Archive for the ‘Lyrics’ Category

Decoded: Three Kings

Posted: June 8, 2012 in Lyrics

Mind blowing, this is Kurt Cobain. I’ve just been crowned/
The artist formerly known as Prince, feel the purple reign/
Of the new king, this a new, monarchy/
You can never beat me, I am not, Rodney/
Can’t box me in, I’m a Don, I don’t fight fair/
The new Martin Luther, but instead I’ll give you nightmares/
Three kings. You’ll never oppress us or test us/
You jokers are merely the court jesters/
I got more African Queens than Mswati it seems/
In my bath they making sure the royal penis is clean/
Klarity is the team, we’re the meanest with schemes/
We come to bring the noise while y’all be Mr. Beans/
Three kings with a sick flow – Royal flush!/
All will hush, while we spit so schizo/
When we on tracks and speak things, we’re beasting/
Y’all are weaklings, with cheap bling, we’re Three Kings!

Mind blowing, this is Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain was the legendary lead singer of the alternative rock group Nirvana. His genius was held in such high esteem his music could be called mind blowing. He was hopelessly addicted to cocaine (also known as ‘blow’) and had to be taken into rehab. Thus his mind was always under the influence of blow. Kurt Cobain escaped from rehab and was later found in a motel having committed suicide by placing a gun in his mouth and blowing his brains out. With three different interpretations, the opening line of my verse achieves the elusive triple entendre, which in itself is mind-blowing perhaps 🙂

I’ve just been crowned The Artist formerly known as Prince
The concept of this song was to rotate around being one of 3 Kings. Well before the King takes to the throne, he is born a prince and is known as a prince until he wears the crown. Also, during the 90s the musician Prince changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol. So people took to calling him The Artist Formerly Known As Prince. This fact becomes more relevant with the next line.

Feel the purple reign, of the new king, this a new monarchy
Purple is the official colour of royalty. Thus I am referring to my royal reign as one of the three kings. Also, Purple Rain is the title of Prince’s most successful album. Prince was a legend in his musical genre as was Kurt Cobain and hopefully Enygma will be remembered just as fondly in UG Hip-Hop. Therefore, I have subtly  referred to us as 3 kings in our respective musical fields, keeping in line with the main theme of the song.

You can never beat me, I am not Rodney
Rodney King was famously brutally beaten by baton wielding cops in LA for no reason and even though the violence was filmed, the courts let the cops go. So they in effect also beat him in the courtroom. So I am distancing myself from this ‘King’ that I am not like him, I cannot be beaten.

Can’t box me in, I’m a Don, I don’t fight fair
Don King is probably the most famous boxing promoter of all time. Well known for his shady dealings (in his businesses and especially with the way he arranged boxing matches) and even went to prison for killing a man after bringing a knife to a fist fight. To be boxed in is to be pressured into a corner. But in this line I’m saying that I would become as cunning as Don King if I had to. I used the terms ‘boxed in’ and ‘fight fair’ because of Don King’s role as a boxing promoter. In addition to this, a Don is a term used to describe a boss of a criminal gang like The Mafia. Dons definitely do not fight fair and never let themselves be boxed in. Dons are also Kings in their own right.

The new Martin Luther, but instead I’ll give you nightmares
Martin Luther King’s was an extremely eloquent man and his most famous speech was called I Have a Dream. I compare my writing skills to him, but I’m so ominous that instead of dreams, I give people nightmares 🙂

Three Kings
I mentioned Rodney, Don and Martin Luther. These 3 famous black men of history all bear the surname ‘King’. Thus 3 Kings, keeping in line with the song’s concept and perhaps foreshadowing that the Klarity Team will also end up as 3 famous black men in history.

You’ll never oppress us, or test us. You jokers are merely the court jesters
A joker is a way of referring to an individual as being unserious. A Joker is also found in deck of cards where you will also find some Kings. In the olden days, before Satellite TV or internet, a King always had a jester in his royal court to provide entertainment. These were pretty much clowns who sang, danced, told jokes etc.. for the amusement of the King and his guests. Thus they provided entertainment but were nothing more than jokers and bowed to the whims of the king. This is how I rate my opponents and I am a King in comparison.

I got more African Queens, than Mswati it seems
King Mswati of Swaziland is renowned for his annual weddings. Thousands of women from all over the country compete every year to become his queens. I suggest that I am more popular with the ladies than even he 🙂 African Queen was the breakthrough single of Nigerian singer 2Face Idibia. But I will not explain the relevance of that line. I’ve got to keep some secrets 🙂

In my bath they making sure the royal penis is clean
One of my favourite movies of all time is Eddie Murphy’s Coming To America. One of the stand out scenes was when Eddie Murphy (an African prince) was in an enormous bath tub being bathed by some beauties. Then one emerged from under the water to declare that the royal penis was now clean. How she cleaned it was left to our imagination. Aside from that, there is also another personal reason why I referenced this movie and it shall also remain secret.

Klarity is the team, we’re the meanest with schemes
Schemes being cunning plans and also with clever rhyme schemes in our verses. I also happened to insert this particular line right in the middle of such a rhyme scheme.

We come to bring the noise, while y’all be Mr. Beans
Mr. Bean was always quiet in his movies and almost never ever made a sound let alone speak. So as Klarity, we are causing a ruckus with our movement and being noticed while our opponents are as silent as Mr. Bean.

Three Kings with a sick flow – Royal flush!
Here I come back and refer to the members of Klarity and how our style of rapping is outstanding. Those who are familiar with the rules of poker know that the strongest hand you can have is a Royal Flush and one of the combinations of cards that make up a Royal Flush includes having three kings. This is another way of saying that Klarity is the strongest team you can have (this reference to playing cards was quietly brought up in the line about the jokers). In addition, when a toilet is ‘flushed’, there is normally something nasty in there being washed away by the flow of the water. Sick flow…

All will hush, while we spit so schizo
Schizophrenia refers to a severe pschotic disorder. Schizophrenics are commonly called schizo for short. This is just a way of saying that the way we spit out are rhymes is insane, psycho! And when we spit our insane lyrics, all will hush ie. we make our opponents shut up. This is a continuation of the Mr. Bean analogy from a previous line.

When we on tracks and speak things, we’re beasting, y’all are weaklings..
A beast is a powerful creature. Thus, when you are beasting, then you are dominant in your craft. While our opponents are the opposite, instead of being dominant and powerful by beasting, they are weaklings.

With cheap bling, we’re Three Kings!
We are three kings, and kings are often seen dressed in royal jewels, the best money can buy. In comparison our opponents are dressed in cheap bling. This is again a metaphor for the difference in skill level between us and them.

 

Listen to the song here http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/12176487

Kush Decoded

Posted: September 17, 2011 in Lyrics

Hello everyone, Decoded is back…

For today’s instalment, I wish to discuss my lyrics in Kush K-Mix. I am a member of a group on Facebook called Freestylers’ Conglomerate. The group was set up by a lady called Suze Peru and has been used as a creative outlet for established and upcoming rappers alike.

Initially, this was mainly done by way of discussing hot topics in the hip-hop world and writing freestyles on the wall. At some point however, we decided that from time to time, we should take the experience to the next level. It isn’t enough to be merely internet emcees, a trip to the studio would have to be scheduled to see whether some of these web rappers could cut it in the booth. This led to us recreating some of our favourite hip-hop tracks namely, Respect My Conglomerate, Empire State of Mind, Black & Yellow and most recently Kush. The next project will be a completely brand new and original song composed by the members of the conglomerate.

When it was decided that we were to do Kush, I was faced with a bit of a dilemma. To those who are unaware, Kush refers to a brand of marijuana. I am an advocate of sober living and have never consumed any type of drugs or alcohol. Not even shisha or cigarettes. So how was I to have a relevant verse on a song about smoking weed? Well, somewhat controversially (to some people at least), I  decided to make my verse entirely against the practise of smoking weed. The lyrics are as follows…

Mr. Weed always insisted on wearing his seat-belt.

“Everybody getting high, like a palm in the sky/
Doing opposite of bye, except E-N-Y-/
G-M-A, I hear them say, that he chokes/
But I don’t smoke weed cos I’m already dope/
Mr. Corporate Flow, I got my tie on nice/
I’m fly alright. Why? Cos I’m high on life/
Grab a spliff? Nah man, I rather quit/
Than get stoned like the tanks on the Gaza Strip.”

Here’s a YouTube link to the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7FfgUOiyhk
And here is a break down of my bars…

1. Everybody getting high, like a palm in the sky/
Another expression for smoking weed, is smoking trees. And I’m sure everyone knows that when one gets intoxicated, they are said to be “high”. In this line, I wanted to first produce an image of a palm tree. Palm trees are very, very tall trees and thus are very high off the ground. It also ties in with the concept of smoking trees.

Jack was high and confused this for a beanstalk.

However, in the next line I clarify a different meaning for “palm in the sky”. This is the palm of your hand.

2. Doing opposite of bye, except E-N-Y-/
When the palm of the hand is up doing the opposite of bye, you are usually saying ‘hi’ to someone.

For those still trying to find my identity, here are my fingerprints as a clue…

3. G-M-A, I hear them say, that he chokes/
Continuing from the previous line, I say everybody is getting high except for E-N-Y-G-M-A (me, of course). “I hear them say that he chokes” refers to the rumours I’ve heard from people that I smoke weed.

(Some people are stupid and assume that if someone is a rapper, then that means they automatically engage in certain behaviours. But when you “assume”, you make an “ass” of “u” and “me”. This paragraph isn’t a deciphering of my lyrics. But just some extra commentary regarding my views on the situation of assumptions and rumour mongering. Will probably turn it into a song some day. I’ll shut up now.)

4. But I don’t smoke weed cos I’m already dope/
I guess everybody knows that dope is a general term for all types of substances that cause you to get high, including weed. Dope is also slang for something fantastic or great. Therefore, as a rebuttal to the rumour mongerers who think I smoke weed, I’m letting them know that I don’t need dope because I’m already dope. I do not require weed as I am great enough without it.

5. Mr. Corporate Flow, I got my tie on nice/
A reference to one of my popular songs “Corporate Flow.” Also slightly hinting that it is a little unbecoming for a corporate dude to participate in pufftastic activities…

6. I’m fly alright. Why? Cos I’m high on life/
Again I insist that I’m too great, too fly to smoke weed. This ties in with the next punchline because someone who is high on life might possibly be flying.

‘Nuff sed.

7. Grab a spliff? Nah man, I rather quit/
To those who don’t know, a spliff is a roll of weed. Also known as a joint.

8. Than get stoned like the tanks on the Gaza Strip.
Getting stoned is another way of saying getting high. Getting stoned is also what happens to Israeli tanks as they go about their noble and regular work of murdering innocent Palestinians.

Palestinian boy attempts to fight fire with fire by throwing a stone made in the USA.

Drugs are bad. Mmmkay?

Lyrics to “I Know”

Posted: June 22, 2011 in Lyrics

If you feel like singing along, here’s the YouTube link… http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=r79SPKx52U

*Tina Turner vocals in brackets

(Though I hardly know your name/
I know about love and I knoooooow/
Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)

Wama Tina, stay close to me, I'll protect you from harm.

VERSE ONE:
From the moment that I saw you, I couldn’t ignore you/
It was obvious to me that I would always adore you/
Made me lose my breath, but not because I’m asthmatic/
From the shape of your hips you could satisfy my ass fetish/
Looks only capture the eyes, character grabs the heart/
You’re off the charts, I could never see us apart/
Your voice real husky, you could pull a dogsled/
Told me I’m a nobody and to get lost with my nonsense/
I’m perfect as a nobody, since nobody’s perfect/
Scratch below the surface, then you’ll see it’s worth it/
Looked into your eyes, and our souls intertwined/
All I had to was find you and now the world is mine/
Like minded individual, divine and so spiritual/
Surprising you’re single, all the guys wanna get with you/
No hope! Fell for you like bungee with no rope/
You’re so dope, and I quote, this must be love because…

HOOK:
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Yeah, I know a thing or two
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
That I can teach to you
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Forever staying true
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
Yeah, long as it’s me and you

These are the clues I’ve had to resort to…

VERSE TWO:
Ey yo, verse two, preparing for a date and my nerves blew/
Standing in the mirror and I’m doing rehearsals/
Wanna immerse you, in euphoria and merriment/
Nurture and nurse you, cos I know you are heavensent/
Uh, we went for movies and ice cream/
Inception, no exception, you’re the star of my nice dreams/
And I know that this might seem/
Premature, but we should have babies, you’re my queen/
You’re easily the most amazing girl in Kampala/
You ain’t Illuminati, you don’t have your eye on my dollars/
Searching for you since the day I was born/
If raindrops were kisses, I would send you a storm/
So it’s on, like Katrina! Fall back, I know that/
Kisses are like tears, real ones you can’t hold back/
Hope that you call back – never be fakin this/
I’m your stallion now in a stable relationship.

HOOK:
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Yeah, I know a thing or two
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
That I can teach to you
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Forever staying true
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
Yeah, long as it’s me and you

VERSE THREE:
I wanna kiss and hug you and you said (I Know)
No one else above you and you said (I Know)
I will always love you and you said (I Know)
(Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
I wanna kiss and hug you and you said (I Know)
No one else above you and you said (I Know)
I will always love you and you said (I Know)
Well, I guess there’s nothing left to say…

HOOK:
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Yeah, I know a thing or two
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
That I can teach to you
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
Forever staying true
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
Yeah, long as it’s me and you

(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
No man knows more about love than I do
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
And I know absolutely nothing at all
(I know about love, love, love-love-love)
No man knows more about love than I do
(I knooooow! Ooh, ooh, oo-oo-oooh)
And I know absolutely nothing, nothing!

Stop asking me about Tina Turner beats! Just appreciate the lyrics...