Lyrics Of The Week: June 28 - July 4

There's quite a bit of repetition in the game these days, and specific lyrics tend to get overlooked (with the exception of Jay-Z's recent "leaks"). This is an opportunity to take a closer listen and really consider what these artists have to say. We encourage your opinions. 

Keep in mind, these are the most noteworthy lyrics of the week, not necessarily the best. Also, it's hard to get everything right - if you notice any errors, don't hesitate to let us know in the comments section. Lines we're not quite sure about will be bolded.  

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As far as numbers go, the words to the semi-title track from Jay-Z's new Magna Carta Holy Grail album were the most popular of the week. This is probably due in part to the fact that it borrows lyrics from Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" hit, of which Hov is apparently a huge fan. There's some crossover intrigue here.

Jay spoke on the band's influence in Pharrell Williams’ 2012 book 'Places and Spaces I’ve Been.' "It was weird because Hip Hop was becoming this force, then grunge music stopped it for one second, ya know? Those 'hair bands' were too easy for us to take out; when Kurt Cobain came with that statement it was like, 'We got to wait awhile.'" "That statement" being the track's bridge, sung by his close friend and collaborator Justin Timberlake. 

Thoughts? 

[Verse 2: Jay-Z]
Blue told me to remind you niggas
Fuck that shit y’all talk about
I'm the nigga, caught up in all these lights and cameras
But look what that shit did to Hammer
God-damnit it I like it
The bright lights is enticing
But look what it did to Tyson
All that money in one night
30 mill for one fight
But soon as all the money blows, all the pigeons take flight
Fuck the fame, keep cheating on me
What I do, I took her back, fool me twice
That's my bad, I can't even blame her for that
Enough to make me wanna murder, Momma please just get my bail
I know nobody to blame
Kurt Cobain, I did it to myself

[Brigde: Justin Timberlake]
And we all just entertainers
And we're stupid, and contagious

Click the badge to rest the rest of this track and all the other MCHG lyrics:  

The latest leak from Tech N9ne's upcoming album Something Else, which drops on July 30th. This track's just mind-boggling, with each emcee spitting rapidfire, multisyllabic verses spit over a haunting church organ instrumental. Strange music indeed. Can you wrap your head around it? 

Transcribing this one was a chore, though - let us know if you notice any errors.  

[Verse 1: Tech N9ne]
Wanna sit beside a sick and seductive sinner, see
Somethin so sinister, sick as succus, I'm like a centipede
Slitherin', she's searchin for synergy
Suckin' my seed, chakra tease, thick as sippin' Hennessy, shittin'
On the hissin', I'll spit you outta commission
Position the bitch and dip in when I'm interested, slip into submission
All of this is the quick in, the copulatin' and kissin'
My operation is drippin' to the bottom, shakin' and strippin'
Odd when I bust, God, put 'em in the necropolis
Givin' this rod to the good broads, and they givin' they bras to us
With the gift to break up a couple that's monogamous
Stop with the props and take off your effin' drawers, bitch
And rock with us!
Been giddy cause them titties are on my chin-chinny chin
Did he pretend he was a gin kitty?
Suckin' the crème de la crème and the skin pretty, dim
Lit, then he hitting the trim in Sin City
Let it in, I'm the medicine, get her wetter than ever been
Never better than a veteran, leveled that in the bed again
Rockin red, I've been in my letterman, bright as Edison
Like I said, a sin, head up when events end and I'm fetishin'
Open up you hoes, you know what's up
Told you when I bust, her clothes they wanna just
Go right off her butt, for sure they wanna cut
Explode, drop a load, 'cause the flow is so dope they wanna fuck

Click the badge below to read the other verses: 

The latest from rising Flatbush emcees and Brainfeeder signees The Underachievers. While reflecting on their respective come-ups, they encourage listeners to weather the struggle, rise above negativity and embrace their inner spirituality, strengthening knowledge of self. There's hope for the rap game yet. 

Thoughts?  

[Verse 1: Issa Gold]
I remember being young
Life gave me nothin' but hard drugs and black lungs
And the teacher says you're smart, but niggas ain't catch passin'
We outside gettin' high instead of in classrooms
The pastors preachin' disasters to the masses
These actors, through political fuckin' bastards
They're lackin', any real fuckin' spiritual backin'
It's tragic, I'm tellin' you niggas that I ain't havin' it
Pick it up where you just left it off
Light-bearing conscience, my chakra strong
Negative dissipate 'til the pain get lost
And the positive energy hit strong like Thor
Third eye sharp like a mothafuckin' hawk
And it pick apart livin' hearts trapped inside the dark
Make 'em see their heart, 'cause they Indigo from the start
But they're trapped in an illusion, so it ain't their fault
Get up on your shit, switch up your lane
If life ain't goin' right then seek out change
Take a trip out into the astral plane
And recognize, nigga, that you are not the same
A martian, reppin' the light 'til I see coffins
The hardest, UA the illest, my nigga - solvin' problems
'Cause the rap game is full of garbage
Fathers, from that, my nigga, my soul is foreign

[Hook]
All your life they said that you ain't gon' be shit
Pick it up now and watch the tables switch
Reality is yours, my nigga, create it
Indigo soul, we run this bitch
Indigo soul, we run this bitch

Click the badge to read AK's verse: 

A few months ago, Slug described Atmosphere as "the Bob Seger of underground rap." This week, the Minnesota outfit dropped an homage to the rock and roll singer-songwriter, if only in its title. Slug has never been a dishonest rapper - if anything, he's been brutally honest over the course of his career. This song is no exception, and finds him reflecting on the process of growing older and slowing down.  

Can you dig it? 

[Verse 2]
I ain’t as cool as I used to be, leave me alone
I’m kinda blurry from the journey, man, my speakers are blown
Truthfully, I'd rather keep it in a zone
I could maneuver easily from the comfort of my home, but
Don’t ever let the headlights die
Stars only fall out of the dead night sky
The more I travel, the farther I see
The more it seems as if my shadow ain’t following me
Now everyone’s impressed with impressions
All of y'all dressed up in the finest flesh
I’m not tryin' to imply I’m on a different page
Similar traits, familiar faces
I remember the days when I felt like fightin' it
Lost in the ways of my own self-righteousness
Feels like I’m still tryna find my fix
Before this lightning hits...

Click the badge below to read the rest:

Sponsored by Grassroots Suicide Prevention, this track will appear on NYC rapper/activist AWKWORD’s upcoming 100% for-charity global Hip Hop project "World View." We'll let the artist speak for himself on this one: 

"As we have seen with the passing of Capital Steez and Freddy E this past year, we have a mental health and suicide issue in Hip Hop, and this is representative of a larger trend in America, with a suicide occurring every 15 minutes. Aaron Swartz, the founder of Reddit, was systematically targeted, arrested, prosecuted and harassed by the federal government, essentially for being down with the likes of Wikileaks and seeking freedom of information. He was 26 when he was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment, having hanged himself... I can relate, as I do quite personally in my new song '#AaronSwartz.'"

Whatever your thoughts may be, the message here is an undeniably positive one. 

[Verse 3: AWKWORD]
A suicide occurs every 15 minutes
And then there's the rest still living with the sickness
F the jargon, dogma and the stigma
F the plastic people making you feel lesser
Wrestler, W-W-F ya
'Cause we been through it all, just in our heads, bruh
And then you got the real life (real life)
Being alone, feeling alone, who needs life?
But twist it all around, if you really don't care
Now's your chance to do what you want, yeah, so dare
Better than taking your own life, or theirs
'Cause nobody deserves death before its fair
And life ain't, and we all know that
But there are so many groups who can help you hold back
And not only that, they might put your life on a track
I wish Aaron Swartz was still here to hear this rap

Click the badge to read the rest of the words: 

A standout track from Da$h's new V.I.C.E.S mixtape, featuring Ab-Soul and RetcH and produced by RandomBlackDude, who may or may not be Earl Sweatshirt. Although Soulo undoubtedly merks the track, Da$h and Retch hold their own as well, menacingly complementing the chilling, alleyway-at-nighttime instrumental. From Soul dancing with the ghost of his deceased girlfriend to Da$h dematerializing after a violent bank robbery, this track is a dark trip. 

Thoughts? 

[Verse 1: Ab-Soul]
...sinister literature
Read my riddles it'll get rid of ya quicker than Ritalin
Red bones leave me with a ridden dick, how real is this?
Think of cinnamon, cinema - sweet
'Til the servant serves you the vinegar, it's deep
Simple as finding algorithms in statistics
Walking with your children in the red light district
Look at me - dancing with Alori's ghost
Hope I don't got two left feet, you know I love you mama!
Keep my ear to the street, concrete jungle
At the top dog eat dog homie, stay humble
If it'll be it'll be, damn straight
My plan A was to beat up a beat
Put words together like Scrabble, dazzle a audience
At first it sounded like babble, but now it all makes sense
I brought it 'round full circle for y'all squares
Bad to the bone, you goody two-shoes couldn't compare, yeah
If fair is fair I'm the air
Not next to the king, but what you breathe
You may not see, but believe me I'm there
This inspiration, I been here before
I'm on my 777th incarnation, Soul

[Hook]
I-H-A-T-E-Y-O-U

[Verse 2: Da$h]
Wake up and read about my capers in the Sunday papers
Young Vincent Vega
Got a date with Uma Thurman later
Prescription drugs run through the arteries
Tell myself, this what a god should be
The engine run, don't need no starter key
Pray to lord the devil pardon me
Immortal, partially
I tell Benson to pull up through the portal
Just so he could fuckin' toss the piece
No traces, no faces, beat the court cases
Cowboy like I'm Troy Aikman
Walk in the bank, yolk up the teller, tell him crack the safe
Grab the case, then ash the blunt in the bastard's face
Then evaporate
Don't got no time to waste, more than I make it seem, though
Gettin' paid for spittin' mean quotes
Backflip off a motherfuckin' speed boat
Land on a dolphin
Laser on his head just in case I see a shark fin
I do it often, lay in your coffin
Niggas better off, my bitches draped in terrycloth
I'm a idol for every boss - you been a fraud
I play the track and bet a rack on the horses
With an Iraqi bitch, her features is gorgeous
I did all this... nigga
Smell the scent when I walk in the room nigga
'Cause if you ain't know, it's money nigga
Every dollar, every day gettin' fast money
Act like you ma'fuckin' know

Click the badge to read Retch's verse: 

7.) Most Belligerent: A$AP Ferg ft. A$AP Rocky - Shabba

"Probably bumping R. Kelly sipping Cristal / So you know the whole world getting pissed on." -A$AP Rocky

The first official single from A$AP Ferg's upcoming Trap Lord project, featuring close friend and collaborator A$AP Rocky. An homage to popular Jamaican dancehall musician Shabba Ranks, Ferg maintains an eccentric, high-energy grittiness and even lapses into patois at one point. Rocky's contribution, although slightly calmer, still complements the belligerent tone of the track. 

Thoughts? Trap Lord is slated to drop on August 20th, by the way.    

[Verse 1: A$AP Ferg]
Short nigga but my dick tall
What I told your bitch dog
Only thug nigga down at the Pitchfork
Dirty van bitches wanna suck my dick off
Pop a Xany for a penny get the hit floor
Run up in this shit raw
I got a girl, I ain't never got no fuckin' condoms
If she caught me, then that bitch would be pissed off
Real nigga shit, Fergy be mobbing all day, prolly with Marty or Jay
Them my niggas from back in the day, Tarzan ain't showing the space
He prolly the one with the K, fronting then he letting it spray
Two shots to a bombaclot man, Shabba Ranks let it go to your brain
Front then he coming your way
Let the semi dump, dump then he coming your way
Dump when the bad man come, my youth don't rock with me
Coupe full of bad hoes, they all wanna come with me
You got a coupe with a sad ho cause she wanna come with me

Click the badge to read the rest: 

Well, Chingy came out of nowhere and decided to put his own spin on Kanye West's "New Slaves." We'll leave the commentary on this one up to all of y'all. 

Stay tuned for next Friday’s Lyrics of the Week, folks. Thanks for joining the discussion. 

[Verse 1: Chingy]
Let it be known, I saw the light when I was carried up
D-boys sellin' weight (wait), I'm sellin' "hurry up"
Tryna put back this truth before they bury us
You think they don't care about us? Really, they scared of us
You live in fear of them, that's why they stay ahead of us
You worship false idols - them, instead of us
Put my faith in me, in the dollar do trust
Dog eat dog world, and in models you lust
Lust - tear the Vatican to share the facts
'Bout the infinite conscience you lack
Hip Hop resurrected, and the sponsors are black
On the tour to wake up, and the concerts is packed
Shout-out to Jay-Z, gave me inspiration
To rearrange the rules and create a nation
Realize with your real eyes
Believe them churches all you want, but they still lie
Endless stillness is my life fulfillment
Winners willing to live life as villains
Now that I know what has been elevated
I'm the anointed one who's been illuminated

Click the badge below to read 'Ye's words: