Review Summary: "I’m content to die for my beliefs. So cut off my head and make me a martyr…the people will always remember it"
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"No!... They will forget."
Immortal Technique is a revolutionary first, rapper second. That means he’s original. That means he’s authentic. That means his purpose in life is to instill people with the truth to inspire them into meaningful action:
Quote:
The purpose of life is a life with a purpose
So I’d rather die for a cause than live a life that is worthless
I don’t need the circus or the day of national observance
I need you to think for you and stop being a servant
Pawns only move a square in the game that they’re used in
And realise it too late, like the shootin’ of Huey Newton
Or Patrice Lumumba and Salvador Allende
Slaughter by the power hungry branches of their own gente
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Realizing many of his listeners are skeptical to his arguments, in this case, the reality of having enemies among people they trust, he always backs up his conclusions with multiple arguments that are taken from concrete facts:
Quote:
Ghandi wasn’t killed by Pakistani nationals
He was assassinated by a Hindu radical
And Che Guevara, rebel to a U.S. continent
Was sold to the C.I.A. by Bolivian communists
Wasn’t Yitzhak Rabin murdered by a Zionist
And Anwar Sadat a victim of the same violence?
Malcolm X was seen as a threat to the F.B.I.
But to blast ‘em they used Muslims from the N.O.I.
Even the 35th President of the Republic
Was murdered by factions of his own government
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Then he goes on to further paint a picture of reality needed for people to understand the point of his music. On the song 'Rich Man's World (1%)' Immortal Technique raps as if hes one of USA’s rich corrupt CEO’s buying off the US government to essentially enslave the entire population for the benefit of a rich mans world:
Quote:
You know my CEO masonic steeez: cheese
Only little people pay all these taxes and fees
Since you were born we controlled what you watch and you read
And pretty soon were gonna own the ***ing air that you breathe
I take what I want ***er I don't have to say please
I'll convince you that it's good for you, take it and leave
You think presidents are the face of a nation?
I put em all where they are, end of the conversation.
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But if you thought all he could do was get mad you are wrong, an introspective side of IT is shown on 'Toast to the Dead':
Quote:
A toast to the dead
For rap legends and pioneers
Your legacy won't be forsaken as long as I am here
Knowledge of the past and wisdom of the present
I'll teach and leave in the hands of a worthy lieutenant
A toast to the dead
For children with cancer and AIDS
A cure exists and you probably could have been saved
Sad to see medicine divorce morality
Corporate homewreckers pimping up the salary
A toast to the dead
For those that'll die today
The victims and those exonerated by DNA
The only thing worse than giving freedom to the guilty
Is killing the innocent and leaving your soul filthy
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The CD reaches its most serious, deep and poetic point during 'Eye in the Sky', and then 'Goonies Never Die' serves as a brilliant comedic juxtaposition. This sets the mood for the upcoming songs, which are much less negative and angry than the first tracks which show that Tech’s anger comes from love for his people. In the song Natural Beauty:
Quote:
Bunch of peacock bitches in a cocaine canopy
And if you're healthy they make you think you're a manatee
Look how they invented this eurocentric insanity
Got your brains washed to the point you're bleaching your skin
Blind to the truth, and can't see the beauty within
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This quote ^ might sound prejudiced, but its really rational anger directed at an evil few who deserve it, Tech explains, in the next song 'Civil War':
Quote:
So I never hate on the South: I respect they vision
I just hate on niggas that promote Samboism
And white execs that love to see us in that position
They reflect the stereotypes of America's vision
They want us dancing, cooning and hollering
Only respect us for playing sports and modeling
More than racism: it's stay in your place-ism
More people are trapped in practical blackface-ism
So *** a Civil War between the North and the South
It's between field niggas and slaves that are stuck in the house
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Killer Mike and Brother Ali also both drop brilliantly crafted verses about the same topic: guiding hate towards those who deserve it and explaining why they deserve it, on the same track Brother Ali says:
Quote:
Make you burn Qu'rans and tell me not to build a mosque
Me, my wife and babies we ain't never made jihad
We just want to touch our heads to the floor and talk to god
Ask him to remove every blemish from our heart
The greatest threat of harm doesn't come from any bomb
The moment you refuse the human rights for just a few
What happens when that few includes you? Civil war
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Every song has something to add on here, its never just a good feature or a good Immortal Technique verse; it is always both. The album starts slow but by the end it is astounding. Anyone who thinks rap is becoming about less and less these days should give this CD a listen. If you aren't into rap try tracks 'Eye in the Sky', 'Natural Beauty', and 'Ultimas Palabras', you may respect I.T. as an activist, then respect him as a musician, and will then understand real Hip Hop. Immortal Technique has one of the best ears for raw cultured Hip Hop and gets respect from some of the greatest emcees of all time where many others simply don’t. The result is the exact opposite of what you have been hearing on the radio lately. Everything in the album, from production down to the album's skits are brilliant for setting the mood. Overall, for a mixtape, this is an absolute masterpiece and it could change your life. Listen.
