Professor Rex's Top 100 Horror Movies of All-Time for Halloween Month

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For Halloween Month, here is my list of my Top 100 Horror Movies of all-time. When I write horror, it's because of these movies, EC/DC horror comics, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and real life.

(In alphabetical order)

  • 1408

  • 28 Days Later

  • 28 Weeks Later

  • 30 Days of Night

  • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

  • Alien

  • Aliens

  • Arachnophobia

  • Army of Darkness

  • Blade

  • Bug (2006)

  • Cabin Fever

  • Candyman (1992)

  • Carrie (1976)

  • Cooties

  • Creepshow

  • Dawn of the Dead (1978)

  • Dawn of the Dead (2004)

  • Drag Me To Hell

  • Eight Legged Freaks

  • Event Horizon

  • Evil Dead (2013)

  • Evil Dead 2 (1987)

  • Fallen

  • Feast

  • Final Destination

  • Final Destination 5

  • Freddy vs. Jason

  • From Dusk Till Dawn

  • Get Out

  • Ghost Ship

  • Graveyard Shift

  • Gremlins

  • Gremlins 2: The New Batch

  • Halloween (1978)

  • Happy Death Day

  • Hereditary

  • High Tension

  • Hostel

  • House of 1,000 Corpses

  • It (2017)

  • It Follows

  • Jacob's Ladder (1990)

  • Jaws

  • Jennifer's Body

  • King Kong (1933)

  • Mad God

  • Midsommar

  • Night of the Living Dead (1968)

  • Pandorum

  • Paranormal Activity

  • Peninsula

  • Planet Terror

  • Poltergeist (1982)

  • Psycho (1960)

  • Ravenous (1999)

  • Red State

  • Ringu (1998)

  • Rubber

  • Saw

  • Scream (1996)

  • Session 9

  • Shaun of the Dead

  • Silent Hill

  • Slither

  • Split

  • Suspiria (1977)

  • Suspiria (2018)

  • Teeth

  • The Babadook

  • The Blair Witch Project (1999)

  • The Cabin in the Woods

  • The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

  • The Descent

  • The Devil's Rejects

  • The Exorcist

  • The First Purge

  • The Fly (1986)

  • The Frighteners

  • The Invisible Man (2020)

  • The Mist

  • The Omen

  • The Others

  • The Ring (2002)

  • The Shining (1980)

  • The Thing (1982)

  • The Witch (2015)

  • Train to Busan

  • Tremors

  • Trick r Treat (2007)

  • Troll Hunter

  • Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

  • Us

  • Wes Craven's New Nightmare

  • What We Do in the Shadows

  • White Noise (2005)

  • Willy's Wonderland

  • Wolf Creek

  • Wrong Turn (2003)

  • Zombieland

This is fully an opinion and it's based on watching more than 900 horror movies, so it's not a random sampling and wasn't arrived at quickly or off the top of my head.

16 Lessons I've Learned About Writing

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In my life, I've written more than 10 million words (a VERY conservative estimate), including tens of thousands of blog posts, 100+ songs, 50+ short stories, 2 novels, 3 scripted podcast series, hundreds of unscripted podcast episodes, 500+ poems and so many other little things I can't remember them all. I've been a paid professional writer full-time since 2012 and part-time since 2004 and have been paid more than a million dollars in lifetime earnings from writing. Here are the truths I've learned:

1. Anyone can be a writer. Anyone with an IQ of at least 100 can be a good writer. Anyone with an IQ of at least 120 can be a great writer. People with lower IQs than that can also be good or great writers with enough support and commitment.

2. All it takes to be a writer is to write. Writers write. If you regularly write, you're a writer. If not, if you only think about it and talk about it, but never put words to paper (metaphorically speaking), then you aren't a writer.

3. All writing counts. There's no writing that "isn't real writing." If words are coming out of your head and you handwrite or type them onto paper or a computer screen, you are writing.

4. Writer's block is a myth. The only reason writer's block exists is because people say it does. The reality is that you aren't "blocked," you're experiencing an actual symptom of some other mental condition. Maybe you have imposter syndrome. Maybe you have problems with executive function. Maybe you have anxiety problems and your brain is focusing those on your writing. But writer's block doesn't exist. If you make up a new thing and claim you have it, then you can't solve it and you give up. If you recognize that this is just the same old brain shit you deal with when you aren't writing, the writing no longer becomes the focus of the anxiety (or whatever) and you are free to write.

5. The way to beat "writer's block" is to put words on the page. It literally doesn't matter what words, as long as they are on topic in some way. Shitty writing is still writing, but it's 100% the case that no matter how shitty you think your writing is, the reality is that it's better than that. Your brain is lying to you. Don't be duped. Put words on the page. Any words.

6. Everyone rewrites. All people. From the greatest writer to the worst. This is why those initial words on the page don't matter. Get something written and then fix it in the rewrite.

7. There's no such thing as a naturally-born writer. All writing is learned. When you are born, you don't have verbal language in your brain, much less written language. It's not even possible. So ALL writing skills are obtained environmentally. The #1 thing that makes people "naturally" good at writing is having read a bunch of writing early. Reading to kids helps A LOT with this, but at some point, it has to be an experiential thing and kids just have to read for themselves. But despite what people think, ANY reading counts. It doesn't have to be a book, much less a classic work of literature. Even reading social media comments increases literacy (including cultural literacy, as you learn about concepts that you didn't previously know, which expands both your knowledge base and your ability to communicate more precisely). And it's likely that the advances at young ages exist regardless of medium, as long as a kid is reading anything, they are becoming better at reading, writing and overall comprehension and intelligence. Most beginning writers mimic what they read, so the more you read, the better a writer you become and the more diverse what you read is, the more well-rounded a writer (and thinker) you become. Some people can instantly translate what they read into good writing, but that's a tiny percentage, most people, even when they read a lot, still need to be taught how to write (which is why classes on this are required at all levels of education except the lowest). Nearly everyone who has taken writing classes or personalized training in writing writes better than everyone who hasn't had such training, once you normalize for things like education, SES, access to books, etc.

8. People say you can't teach people to be a good writer. This is complete nonsense. You absolutely can. I have. To hundreds upon hundreds of people whose writing improved almost instantly with basic tips. And more advanced teaching can not only lead ANYONE to being a better writer, it can take people with above average intelligence and make them great writers. Easily and quickly.

9. Throwing away any writing is silly. Even if you don't publish something, there is value in your old writing. At a minimum, it's valuable to you as both a record of your past and as a baseline so that you can expand your skills and knowledge. It can also help you with later writing. An early draft of a novel I wrote, which wasn't that good, was later redeveloped into the first screenplay I wrote, which was pretty good. Just because you execute a bit of writing poorly now doesn't mean it can be useful later, either reworked or as a component of some new thing. Recycle your writing when you can.

10. If you have the ability to hustle, you can always find paying work as a writer. It's an infinitely valuable and scalable skill.

11. Most people aren't writers. Not because they can't be (see above), but because they either choose not to be (a decision that rarely, if ever, makes any sense) or they allow other people's bullshit to stop them. Anyone who ever tells you to stop writing is being a bad person. Writing is NEVER a bad thing in and of itself. What you write can be bad, particularly if you publish it, but getting things out of your head onto paper is, at a minimum, therapeutic. And usually it's more than that. Any advice that discourages you from writing is bad advice and I'd be super skeptical about ANY advice from anyone who would discourage writing for any reason.

12. As a beginning and/or nonprofessional writer, don't try to hold yourself to the standards of the professionals and established authors. It's just plain dumb. If I've been writing for one year, why in the world would my writing be as good as Stephen King? It's likely impossible, but it's also not necessary and NOT the goal. Nobody writes one thing and it's so good that they're a famous successful writer now. That's not how it works for anyone. You need years of writing on multiple completed works to be a great writer. If you haven't done that, it's basically not possible and you shouldn't want it to be. If your skills are learned quickly over a short period of time, you are likely missing out on much wisdom and are limiting your skills by doing this. Your goal each time you write is to be better at it than you were before. If this is true, then you are succeeding and any criticism is bullshit.

13. Other people's advice on writing is largely crap. This is true of most feedback, too. As a writer, you have subjects that are important to you and you want to write about. And you have experiences that others don't. And you have goals as a writer, and in life, that others don't. Unless someone shares your goals and experiences AND is more successful a writer than you are, it's likely their advice won't apply to you. There's no one way to be a writer and no one way to succeed. There are many of each. You should only take advice from people who share your interests, goals and level of commitment to writing and even then, take all advice with a grain of salt. It's rare for two writers to succeed in the same way. You succeed by forging your own path. Other people's advice is mostly an impediment to that, since they're advising you on what they would do with THEIR preferences and experiences if they were in YOUR situation. None of that is real, though, so the advice is sketchy, at best, and frequently wrong and counterproductive.

14. Typos and errors are not a reflection of how good a writer you are, no matter how many people bully you over it on social media. Typos and other such errors are ONLY a sign that you made a typo or error. ALL human beings make typos and all professional writers have copy-editors who fix this stuff for them. If you saw the original drafts of the greatest writers, living or deceased, the early drafts will almost all be riddled with errors. Keep in mind that the thing with Nazis was that they were both evil and wrong. This is true of "grammar Nazis" as well. Most of their corrections are pedantic and more about them showing off their own superiority. If you write something and people understand it, you communicated effectively, because that's the whole point. And in more formally published writing, there's ALWAYS someone handling the typos for you.

15. People suggest that it's a bad idea to read (or watch movies or TV or comedy) in the genre you write. This is fully terrible advice. The best writers are those who don't work in a silo, but are part of the world around them. Writing, by definition, is about communication. And in the vast majority of cases, it's interpersonal communication. In order to communicate well, you have to understand the context you are communicating in and the media through which you are communicating. If you are, say, a comedy writer and you don't know what other comedy is out there, you're likely to re-invent the wheel, recreating things done previously. But doing this without expanding up or commenting on the previous writing is largely useless for any audience beyond yourself and your friends. Other people do read and they know that larger context. Additionally, genres and forms are all evolutionary, so if you don't know the past and present of a genre or medium, you can't possibly contribute to its future, unless it's by accident. And we're deep enough into communication in English that there aren't a lot of accidental discoveries still possible. We've found them all. Everything left to write is a reaction to the old things or a reaction to new things that come out now. If you don't know what's out there and what came before you, you're having a conversation with yourself that is ignorant of the conversation your audience was a part of before you starting writing. Like ANY field, you have to know the field's past and present to be a notable part of it's future.

16. Stop reading and go write.

Tracklist for Professor Rex's New Album "20/21 Vision"

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Okay, this is probably the final Soundcloud track list for my new album "20/21 Vision," with a runtime of just over 2 hours. Notably, the cover songs that weren't written by my sons or George Carlin will be Soundcloud-only and the remainder will be all-platforms.

In a few days, I'll actually ask YOU to do a feature for me on this album. There's a song that I need a TON of individual spoken voices, so I'll let you know what that is and when I need it in a few days...

Disc 1 (2021)

1. DTGTFO
2. The Seven Deadly Republicans
3. The Mountain Song
4. Wrong f. Shellypopinz
5. Keep Your Hands to Yourself
6. Who Are We? (feature TBA)
7. Be What You Wanna Be
8. I'm Aware That You Stare
9. Revelation
10. Not of This Earth
11. Starticle Parphysics f. Picasso Hutt
12. Thesaurus Rex
13. I Should've Been a Skate Punk f. Bunjie & the Q-Boys
14. Krabby Ran Away
15. Skeleton Murder on the High Highway
16. R-E-X
17. Modern Man (Written by George Carlin)
18. Puffeye the Smoker, Man f. Bunjie
19. Pepper f. Picasso Hutt (Written by Butthole Surfers)
20. Brain Chemicals

Disc 2 (2020)

1. B-Bad B-Boy
2. All My Neighbors Went to Afroman
3. Big (feature TBA)
4. Feces
5. Delusions
6. Meant to Be
7. 21 Guns
8. All You Know
9. Strike f. Picasso Hutt
10. Autobiography of the T
11. Twisted
12. Red Line of Death (feature TBA)
13. Slam the Door f. Backyard Necromancy
14. Leather Teeth f. Black Sheep Contingent
15. Paul Revere (Written by the Beastie Boys)
16. It Takes Two (Written by Rob Base)
17. Regulate (Written by Warren G & Nate Dogg)
18. Pika Pika f. Bunjie (Written by Miles Quinnell)
19. Candy Corn f. Bunjie (Written by Jack Quinnell)
20. Fuck the X-men f. Shakra Bleu

*Currently scheduled for July release.

**Notice there are no songs with "fuck" in the title this time. All the fucks are tucked safely INSIDE the songs.

***This album DEFINITELY will cover the spectrum of autism...

****The genre of this album is "core nerd punk rap."

The Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge

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With the loss of Donald Trump in the election, the Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge has ended and the Post-Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge has begun! You can see the videos on my Facebook or Instagram. Sampler videos will appear here and on our YouTube.

Here are the songs performed for the original Post Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge:

  • Day 1 - A song that you sing in the shower: Post Malone & Swae Lee, *Sunflower*

  • Day 2 - A song with a color in the title: White Stripes, *Blue Orchid*

  • Day 3 - A song by your favorite musician: Duran Duran, *Hungry Like the Wolf*

  • Day 4 - A song you’ve auditioned with: Tim Curry, *I Do the Rock*

  • Day 5 - A song you love to sing at karaoke: Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht, *m.A.A.d. City*

  • Day 6 - A song that makes you cry: Crash Test Dummies, *Superman's Song*

  • Day 7 - A song that is a challenge for you: Blackalicious, *Alphabet Aerobics*

  • Day 8 - A classic song: Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, *It Takes Two*

  • Day 9 - A song you’ve performed for an audience: Childish Gambino, *Bonfire*

  • Day 10 - A song about love: Skid Row, *I Remember You*

  • Day 11 - A song about a broken heart: U2 & B.B. King, *When Love Comes To Town*

  • Day 12 - A song from your dream role in a musical: *Keeping the Faith* from *Movin' Out* the Billy Joel jukebox musical

  • Day 13 - A song from the album you’re taking to a desert island with you: *Parents Just Don't Understand,* by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince from *He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper*

  • Day 14 - A song you’d love to be played at your wedding: Harry Connick Jr., *Recipe For Love*

  • Day 15 - A song that’s a cover from another artist: Frente, *Bizarre Love Triangle,* originally by New Order

  • Day 16 - A song by a female vocalist: Girls Alound, *Love Machine*

  • Day 17 - A song by a male vocalist: Atmosphere, *Fortunate*

  • Day 18 - A song that has a lot of meaning for you: The Nightwatchman, *Flesh Shapes the Day*

  • Day 19 - A song that gives you all the feels: Tom Petty, *Walls*

  • Day 20 - A song that helps you when you’re down: OPM, *Heaven Is A Halfpipe*

  • Day 21 - A song with a good memory attached: Sir Mix-A-Lot, *Posse On Broadway/Buttermilk Biscuits*

  • Day 22 - A song from before you were born: Sly & The Family Stone, *Everyday People*

  • Day 23 - A song by an artist that you admire: Public Enemy, *He Got Game/911 Is A Joke*

  • Day 24 - A song by an artist no longer living: Prince, *Sometimes It Snows In April*

  • Day 25 - A song that reminds you of something you would rather forget about: Primitive Radio Gods, *Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand*

  • Day 26 - A song that meant a lot to you when you were young: Beastie Boys, *Paul Revere*

  • Day 27 - A song you never get tired of: Audio Two, *Top Billin'*

  • Day 28 - A song no one would expect you to like: Martina McBride, *My Baby Loves Me*

  • Day 29 - A song that you used to love but don’t listen to much anymore: Goldie Lookin' Chain, *Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do*

  • Day 30 - A song you want to sing that didn’t fit these categories: Rob Zombie, *Feel So Numb*

  • Day 31 - May the Fourth be with you: Weird Al Yankovic, *Yoda*

  • Day 32 - A song by an artist you've already performed during this challenge: Prince, *Kiss*

  • Day 33 - A hidden gem from a popular artist: Huey Lewis & the News, *Bad Is Bad*

  • Day 34 - A song that gets kinda philosophical: Too Short, *Life Is Too Short*

  • Day 35 - A Little Richard song: *Jenny Jenny*

  • Day 36 - Decades - 1950s: Bill Haley & His Comets, *Rock Around the Clock*

  • Day 37 - Decades - 1960s: The Crystals, *Then He Kissed Me*

  • Day 38 - Decades - 1970s: The Blues Brothers, *Rubber Biscuit*

  • Day 39 - Decades - 1980s: Slick Rick, *Children's Story*

  • Day 40 - Decades - 1990s: Placebo, *Pure Morning*

  • Day 41 - Decades - 2000s: Rage Against the Machine, *Renegades of Funk*

  • Day 42 - Decades - 2010s: Brockhampton, *STAR*

  • Day 43 - An artist whose name starts with a number: 2 Live Crew, *Banned In the USA*

  • Day 44 - An artist whose name starts with the letter A: Atmosphere, *Sunshine*

  • Day 45 - An artist whose name starts with the letter B: Baz Luhrman - *Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)*

  • Day 46 - An artist whose name starts with the letter C: Cake, *The Distance*

  • Day 47 - An artist whose name starts with the letter D: Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip, *Thou Shalt Always Kill*

  • Day 48 - An artist whose name starts with the letter E: Electric Six, *Jimmy Carter*

  • Day 49 - An artist whose name starts with the letter F: Flight of the Conchords, *Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros*

  • Day 50 - An artist whose name starts with the letter G: The Game, *Big Money*

  • Day 51 - An artist whose name starts with the letter H: Hootie & the Blowfish, *Only Wanna Be With You*

  • Day 52 - An artist whose name starts with the letter I: INXS, *Pretty Vegas*

  • Day 53 - An artist whose name starts with the letter J: Jidenna, *Long Live the Chief*

  • Day 54 - An artist whose name starts with the letter K: Kendrick Lamar, *DNA*

  • Day 55 - An artist whose name starts with the letter L: Lauryn Hill, *Lost Ones*

  • Day 56 - An artist whose name starts with the letter M: Marilyn Manson, *Disposable Teens*

  • Day 57 - An artist whose name starts with the letter N: NWA, *Fuck the Police*

  • Day 58 - An artist whose name starts with the letter O: Ol' Dirty Bastard, *Shimmy Shimmy Ya*

  • Day 59 - An artist whose name starts with the letter P: Public Enemy, *911 Is A Joke*

  • Day 60 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Q: Queen, *I Want To Break Free*

  • Day 61 - An artist whose name starts with the letter R: Rage Against the Machine, *Killing In the Name Of*

  • Day 62 - An artist whose name starts with the letter S: Sublime, *April 26, 1992*

  • Day 63 - An artist whose name starts with the letter T: Tom Petty, *The Last DJ*

  • Day 64 - An artist whose name starts with the letter U: U2, *Bullet the Blue Sky*

  • Day 65 - An artist whose name starts with the letter V: The Vines, *Get Free*

  • Day 66 - An artist whose name starts with the letter W: The Who, *My Generation*

  • Day 67 - An artist whose name starts with the letter X: X-Ray Specs, *Germ-Free Adolescent*

  • Day 68 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Y: YG & G-Eazy & Macklemore, *FDT Pt. 2*

  • Day 69 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Z: ZZ Top, *Gimme All Your Lovin'/Jesus Just Left Chicago*

  • Day 70 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 1: N.W.A., *Express Yourself*

  • Day 71 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 2: Eddy Grant, *Gimme Hope Jo'anna*

  • Day 72 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 3: Billie Eilish, *You Should See Me In A Crown*

  • Day 73 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 4: Creedence Clearwater Revival, *Fortunate Son*

  • Day 74 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 5: Faith No More, *We Care A Lot*

  • Day 75 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 6: Dolly Parton, *9 to 5*

  • Day 76 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 7: Melle Mel, *White Lines*

  • Day 77 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 8: Green Day, *Know Your Enemy*

  • Day 78 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 9: Lin-Manuel Miranda & Hamilton Cast, *My Shot*

  • Day 79 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 10: LCD Soundsystem, *North American Scum*

  • Day 80 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 11: David Bowie, *I'm Afraid of Americans*

  • Day 81 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 12: Madonna, *Express Yourself*

  • Day 82 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 13: Public Enemy, *MKLVFKWR*

  • Day 83 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 14: Rage Against the Machine f. Howard Beale, *The Ghost of Tom Joad*

  • Day 84 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 15: Bob Dylan, *A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall*

  • Day 85 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 16: Sex Pistols, *Anarchy In the U.K.*

  • Day 86 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 17: Hamilton Cast, *Guns and Ships*

  • Day 87 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 18: Run the Jewels & Zack De La Rocha, *Close Your Eyes (And Count To F*ck)

  • Day 88 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 19: The Doors, *Peace Frog*

  • Day 89 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 20: Gil-Scott Heron, *The Revolution Will Not Be Televised*

  • Day 90 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 21: NOFX, *You're Wrong*

  • *Day 91 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 22: The Coup & Justin Sane, *Your Parents' Cocaine*

  • Day 92 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 23: Prince, *P Control*

  • Day 93 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 24: Billy Bragg, *The Price of Oil*

  • Day 94 - Moldy Peaches, *Anyone Else But You*

  • Day 95 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 25: Kimya Dawson, *Loose Lips*

  • Day 96 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 26: The Nightwatchman, *The Road I Must Travel*

  • Day 97 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 27: Anti-Flag, *1 Trillion Dollars*

  • Day 98 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 28: Hamilton f. Jonathan Groff, *You'll Be Back*

  • Day 99 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 29: Danny Brown, *Radio Song*

  • Day 100 - 30 Days of Revolution Day 30: P*ssy Riot, *Make America Great Again*

  • Day 101 - Iris DeMent, *Let the Mystery Be*

  • Day 102 - Busta Rhymes, *Woo-Hah! Got You All In Check!* (Reimagined)

  • Day 103 - Meryn Cadell, *The Sweater*

  • Day 104 - The Go-Go's, *Throw Me A Curve*

  • Day 105 - LL Cool J, *My Rhyme Ain't Done*

  • Day 106 - Janelle Monae, *Dance Apocalyptic*

  • Day 107 - Major Lazer f. Pharrell, *Aerosol Can*

  • Day 108 - Georgia Satellites, *Keep Your Hands To Yourself*

  • Day 109 - Young MC, *Bust A Move*

  • Day 110 - Edwyn Collins, *The Magic Piper (Of Love)*

  • Day 111 - A Tribe Called Quest, *Can I Kick It*

  • Day 112 - Stone Temple Pilots, *Wicked Garden*

  • Day 113 - Digital Underground, *The Return of the Crazy One*

  • Day 114 - The B-52's, *Roam*

  • Day 115 - Eric B & Rakim, *Microphone Fiend*

  • Day 116 - The Struts, *Kiss This*

  • Day 117 - Lizzo, *Truth Hurts*

  • Day 118 - The Monkees, *Randy Scouse Git*

  • Day 119 - Childish Gambino f. Problem, *Sweatpants*

  • Day 120 - John Cougar Mellencamp, *Jackie O*

  • Day 121 - Beastie Boys, *Rhymin' and Stealin'*

  • Day 122 - Duran Duran, *The Chauffeur*

  • Day 123 - Pusha T f. Kendrick Lamar, *Nosetalgia*

  • Day 124 - Joss Stone, *Fell In Love With A Boy*

  • Day 125 - Digable Planets, *Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)*

  • Day 126 - Faith No More, *Mother*cker*

  • Day 127 - Biz Markie, *Just A Friend*

  • Day 128 - Trixter, *Give It To Me Good*

  • Day 129 - Tricky, *Vent*

  • Day 130 - Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, *I Love Creedence*

  • Day 131 - Shawn Brown, *Rappin' Duke*

  • Day 132 - Soul Asylum, *Black Gold*

  • Day 133 - A$AP Rocky, *L$D*

  • Day 134 - Prince, *Starfish and Coffee*

  • Day 135 - Vanilla Ice, *Ice Ice Baby*

  • Day 136 - T. Rex, *Bang a Gong (Get It On)*

  • Day 137 - Future, *Mask Off*

  • Day 138 - lovelytheband, *broken*

  • Day 139 - Urban Dance Squad, *Deeper Shade of Soul*

  • Day 140 - Dead Milkmen, *Bitchin' Camaro*

  • Day 141 - Afroman, *Drive Better Drunk*

  • Day 142 - Duran Duran, *New Religion*

  • Day 143 - Gil-Scott Heron, *Whitey On the Moon*

  • Day 144 - The Coup, *We've Got A Lot To Teach You, Cassius Green*

  • Day 145 - King Missile, *Detachable Penis*

  • Day 146 - Beastie Boys, *Slow Ride*

  • Day 147 - Blondie, *Dreaming*

  • Day 148 - Run-DMC, *It's Tricky*

  • Day 149 - Alexis Rose, *A Little Bit Alexis*

  • Day 150 - PM Dawn, *Set Adrift On Memory Bliss*

  • Day 151 - Garth Brooks, *Hard Luck Woman*

  • Day 152 - Black Sheep, *The Choice Is Yours*

  • Day 153 - Monkees, *I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone*

  • Day 154 - Nicki Minaj, *Barbie Dreams*

  • Day 155 - Cracker, *Low*

  • Day 156 - House of Pain, *Jump Around*

  • Day 157 - Jesus & Mary Chain f. Hope Sandoval, *Sometimes Always*

  • Day 158 - Lil Wayne f. Cory Gunz, *6 Foot, 7 Foot*

  • Day 159 - White Stripes, *Hotel Yorba*

  • Day 160 - Busta Rhymes & Eminem, *Calm Down*

  • Day 161 - Chris Rock, *No Sex In the Champagne Room*

  • Day 162 - Poison Clan, *Spoiled Rotten*

  • Day 163 - EMF, *Unbelievable*

  • Day 164 - Das EFX, *They Want EFX*

  • Day 165 - Stryper, *Honestly*

  • Day 166 - Danny Brown, *Grown Up*

  • Day 167 - Lily Allen, *LDN*

  • Day 168 - Fetty Wap & Monty, *My Way*

  • Day 169 - Nada Surf, *Popular*

  • Day 170 - Hamilton, *The Ten Duel Commandments*

  • Day 171 - Lenka, *The Show*

  • Day 172 - Outkast & Kelis, *Dracula's Wedding*

  • Day 173 - Rob Zombie, *Dragula*

  • Day 174 - Whodini, *Freaks Come Out At Night*

  • Day 175 - Ramones, *Pet Sematary*

  • Day 176 - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, *Nightmare On My Street*

  • Day 177 - Oasis, *The Hindu Times*

The Post-Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge

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What started out as the 30 songs in 30 days karaoke challenge has morphed into the Post-Apocalyptic Karaoke Challenge:

The world has ended. The music needs to be saved. One man, alone in a post-apocalyptic bunker which may make him the last human being alive, has pledged himself to to save all of popular music through karaoke! That man is Post-Apocalyptic Professor Rex!

Here's the list of songs he's saved so far!:

Day 1 - A song that you sing in the shower: Post Malone & Swae Lee, "Sunflower"
Day 2 - A song with a color in the title: White Stripes, "Blue Orchid"
Day 3 - A song by your favorite musician: Duran Duran, "Hungry Like the Wolf"
Day 4 - A song you’ve auditioned with: Tim Curry, "I Do the Rock"
Day 5 - A song you love to sing at karaoke: Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht, "m.A.A.d. City"
Day 6 - A song that makes you cry: Crash Test Dummies, "Superman's Song"
Day 7 - A song that is a challenge for you: Blackalicious, "Alphabet Aerobics"
Day 8 - A classic song: Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, "It Takes Two"
Day 9 - A song you’ve performed for an audience: Childish Gambino, "Bonfire"
Day 10 - A song about love: Skid Row, "I Remember You"
Day 11 - A song about a broken heart: U2 & B.B. King, "When Love Comes To Town"
Day 12 - A song from your dream role in a musical: "Keeping the Faith" from "Movin' Out" the Billy Joel jukebox musical
Day 13 - A song from the album you’re taking to a desert island with you: "Parents Just Don't Understand," by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince from "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper"
Day 14 - A song you’d love to be played at your wedding: Harry Connick Jr., "Recipe For Love"
Day 15 - A song that’s a cover from another artist: Frente, "Bizarre Love Triangle," originally by New Order
Day 16 - A song by a female vocalist: Girls Alound, "Love Machine"
Day 17 - A song by a male vocalist: Atmosphere, "Fortunate"
Day 18 - A song that has a lot of meaning for you: The Nightwatchman, "Flesh Shapes the Day"
Day 19 - A song that gives you all the feels: Tom Petty, "Walls"
Day 20 - A song that helps you when you’re down: OPM, "Heaven Is A Halfpipe"
Day 21 - A song with a good memory attached: Sir Mix-A-Lot, "Posse On Broadway/Buttermilk Biscuits"
Day 22 - A song from before you were born: Sly & The Family Stone, "Everyday People"
Day 23 - A song by an artist that you admire: Public Enemy, "He Got Game/911 Is A Joke"
Day 24 - A song by an artist no longer living: Prince, "Sometimes It Snows In April"
Day 25 - A song that reminds you of something you would rather forget about: Primitive Radio Gods, "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand"
Day 26 - A song that meant a lot to you when you were young: Beastie Boys, "Paul Revere"
Day 27 - A song you never get tired of: Audio Two, "Top Billin'"
Day 28 - A song no one would expect you to like: Martina McBride, "My Baby Loves Me"
Day 29 - A song that you used to love but don’t listen to much anymore: Goldie Lookin' Chain, "Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do"
Day 30 - A song you want to sing that didn’t fit these categories: Rob Zombie, "Feel So Numb"
Day 31 - May the Fourth be with you: Weird Al Yankovic, "Yoda"
Day 32 - A song by an artist you've already performed during this challenge: Prince, "Kiss"
Day 33 - A hidden gem from a popular artist: Huey Lewis & the News, *Bad Is Bad*
Day 34 - A song that gets kinda philosophical: Too Short, *Life Is Too Short*
Day 35 - A Little Richard song: *Jenny Jenny*
Day 36 - Decades - 1950s: Bill Haley & His Comets, *Rock Around the Clock*
Day 37 - Decades - 1960s: The Crystals, *Then He Kissed Me*
Day 38 - Decades - 1970s: The Blues Brothers, *Rubber Biscuit*
Day 39 - Decades - 1980s: Slick Rick, *Children's Story*
Day 40 - Decades - 1990s: Placebo, *Pure Morning*
Day 41 - Decades - 2000s: Rage Against the Machine, *Renegades of Funk*
Day 42 - Decades - 2010s: Brockhampton, *STAR*
Day 43 - An artist whose name starts with a number: 2 Live Crew, *Banned In the USA*
Day 44 - An artist whose name starts with the letter A: Atmosphere, *Sunshine*
Day 45 - An artist whose name starts with the letter B: Baz Luhrman - *Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)*
Day 46 - An artist whose name starts with the letter C: Cake, *The Distance*
Day 47 - An artist whose name starts with the letter D: Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip, *Thou Shalt Always Kill*
Day 48 - An artist whose name starts with the letter E: Electric Six, *Jimmy Carter*
Day 49 - An artist whose name starts with the letter F: Flight of the Conchords, *Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros*
Day 50 - An artist whose name starts with the letter G: The Game, *Big Money*
Day 51 - An artist whose name starts with the letter H: Hootie & the Blowfish, *Only Wanna Be With You*
Day 52 - An artist whose name starts with the letter I: INXS, *Pretty Vegas*
Day 53 - An artist whose name starts with the letter J: Jidenna, *Long Live the Chief*
Day 54 - An artist whose name starts with the letter K: Kendrick Lamar, *DNA*
Day 55 - An artist whose name starts with the letter L: Lauryn Hill, *Lost Ones*
Day 56 - An artist whose name starts with the letter M: Marilyn Manson, *Disposable Teens*
Day 57 - An artist whose name starts with the letter N: NWA, *Fuck the Police*
Day 58 - An artist whose name starts with the letter O: Ol' Dirty Bastard, *Shimmy Shimmy Ya*
Day 59 - An artist whose name starts with the letter P: Public Enemy, *911 Is A Joke*
Day 60 - An artist whose name starts with the letter Q: Queen, *I Want To Break Free*

Check out any of these videos on my FB page.

"Again" (Lyrical Collage) (With Footnotes)

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As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song “Again (Lyrical Collage),” which was formerly known as "Oi." This song is the second of my tracks that fits the concept of "lyrical collage" remade with slightly different lyrics and an original beat. The idea behind a lyrical collage is to take the original lyrics of a variety of different songs and fit them into a coherent rap song with a new sound and feel. In this case, the theme is double, all the songs are punk or ska songs and the lyrics are political/social commentary. There isn't much more to add, other than to give you the citations for each of the lyrics...

I know I'm artificial, but don't put the blame on me

I was reared with appliances, in a consumer society

X-Ray Spex, "Art-I-Ficial"

Go to work, it's such a drag

Face the boss, he's such a nag

The Ramones, "The Job That Ate My Brain"

All my life has been the same

I've learned to live by hate and pain

The Jam, "The Modern World"

I need sex, I need love, I need drink

I need drugs, I need food, I need cash

I need you to love me back

Buzzcocks, "I Need"

Now pass the blame and don't blame me

Just close your eyes and count to three

Madness, "Shut Up"

I see my place in American waste

Faced with choices I can't take

Black Flag, "American Waste"

Some people are bad and they don't give a damn

What they do or who they hurt

They go through their lives and don't apologize

For the shit that they've disturbed

The Vandals, "People That Are Going to Hell"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

Anti-Flag, "Resist"

Screechin' useless martyrs hangin’ naked upon the cross

They would have you believe the lie they shriek that all is lost

MC5, "Future Now"

Can it be true? They got nothing else to say

Do you think? They want it that way

Johnny Thunders, "Short Lives"

The benevolent and wise are being thwarted, ostracized

What a bummer, the world keeps getting dumber

NOFX, "Idiots Are Taking Over"

I can still see people dying, now who takes the blame?

The numbers are different, the crime is still the same

The Specials, "War Crimes"

And they're planning while I sleep

And even as we speak, to strike when I am weak

Reel Big Fish, "Everyone Else Is An Asshole"

All the power's in the hands of people rich enough to buy it

While we walk the street, too chicken to even try it

The Clash, "White Riot"

Illegal to dance, forbidden to cry

You do what you're told and never ask why

The Damned, "I Just Can't Be Happy Today"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again.

These are all reasons why I'll be exploding tonight

And why this chip on my shoulder feels like a mile wide

Less Than Jake, "Short Fuse Burning"

It's time to taste what you most fear

Right Guard will not help you here

Dead Kennedys, "Holiday in Cambodia"

And the people have the power, to redeem the work of fools

From the meek the graces shower, it's decreed the people rule

Patti Smith, "People Have the Power"

Still you defend the system that perpetuates your hate

Against All Authority, "Louder Than Words"

Why can't I ask any questions of what you say is true

Am I supposed to believe anything or just everything said by you?

Suicidal Tendencies, "Pledge Your Allegiance"

I ain't equipment, I ain't automatic

You won't find me, just staying static

Sex Pistols, "Problems"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again

Not as much but with such intensity

I'd like to be what they would not want me to be

Bad Brains, "I"

To the tension of a world on the wane

I shuffle around on wooden boards, now no longer afraid

Gang of Four, "I Will Be A Good Boy"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again.

"My Band Should Be Your Life" (With Footnotes)

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Here is the latest in my series of lyrical examinations of the songs of my albums, EPs, and mixtapes. As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the album "My Band Should Be Your Life." The album is very short and the lyrics aren't super plentiful, so I figured I could take on this whole album in one post. It's 17 songs and 13 minutes long and has several very strong influences. The first and most obvious is the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life," by Michael Azzerad. The book chronicles a variety of underground bands from the late 70s through the early 90s. I was reading the book when the idea for this album came to me (the title of the album is a direct reference). And, in particular several of the profiles in the book inspired what I was doing: Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Minutemen, and Big Black in particular. These influences are seen in three specific ways: 1. The songs are short and don't generally follow typical pop song structures. 2. The sounds are often jarring and harsh, at times purposely offensive to the ear of most listeners. 3. The lyrics are, generally speaking, very straight forward, simple and made to be sung along with. They're meant to inspire emotion in the moment and not necessarily meant to be thought about in-depth. Some other influences seep in, and they are mostly NOT in the lyrics as originally written, but were either part of the process of composing the beats (EDM, Moby) or recording the vocals (hip hop and, in one case, 60s garage rock).

In total, the whole album from idea to lyrics to beats to recording took about six hours. The idea was not to spend too much time on it, but to capture the ideas as quickly as possible and with as little overthinking as possible. Take the words, couple them with a beat and don't mess around with them too much. About half of the songs are first takes and all of them are single takes. Unlike previous songs and albums, on much of this album, the focus isn't just on the lyrics. The specific sounds used have meanings too, which hasn't always been the case with previous songwriting from me. Something else you might notice is that many of these beats are very, very fast, with quite a few of them topping 170 bmp and maybe only one below 100 bpm. The process of creating the album began with me basically thinking of a list of about 20 titles for punk-sounding songs and then picking the best 16 ideas (Downer is a cover that was already recorded). Then I sat and wrote all the lyrics in one day. The composing was split up between two different days, but took about two hours. I lost my microphone during the process and while I recorded two songs in Tallahassee, Florida, the rest were recorded with my laptop's internal mic in Alexandria, Virginia, in one session that took about two hours.

Now it's time to take a specific look at each song.

"Fuck Yeah"

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck yeah
Time to blow up, fuck yeah
Shut this shit down, fuck yeah
Go home no way, fuck yeah
Rock me rock you, fuck yeah
Rock everywhere, fuck yeah
Fast times fast days, fuck yeah
Come on come on, fuck yeah
Now now now now, fuck yeah
Live fast die old, fuck yeah
Fuck that stay bold, fuck yeah
Don't sleep not dead, fuck yeah
Win win win win, fuck yeah
Go go go go, fuck yeah
Never grow up, fuck yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fuck yeah
So a lot of the punk songs that influenced this album are very straight forward lyrically. They aren't exactly simplistic, but they aren't deep thoughts either. They're more meant to be chanted along with and danced to. That's what I was going for here. "Fuck yeah" is a kind of universal underground positive exclamation and I thought it worked well as an exclamation point at the end of each line in the song.

"Executive Action"

We're gonna rock the world
We're gonna rock the world
Executive action, executive action
Gonna take what we want
Gonna take what we want
Executive action, executive action
Get the fuck out our way
Get the fuck out our way
Executive action, executive action
Gonna change the world
Gonna change the world
Executive action, executive action
Gonna fuck shit up
Gonna fuck shit up
Executive action, executive action
You can't stop us now
You can't stop us now
Executive action, executive action
We can't be denied
We can't be denied
Executive action, executive action
Gonna rock the world
Gonna rock the world
Executive action, executive action

"Executive Action" was also meant to evoke a punk song. There is this strain of punk songs that have random ass titles that you sing along with and they don't exactly make that much sense independently and this was an allusion to that type of song. Executive action has no real meaning here, but it sounded really good with this beat.

"Didactic"

You can call me didactic
My style high spastic
My lyrics fly caustic
Punk rap shit I cracked it
While you slept I acted
Sound gets you ecstatic
This music be frantic
I came and I rocked it
You'd better not jack it
My heroes intergalactic
Never quit my antics
Words that will be classic
Ideas keep you captive
The changes will be drastic
Leave your life of plastic
Or your doom will be tragic

So a year or so ago, someone told me they didn't like reading my writing because I was too "didactic." To be honest, I didn't even know what the word meant and had to look it up. I came up with "intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive" and I was like "fuck yeah I do that on purpose." I was a professor for 11 years and the whole reason I write, both music and nonmusic, is to pass along information and moral instruction. So while she meant it in a negative light, I took it as a badge of honor. That led to the first line of the song and I wanted to make the song a little more complex than the rest of the album and I tried to include as many multisyllable and multi-word rhymes that fit the initial rhyme scheme. They don't all fit that pattern, but a lot do.

"Bombs Over Gaza"

The dead kid lying in the rubble
Covered in blood
No more school
No more laughter
No more birthdays
No more songs
His family, if they survived, which is far from certain, never to see him again
That dead kid, he doesn't care that you blew him up because you thought his uncle was a terrorist
Even if he was a terrorist
That kid doesn't care about your re-election campaign
He doesn't care about AIPAC
He doesn't care how Fox News is going to spin his death
He doesn't care how much you can fundraise off of his death
He doesn't care about any thing
Any more

I've been really torn on the latest conflict in the Middle East. I respect the right to exist of both Israel and of Palestine and other disputed territories. And I recognize that there are good and bad people on both sides of the conflict and some, on both sides, have done horrible things for what they think are good reasons. This song was meant as a specific rant against collateral damage and the idea that war is always a bad thing, no matter how honorable or correct your reasons for it are. And it was a direct attack on right-wing reactions to the conflict, all of which are basically immoral. The sound on this one is particularly unique for me. The samples used for the song are all bomb sounds. When I recorded the vocal, I didn't want it to sound like my straight up voice, so I hit the "vocoder" effect button, but it accidentally transformed both the vocals and the instrumental and the new sound was so awesome that I decided to leave it that way. The instrumental goes on well beyond the vocal, unlike the rest of the album, and that was on purpose to express that people still keep dying even after Americans quit talking about the topic. The sounds here were also purposefully jarring and meant to annoy the listener's ear, because dead kids should cause you some discomfort. I will note that my roommate's dog found the sound so offensive it barked and growled at the song when I played it. That is a perfect reaction.

"PMRC"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck
Jizz, jizz, jizz, jizz
Clit, clit, clit, clit
Cum, cum, cum, cum
Twat, twat, twat, twat
Cunt, cunt, cunt, cunt
Piss, piss, piss, piss
Prick, prick, prick, prick
Tits, tits, tits, tits
Dick, dick, dick, dick
Cock, cock, cock, cock
Nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts
Shit, shit, shit, shit
Ass, ass, ass, ass
Balls, balls, balls, balls
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck

Punk and rap music both share a fascination with profanity and this touches on that. But the title is PMRC, or the Parents Music Resource Council, with this being a specific rejection of that group's ridiculous worries about bad words as opposed to real problems. This isn't an original concept for a song, as performers as varied as Jello Biafra and Warrant have approached it on albums before, but it's still a problem that people get punished for words like "fuck" and not for things like fucking over entire demographic groups.

"Taxachusetts"

The things you say are dumb
You don't know shit
You lie, lie, lie
And others die, die, die
Your motives are suspect
Your life is a train wreck
Your ideas defective
You will be rejected
You can't win with truth
You brainwash the youth
You lie, lie, lie
And mothers cry, cry, cry
You select your own facts
Your values are cracked
You are fucking whack
You need to get smacked
Your theories are stupid
You don't act human
You lie, lie, lie
Our rights say bye, bye, bye
It sucks when we do it
It's okay when you do it
You suck and you know it
You suck and we know it
The postmodern man
You need to be banned
You lie, lie, lie
And kids fry, fry, fry
You don't wanna help us
You're so fucking selfish
Damn your whole clan
Fuck your game plan
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Lie, lie, lie
Bye, bye, bye

The first step in this song was the title, which is a common political phrase used by right-wing trolls. It's nonsensical in several ways (including the simple fact that Massachusetts doesn't have particularly high taxes and that it's one of the more successful states in terms of serving its citizens). In effect, it's a lie used by right wingers, but a simple "catchy" lie that is easy to remember and repeat. Then it became a simple matter of calling out the people who use the lie. The other interesting aspect of this one is that while it has no chorus, there is a hook that comes in the triple rhymes in the second couplet of each 8-bar verse, which I really liked conceptually.

"Madame President"

Don't want no corporate shill
Of that shit I've had my fill
Don't want another white man
Don't want a Limbaugh fan
Tired of the same old same old
Want someone brash, someone bold
Time for a new approach
With values above reproach
I want my leader to have no cock
To come from a different stock
We can have men again some day
After we've tried another way
A woman's place is in the White House
Don't report on the color of her blouse
Let's talk some substance
Not about her fucking pants
It's time to say goodbye
We don't see eye to eye
With you we have discontent
It's time for Madame President

This may be the most straightforward rap song and Professor Rex track on the album. No real metaphor or deeper message, straight to the point. The lyrics are a bit challenging, but mild for my political songs.

"God Hates Flags"

Love
Marriage
Rights
Nights
Parades
Sex
Fashion
Passion
Family
Art
Needs
Freedom
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
Conformity
Fake unity
Jingoism
Xenophobia
The poor
A war
Bombs
Guns
Death
Hatred
Death
Corpses
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
We like fags, we hate flags
God hates flags!

This one has maybe the punkiest chorus in terms of both lyrics and delivery. A lot of punk songs use challenging words, often with irony or subtext that many listeners don't get. I wanted to do that here with the use of the word "fag" in a celebratory sense. There is the obvious reference to the Fred Phelps clan which protests funerals and other things with signs that say "God hates fags." The first verse is a series of things that are popularly associated with gay people, while the second verse is things associated with nationalism and imperialism. The message is simple, gay people are good, nationalism and imperialism are bad.

"Who You Wanna"

Who you wanna be
Who you wanna fuck
Where you wanna go
What you wanna know

Quite a few punk songs have very sparse lyrics that are repeated and don't have particularly deep meanings, despite being profound in their simplicity. That was what I was going for here. The triple-layered vocals were meant to make it more of a crowd-led chant feel and one of the takes had a few mistakes in it and I left those in on purpose to give it variety and a little bit of humor.

"Losing My Head"

Don't know what I'm gonna do
Don't know what I'm supposed to say
Don't know what I'm gonna do
Don't know what to do today
Walls are closing in on me
Doors are always closed to me
Migraines are crushing me
Society is failing me
Why won't someone help me
Why can't I meet my needs
Why am I such a creep
Why am I so fucking weak
I'm losing my head
I'm losing my head
I'm losing my head
I'm losing my head

Self-loathing and anger at society are frequently topics for punk songs, so that was the idea here. There is also a direct reference to Minor Threat's "Straight Edge" in the delivery of the hook. There is some truth to the lyrics here, even if they're a bit melodramatic.

"True American"

1, 2, 3, 4. JFK! FDR!
So it's 50% drinking game, 50% life size Candy Land
By the way, the floor is molten lava
These are the pawns, they're the soldiers of the Secret Order
Remember everything that you hear in True American is a lie
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
All trash belongs...in the junk yard!
Howard Dean scream! Yea
When in the course of human events, you must surrender your shirt
Your butt just violated the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act
Welcome to Ellis Island folks
My name is Eli Whitney and I created the cotton gin
King of the Castle, baby
He's got the plague, scatter!

This one is one I really like. So it takes really hardcore-sounding, grating sounds and couples them with silly lines from an imaginary game from an often somewhat surreal sitcom, "New Girl" and it throws in a devil laugh. It should literally make no sense on the surface. But beneath that, it's a commentary on popular culture that is meant to be a bit muddled. I leave the deeper meaning to the listener to figure out.

"Can't Get Into Heaven"

I thought I'd died
And gone to Heaven
Not early, fucking late
Walked up to the Pearly Gates
What the fuck
A gated community
What the fuck
You trying to do to me
Can't get in your heaven
They don't want me there
And I don't care
And I don't care
Who are you trying
To keep out
If we're all dying
Got my fucking doubts
Your false paradise
What is it worth
Same fucking shit
As your Earth
Can't get in your heaven
They don't want me there
And I don't care
And I don't care
Take your exclusive
Life after death
Keep your sermons
Save your breath
I'd rather be
With common people
Than at your church
Or at your steeple
Can't get in your heaven
They don't want me there
And I don't care
And I don't care

Religion and religious dogma are often topics of punk songs and that's what this alludes to. This one has the most references in it, starting with the title and hook, which are a direct reference to the Opiate for the Masses song "Heaven." The first couplet in the song is an ironic reference to Bryan Adams "Thought I'd Died And Gone to Heaven," which is a sappy pop ballad that I try to turn on its head here. Next the "gated community" reference is an allusion to Jim Gaffigan's stand-up album "Beyond the Pale" where he asks: "Am I the only one that finds it odd heaven has gates? What kind of neighborhood is heaven in?" There's also a Pulp reference ("common people") towards the end. I love the hook on this one and it grew directly out of the beat, although I'm still not fully happy with the verses, which are a little choppier than I'd like.

"You Are Not What You Wear"

You are not your ironic t-shirt
You are not your facial hair
You are not your expensive shoes
You are not your 3-piece suit
You are not your hipster glasses
You are not your lapel flag pin
You are not your trucker hat
You are not your fucking wool cap
You are not your 6-inch heels
You are not your puffy down vest
You are not your barbwire tattoo
You are not your shirt from J Crew
You are not your rubber wrist band
You are not your skinny jeans
You are not the celebrity trend
You are not some fucking dead end
You are not some fucking dead end
You are not some fucking dead end
You are not some fucking dead end
You are not some fucking dead end

This song has one of my favorite beats on the album. If I heard these sounds come on in a club, I would rush to the dance floor, even if it's not a supremely danceable beat. I love to hear this sound over a loud speaker. It makes me happy. This was also one of my favorite ones to write and perform. I long wanted to do a song along the lines of "Take It Off" by De La Soul, but I didn't want it to be just a copy with different fashion choices. This one is different in that it's got a much harder edge and none of the De La Soul playfulness, despite being a silly subject. I like that contrast, particularly with the aggressive sounds in the background.

"Spin Cycle"

We're born
We grow
We learn
We know
We think
We eat
We drink
We meet
We wonder
We talk
We ponder
We walk
We go
We quit
We grow
We shit
We fight
We sleep
We spite
We reap
We need
We want
We bleed
We flaunt
We give
We take
We live
We hate
We laugh
We cry
We live
We die

My other favorite beat on the album, this one has a menacing aliveness to it, like an insect. But not a regular insect--a giant, scary, scaly insect with many legs. That the lyrics are about the "circle of life" ties into that sound in a really interesting contrast and connection for me.

"No"

No no no no

The idea here was to just do a call and response where the only words in the song were "no." Then I had the idea to expand that to various combinations of how I said "no," which were ad-libbed, some from memory (such as the initial one, which is derivative of "Nobody But Me," by the Human Beinz. I was in Tallahassee with the kids and had the idea to have them do the response. I had to record each of them separately and I decided to leave mistakes in, to make it more like it was a live show where drunken audience members wouldn't get them all correct.

"No Means No"

No means no
If she doesn't wanna go
No means no
That's all you need to know
No means no
It's not a TV show
No means no
American status quo
No means no
She's not your fucking hoe
No means no
Not a quid pro quo
No means no
What's your problem, I don't know
No means no
You're juvenile, gotta grow
No means no
Misogyny must go
No means no
You've gotta let it go
No means no
There is nothing you are owed
No means no
You seem kind of slow
No means no
You gotta go, go, go
No means no
Meet my taekwondo
No means no
We hate you head to toe
No means no
If she doesn't wanna go

The first idea here was that I wanted the track listing of the album to include a song called "No," later followed by a song that reiterated the point with "No Means No." I like to add more subtle messages like that to things I do. The specific track is dealing with an issue that is harsh, so I started with a nice sounding drum track and threw a discordant bass over it that overwhelmed what the original track was trying to say. That sonic metaphor works on two levels. The first is on the individual level, with the drum being the woman saying "no" and the bass being the rapist drowning out what she is saying. Then, on a higher level, the drum is the voices of women (and men) who have been raped and the bass is the societal chorus that drowns out the voices of women who have been assaulted and their allies. The vocal is supposed to sound more and more frantic over the course of the short song to alternately represent fear and/or frustration with the inadequacy of the common responses to someone reporting that they have been raped.

"Downer"

Portray sincerity act out of loyalty
Defend your free country wish away pain
Hand out lobotomys to save little familys
Surrealistic fantasy bland boring plain
Holy now in restitution
Living out our date with fusion
In our whole fleece, shun in bastard
Don't feel guilty master writing
Somebody says that their not much like I am
I know I can
Make up the words as you go along
I sing then some
Sickening pesimist hypocrite master
Conservative Communist apocalyptic bastard
Thank you dear God for putting me on this Earth
I feel very priviledged in debt for my thirst

While this beat is mine, the lyrics are Kurt Cobain. The lyrics are transcribed in the form they appeared in his diary. The idea to do the song as a chant came spontaneously, as did the decision to use all of the percussion beats on one note per bar and only ride the bass line for the rest of the song. I loved the way that sounded and I think it fits very well with the chant.

Upsetter (With Footnotes)

/

Here is the last in my series of lyrical examinations of the songs of my debut mixtape, "Core Nerd!"

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Upsetter."

The last song on my first mixtape was also the last one written. I was listening to a Lee "Scratch" Perry compilation one day, and an instrumental dub of "War in Babylon" by Max Romeo & the Upsetters came on. I loved the beat with a passion. I had been thinking that it was pretty common for rappers to compose songs to existing beats and put them on mixtapes or online releases. I had been wanting to do something like that, since all my previous songs had been using original beats that I made. So I decided to try this one.

Because this beat was a reggae beat, I decided to make a song that was in the spirit of that music, with themes of empowerment, unity, and revolution. Since it was a cross-genre song, I also wanted it to embrace that, and get to the heart of the idea that there are more of us than there are the people in power and that together, united, we can defeat them.

(War ina) Yes Yes

(War ina) People get ready

Feel the pressure drop

Make your body pop

(War ina) Yes Yes

(War ina) People get ready

Feel the pressure drop

Make your body pop

I love the snippets of dialog that made it into the dub from the original and I decided to work with them on these lyrics. There were also the specific references to other reggae songs here in the hook, "One Love/People Get Ready," from Bob Marley & the Wailers, and "Pressure Drop," by Toots & the Maytals. Make your body pop was a reference to the danceworthiness of most reggae and the obvious rhyme.

There's a war on the streets

A war for these beats

A war for some food

A war for some crude

The powers that be

Try to divide us

But they won't stop us

They can't deny us

The war theme here came out of two things, "War in Babylon" and the snippets from the original song, and the overall theme of this song about how we have to unify in the face of those who are trying to divide us.

Get up off your couch

And just do something

The power is within you

You'll be stopped by nothing

Do it yourself

DIY

Then we get together

And we're all gonna fly

It's very common for people to get discouraged in the face of big challenges and obstacles, the idea here was to turn that around and tell the individual that if they get up and do something, particularly if they team up with like-minded others, a lot can be accomplished.

No matter how hard they try

They can't stop us now

There's too many of us

They can't make us all bow

The harder they come

The harder they'll fall

A storm is coming

It's much bigger than a squall

Nothing particularly complicated in continuing the empowerment metaphors here. A lot of the revolutionary reggae I've heard had very simple empowering lyrics, so I went with that.

The thunder is coming

And so is the rain

Keep oppressing us

We're gonna bring the pain

We're gonna stand up

And shout out our names

The time has ended

For playing your games

Much of that revolutionary reggae also has simple metaphors, like those about thunder and rain and storms. There's also a Public Enemy "Bring the Pain" reference here. Lots and lots of PE references in my songs.

(Welcome)

I wanna welcome all the people

From all around the world

From the old men and women

To the little boys and girls

We're gonna have a party

And it's never gonna stop

We're gonna rise up

And we're never gonna drop

This verse owes its inspiration to Bob Marley and to the PE again, specifically the title of the song "Party for Your Right to Fight" and the concept that we need to celebrate and have fun, not just fight, or we'll lose our determination.

Spreading knowledge and facts

While having a good time

This time is yours

This time is mine

From street to street

And block to block

Punk, reggae, indie

And hip hop

I've long been convinced that spreading knowledge is one of the most important revolutionary acts one can engage in. I also think that the root impulses of punk, reggae, indie rock, and hip hop are all revolutionary and opposed to a system that oppresses people.

They control the TV

And the radio

Tell us what to think

Tell us what to know

Tell us who to love

Tell us who to hate

But we won't listen

Tearin down that gate

This section simply enumerates the forms of control the system tries to use on us.

I hate you for your dollars

You hate me for my color

I hate you for your splendor

You hate me for my gender

I hate you for your country

You hate me cuz you're hungry

I hate where you're from

You hate that we're numb

I hate that you're unbridled

You hate that I'm entitled

I hate who you love

You hate all of the above

We're gonna stop this hate

Before it gets too late

And this one lays out the specific things they use to divide us.

Rump barump barumpbabump

Rump barump barumpbabump

(It's sipple out deh) Be careful

(We slide out deh) Get a grip

(Oh yeah)

This section was in the original song and I like the idea of me copying the nonsensical sound and tying into the hook of the original. "Sipple" is Jamaican slang for slippery or slimy, so with that and the language about sliding, I thought that warning to be careful and get a grip would work well here.

When come pride

Then cometh shame

Honour shall uphold

The humble in name

This is the one passage that is from the Max Romeo version of the song. It fit well with the rest of the ideas I had been working with here and I wanted to give a shout-out to Romeo's lyrics, so I grabbed these four bars.

It's not about me

It's not about you

Lift us all up

Is what we gotta do

An explicit call for unity.

I'll never get tired

Of fighting your lies

We won't quit

Till we grasp the prize

Day after day

I spread the word

My speech is always clear

And never slurred

This section is about leading by example. I'm not just telling you what you should do, I'm telling you that I'm in the fight, too, and I won't ever get tired of fighting it.

(War ina) Yes Yes

(War ina) People get ready

Feel the pressure drop

Make your body pop

The hook returns.

There's a war on the streets

A war for these beats

A war for some food

A war for some crude

The powers that be

Try to divide us

But they won't stop us

They can't deny us

(A, oh yeah)

No matter how hard they try

They can't stop us now

There's too many of us

They can't make us all bow

The harder they come

The harder they'll fall

A storm is coming

It's much bigger than a squall

The thunder is coming

And so is the rain

Keep oppressing us

We're gonna bring the pain

We're gonna stand up

And shout out our names

The time has ended

For playing your games

I wanna welcome all the people

From all around the world

From the old men and women

To the little boys and girls

We're gonna have a party

And it's never gonna stop

We're gonna rise up

And we're never gonna drop

Spreading knowledge and facts

While having a good time

This time is yours

This time is mine

From street to street

And block to block

Punk, reggae, indie

And hip hop

This was a tactic I haven't used in other songs, the repetition of already sung verses. A lot of songs throughout history have used it and since the beat was so long compared to my usual songs, I decided this was the way to go.

Rump barump barumpbabump

Rump barump barumpbabump

(It's sipple out deh) Be careful

(We slide out deh) Get a grip

(Oh yeah)

Rump barump barumpbabump

Rump barump barumpbabump

(It's sipple out deh) Be careful

(We slide out deh) Get a grip

(Oh yeah)

I still love the snippets of the original dialog that made it into this beat.

"Knock That Shit Down" (With Footnotes)

/

Here is the first in my series of lyrical examinations of the songs of my latest mixtape, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The 41-Year-Old Version."

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Knock That Shit Down." This song didn't really have an overall theme beyond being a typical "I'm a good rapper, you're a bad rapper" type of thing. My approach with these songs is to try to do them in ways that bring in references that aren't usually in such songs AND to avoid actual appeals to violence.

Drivin through the mall like I'ma Blues Brother

I frequently do exercises where I pick a theme and write a set number of metaphors/similies/rhymes related to that theme. This one came from such an exercise about my favorite movies. One of the best scenes in "The Blues Brothers" involves the titular characters driving inside a mall.

I'ma drop a hit for your brother and your mother

Grab the mic and become your sister's lover

Not doing that shit for revenge

These lines were specifically set up to flip around a common rap trope, "I'll take your woman," suggesting that my music alone can make women fall in love with me, BUT in a different vein than these references usually take, I wasn't doing it as a way to get back at the theoretical opponent in the song, but because I was interested in the woman. The lines inherently contradict each other, which was done on purpose, leading into...

Stackin up blocks like I was Stonehenge

This line, which has nothing to do with anything. It would be a good metaphor if "stacking up blocks" had any meaning outside of the literal. It sounds like it should, but it doesn't as far as I know. The idea was to continue the nonsense of the previous line, leading into...

I know that shit doesn't make sense

What you think I'm the fuckin Fresh Prince?

This part establishes that I'm different from a clean, straight-forward rapper like Fresh Prince. I love his work, but I don't write like he does.

This shit ain't literal, you ain't literate

From that it was natural to combine "literal" and "literate" and bring it to the main thrust of the song, the attack on the fictional whack rapper.

The crowd is indifferent, you are ignorant

In you I got no interest, like recipes on Pinterest

I really liked the repetition of the initial "I" sound here. Pinterest is a visual social network and people share a lot of recipes on the site, which is dominated by women. I like it for other reasons, but I have no interest, whatsoever, in recipes.

Can I get a witness, I got lyrical fitness

You ain't nothing but lyrically witless

The first line is a Marvin Gaye shout-out followed by a rhyme I really like "lyrical fitness" with "lyrically witless."

You wanna-be AK strappers, Paduan rappers

Followed by one of my favorite rhymes ever. I'm really clearly separating myself here as a nerdcore rapper who doesn't like the guns and violence of gangsta rap. Paduans are the apprentice jedis from Star Wars and I'm saying here that if all a rapper can talk about is guns and violence, they're not that advanced.

Little big men, weak old lady slappers

Another condemnation of violence and the fact that the guys who revel in it think they are big men, when, in reality, they're more likely to be filled with enough weakness they might even strike a relatively defenseless person.

You are not a rapper, more like a present wrapper

You ain't lookin dapper, your career's in the crapper (shitty)

There are two things I really like in this couplet. The contrast of "rapper" and "present wrapper," and the SHITTY that comes in after I say "crapper." The recording isn't altered, I was just able to do a really deep voice there and it worked on the first take.

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, take that shit down

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, knock that shit down

The hook came quickly and easily and was the first part I wrote to this song. It instantly gave me the title, too.

Never had a crowd not love me on stage

A little bit of exaggeration, but not a lot. Of all the times I've done original songs on stage, people have been really into them except for one or two. Even those two times were more indifferent than dislike.

Out of my book you need to take a page

Have something to say, say it well

Conjure an image, cast a spell

My theory on that crowd response phenomenon is that my lyrics are much more interesting than many performers, so I'm suggesting that others could do the same if they wrote better lyrics, with a message of some sort (ironic since this song doesn't have a message) and came up with better imagery.

Who only gets just one shot?

If I flop, you know I won't stop

This is an Eminem reference, to the song "Lose Yourself" and the movie "8 Mile." It's not at all a diss, though, it's just a rejection of the concept that someone with talent only gets one shot. I don't think it mattered how many times Eminem failed, he was still going to succeed. I'm suggesting I have the same future (of success despite failure, NOT of being as successful or as good at rap as Eminem).

There's a lyrical technician who came to flex

Number one b-boy, Professor Rex

I loved this line when I wrote it long before this song. I used to cover LL Cool J's "My Rhyme Ain't Done," but there were a couple of lines I felt I had to change when I did it live. This one was because I didn't want to call myself LL on stage. The original lines went: "There's a lyrical technician who came to play/Number one b-boy LL Cool J." "Flex" and "Rex" fit very well.

Man outta time, man outta place

Feel like I'm from fuckin outer space

There are two references here. The first is from "Edison's Medicine," by Tesla. I can't remember the second one, but there is a song, rap I think, where the artist talks about feeling like he's from outer space.

Crab rappers don't feel the words I'm sayin

They can't understand the jams I'm playin

Crab rapper was always my favorite old-school hip hop insult.

Y'all can't break me, you cant fake me

Y'all motherfuckers can't take me

Y'all better thank me, you better bank me

Y'all motherfuckers better rank me (number one)

This is one of my favorite passages in the song, I love this type of rapid-fire spitting.

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, take that shit down

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, knock that shit down

The hook comes back.

I come in like a lion

Go out like a bigger lion

The second I wrote this I was super happy about it. "I come in like a lion" came to me and then I took the standard rap construction "in like a bad thing, out like a bigger badder thing," and asked myself what's bigger and badder than a lion? A bigger lion.

You come across my path, I'ma leave your girl crying

I'ma leave your mama crying, gonna leave your kids crying

All of whom will be crying from embarrassment, NOT violence.

Sneakin in my lab and you're always spyin

The stuff of your dreams, you know I'm supplyin

You keep tryin and tryin, and dyin and dyin

Your universal lameness, is the fact underlyin

This one is a shout-out to rappers who have really strong references to their success on their FIRST song or album. It's a optimistic concept and I've always liked it, so I used it here and elsewhere.

Faster than a pussycat, kill, kill

A reference to the Russ Meyer film, the title of which I always loved, by way of a shoutout to the B-52's song "Funplex."

Don't touch my drink, no spill, spill

Stormin the club like it's the Bastille

This one only works if I mispronounce the word Bastille, which I do on purpose. Another ironic comment about bad rappers who have no worldly knowledge.

Invading the stage like Bunker Hill

A reference to the Revolutionary War battle. Not sure if that technically counts as an "invasion," but I liked the image.

You're a mouse, I can walk out my door

Protest the White House

This is true. My work office is a block or two away from the White House and I have walked out of my office to join in protests over there, most recently after Sandy Hook, making it a subtle call back to the anti-violence portion at the beginning of the song.

I make shit happen, my name was on wikipedia before you started rapping

This is also another true reference. I've been writing online since 1998, and early on I was cited in several articles. Since then, several jobs I've had and activities I've engaged in have gotten me minor references on the online encyclopedia.

I was the shit before you started crapping (oh no!!!)

The shit/crap reference worked so well in verse one, I brought it back, with an additional immaturity reference. That works on two levels since making shit references is ironic as an immaturity reference.

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, take that shit down

Shut the fuck up, get the fuck out

Turn that shit off, knock that shit down

One more hook for the road.

"Rebels" (With Footnotes)

/

Here is the second in my series of lyrical examinations of the songs of my second mixtape, "Core Nerd II."

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Rebels." This song has a very specific origin, it's a response song to the tune "Accidental Racist," by Brad Paisley and LL Cool J. While I get what they were trying to do, and I applaud the goal, I think they failed. Oversimplifying racism and slavery (and its aftereffects) and equating slavery with hip hop style is not exactly a valid approach and it probably does more harm than help. So this was my response song, written the day I first heard of the original song. The beat decided the way the song sounded, even though I wrote the words first. In the original creation, it was a much slower song, but once I started recording, it got faster and I loved the new sound.

Accidental racist? Man kiss my ass

I start off explicitly rejecting Paisley's concept of "accidental" racism. It's a bullshit concept. Wearing a Confederate flag or putting in on your vehicle or something like that is an active decision to endorse racism. It's impossible to grow up in the South and not have people complain about it, so if you ignore those complaints, you aren't engaging in an accident, you've made a decision.

The bell ain't ringing and you get no hall pass

Rex is gonna take you to class

Let's talk a little bit about the past

Switching over to an intro that sets my credentials as a Professor by throwing out a few academic metaphors that are largely literal with me, as a former college professor who taught American history. The idea was to use the song as a jumping off point to address the lies and distortions used by Southerners. Beyond the basic premise, I wasn't really going after LL or Paisley, but the people who fly that evil, evil flag.

The rebel flag was a sign of treason

Starting with a very clear premise here that is 100% backed up by the historical record. The U.S. was the country that all of these racists were citizens of, then they engaged in treason against it in order to keep owning black people. None of this is debatable.

The reason you fly it doesn't matter

Some people give other reasons for why they fly the flag like "I'm not racist, it's about Southern history" and other such bullshit. But that doesn't matter, it's still a flag that represents treason and racism. I can't grab a Swastika and say that I'm wearing it to represent my paganism, it represents Nazis. Period. And the rebel flag represents the Confederacy, which was 100% a pro-slavery, anti-American institution.

Let me shatter that thought process

Your nonsense notions, let me address

It wasn't about slavery?

Man you must be joking

That flag's not racist?

Man what are you smoking?

It's all about Southern pride?

Man you must be toking

Fighting for a noble cause?

You gotta be joking

This section is all about actual quotes that I've had people tell me many times over the years. And not just from conservatives. Actual moderate, and even some liberal, white people believe these nonsensical lies that were made up after the fact to justify the evil of the Confederacy.

You think you're a rebel

But you side with the devil

You brag about your flag

But you're hanging with the scum bags

You think you're a rebel
But you side with the devil
You brag about your flag
But you're hanging with the scum bags

The chorus takes on the idea that Confederate sympathizers think of themselves as being against tyranny, when, in reality, they are siding with the tyrants.

States rights is just a code

Opening the door for Jim Crow

States rights to own slaves

To put millions in their graves

States rights to breed hate

To treat people like real estate

The second verse gets into some of the specific history, particularly the states' rights argument. But while many now talk about states rights in generic term, as if a piece of land can have a right, the reality is that states rights is dogwhistle language created to signal racism (amongst other evil things) without some people catching on. I'm not one of those who doesn't catch on. I know what you're doing and I'm going to call you out on it. During the Civil War, the only state right that was being fought for was the state's right to keep slavery legal.

Your state has no right

In this fight might wasn't right

I'm a firm believer that "might makes right" is not only invalid, it's immoral. And it's particularly immoral in connection with slavery.

This didn't all happen in the past

Southern racism was built to last

Here today and here tomorrow

Another massive misconception that white people toss out is the idea that all this racism stuff is in the distant past. It's nonsensical for many reasons, most notably that many racists are still running around out there saying racist things. Check YouTube comments, Twitter, Facebook, WorldNetDaily, any Southern local Republican Party, the Tea Party, etc.

Trail of tears, trail of sorrow

Here, I'm tying in slavery to the same kind of mindset that led to violence against Native Americans, another key factor in Southern history.

You think it ended in 1865?

That it didn't happen while you were alive

Wrong again, you need to know

This shit is now, not a long time ago

Summing up the basic argument that racism persists, which I expand upon in the next verse.

You think you're a rebel

But you side with the devil

You brag about your flag

But you're hanging with the scum bags

You think you're a rebel
But you side with the devil
You brag about your flag
But you're hanging with the scum bags

The chorus again.

Slavery ended but not so you'd notice

Bogus ferocious laws focused on the perpetuation

Of bondage and destitution, new institutions

Like peonage, sharecropping, the prison-lease system

Segregation, lynching, kept a race in their place

As defined by white men, it didn't end

Cycle of poverty, separate but equal

Slavery was part one, but there were many sequels

Basic history lesson of post-slavery racial domination by the white (male) majority. I'm tracing the throughline from slavery to the present, with the last two concepts, the cycle of poverty and separate but equal being things we still deal with in the present. "Separate but equal" here is absolutely NOT limited to old school segregation, even though that's where it started. Segregation is still widespread now, it's just done through different channels, many of them still legal.

Your history is a history of hate

You can't reform your past, it's too late

This is a shot at revisionist historians, starting with the post-Civil War era Southern historians who are the source of much of the revisionism that is still used today, all the way down the years to people in the present who have never studied history and try to say that it is whatever makes them look better and helps them get away with perpetuating hate.

Drop those old ideas and thoughts

Veneration of evil has got to stop

Tradition is often lauded as a good thing. Most of the time it isn't. Most of the time the "old ways" involved racism, sexism, homophobia, etc., and those things are never valid. Any tradition that venerates such ideas is wrong and should be eliminated, no matter how much people love it.

You lost, get over it

You were wrong and you know it

The first part of this is a bumper sticker I've seen a few times that has the Confederate flag crossed out like Ghostbusters. The idea being that those Southern Confederate ideas were tried out, people rejected them, it's time to move on. And the idea that, deep down, these people, on some level, have to know that they're wrong to be racist.

White power and white pride

Your cause has already died

Progress marches on, regardless of what conservatives think. This is a battle they can't win. Racism is widely recognized as an evil and we'll never move significantly back in that direction.

You think you're a rebel

But you side with the devil

You brag about your flag

But you're hanging with the scum bags

You think you're a rebel
But you side with the devil
You brag about your flag
But you're hanging with the scum bags

The chorus again.

Alexander Stephens was a traitor

Braxton Bragg was a traitor

Pierre Beauregard was a traitor

Nathan Bedford Forrest was a traitor

Stonewall Jackson was a traitor

Jefferson Davis was a traitor

Robert E. Lee was a traitor

All Confederates were traitors

This segment was specifically to call out the biggest and most well-known members of the Confederate Army, all of whom are still venerated in the South, through statues, building names, school names, etc. I wanted to go directly at the racists and call out their heroes by name, tossing one of the biggest insults in the right-wing lexicon: traitor.

The stars and bars were a sign of treason

The Blood Stained Banner was a sign of treason

The Bonnie Blue flag was a sign of treason

The Stainless Banner was a sign of treason

Similarly, you still see the stars and bars in the South all the time, including over some state capitols and incorporated into some state flags. This means that we have state governments in the South still endorsing treason and racism. Explicitly.

And they still are, they still are

It was important to reiterate that the racism of these people and symbols doesn't go away with time, it's just as strong now as it ever was.

Treason based on hate and subjugation of a race

Treason based on hate and subjugation of a race

Treason based on hate and subjugation of a race

Treason based on hate and subjugation of a race

This one was to make sure that I wasn't beating around the bush, to make sure listeners knew just how strongly I felt on the topic and to pound it into their heads. And, to me, there's absolutely no doubt that the South were traitors who engaged in treason so they could own black people. No debate is allowed on that topic, the historical record is so strong.

"Top 40" (With Footnotes)

/

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Top 40." This song is the first of my tracks that fits the concept of "lyrical collage." The idea behind a lyrical collage is to take the original lyrics of a variety of different songs and fit them into a coherent rap song with a new sound and feel. In this case, the theme is my favorite 40 hip hop artists. At least that was the original concept. I realized afterwards that my actual #1 favorite artist, Public Enemy, didn't make it into this track. That was an accident. There isn't much more to add, other than to give you the citations for each of the lyrics...

What's the matter with your life

Why you gotta mess with mine

Salt-N-Pepa, "None of Your Business"

Now I rock a house party at the drop of a hat

I'll beat a biter down with an aluminum bat

Beastie Boys, "Shake Your Rump"

There's no one syllable or phrase

That can adequately describe this new craze

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, "As We Go"

Get me on the court and I'm trouble

Last week fucked around and got a triple double

Ice Cube, "It Was A Good Day"

Not from the old school or the new

Applaud the boom, do what you want to

Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock, "Joy and Pain"

I get money, money I got

Stunts call me honey if they feel real hot

Audio Two, "Top Billin'"

Peace to this one and that one and them

That's the way I shout and I didn't miss one friend

Naughty By Nature, "Hip Hop Hooray"

I'm like the second plane that made the towers face off

That shit that let you know its really not a game dog

Mos Def, "Close Edge"

I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking

King of my jungle, just a gangster stalking

Ice-T, "Colors"

Have you ever seen a show with fellas on the mic

With one minute rhymes that don't come out right

Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, "The Show"

For any MC in any 52 states

I get psycho killer Norman Bates

Ol' Dirty Bastard, "Shimmy Shimmy Ya"

Do dat do dat do do dat dat dat

Do dat do dat do do dat dat dat

A Tribe Called Quest, "Award Tour"

Your real name is probably Bradworth or Bennett

Your verbal baggage ain't got nothing in it

Digital Underground, "The Way We Swing"

Now Kurtis Blow, Run DMC

You haven't heard a rap till you heard it from me

I'm the baddest rapper in history

And there will be no more after me

Shawn Brown, "Rappin' Duke"

We have no time for suckers

Who bite with their lowers and their uppers

You think that you're rockin, but you're not hip hoppin

So you best stop jockin at the masters

Digital Underground, "The Way We Swing"

Watch out for the medallion, my diamonds are reckless

Feels like a midget is hanging from my necklace

Ludacris, "Stand Up"

Allah o akbar and throw em some hot cars

Things we see on the screen are not ours

Kanye West, "Heard 'Em Say"

How many people die over these dead green guys

Ignorance and greed take their ass by surprise

Dr. Dre, "Been There, Done That"

I'm tired of backstabbing ass snakes with friendly grins

I'm tired of committing so many sins

Eminem, "If I Had"

The fence is too high to jump in jail

Too low to dig I might just touch hell hot

Outkast, "B.O.B."

A firing squad sensed the danger

When they're stung by the rapping ranger

Sugar Hill Gang, "Apache"

Mine eyes have seen the glory

Of the underground category

Afroman, "The American Dream"

Can you feel it, nothin can save you

For this is the season of catching the vapors

Biz Markie, "The Vapors"

I'm here to laugh, love, fuck and drink liquor

And help the damn revolution come quicker

The Coup, "Laugh, Love, Fuck"

I'm like fuck critics, you can kiss my whole asshole

If you don't like my lyrics, you can press fast forward

Jay-Z, "99 Problems"

Criminal minded, you've been blinded

Looking for a style like mine, you can't find it

Boogie Down Productions, "Criminal Minded"

This the kinda beat that go ra-ta-ta-ta

Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta

Missy Elliott, "Work it"

Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right

Cause both black and white are smokin crack tonight

2Pac, "Changes"

Now Kurtis Blow, Run DMC

You haven't heard a rap till you heard it from me

I'm the baddest rapper in history

And there will be no more after me

We have no time for suckers

Who bite with their lowers and their uppers

You think that you're rockin, but you're not hip hoppin

So you best stop jockin at the masters

The chorus again.

Here's a murder rap to keep you dancin

With a crime record like Charles Manson

NWA, "Straight Outta Compton"

Nobody's shootin, my body's made of hand grenade

Girl bled to death while she was tongue-kissin a razor blade

Fugees, "Fu-Gee-La"

E F F E C T

A smooth operator operating correctly

Eric B & Rakim, "Microphone Fiend"

How dare you ever try to step on my Suede shoes

Top Gun shut down your firm like Tom Cruise

Busta Rhymes, "Woo-Hah! Got You All In Check"

E F F E C T

A smooth operator operating correctly

Eric B & Rakim, "Microphone Fiend"

Neon king kong standin on my back

Can't stop to turn around broke my sacrophiliac

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, "The Message"

My oven is on high when I roast the quail

Tell Bill Clinton to go and inhale

Cypress Hill, "I Wanna Get High"

Sour baby ballin like a fetus

Sock on my cock like I'm Anthony Kiedis

Rhymefest, "Jackin' (It Got Ugly)"

The Lord raised Michaelangelo from the dead

So he can make a fresh painting of my head

LL Cool J, "My Rhyme Ain't Done"

Breaks to win and breaks to lose

But these here breaks will rock your shoes

Kurtis Blow, "The Breaks"

It's Christmas time in Hollis, Queens

Mom's cooking chicken and collard greens

Run DMC, "Christmas in Hollis"

Three 14 inch rims is running on the side

They riding on the side

Yeah, they running on the side

Three 14 inch rims is running on the side

They riding on the side

Yeah, they running on the side

Snoop Dogg, "From Tha Chuuuch to Da Palace"

Poppin', sockin', rockin' with a side of hip-hop

Because where we're goin' there ain't no stoppin'

Afrika Bambaataa, "Renegades of Funk" (In the style of Rage Against the Machine)

Dance to this fix and flex every muscle

Space can be filled if you rise like my lumber

Advance to the tune but don't do the hustle

shake, rattle, roll to my magic number

De La Soul, "Magic Number"

Now Kurtis Blow, Run DMC

You haven't heard a rap till you heard it from me

I'm the baddest rapper in history

And there will be no more after me

We have no time for suckers

Who bite with their lowers and their uppers

You think that you're rockin, but you're not hip hoppin

So you best stop jockin at the masters

The chorus again.

MCs, you like the way we swing?

Digital Underground, "The Way We Swing"

1, 2, 3, and to the 4

Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg, "Nuthin' But A G Thang"

Slide, slide, but that's the past, I got something brand new for that ass

Coolio, "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)"

Six minutes, six minutes, six minutes, Doug E. Fresh, you're on, o-o-on

Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, "The Show"

"Oi" (With Footnotes)

/

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Oi." This song is the second of my tracks that fits the concept of "lyrical collage" and the first recording for the mixtape of that same name. The idea behind a lyrical collage is to take the original lyrics of a variety of different songs and fit them into a coherent rap song with a new sound and feel. In this case, the theme is double, all the songs are punk or ska songs and the lyrics are political/social commentary. There isn't much more to add, other than to give you the citations for each of the lyrics...

I know I'm artificial, But don't put the blame on me

I was reared with appliances, In a consumer society

X-Ray Spex, "Art-I-Ficial"

Go to work, it's such a drag

Face the boss, he's such a nag

The Ramones, "The Job That Ate My Brain"

All my life has been the same

I've learned to live by hate and pain

The Jam, "The Modern World"

I need sex, I need love, I need drink

I need drugs, I need food, I need cash

I need you to love me back

Buzzcocks, "I Need"

Now pass the blame and don't blame me

Just close your eyes and count to three

Madness, "Shut Up"

I see my place in american waste

Faced with choices I can't take

Black Flag, "American Waste"

Some people are bad and they don't give a damn

what they do or who they hurt

They go through their lives and don't apologize

for the shit that they've disturbed

The Vandals, "People That Are Going to Hell"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

Anti-Flag, "Resist"

Screechin' useless martyrs hangin naked upon the cross

They would have you believe the lie they shriek that all is lost

MC5, "Future Now"

Can it be true? They got nothing else to say

Do you think? They want it that way

Johnny Thunders, "Short Lives"

the benevolent and wise are being thwarted, ostracized, what a bummer

the world keeps getting dumber

NOFX, "Idiots Are Taking Over"

I can still see people dying, now who takes the blame?

the numbers are different, the crime is still the same

The Specials, "War Crimes"

And they're planning while I sleep

And even as we speak To strike when I am weak

Reel Big Fish, "Everyone Else Is An Asshole"

All the power's in the hands

Of people rich enough to buy it

While we walk the street

Too chicken to even try it

The Clash, "White Riot"

Illegal to dance forbidden to cry

You do what you're told and never ask why

The Damned, "I Just Can't Be Happy Today"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again.

These are all reasons why I'll be exploding tonight

and why this chip on my shoulder feels like a mile wide

Less Than Jake, "Short Fuse Burning"

It's time to taste what you most fear

Right Guard will not help you here

Dead Kennedys, "Holiday in Cambodia"

When you think the night has seen your mind

That inside you're twisted and unkind

Let me stand to show that you are blind

Velvet Underground, "I'll Be Your Mirror"

Rebels with a cause came out of the sun

And spoke the only language they'd been given

Generation X, "Running With the Boss Sound"

And the people have the power, To redeem the work of fools

From the meek the graces shower, It's decreed the people rule

Patti Smith, "People Have the Power"

still you defend the system that perpetuates your hate

your institutions are corrupt, your way of thinking sucks, we've had enough

Against All Authority, "Louder Than Words"

Why can't I ask any questions of what you say is true

Am I supposed to believe anything or just everything said by you?

Suicidal Tendencies, "Pledge Your Allegiance"

I ain't equipment, I ain't automatic

You won't find me just staying static

Sex Pistols, "Problems"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again

Not as much but with such intensity

I'd like to be what they would not want me to be

Bad Brains, "I"

To the tension of a world on the wane

I shuffle around on wooden boards Now no longer afraid

Gang of Four, "I Will Be A Good Boy"

and i will not sit on broken glass,

not for you or anyone i will not cut my ass

The Misfits, "Spinal Remains"

I'll be a pharaoh soon, Rule from some golden tomb

Things will be different then, The sun will rise from here

Then I'll be ten feet tall, And you'll be nothing at all

Dead Boys, "Sonic Reducer"

I'm a lexicon devil with a battered brain

And I'm searchin' for a future-the world's my aim

The Germs, "Lexicon Devil"

I'm stubborn as a mule

And nobody breaks my rules

Iggy Pop, "New Values"

And if I'm acting like a king

Well, that's cause I'm a human being

New York Dolls, "Human Being"

I got something to say and I’ll say it again

I got something to sing and I’ll sing it again

I got something to scream and I’ll scream it again

The chorus again.

H-Y-P I'm hypnotised

H-Y-P I'm hypnotised

The Undertones, "Hypnotised"

For you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope

Cock Sparrer, "Get A Rope"

Bikini girls with machine guns

Bikini girls with machine guns

The Cramps, "Bikini Girls With Machine Guns"

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane,

Don't know when I'll be back again

Since Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, who I love, don't do any original songs, I had to include a cover for them and it was "Leaving On A Jet Plane."

The Lesson (With Footnotes)

/

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "The Lesson."

"The Lesson" is the first song I ever wrote. After a Cap City Mob recording session that led to one of the verses that now appears in "Liquid Thunder," I wanted to take a stab at writing a full song. As an introduction to myself, I wanted to do something that talked about my overall beliefs and KRS-One's "My Philosophy" was playing in the background. I was already Professor Rex by that point, so combining the idea from KRS-One with my name, the idea was of "The Lesson" was born. I quickly settled on a structure that would include eight verses of eight bars each, providing an introduction and seven key areas of my personal philosophy. My idea was always that the song would have no chorus, following in the footsteps of the main cover song I did at the time, the Beastie Boys "Paul Revere." During the time I was in Cap City Mob, a chorus and intro were added, but they never quite felt right to me, so when I went solo, they were taken out. I've also struggled to find a backing track for it and have often performed it with only a beat box or totally a capella. The current beat that I use with it won't be the final one.

I step up to the mic and it's time to teach the class

The central metaphor of the song, and of my entire catalog, is me as the teacher. I was an actual college professor for 10 years, so it's not that far-fetched an idea. The idea is that here I can finally teach the things I couldn't teach in the classroom, the real truths.

I'm here to drop some science bout the present, future, past

"Dropping science" was always my favorite hip hop metaphor, so I get it in here at the beginning of my first song.

This is T. Rex's Guide to Life

My nickname in college was T. Rex and my first blog was called "T. Rex's Guide to Life."

This is dedicated to the heroes in my life

This line originally read "this is dedicated to my children and my wife," but I changed it to this once I got divorced. Tributes to my kids appear in other songs.

Professor Rex is here to dispel your illusions

This was always a central philosophy for me, both as a teacher and as a writer (song or otherwise), debunking things that people believe but they shouldn't.

Like Obama's election I'll shatter your delusions

The song was originally written before Obama was running for office and it read "Like the midterm elections...." Prior to the 2006, a lot of Republicans were giddy with recent successes and were starting to talk about becoming a "permanent majority." I knew it was nonsense, but they couldn't see that their victories were shallow and the 2006 elections, where Democrats took control of Congress, were the first sign of that. In 2008, they couldn't believe that the voters soundly rejected their view of the country.

You people get your info from all the wrong places

Give your respect to all the wrong faces

This one is still talking to those Republicans alluded to in the previous lines, but is also broadened to include anybody who gets most of their info from television and the mainstream media.

The first thing you do is turn off your TV

The world wide web is the place you need to be

Freedom of information that's the key

That bland corporate truth will eat you like a zombie

Tying into the previous verse, this one makes my position clear: corporate media, particularly on television, is terrible for you and does not give you good information. Instead, you're much more likely to find the truth somewhere on the Internet, even though a lot of what is on the Internet sucks. And, of course, the more free information is, the better off people are.

28 days later you still don't know the truth

This line plays off the word zombie in the previous line, referencing one of my favorite movies in the genre. Zombie is a term also often used to describe political lies spread by conservatives that won't die no matter how many times they are debunked, which leads into the next few lines.

Bible beaters got you rejecting the proof

Global warming, evolution, science and logic

Ignorant neocons say it's nothing but a trick

Despite the undeniable truth of these things, conservatives still find a way to deny them.

The second thing you need to do is learn to free your mind

There are so many constraints on the way people think and the world (and our lives) would be a lot better if we could get past them.

The history book's written for the blind by the blind

Most of the history that we collectively know is pretty bad and inaccurate and people accept too many historical accounts from people who don't know what they're talking about.

The things they teach you in school in reality

The lies they feed you defy all morality

In much of the country, school curricula are controlled and influenced heavily by small-minded people with religious and political agendas that have little to do with reality and frequently include immoral components that are racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, etc.

They leave out the people who really took a chance

White washing history in ethnocentric rants

Real history is often sanitized and forced to fit into neat narratives that aren't real and that leave out people who don't fit the official story, even if that story is false.

Dumb-ass textbooks are a waste of your day

Never met a textbook that wasn't a piece of crap.

Get with the people, hear what they got to say

Oral history is one of the most important ways to learn about reality. Never take any one person's memory as fact, but gathering lots of memories from lots of people is the best way to get at most history and reality.

The third thing you do is put down your credit card

Close up your wallet, put up your guard

So much of American culture is focused on making us all into consumers, teaching us that, somehow, we're better people the more we spend. I'm saying we need to change that habit.

Quit buying shit that you don't need

And focus on only spending money when we need to or when it contributes to our happiness, not just to show off our status.

Fuck the Joneses, kill the greed

Based on the old-fashioned saying "keeping up with the Joneses," I here reject that concept and greed in general.

The whole world's trying to make you consumer

It's hard to stay away from consumerism when so many people and entities are forcing it upon us.

But that shit'll rot your brain just like a tumor

But we have to do it, because consumerism doesn't serve our purposes or improve our lives. It's all about transferring money from the many to the few, and therefore is evil.

Evil is the root of all money

A play on the traditional saying "money is the root of all evil." This term agrees with that, but flips it to the viewpoint that evil came first and the evil we see emanating from money and consumerism is why money was created in the first place.

Kills more people than crack, this shit ain't funny

While drug abuse is a serious issue, greed kills way more people than any drug ever would (or could).

The fourth thing you need to do is learn to use your power

Maybe the most important line in the song, as most people don't know how much power they have over their own lives and how much power they have to influence the lives of others.

It's democracy, don't vote then you're a coward

There's long been a debate about whether or not voting "matters," I'm obviously coming down on the side of it mattering here.

On election day, get out the vote

And just as important as individually voting is doing something to help make sure that others vote, too.

Shake up the system and rock the boat

And while voting is important, it's also important to do things that go further and shake the system to it's foundations and to ignore the old warning not to rock the boat.

American idiot? Man that's too nice

The line here was a clear statement that Green Day's scathing attack didn't go too far.

George fucking Bush got elected twice

The idea that even one person thought "you know what, George W. Bush would make a good president" is ludicrous, much less the fact that he actually became president.

Don't get started, I know he stole that shit

The vote was too close, that's how he jacked it

While there's very clear evidence that George W. Bush, with help of his brother Jeb and Kathryn Harris, stole the 2000 election, they were only able to do it because the election was too close. Smarter voters would've never allowed the two candidates to be that close together.

The fifth thing you do is kill all that noise

Drop the propaganda, learn some fucking poise

So many people talk so much nonsense about issues they don't really know about or understand. They're mostly just repeating propaganda they've heard from someone who has an agenda that doesn't involve telling the truth.

You spend all day on imaginary problems

Like you're worried bout ogres and goblins

These lines are particularly critical of right-wing politicians and pundits, who talk about things that aren't real problems in order to distract from the fact that not only aren't they solving the real problems, they're creating them.

Communists and terrorists ain't coming to get you

While terrorists, when they exists are a real problem, there just aren't as many of them and they aren't as likely to attack us in the U.S. as the fearmongers would have you to believe. The Communists that are around these days aren't a threat at all. And communism itself was never the problem, totalitarianism was.

Our biggest global problem is your short-sighted views

Racism, sexism, hatred and poverty

All of these problems affect the everyday lives of Americans more than terrorism or Communism did.

Open up your eyes and learn to see

Blindness is the biggest roadblock to Americans having the ability to solve the problems we face.

The next thing you need to do is start making love

Getting love and giving love

People act like sex is a bad thing. It's not, particularly consensual sex between adults. When it happens and people understand what they are doing, it's almost always a positive thing.

If I ruled the world, people'd fuck every day

It wouldn't even matter if you're bi, straight or gay

Again, consensual sex between adults is valid in its many different forms.

Everybody needs to get laid more

The more good things we have in our life, the less bad things we have.

And stop calling sexual women fucking whores

Women have the equal right to want or desire sex and shouldn't be judged negatively for enjoying or wanting sex.

The more sex we get the more relaxed we are

We stop blowing kids up in imperialistic wars

Not a lot of wars and killings are engaged in by people who are getting regular sex.

The last thing you do is get up off your butt

Get out the house, get out of the rut

America needs you, and the world does, too

There's so much shit that we gotta do

We can't leave this mess for future generations

We gotta overcome our doubts and frustrations

We need your help to make the world a better place

The last section doesn't have any deeper meaning, it's just a direct call to action.

Till you get up off your ass, I'm gonna be in your face!

And a reminder that I'm not going anyway and until we solve these problems, I'll be here to remind you about them and your role in solving them.

"Slave" (With Footnotes)

/

As I say in the song Liquid Thunder, "My rhymes are so dense you're gonna need footnotes." Here they are...

This time, for the song "Slave."

"Slave" is the second song I ever wrote. This was when I was doing my songs mostly a capella at open mic night and it was definitely done in a style that would work well for slam poetry nights. The rhymes are simple and the rhythm primarily comes from repetition, something I over-relied upon in the early days. I still like the sound of it, though, and crowds always seem to like it, even grabbing on to the repetitive chanting.

The premise is pretty simple, I think most people enslave themselves to various things that prevent them from becoming enlightened or evolving or being free or being happy. The second and third verses explain what the cost of that mental slavery is. The song probably most owes its origin to the Public Enemy line from "He Got Game," where Chuck D says: "payin mental rent/to corporate presidents/one outta million residents/bein dissident/who ain't kissin it." The lyrics are pretty simple and don't need a lot of explanation.

You made yourself a slave to the man

"The man" is pretty open-ended here, whether it be a politician, your boss, the police, whatever.

You made yourself a slave to beer can

You made yourself a slave to the crack

Addiction is an obvious slave master.

You made yourself a slave to the payback

This one works in multiple ways, most notably financial debt or revenge.

You made yourself a slave to herd

Groupthink, hive mind, whatever you want to call it when people go along to get along and refuse to think for themselves.

You made yourself a slave to wrong words

This one also could mean many different things: ideology, religion, media, propaganda, etc.

You made yourself a slave to hate

The things we hate often shape us more than the things we love. That's a bad idea.

You made yourself a slave to going rate

The metaphor here alludes to the idea of being resistant to change or to always doing things the same way, even if there might be better ways to do things.

You made yourself a slave to grass

This is for the extreme potheads who do nothing but smoke and watch TV or play videogames or whatever.

You made yourself a slave to wrong ass

You made yourself a slave to vd

Obviously if your life is based around getting laid, you're probably in trouble and VD is just one of the worries you'll have.

You made yourself a slave to tv

Most TV sucks and the worst TV is very, very dangerous to our ways of thinking.

You made yourself a slave to grind

When your life becomes only about work, making money, materialism, keeping up with the Joneses, etc., you have no life.

You made yourself a slave to wrong minds

There are many so-called thinkers, experts, and philosophers who really don't know what they are talking about and the millions of people who follow them, at best, are fooling themselves. At worst, they're killing others.

You made yourself a slave to a fake god

This can mean a literal god or a metaphorical one, but any "god" that teaches you hate, materialism, greed, or other similar sins is false.

You made yourself a slave to the cash wad

Again, if it's all about the Benjamins for you, you have problems, you're focused on the wrong things in life.

Get up, get up, get up, get up

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up

Stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up

...and get down

The chorus is telling the listener to break out of their slavery and become free. The "and get down" part is very much performed in a Beastie Boys voice and usually cracks the audience up after the seriousness of the rest of the song.

What's the price you pay for being a slave

The focus of this verse is to ask, now that we've identified what makes people a slave, what does that mean? What is the cost of being a slave to these various things?

What's the price you pay for the roads you don't pave

The failure to invest in infrastructure is a drag on the economy and particularly hurts the lower classes.

What's the price you pay for being cool

As an individual, what problems do you create for yourself based upon your efforts to be "cool" or acceptable to others, particularly when those things aren't part of who you really are?

What's the price you pay for being a fool

What's the price you pay for being dumb

These two are synonyms, of course. They say ignorance is bliss, but is that really the case? Dumb people seem to die a lot younger and they seem to have a host of other problems, higher debt, more jail time, etc. It's easier not to learn things, but how bad does that mess your life up? And how much does that end up meaning that you cost yourself more in the long run?

What's the price you pay for getting some

A lot of people live their lives for sex. Sex with the wrong person or at the wrong time can cause lots of problems and if your only focus is on sex, it's unlikely you can find any happiness that way.

What's the price you pay for being asleep

Many people are smart enough to realize what's going on but turn a blind eye, making them complicit in the wrongness that happens.

What's the price you pay for not making a peep

Similarly, people that know something is wrong and don't speak up about it are complicit.

What's the price you pay for being greedy

What's the price you pay for ignoring the needy

One of the biggest problems we face as a society is greed and the connected ignoring of those in need because of that greed.

What's the price you pay for hating the ladies

Closely connected is widespread sexism and treatment of women as second-class citizens...

What's the price you pay for not feeding the babies

...which goes hand-in-hand with the failure to adequately care for children (as a society).

What's the price you pay for being numb

Many of these problems are interconnected, like the idea of tuning out or ignoring horrors when they happen because they are just too much to deal with. Doesn't matter why you don't act, just that you don't act.

What's the price you pay for dropping the bomb

The idea that we need to drop bombs on countries to save them has to be one of the most ludicrous ideas ever foisted upon the masses.

What's the price you pay for being a slave

Bring it back full circle to the beginning of the verse.

What's the price you pay for the lives you don't save

And tying it all together, the idea that all of these forms of slavery and failure to stand up and fight those forms of slavery lead to many, many lives lost, both literally and metaphorically.

Get up, get up, get up, get up

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up

Stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up

...and get down

The chorus again.

It destroys your goals to be such a fool

It steals your soul to be such a fool

It eats your mind to be such a fool

It burns your eyes blind to be such a fool

It ends your schemes to be such a fool

It crushes your dreams to be such a fool

It costs you your name to be such a fool

It makes you lame to be such a fool

It takes all your power to be such a fool
It makes you a coward to be such a fool
It cuts you like a knife to be such a fool
It ends your fucking life to be such a fool
It spends all your ends to be such a fool
It drives away all your friends to be such a fool
It makes you a slave to be such a fool
It drives you to your fucking grave to be such a fool

There really isn't a lot to add to the third verse, it's pretty straightforward and addresses the potential problems with being a blind fool.

Get up, get up, get up, get up

Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up

Stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up

...and get down

The chorus once again.