Underground Hip-Hop Exposing The Government

I recently came across a CD from a friend called immortal technique vol 2 and he basically raps about the government and there lies before and after 9/11. I never thought a rapper could have so much knowlege about whats really going on behing closed doors. However I recomend anyone that feels your being lied to about whats going on in this nation to listen to this CD, even if rap is not your thing just look it up on the net cause you cant buy it in stores. Its almost like he trying to tell us all something before its to late and he feels its all up to the younger citizens of this country to prepare for whats coming real soon.(the loss of our liberties) Which has been under way. He says the media has a retirement plan for ex military officials as if the opinion was at all unbiased. Not bad for a rapper. bravo immortal technique.

[edit on 18-8-2005 by John bull 1]

Firstly, get rid of all the caps. It's annoying.

Secondly, this is nothing new. Ever hear of Public Enemy? Atari Teenage Riot? Alec Empire? The Shizet? Slayer? Dead Prez? Paris?

Every genre of music does it and the whole "Music vs NeoCon's" has existed now for about 30years and in fact, it was metal bands that started it not Hip-hop.

It is still several mental bands who carry the torch. System of a Down for example. (Although Poverty of Philosophy is one of the best songs ever written and is by I.K. he's a decent guy. E-mailed him a few times before.)

tech's albums are old news, esp since rev2 came out in 2003. There are several threads about NWO lyrics in rap, hiphop, rock etc. Just search for them

and the previous person is right about PE etc been knowledgable. &also, canibus (channel zero talks about brain implants, majestic 12 etc), Jedi mind tricks (1st album talking about the bavarian illuminati etc), phi life cypher (UK hiphop group), phocus (burn bush?)

in fact, the thread is clearly visible, about 7 threads unders yours:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 18/8/05 by el_illumbrato]

Its actualy a quite common conspiracy that the murder of Tupac was a goverment conspiracy.

Talking about and fighting against goverment related conspiracy's is a common subject of lyrics these days.

Heck, even more mainstream bands like Sepultura and Rage Against the Machine have some heavy lyrics about all this.

Rage against the Machine have always been anti government haven't they?

i think ratm was always political..want one of their early albums called "evil empire"?

Sounds more like people making money off conspiracy.

You can't 'expose' something in a song anyway, exposing it means that you've revealed the truth of the matter, not simply bashed someting as being evil. What proof does this guy offer to back up his statements? None, since albums aren't research and don't come with biliographies or supporting citations.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Sounds more like people making money off conspiracy.

You can't 'expose' something in a song anyway, exposing it means that you've revealed the truth of the matter, not simply bashed someting as being evil. What proof does this guy offer to back up his statements? None, since albums aren't research and don't come with biliographies or supporting citations.

What are you taking about? Have you even listened to his albums? Do you really expect political minded artists to cite qoutations in their albums? How about YOU go and check out the things he says to see if they're real or not. Making money off of conspiricy....So I guess trying to wake up a brainwashed population is always about making money.

[edit on 18-8-2005 by rawtheory]

Originally posted by Nygdan
Sounds more like people making money off conspiracy.

You can't 'expose' something in a song anyway, exposing it means that you've revealed the truth of the matter, not simply bashed someting as being evil. What proof does this guy offer to back up his statements? None, since albums aren't research and don't come with biliographies or supporting citations.

As a huge fan of Immortal Tech, i can tell you that you have no knowledge of him. He was born in Peru shortly after a US backed puppet government was installed. The gov there forced his family and most others to cultivate coc aine plants before they fled and came to America. He is VERY well researched and far more influential then alot of main stream artists - he just reaches a far smaller audience due to the fact that he isn't on a record label. The statements in his songs are those that he has experienced. Most of what he raps about I knew already as if you are well informed, you would already know.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Sounds more like people making money off conspiracy.

You can't 'expose' something in a song anyway, exposing it means that you've revealed the truth of the matter, not simply bashed someting as being evil. What proof does this guy offer to back up his statements? None, since albums aren't research and don't come with biliographies or supporting citations.

Well actually several artists like Paris and Dead Prez do in their albums, as well as giving out lists of books, etc.

Edit: And last time I checked, IT gave over a lot of links to ATS bringing people who might not have otherwise found it. So he's not doing that bad a job.

[edit on 18/8/2005 by Odium]

Great post LogansRun i also listen to Immortal and I'm amazed on how much he know's about what's going on. I hope he comes out with another album soon.

Originally posted by mashup
Rage against the Machine have always been anti government haven't they?

I dont know but they have always sucked.

How about that one song where he talks about the evil things America is doing to the "entire African nation", some conspiracy about how we're sitting on a cure for AIDS until they all die. Who's president of Africa anyway?

Did you guys expect the hip-gangstas to be patriotic or talk $#!+ like they always do?

You guys should post some of the lyrics you think are so insightful.

[edit on 18-8-2005 by jacquio999]

[edit on 18-8-2005 by jacquio999]

I beleive the anti-gov stuff started all with Bush. There may have been ballads before, but not a thing like this.

There may have been something about Viet_Nam also

Originally posted by dgtempe
There may have been ballads before, but not a thing like this

Contrary to popular opinion, protest songs are not a recent invention of todays youth.

The Merry Minutet (performed by the Kingston Trio)
Link to lyric

Eve of Destruction (performed by Barry McGuire)
Link to lyric
.

Rage Against the Machine were able to back up the majority of what they said. If this wasn't the case Noam Chomsky would not have given so much support for what they said but as per-normal, nobody bothers to look up the MLK Jury Trial, Government involvement, conclusion, etc, which they speak about in one song.

The whole idea of AIDs being a Government weapon has existed for years now (since it first came about. www.abovetopsecret.com... )

Why are they not Patriots? Because they speak out against the Government? Is that not an idiotic idea? By that logic alone the Founding Fathers were not Patriots because they went against what the Government at the time wanted.

As for some of his lyrics here are some of IT's.

Source
Yeah.... Harlem streets stay flooded in white powder
Like those mother #ers runnin' away from the twin towers
Gun shots rock the earth like a meteor shower
Bowling For Columbine, fair, giving the media power
Innocence devoured like a chicken spot snack box
Government cocain cooked into ghetto crack rock
Corrupt cops false testimony at your arraignment
Check to check, constant struggle to make the payments
Working your whole life wondering where the day went
The subway stays pakced like a multi-cultural slave ship
It's rush hour, 2:30 to 8, non stoppin'
And people coming home after corporate share croppin
And # flossin, mothers are trying to feed children
But gentrification is kicking them out of their building
A generation of babies born without health care
Families homeless, thrown the # off of the welfare

Dead Prez
Just when you thought it was safe
Police kill a little boy last night
They said it was a mistake
But that won't bring back his life
His momma couldn't believe
That it could happen to her
She prayed to God everyday
Guess it just wasn't enough

A lot of these artists, are anti-drugs, alcohol, abuse of women, gang violence, etc.

Many of them have spoken out about it time and time again:

Immortal Technique
What happened for the rest of the day is still a blur
But I remember wishing that I was dead, instead of her
She was buried on August 3rd
The story ends without a sequel
And now you know why Technique, don't #ing fall in love with people
Hold the person that you love closely if they're next to you
The one you love, not the person that'll simply have sex with you
Appreciate them to the fullest extent, and then beyond
'Cause you never really know what you got, until it's gone

It's just a shame when you get rap artists, who are anti-drugs, etc...they are the ones that won't get the record deals unless they change their attitude.

English rapper, Skinnyman has a great CD called, Councilestate of Mind. I grewup with folk like The Everly Brothers and Simon and Garfunkle but love listening to the beautiful way Skinnyman tells the plain truth. Also Australians, Bliss & Eso. I'm clad that kids listening to good rap grow up to be voters.

Originally posted by rawtheory
What are you taking about? Have you even listened to his albums? Do you really expect political minded artists to cite qoutations in their albums?

No, I don't expect them too, it'd be silly. Just like its silly to say that they're exposing anything. They're not. They're rapping, singing, playing music. Not researching and presenting supported findings.

How about YOU go and check out the things he says to see if they're real or not.

Since you listen to this guy and agree, how about you present the research that you looked up and found backed up what he said? Or do you just beleive him because the music is cool???

Making money off of conspiricy....So I guess trying to wake up a brainwashed population is always about making money.

No, but selling albums for money is certainly about making money.

logansrun
i can tell you that you have no knowledge of him

You are correct.

Most of what he raps about I knew already as if you are well informed, you would already know.

Then he's not exposing anything. He's being presented here as having done some original research to blow a massive government cover-up, and presenting that research in an album. I have yet to hear anyone state what that evidence is, other than, apparently, 'bad things happen sometimes'.

Odium
IT gave over a lot of links to ATS bringing people who might not have otherwise found it.

Good for him. He can write up a report or film a documentary to expose the coverup, but a song doesn't expose anything.

I beleive the anti-gov stuff started all with Bush

From RATM?? They've always been widly anti-government, at least their lyrics are. They seem to like the government well enough when it permits them to sell records and have concerts. RATM, they sure sang about the evils of capitalism and hinted at the glories of communism and socialism, but then they went right away to play at the "Free Tibet" concert. Shouldn't they've been playing at the "Tibet is part of a Worker's Paradise" concert? Or a "Tibet is free from the Clutches of the Bourgeoise and the Opiate of the Masses" Concert?

The whole idea of AIDs being a Government weapon has existed for years now

Its also complete bollocks. RATM was great, but they were clueless, they sang about socialism and how capitalism sucked, because there's an audience for that.

Why are they not Patriots

Why the heck would they be???

Because they speak out against the Government?

Because they call for the destruction of all nations and the overthrow of all property rights and indivual rights, they are radical leftist band. Thats not 'patriotic'.

But gentrification is kicking them out of their building

The rest of it was boilerplate, and this is silly. He's complaining about gentrification? And yet he's complaining about being poor. Make a decision for christsakes.

Looks like he really is just saying 'bad things happen sometimes'.

Just when you thought it was safe
Police kill a little boy last night

Yeah, thats right, the big threat are the police. And gentrification is bad and wouldn't stop any of that either.

Nygdan,
how are they trying to make money?

They all have openly said to downlod their albums and they won't press charges. Immortal Technique plays live shows for free in some of the poorest New York areas.

Dead Prez gives free studio time to up and coming rapped from New York.

Paris has done several reports on terrorism and 9/11 and has been working on a book for about a year.

It's just a lot easier to make a song, especailly when you are talented in that area and get it out on the internet. It's cheap and quick.

Movies, books, etc, can take much longer - years in fact.

As for RAtM they were an "Anti-Capitalist" band, yet half the stuff you claim is bollocks.

They have spoken out against Chinese Imperialism, as they did the U.S.S.R. and America. They spoke out against property being taken away from people in Mexico and the loss of property. Just because they agree with some points of Socialism does not make them Socialists.

It's idiotic to think such a thing.

Zack himself being a fan of the Swiss Governmental system and the European (Sweden) model of Socialism. But it's O.K. we'll just go by the media criticism and not what he actually has said on the DVDs?

As for RAtM making money - yes they did. Zack also put money into court cases for Civil Rights Groups, as well as many other investigatons into Police Corruption, when he was asked. Paying out of his own pocket.

As for them talking about over-throwing the Government so what? War of Independence?

And by terms like "Take the Power Back" they mean for the people to once again have their say in things.

"Gentrification refers to the physical, social, economic, and cultural phenomenon whereby working-class and/or inner-city neighborhoods are converted into more affluent middle or even upper-class communities by remodelling buildings and landscaping, resulting in increased property values and in the outflow of poorer residents, either through displacement or succession."
en.wikipedia.org...

He is talking about the buildings going up in price, to the point where they can no longer afford to live there or pay the rent or buy into the area. Forcing the out of the area and then into smaller ghetto's, it was common place in London during the the last 30years.

They did it to Peckham when they began to raise the prices of property in Brixton, forcing many of the residence into Peckham and the problems of that area then continued. Instead of bothering to solve the problem.

I'm shocked you can think Gentrification solves poverty...

As for books on the issues:
www.zmag.org...

Unless you are going to argue that Noam Chomsky is uneducated?

And they actually bother to give book lists, inside their album's.

And the point about Police shooting the child, is a good one. If I remember (album cover isn't here) it was an 13year old killed the cop shot in the back and later on a gun was planted. Resulting in the Police officer going to prison.

Once the Guerrilla Funk record label is back up, I'll get you the list of books and magazine's Paris is also involved in. People have to start somewhere and if they have musical talent then why not there?

Public enemy ROCK. and for 20 years warned you want was coming.

These songs are not new. It's just that it has become fashionable to entertain others with conspiracy theories.

From Wikipedia

History
Folk protest songs occur throughout history, as in the American Revolutionary War and in the abolitionist movement of the 19th century. During the American Civil War, traditional songs such as "We Shall Overcome" served as protest songs.

In the 20th century, the union movement, the Great Depression the Vietnam War (see Vietnam War protests) and recently, the war in Iraq spawned protest songs. The common form during that time, often with acoustic guitar and harmonica, was popularized by the work of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger in the beginning of the 20th Century and continued into the middle of the century by Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan.