11/30/2005 - Still Standing
Song: Still Standing
Artist: Goodie Mob
Why this song is the current jam: The last verse by Cee-Lo is what makes this song for me. This group is one of my favorite rap groups (a list that gets shorter the older I get) and for good reason. Their first album, Soul Food, was really a departure from most of rap when it came out. It was strikingly confessional and not really commercial. These guys are contemporaries and homies with Outkast and together with them, they really put Atlanta on the map for Hip Hop. And this is before Hey Ya and I Like the Way You Move, before Stankonia even, way before Lil Jon began to dominate the charts. What they brought was a unique perspective into their own minds and lives, one that showed them as human and vulnerable at times, even in the midst of braggadocio and raps about crime. The driving force that differentiated this group from others was Cee-Lo. He is the one with the really distinctive, stanky voice. He is an amazing rapper, he can sing, and he really says some seriously insightful shit sometimes. Like most people he (and the rest of the group) are both. I think this idea of people being not one thing or another but rather both is important to remember, especially when it comes to rap music. It seems like either you are a commercial whore like 50 Cent who sells violence and sex or you are a lyrical genius like Common who is infallable, wise and free of vice. Neither of these views are true of course, rather it is always some mix of both ends of the spectrum (and more because they are real people), and the same goes for Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob. Not everything they say is gold. But, their perspective is really enlightening and worthwhile and makes for some really good music. If you are into hip hop at all, you should check out Soul Food. This song is off of their 2nd album, and I could do without the other rappers on here. It really is all about Cee-Lo to me. His words actually hold some weight here. He speaks about how he perceives the nature of how individuals and their thoughts fit into the grand scheme of life and nature. And aside from some tight rhymes, he delivers this verse with such intensity and reverence that it seems more honest than just the words themselves. You can hear how much he cares about his ideas and words, and the idea of his words being immortalized in rhyme is THE classic poetic theme - eternal life through words on a page. (or in this case, rhymes in a song) I am including the lyrics to his verse for those who can't catch em the first time. Cee-Lo also has two solo albums that are good too. Check out those and more Goodie Mob and old Outkast for some real, introspective music that actually does keep it real.
Final Verse: Cee-Lo
Yeah..
Each and every element that exists in this
universe is manifested from a thought first
Through the inner mind's eye of the unseen power in the sky
Gave birth to Mother Earth and all it's worth to you and I
This most loved invention, my conciousness is an extension
of Him, yet I'm flesh and bone with a mind of my own
To dig deeper than the surface, whether I learn
from your upcomings or your downfalls we all have individual purpose
It's amazing, how the streets do the majority of raising
of children who end up dead before hearing what you said
And it's sad, so all I can write about is what I had
Interpretations of life good and bad with a pen and pad
It seems like abortion, when I just write a small portion
It's either crumpled up or torn without lettin the thought be born
Young minded, and blinded in those days; I didn't want to
have a thought that I couldn't raise, nurture, and care for
Be there for, help prepare for, the times ahead
When someone doesn't agree with what is said, huh
And if they did, don't get all arrogant cause that's my kid
Just be thankful that it's good and somebody overstood
Now, the listener's ear they want the same flow but I gotta let it grow
Love it enough to let it go, if I don't wanna rap no mo'
And I'll make sure that no one ever forgets
It's immortalized forever, on wax CD's and casettes
And when someone goes to the store and purchases it for ten
The life cycle starts all over again
And I was granted this music as my soulmate, to procreate
and give back what I was given, a life worth livin
And I, am Still Standing, unscathed
Pain is for suckers to feel
MC's are running out of things to say, and
radio stations running out of songs to play, shit!
We Still Standing, unscathed
And pain is for suckers to feel, huh
And MC's running out of things to say...
Artist: Goodie Mob
Why this song is the current jam: The last verse by Cee-Lo is what makes this song for me. This group is one of my favorite rap groups (a list that gets shorter the older I get) and for good reason. Their first album, Soul Food, was really a departure from most of rap when it came out. It was strikingly confessional and not really commercial. These guys are contemporaries and homies with Outkast and together with them, they really put Atlanta on the map for Hip Hop. And this is before Hey Ya and I Like the Way You Move, before Stankonia even, way before Lil Jon began to dominate the charts. What they brought was a unique perspective into their own minds and lives, one that showed them as human and vulnerable at times, even in the midst of braggadocio and raps about crime. The driving force that differentiated this group from others was Cee-Lo. He is the one with the really distinctive, stanky voice. He is an amazing rapper, he can sing, and he really says some seriously insightful shit sometimes. Like most people he (and the rest of the group) are both. I think this idea of people being not one thing or another but rather both is important to remember, especially when it comes to rap music. It seems like either you are a commercial whore like 50 Cent who sells violence and sex or you are a lyrical genius like Common who is infallable, wise and free of vice. Neither of these views are true of course, rather it is always some mix of both ends of the spectrum (and more because they are real people), and the same goes for Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob. Not everything they say is gold. But, their perspective is really enlightening and worthwhile and makes for some really good music. If you are into hip hop at all, you should check out Soul Food. This song is off of their 2nd album, and I could do without the other rappers on here. It really is all about Cee-Lo to me. His words actually hold some weight here. He speaks about how he perceives the nature of how individuals and their thoughts fit into the grand scheme of life and nature. And aside from some tight rhymes, he delivers this verse with such intensity and reverence that it seems more honest than just the words themselves. You can hear how much he cares about his ideas and words, and the idea of his words being immortalized in rhyme is THE classic poetic theme - eternal life through words on a page. (or in this case, rhymes in a song) I am including the lyrics to his verse for those who can't catch em the first time. Cee-Lo also has two solo albums that are good too. Check out those and more Goodie Mob and old Outkast for some real, introspective music that actually does keep it real.
Final Verse: Cee-Lo
Yeah..
Each and every element that exists in this
universe is manifested from a thought first
Through the inner mind's eye of the unseen power in the sky
Gave birth to Mother Earth and all it's worth to you and I
This most loved invention, my conciousness is an extension
of Him, yet I'm flesh and bone with a mind of my own
To dig deeper than the surface, whether I learn
from your upcomings or your downfalls we all have individual purpose
It's amazing, how the streets do the majority of raising
of children who end up dead before hearing what you said
And it's sad, so all I can write about is what I had
Interpretations of life good and bad with a pen and pad
It seems like abortion, when I just write a small portion
It's either crumpled up or torn without lettin the thought be born
Young minded, and blinded in those days; I didn't want to
have a thought that I couldn't raise, nurture, and care for
Be there for, help prepare for, the times ahead
When someone doesn't agree with what is said, huh
And if they did, don't get all arrogant cause that's my kid
Just be thankful that it's good and somebody overstood
Now, the listener's ear they want the same flow but I gotta let it grow
Love it enough to let it go, if I don't wanna rap no mo'
And I'll make sure that no one ever forgets
It's immortalized forever, on wax CD's and casettes
And when someone goes to the store and purchases it for ten
The life cycle starts all over again
And I was granted this music as my soulmate, to procreate
and give back what I was given, a life worth livin
And I, am Still Standing, unscathed
Pain is for suckers to feel
MC's are running out of things to say, and
radio stations running out of songs to play, shit!
We Still Standing, unscathed
And pain is for suckers to feel, huh
And MC's running out of things to say...
posted by Peetski at 6:06 AM
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