Situated Knowledge
Verbal assault on the powers that be or not to be, depending on what media we see. Black people living large at the expense of white folks is a fallacy, just like saying there's no white folks in poverty. When you believe the hype you're buying propaganda, taking in all of the lies that they hand ya. How much more time will have to pass 'til you get off your ass and take a long, hard look at what class you're in? So many devils asleep to the noise from the street. Reality 101: Let us begin ** No easy answers; I'm not giving you the key to escape from a world of oppression, ignorance and hate. But I'm down for the struggle and I'm here to give smacks to those trying to get paid by holding other people back. But the structures of capitalism make this practice a must, so it's at this whole goddamned system I bust caps, rap, rhythmic noise and slaps; blowing transnational CEOs off of maps. Using every hour to fight the power. It never quits; I'm writing Amnesty letters in the shower ** Everything's wrong; I know you got eyes to see and ears to hear. But everyone's afraid and yeah, there's plenty to fear. But I'm not talking drive-by shootings or drug dealers, even though that's real, and it's only getting realer. But a crime like that is just a cry of desperation; chronic poverty leads to chronic frustration. And we always forget about the wealthy jet set. You say the game's not rigged? You wanna make a bet? 'Cuz when people have tried to live and work outside of this ride that we call the American system, well behold and lo here comes COINTELPRO and next thing you know, Big Brother dismissed 'em ** 1% of the people own half of the wealth. So don't tell me to give up hope and just go for self. We gotta fight back united or divided we'll fall; 'cuz what you do to the least of us, you do to us all. And it's not an easy task; I don't know the half. And you might get burned every turn if you don't learn from the past. This is just a wake-up call; I'm not telling you what to do. I just came to kick facts; the rest is up to you

Hooked
I'm not trying to be something I'm not but I'm hot 'cuz I get hype when conditions are ripe for revolt and revolution, trying to come through with a solution: Liberating suckers from the mental pollution. I get the job done like a lost son with a stun gun. I know the game and now I'm hip 2 tha skeme so you can't fade me with your Republican/Democrat reform mongering tactics. If you're not clear on the rules in '98, you better act like you know or ask somebody low. 'Cuz they can tell you no lie how many of their homies got flied, but let's take a look at the read bad guy ** I'm coming straight from Chiapas and the South African diamond mines [while me and the mob got a trunk full of 9s]. Nine ways to solve a problem at an impasse 'cuz sometimes devils can only hear a gunblast. But I don't play that shit 'cuz it leads to more bloodshed, and the struggle's too real for us to end up dead. So I keep using the master's tools without his permission and I fight a fucking war of position ** I'm a kid from the American system. From straight up lies, it's a surprise that a devil got wise. But yeah they fucked up 'cuz they let the wrong information get to me; and now nothing can undo me. But they try nonstop with their goddamn distractions. I like to laugh at it, but it's a fatal attraction. It's like Lacan's triangles; once you're in you can't get out. And I get hooked like a rainbow trout. But it's on and so I keep my ear to the street. And the Forest 'cuz like them Frenchies: Yo, it's getting Deep. The big CEO he is the new Captain Hook: Destroy a city's economy without a second look. And it's not just Indonesia, but also South Central LA; Chicago, Dallas, New York, Atlanta & Tampa Bay. So the question's up to us: Will we give in to the slack, or will we hit the books and organize and fucking fight back?

Incident at 94.5 FM
Much respect to Public Enemy

Losing My Point
Bad verse with a beat that hurts and when the time is right to throw down, it only gets worse. 'Cuz I got mad stress; the world's a fucking mess. You can ask my girls Mala and Jess F. And they'll tell you straight just the same: How the pain and the strain can drive a motherfucker insane. Unless you're blind or don't choose to look, or don't read the news, or never open a book. But damn, devil: How a punk can choose not to act and try to counteract, or kick back with a six pack of slack. Bougie kids getting handed everything on a platter and they watch the blood splatter like it doesn't matter. I think they need a holiday in Cambodia. I got a right to be hostile, so act like I told ya when I say "Matthew Sheppard," "Sherrice Iverson" and "Yusef Hawkins." And don't keep walking like it's just some motherfucker talking. 'Cuz someday soon I'm gonna flip on a GOP punk and wind up in a cell on the bottom bunk. Feelin' funky like it's Time Out of Joint ** I thought you knew. 'Cuz the shit that's true will leave you in the mental ICU, so devil: Check one two. We got the homophobes to the left, got the racists to the right; got the ruling class whipping ass each and every night. But they want to seem fair, so they got themselves a makeover; so I say it's time for a new kind of hostile takeover. One that levels all the structures of exploitation in all its forms: From wealth inequality to fucked-up social norms. And I live in a glass house so it starts with me. So I did my homework and I read my history. And now I'm ready for the fight that will ignite the fucking powderkeg. 'Cuz your propaganda's missing like my dog's leg. You can't get me to hate the homeless guys on the street, or the brothers locked down under a ton of concrete. 'Cuz they're victims of the system and I won't defend it. And I know you've got the money, 'cuz I've seen you spend it on your limos and your diamond necklace for your cat, and your Stealth bomber plane that goes "Ratatat." GI Joe toys for grown-up little boys while these little kids go hungry? Time to make some fuckin' noise. 'Cuz every time I make a buck the Pentagon says "Yoink" ** We got the typical male who still thinks with his dick and too many schoolteachers who ain't teaching shit. We got hostility and fear, so-called Christians who hate queers, culture industry, television, thorazine and beer; Nike plants in Indonesia, repo men and tax seizures. Ruling class no longer needs us? Go to church and get hooked on Jesus. Or cloud your mind with a pack of blunts, or try to get rich off of petty crime stunts. When the kids are hungry, then the lion hunts. The time has come for all of us to stand up at once and Just Say No: No more wife beatings. No more killer cops. No more corporate double meanings. No more World Bank. No more IMFin'. No more Multilateral Agreements on Investment. No more Weed & Seed. No more obscene greed. No more rich folks withholding what the people need. No more profit-hungry health insurance industry. No more ghettos that are soaked in social misery. No more gay bashing. No more anorexic fashion. No more hiding from the plane when it starts to crashing. No more religious deception as Flanders tries to anoint

Psychological Discomfort
Some devils think everything's okay, but we still live in two nations. No equalization going on between black and white 'cuz the flight and the fright leads to a slick rationalization of public policy that has the effect of a white boot on a black neck, so check. Soft platitudes from the white dudes; don't think me rude, but your style is a little bit crude. 'Cuz we always turn our backs on the black side of town, and we only pay attention when a riot goes down. Well, I'm sick of fucking waiting for white folks to get real. Time for a conscious devil to take the wheel ** I call white people "devils" cuz they always have the choice not to fight against a system that kills black boys and girls and men and women and so the question is: Which direction do you choose to go? The miserable truth is that most devils choose to do for themselves, and if other people lose: "That's their tough luck," and "I don't give a fuck," and "I'll do what it takes just to make that buck." If it's songs about peace most devils'll sing 'em, but they won't fight the power 'cuz they find that it brings them ** Now I gotta give props to the devils that fight back against a society where it's a crime to be black and brown and red and yellow; you know the deal. Yeah, some devils are known for keeping it real. But 500 years of history doesn't vanish overnight, so power to the people is the war we have to fight. And you know I'm not the devil who'll quit when it gets hot; I won't be bought, burn out or get shot. Like countless conscious devils who have come before me, I'm gonna fight to change the mindset of the people that abhor me

To tha Next Level
Solidarity - and that's the name of the game. 'Cuz I don't ride the same train as the status quo brain. I drop science for those who pay attention to words, from my devils locked down to the Quake-playing nerds. From the brothers on the street to the sisters in college, making use of the zeroes and ones to spread knowledge. From the locked-out worker in east Illinois to the fucked-over farmer who can't feed his boy. From the lesbians and gays who still have to fight against a closed-minded culture that hates them on sight. From the people down south coming over the border to everyone fighting Uncle Sam's world order. Hey, we'll make more progress if we don't fight against all the people who are on the same side of the fence. I never cared for division, or forms of subtraction; I'd rather multiply conscious power for action. In addition let me state that we've seen some bad weather. But if we unite, we can all rise together ** You're buggin' if you try to look at things in isolation, 'cuz this world is too mixed up and our modern calculation has to take into account how all oppression is connected; and you're living an illusion if you think you're not affected. The dominant forces are spending mad dollars to make sure you don't hear it when a starving person hollers, and to keep us all distracted from what's right before our eyes. And they own the media, so we can't call 'em on their lies. But I'm gonna do what I can; I always speak to heads that listen. So open up your mind and try to find out what you're missing. 'Cuz while Congress follows orders from Exxon and Shell, [the same motherfucker's got us living in his cell] ** And here's a news item while sleeping people get wrecked: [It's a round world last time I checked.] Which is to say: To really learn how the fat cats plan it, find out what's going on elsewhere on the planet. Look at Reagan's bloody hands in El Salvador, and how our government supports genocide in East Timor. Pinochet in Chile, Papa Doc in Haiti, Phillippine civilians getting slaughtered by our navy. Sick imperialism so the empire can grow, while the Wretched of the Earth try to fight the undertow. And even in the darkness while there's hella cause for sadness, I foresee a global army stepping up to stop the madness

A Little Technical
ISBN# 1-56751-112-0

Cradle Rock Style
I got some crazy good music

Let the Games Begin
Freedom is a road seldom travelled by the multitude

Economic Boom
Now I'm not from the ghetto, and I'm not from the 'hood. But when I look around, damn people, no it's not all good. 'Cuz the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting screwed. Starvation rates are high, but there's no fucking lack of food. There's an economic boom, that's what all the Wall Street people say. But I don't feel like celebrating, 'cuz that shit don't trickle my way. If you point out the contradictions, you get called a commie rat. And you better recognize: Their power comes from the barrell of a gat. And their wealth was accumulated with about a million gunshots. So the war that's going on is still between the haves and have-nots. And there ain't no way to tweak the system as it now stands; something structural's gotta change so that the power's in our hands ** I get so PO'd by these multimillionaire CEOs. TNCs moving overseas to find cheaper labor in RIO. NASDAQ and NAFTA and WTO working hand in hand; MAI making people cry from domestic lands to Uzbekistan. CNN and ABC working overtime to make sure that we don't know what's going on anywhere anytime anymore. And sometimes it seems like we've become a bunch of Ragged Dick clones. Don't wanna hear shit about the realities of the world, just "Show me the money, homes." "If I don't see it, it isn't there," "I don't have time to pretend I care," "I still believe the hype about the red scare," and "It's unamerican to learn how to share." So when cash rules everything around me, where am I at? Gotta bow down to the corporate gods to survive, now what the fuck is that? Wealthy fat cats paying no tax, swiping shit like the Grinch; I think it's time to put the Lynch back in Merril Lynch ** And it's hard to remember sometimes that there's a struggle bigger than all of us. When the cap busts, dust to dust describes a life stuck on the bus. And the definition of a hardcore motherfucker's just gangsta thick: "Hell no, I'm not registered to vote, but I curse a lot and constantly grab my dick." All some people care about is getting their hands on more property. It's like the game you're trying so hard to be true to is fucking Monopoly. So I guess it just comes down to: Check yourself. 'Cuz you may have a fancy car, but don't think the top shelf is just gonna share the wealth

Alarm Call
Woke up this morning at 10:00 AM sharp

Nonviolent Resistance
Now how the hell you gonna take The Man down without a gun, when the ruling class got tek blasts up for everyone? Anger is the call from the truly disadvantaged; the police got their guns drawn, they're already doing damage. Force is the weapon of the weak, so this week we've gotta seek a new solution with some moral evolution. Monkey see and monkey do and monkey gets shot, like them kids in Colorado started making things hot. 'Cuz we're growing up without a solid sense of how to deal with our frustrations when the complications get real. The answer from the ruling class is: "Drop a dozen bombs." Well, I've seen a Desert Storm, but I don't see a desert calm. 100,000 years of history and still we haven't learned that fighting fire by firing back gets us all burned ** Now I fully understand why O'Shea got an AK: Trying to keep the Bay of Pigs from LA pigs at bay. But The Man has got Da Bomb, and I don't mean a funky groove. He's not afraid to use it, 'cuz he did the same to MOVE. Violence is escalated, a megaton is detonated, communities are devastated, and the Pentagon is compensated. So don't think that a gun will help you solve the static, [unless you got about a million semiautomatics]. Struggle with the struggle, don't give in to the bloodlust, 'cuz we're the ones who lose when the caps start to bust. This nonviolent warrior ain't turning no cheeks. We won't inherit the Earth by being quiet and meek. We gotta make some noise and fight the power; raise some heads, it's chaos hour. Teach the youth and speak the truth, unionize and mobilize. Nonviolence doesn't mean non-action; get it right. There's work to be done, and there are battles to fight. The world's completely sick, and it's only getting sicker; but violence won't help to bring peace any quicker ** "Buk buk buk" goes the gun in the hand of the man who gets paid to execute the plan of the devil at a higher level calling all the shots, sending suckers into battle like a bunch of robots. So what happens when we drop like flies, hardly noticed before the world's eyes? Maybe violence has to be used sometimes, when there's no way to stop the other man's crimes. But it's a question, not an answer, like my man Adam said; there's no peace to be gained by filling bodies with lead. So how the hell we gonna take The Man down without a gun? I don't know of a way, but I'm willing to work for one

Word to the XYs
There's a sickness in the nation when half the population thinks the other half exists just to clean and suck dicks. Don't you troglodyte motherfuckers ever give a thought to the mind of the female, and what talent she got? You say "Fuck it, I got juice. Gimme a girl that's loose. I'll rock the caboose, and when it's over, vamoose." You try to hide the pain and emptiness you feel inside, calling out to girls on the street as you drive by. Acting like a big shot in front of your buddies; saying, "Yeah, I'm a player, I get all the honies." Well the game is over, motherfucker, 'cuz I see through it. Don't be acting surprised. Shit, I thought you knew it ** I got a brick set aside for the front window of �X frat house and I'm aiming for Yahraus. You shit-eating, gang-rapist fucking frat boys; I'm gonna stand with Campus NOW and help them bring the noise. Don't assume I think like you just because I've got a dick. Your whole philosophy is frightening and sick. Besides, I know I've got something that you'll never know, 'cuz your only female concepts are mother and ho. You'll never know how it feels to get it on in a way that's real. You only look for sex appeal and you don't know the deal. So fuck you and your boys; go live your vapid lives with your SUVs and your dumb trophy wives. I'd rather learn to love the other half of humanity and steer clear of the typical male's insanity

Vocab Rehab
123 and I come with the 411 through the ISP. It's the DIB on the MIC and you know that I only throw FACTS. Oh yes, no stress when I bless the STAGE with the RAGE. I duz it like Eazy, kick it with the Japanesey like Krush, kicking up dust, making you sneezy. I'm grumpy even when I get funky like Humpty 'cuz the powers that be are running trains on you and me. Time to fight back, stand up, come on throw your hands up. Recognize, mobilize, destabilize the sacred lies. Find a mission, coalition, write, petition, spark sedition. Mind infusion, evolution, interlocution, revolution ** Nothing's gonna stop the flow like Lou Barlow; bumping the funky sounds so you'll get down. Come around 'cuz I'm tightly wound, I gotta chill. I get ill when I hear that it's God's will to kill. What happened to the notion of love from above? Or is justice and forgiveness incompatible with business? Children are expendible and bloodlust is commendable; human rights come last and the buck is passed. So I drink and try not to think about the pain experienced by others while the dollar reigns supreme. 'Cuz it seems like there's no way out. But I snuggle with dreams of struggle, that's what I'm all about ** Rhymes on time that raise the roof with the truth; 20% less ruth, but my shit's 100 proof. Guaranteed to sooth like for in the lore of yore, even if it's slapped with a sticker by Tipper Gore. The beat meets neatly with hooks that shake books from shelves like Dungeons & Dragons and elves. I got strength and dexterity with lyrical disparities; intelligence and wisdom to escape the mental prison. Constitution, psionics, mad hit points and bionics. Want to check the inventory? Drop the beat again for me ** I got so much trouble on my mind, but I gotta find time to unwind. 'Cuz I don't wanna burn out, no I'd rather turn out a letter writing campaign or a protest to bring the pain. Like Boots, I choose not to be discretionary. I learned the game and I became a revolutionary. I kick facts to those who turn their backs; make 'em look again and take action, 'cuz indifference is a sin. It's a scandal how they handle all that wealth and leave us fighting for the scraps with deteriorating health. But I don't give in to despair, that's not what I choose; I refuse to lose

The Human Pound
This woman is currently one of the stars of "Baywatch"

The Coming Revolt of the Guards
I stand with the keys to the courtyard of pain with thoughts of the insane going through my brain. I've been bred to have a head for this sort of thing, but the bell of the closing cell makes my ears ring. They only put a real slug in one of the guns. I give thanks that the rest are packed with blanks. So when it's time to punish crime with a firing line, I can pretend I'm not the man with blood on his hands. But the smell of death infects my every breath. The illusions are fading; my world is disintegrating. It's decision time, a rebellion's in the cards ** Are we sick, or just blind? Drunk on the master's wine? Dreaming of benefits we haven't gotten, won't get? Do you pledge allegiance to the US flag draped over corpses of young men in body bags? How long can the anger be held back before they attack? Make up your mind: What side you on, Jack? It's all over now but the screaming and the double-teaming, scheming like a fiend and trying to outwit the demons. I'm prepared to bite the hand that feeds me. Uses leeches and bleeds me, but I know that he needs me to keep the furious majority at bay. But what would he say if I didn't stand in the way? If I helped them break his windows into shards? ** If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention. Liberate yourself from the mental detention. Silence won't save us, it's the voice of complicity. Willful ignorance is haunted by a wretched duplicity. Conscious devils recognize and sort through the lies. They organize and mobilize and even throw pies. And you know where to find us: CMC and Rainbow, reprazent! Causing ruckus for the CEOs and for the President. Time to redefine what we mean by "hard"

What Can One Say?
Is anyone gonna say anything?