions
Lookin for, dope and weapons, get your lessons
That's why my moms kept stressin
I tried to pay attention but they classes wasn't interestin
They seemed to only glorify the Europeans
Claimin Africans were only three-fifths a human being

HOOK:
They schools can't teach us shit
My people need freedom, we tryin to get all we can get
All my high school teachers can suck my dick
Tellin me white man lies straight bullshit (echoes)
They schools aint teachin us, what we need to know to survive
(Say what, say what)
They schools don't educate, all they teach the people is lies

You see dog, you see how quick these motherfuckers be to like
Be tellin niggas get a diploma so you can get a job
Knowwhatimsayin but they don't never tell you how the job
Gonna exploit you every time knowwhatimsayin that's why I be like
Fuck they schools!

[Verse 2]
School is like a 12 step brainwash camp
They make you think if you drop out you aint got a chance
To advance in life, they try to make you pull your pants up
Students fight the teachers and get took away in handcuffs
And if that wasn't enough, then they expel y'all
Your peoples understand it but to them, you a failure
Observation and participation, my favorite teachers
When they beat us in the head with them books, it don't reach us
Whether you breakdance or rock suede addidas
Or be in the bathroom with your clique, smokin reefer
Then you know they math class aint important 'less you addin up cash
In multiples, unemployment aint rewardin
They may as well teach us extortion
You either get paid or locked up, the pricipal is like a warden
In a four year sentence, mad niggas never finish
But that doesn't mean I couldn't be a doctor or a dentist

HOOK(first part of hook twice)

Cuz for real, a mind is a terrible thing to waste
And all y'all high class niggas with y'all nose up
Cuz we droppin this shit on this joint, fuck y'all
We gon speak for ourselves
Knowhatimsayin? Cuz see the schools aint teachin us nothin
They aint teachin us nothin but how to be slaves and hardworkers
For white people to build up they shit
Make they businesses successful while it's exploitin us
Knowhatimsayin? And they aint teachin us nothin related to
Solvin our own problems, knowhatimsayin?
Aint teachin us how to get crack out the ghetto
They aint teachin us how to stop the police from murdering us
And brutalizing us, they aint teachin us how to get our rent paid
Knowhatimsayin? They aint teachin our families how to interact
Better with each other, knowhatimsayin? They just teachin us
How to build they shit up, knowhatimsayin? That's why my niggas
Got a problem with this shit, that's why niggas be droppin out that
Shit cuz it don't relate, you go to school the fuckin police
Searchin you you walkin in your shit like this a military compound
Knowhatimsayin? So school don't even relate to us
Until we have some shit where we control the fuckin school system
Where we reflect how we gon solve our own problems
Them niggas aint gon relate to school, shit that just how it is
Knowhatimsayin? And I love education, knowhatimsayin?
But if education aint elevatin me, then you knowhatimsayin it aint
Takin me where I need to go on some bullshit, then fuck education
Knowhatimsayin? At least they shit, matter of fact my nigga
this whole school system can suck my dick, BEEYOTCH!!


Not much, but nevertheless...

[The Sloth]

dead prez and immortal technique are boring. i don't care if the lyrics are honest; that's a terrible qualification for "good music."

they play around with pretty much the same themes, their words and their ideas rather lifeless. since when does "left" music have to be good music? it most cases, it's not. a sympathetic theme is no substitute for creativity.. the very creativity that immortal technique and dead prez don't have, and probably will never have.

one of the very few political rap groups that i like is the coup.. they are, without a doubt, very playful and very subtle. i suggest everyone listens to their first album, "kill my landlord", at least twice, as well as "genocide & juice" and "steal this double album".. it'll be hard to ever go back to this other stuff that's so popular on these boards.

also, aesop rock; not explicitly political, but he has very nuanced political and socially-conscious overtones. "winner take all" is, at bottom, about the iraq war.. listen to it once with a lyrics sheet, then tell me whether immortal technique could ever hope of even delivering even a few of those one and two liners. or, entire verses, for that matter. after that, try "holy smokes" and tell me if you've ever heard a better music-criticism of religion.

try any song, really.. but, i do think that, eventually, everyone here will look back on dead prez and immortal technique and snicker.

by the way.. there are a lot more references to "crackers" than just in that one song, tekun. although, i don't know if it's entirely justifiable in calling the word "cracker" racist -- some people, such as assata shakur in her autobiography, typically used the word to describe racist whites.. explicitly racist whites.

and i don't think one could make an accusation of racism against her.

[Black Dagger]

BM, what do you think of Mr. Lif? He is probably my favourite hip-hop artist at the moment, really bummed i didnt get a chance to see him live when he was in oz recently, though i scored this sweet promotional poster (in perfect condition! hehe).

And i have to agree with The Coup, they second for me behind Lif, what do you think of their latest album, 'Pick a bigger weapon'?

[KC]

Not much, but nevertheless...


I don't see them as using the term cracker in a racist sense, but in a political sense, meaning "ignorant white person" or "upper-class white person". Basically the petty-bourgeois white people that everyone hates.

[Umoja]

If someone is good in one aspect, and not another, it doesn't make them bad or not a comrade.

[Solitary Mind]

I agree about Aesop Rock, Holy Smokes was an amazing song, and to me, Aes Rock is the best lyricist out there. Mr. Lif does alot of good political music, like his album Mo' Mega was awsome. Aesop and Lif are the best in hip hop...and because of that Def Jux is the best label, its a powerhouse! And i do think that Aes and Lif outdo prez and IT

[Tekun]

Originally posted by Brooklyn-[email protected] 25 2006, 01:11 PM
by the way.. there are a lot more references to "crackers" than just in that one song, tekun. although, i don't know if it's entirely justifiable in calling the word "cracker" racist -- some people, such as assata shakur in her autobiography, typically used the word to describe racist whites.. explicitly racist whites.

and i don't think one could make an accusation of racism against her.

Well its hard to judge whether "cracker" can be interpreted as a racist term, because there are only a handful of terms that can be construed as racist towards whites, and also because Im not white, so I wouldn't know
Im in no position to judge whether someone has the right to use "cracker" against whites who are racist and discriminatory, specifically when its between blacks and whites, considering their history and all
Im latino, so I woudn't know...but what I do know is that I don't use nor will I ever use the term against someone
Not my style




I don't see them as using the term cracker in a racist sense, but in a political sense, meaning "ignorant white person" or "upper-class white person". Basically the petty-bourgeois white people that everyone hates.

I guess everyone can interpret it in a different way...
But I think that if Sage Francis or Aesop Rock used the term "nigger" towards a group of ignorant ppl that he went to school with, I think that most of us on RevLeft would interpret it as racist
Reverse racism is still racism

"I went to school with some redneck crackers"
How is using "redneck" political? I can understand, although to a certain degree, using "cracker," but "redneck" is IMO an ethnic stereotype used by non-whites to insult whites (although the term is often used by whites like blacks use "nixxer")
In addition, I highly doubt that they are using it against the petty bourgeoisie
When they say "I went to school with...." they are referring to their classmates (with being the key term)
So I don't think they are talking about ignorant white ppl, IMO they are referring to their white classmates as "rednecks" (seeing how they went to school down in Florida)
Regardless of whether their classmates were ignorant or not, its rather racist to use "redneck cracker" to describe white ppl

jus my .02