Our cerebrums cultivate and create
{A list}, [a platform], {manifesto}, [a mandate / From intro] {to outro}
In this case I am laughingly poorly suited to recommeding Rap songs. I have virtually no sense of the genre, and yet, there are a handful or rap tracks that I appreciate from the perspective of good songwriting and performance. I doubt this will convince Brad, but I’ll share one of them.
I heard this 1999 track on a collection from the Ninja Tunes label (which I bought to have a copy of Sarah Jones “Your Revolution”), and it’s a song that’s stuck with me since.
The lyrics are copied from genius which uses braces (standard and curly) to show how the two rappers trade off words and lines. It makes them slightly confusing to read but also captures the rhythm of the language and the way in which the back-and-forth makes the lines smoother or more staccato. Complete lyrics are at the bottom of the post.
8 Point Agenda · The Herbaliser (feat Latyrx)
{Put it all down in}.. scientific notation
{This is like a laboratory report}, [of sorts]
{Research} [results] {a layout of our} findings and methods that work
Here is our agenda, {an easily defensible}
[Census] {of live} [ammunition] {fire} [bullet] {point five}:
[We believe in looking] {alive} and recognize
[By the makeup of our character], {eyes}, [by our] {merits} [and] {vibes}
[Not as indistinguishable] {in appearance}
[But as] {equal} [keepers] {of the} inextinguishable fire, [point six]:
The song has the virtues of . . . a good substack post. In a five minute recording, it shows a clear voice; it’s funny and punchy, and has something to say. It’s clearly indie and a bit low-budget. It’s more precise than something you would call conversational, but it the back-and-forth invites you into their thought process.
You can see the humor in the passage quoted above. The mention of “laboratory report” caught my ear on first listening, because I remember doing laboratory reports in high school and they were the most boring style of writing possible, which this isn’t. But it plays with the structure of presenting their ideas as 8 items, but then it never stays confined to a linear list (for example point 4 is just a summary of points 1-3 which then get a different recap later in the song). But, in this case, the reference to live ammunition is a joke about it being a bulleted list.
I occasionally think about the Yip Harburg quote “Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought.” This song fits that standard. When you read the words on the page and you can follow individual lines, but the whole thing looks a little jumbled and chaotic, but as a performance it’s clear, precise, and makes sense (even when part of the joke is them stretching the format of the itemized list to the breaking point).
Finally, if you’ve spent time online, you’ve probably seen arguments back and forth about free speech. I appreciate that points two and three in this song are one of the clearest, most succinct, and catchy statements of the argument that people can say whatever they want (but nobody is obligated to listen)
[We believe in unconditional control
Not under supervision of another operator] {so}
[What that means is our beliefs our boundaries shall all be balanced properly
Without restriction, limitation or revoke, Point three:]
{We don't believe in you controlling we} [That's point three]
{I'm not obligated to listen to shit that you're telling me
That's the type of thing that could lead to a felony, I don't give a fuck
You yellin' at me at the top of your lungs, you do it
Otherwise it isn't gonna get done}, I hold the reins to my tongue
I’ve read long posts on substack that can’t improve on that.
Key: {Lateef} [Lyrics Born] Both
(Sample:
What are you gonna do for the people?
I'd like to let everyone know that you're.. being recorded
This is being recorded live, live, live, live, live)
We believe in maximum effect
[And absolutely] every single facet of the gem
[Including] {but} [not limited to the]
{Pursuit of truth} [which has been] {unduly}
[Smoothed over] {made soothing} [to those]
Who have been doing the polluting in fact
{We wrote some raps}
[Now I have here in my chest an outline]
{A list}, [a platform], {manifesto}, [a mandate
From intro] {to outro}, it's absolutely rock solid
From the {bottom to the top} and the [top to the bottom]
{Here's a outlook}, and how it reads, [number one, Lateef]
{We don't believe in other people thieving the ideas
That our cerebrums cultivate and create, but if you're stealing them}
[Now that's a calculated mistake]
{A combination infinite involving digitized code.. you can't break, point two:}
[We believe in unconditional control
Not under supervision of another operator] {so}
[What that means is our beliefs our boundaries shall all be balanced properly
Without restriction, limitation or revoke, Point three:]
{We don't believe in you controlling we} [That's point three]
{I'm not obligated to listen to shit that you're telling me
That's the type of thing that could lead to a felony, I don't give a fuck
You yellin' at me at the top of your lungs, you do it
Otherwise it isn't gonna get done}, I hold the reins to my tongue
{And decide when to close and open the door}, the point four:
[Point four, you been warned, so before we move on
Just from point four on, just so you don't distort
The order make us go back and forth, once more
Let's repeat what we've recorded thus far, now point one:]
{We don't believe in other people thieving the ideas
That our cerebrums cultivate and create, make no mistake, point two:}
[We believe in unconditional control of our beliefs and our opinions
Our souls, our growth, and our dominions, point three:]
{We don't believe in you controlling we
I'm not obligated to do or say or listen to a god damn thing, a point four}
[Point four], {point four}, [point four]
{point four}, [point four], {point four}, [now point four]:We believe in all of the above just for the reasons given
Up, livin' it up, livin' not.. givin' up - setting
Government and loving it, so we self-sufficient
Not trippin' off of that subliminal stuff
We not submitting coming with it rough and tough
We gonna suppliment your knowledge with.. a substance
We not gonna let an opportunity get left out
We not.. gonna let some indecision stop what we about
We not.. gonna show no mercy over flowing the drought
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, [it's no doubt], {no doubt}
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, [it's no doubt], {no doubt}
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, cause this is what it's about, come on
We believe in {achieving the summit} [as expected]
{Detonate the avalanche effect}, [we bustin' rep]
{And watch the series of events connect a chain reaction
Set off like a fusion experiment}, [in which we can calculate]
{And document} [the elements] {and their effects}, with patience
{Put it all down in}.. scientific notation
{This is like a laboratory report}, [of sorts]
{Research} [results] {a layout of our} findings and methods that work
Here is our agenda, {an easily defensible}
[Census] {of live} [ammunition] {fire} [bullet] {point five}:
[We believe in looking] {alive} and recognize
[By the makeup of our character], {eyes}, [by our] {merits} [and] {vibes}
[Not as indistinguishable] {in appearance}
[But as] {equal} [keepers] {of the} inextinguishable fire, [point six]:
{We don't believe in a} [quick fix!] {to livin' it, a} [constant!]
{Routine of maintenance and a-} [djustment!], once in
[You gotta] {keep it} [jumpin'] {pumpin'} [pumpin'] {sayin'} [something]
{Before your severance} [ascend] {to point} seven, it's
[Seven's a reflection of our beliefs], {and histories}
[Events], {unpleasentries}, [and pestilence]
{Disease}, [insens-], {itivity}, [as reference]
{To be seen}, [as lessons], {a series}, [of tests], {and a complete}
[Testament] to our {team and} [strengths]
{As a means of} [success] now as a team take set, {point eight}:
[Point eight], {just to set it straight} [set it straight]
{Before we get too far up out of the gates, I'm going straight
Let's recap the way we came to that great point eight, like fate
And tell the fake why they can't create}Point one: [No bitin']
Point two: [I'm writin']
Point three: [You ain't and]
Point four's point four
Point five: [Recognize]
Point six: [Make adjustments]
Point seven: [Is a testament]
Point eight: [Go on, set it now]
(2x)
We believe in all of the above just for the reasons given
Up, livin' it up, livin' not.. givin' up - setting
Government and loving it, so we self-sufficient
Not trippin' off of that subliminal stuff
We not submitting coming with it rough and tough
We gonna suppliment your knowledge with.. a substance
We not gonna let an opportunity get left out
We not.. gonna let some indecision stop what we about
We not.. gonna show no mercy over flowing the drought
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, [it's no doubt], {no doubt}
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, [it's no doubt], {no doubt}
(second time only)
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, [it's no doubt], {no doubt}
[It's no doubt], {no doubt}, it's no doubt and we out
damn! their lyrical flow is off the charts! I hadn’t heard this one before. Not that I’m a hip hop expert or anything but I do like a lot of stuff, especially the old-school sound which this seems part of. I’ll have to go back and check what year this was released. I’d say this is hip hop, not rap, but maybe it’s just
semantics. Though this sort of extended flow over a beat is definitely a hip hop trait. Thanks for sharing!