Album Review: Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Volume II
We try to change the world in myriad ways, and we succeed on a daily basis. Our actions determine whether we change it for the better, or for the worse. And while I'm doing my part with this little blog to bring a little larger piece of light into the world, I believe a wise cliche once said, "to each his own," and so I'd like to present a fellow world changer: an underground Harlem rapper named Immortal Technique.
I got his album Revolutionary Volume II on the advice of a friend and it has been one of my best finds in a long time. The first impression you get can be summed in one word: ATTACK. Any symbol of corruption or hypocrisy is fair game, and believe me, he doesn't pull any punches or miss any targets. For a sampling of his rhymes, from a song called "The 4th Branch":
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
While the stunning lyrics are the centerpiece of this album, the beats are just as intense.
Yet underneath the angst there runs a current of hope and determination — that this is a man who has seen the world and he's not backing down. While "attack mode" is the best way to describe this album, you also see a playful side come out on "Freedom of Speech," where he employs a brilliant sample from none other than Pinnocchio the puppet, who chimes in with "I've got no strings" to get the point across about why Technique won't sign with a major label.
But when you look closer, what is this album really about? Human Rights. Find out more at youthforhumanrights.org
You can also visit the website of the Harlem church here: www.scientology-harlem.org
I got his album Revolutionary Volume II on the advice of a friend and it has been one of my best finds in a long time. The first impression you get can be summed in one word: ATTACK. Any symbol of corruption or hypocrisy is fair game, and believe me, he doesn't pull any punches or miss any targets. For a sampling of his rhymes, from a song called "The 4th Branch":
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
While the stunning lyrics are the centerpiece of this album, the beats are just as intense.
Yet underneath the angst there runs a current of hope and determination — that this is a man who has seen the world and he's not backing down. While "attack mode" is the best way to describe this album, you also see a playful side come out on "Freedom of Speech," where he employs a brilliant sample from none other than Pinnocchio the puppet, who chimes in with "I've got no strings" to get the point across about why Technique won't sign with a major label.
But when you look closer, what is this album really about? Human Rights. Find out more at youthforhumanrights.org
You can also visit the website of the Harlem church here: www.scientology-harlem.org
posted by =shaun= at 3:28 PM
1 Comments:
Bush and the Republicans were not protecting us on 9-11, and we aren't a lot safer now. We may be more afraid due to george bush, but are we safer? Being fearful does not necessarily make one safer. Fear can cause people to hide and cower. What do you think? How does that work in a democracy again? How does being more threatening make us more likeable?Isn't the country with
the most weapons the biggest threat to the rest of the world? When one country is the biggest threat to the rest of the world, isn't that likely to be the most hated country?
Are we safer today than we were before?
We have lost friends and influenced no one. No wonder most of the world thinks we suck. Thanks to what george bush has done to our country during the past three years, we do!
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