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Pandemonium

by Baba Brinkman

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1.
Stand Buy Me 04:09
I’m in love with love itself, and nothin’ else I got some skills but I still feel like I’m covered in filth I suffer in silence as science struggles to discover the wonder pill Or five-hundred-mil potion designed to peel me open And melt the frozen ocean within To remind me of a time when I still felt emotion Before my life was defined by self-promotion I kneel with a child’s devotion at the altar of fame And inhale the foul smoke with open bronchial veins And a smile on my face as I stoke the cauldron’s flames And I know you’ll probably say that it’s all part of the game But I still thought it was strange when I started to change And forgot my friends’ names reachin’ up to the stars Now what they are is customers who pay a cover charge And make sure my hunger for praise doesn’t starve So my love is under guard and locked in the yard I’m talkin’ hard, barkin’ like a dog or a prisoner Afraid to admit that all I want is a visitor That isn’t a business call or product distributor But the path is blocked like a neurotransmitter inhibitor I don’t want to be free; I want you to buy me Or at least sample me; come on, try me Where’s your brand loyalty? Stand by me ‘Cause I let my livelihood define me I’m probably dense – obviously I’ve got a lot less common sense than a lot of men Trapped in a state of REM I can’t seem to comprehend what it takes to create An audience, and the consequence Is a lot of empty seats at shows and no Spot on MTV or top-ten CD I’m an MC that flows with a lot of intensity But when it comes to promotions there’s no one as dense as me With anti-social tendencies my over-dependence On donated energy is the only pretense I need To keep me from standing in the streets Handing out leaflets to random people Which keeps me from landing on my feet And at the end of the week when my expenses exceed My income, and then some, my only excuse Is a list of the things that I didn’t do A bunch of missed opportunities and lost revenues Probably ‘cause I acted like a kid and refused To pay my limited dues, so now I’m singin’ the blues I don’t want to be free; I want you to buy me Or at least sample me; come on, try me Where’s your brand loyalty? Stand by me ‘Cause I let my livelihood define me It’s a no-brainer; I can’t say it any plainer I’m from the olden days, a golden-age entertainer I stole a page from my favourite book when I was an English major And translated it, so I’m known as an innovator I’m energetic when I take centre stage, like a generator Venerated like a sage, enraged like a demonstrator Crazed with indignation ‘cause my cause is so just I’m dedicated to makin’ crowds applaud and go nuts And my shows are sensational, but nobody shows up And so my temptation is to just stop and close up Shop and go back to composing dope cuts Alone with no fuss, and ignore the drive That I was born with to perform live I’d rather be poor and live a normal life Than go on tour and watch foreigners form lines And swarm like flies or hornets to the hive To hear my subordinates’ boring rhymes While I’m ignored at shows with forty-five Seats where four or five people compete For the door prize, just ‘cause I’m disorganized I don’t want to be free; I want you to buy me Or at least sample me; come on, try me Where’s your brand loyalty? Stand by me ‘Cause I let my livelihood define me
2.
Barcode 03:41
Rap is the opiate of the masses You’re smokin’ it when you shake your asses In case of emergency, break your glasses And run around blind as I play with matches I’m burnin’ down the house – talkin’ heads Asphyxiate, now they’re droppin’ dead Some try to play possum instead And stay home safe in their coffin beds Rap is the opiate of the masses You’re smokin’ it when you shake your asses And act inappropriate, or lay back And play this track to stay distracted I’m burnin’ down the house – don’t panic Obviously this heat is volcanic But who knows whether or not it’s authentic? Forget about that and dance god dammit When I scan the crowd like a barcode And I see your eyes sparkle Like diamonds hiding in charcoal That’s when I start to go berserko… I’m trapped underground like I’m buried alive But I wanna get it crunk like Mary J. Blige And make the vibe straight go berserk But I can’t get it crunk; I’m a Northerner Top 40 got me feelin’ like a foreigner It’s all four-letter words and a formula When the chorus comes, better warm it up Like Kris-Kross, and we dress like clowns ‘Cause it’s hiphop, and we come to bounce So I didn’t write this for the underground Well I did, but then I had to dumb it down And rap without a brain, just lungs and sound To make the crowd go insane, and jump around Like House of Pain, and there’s no comin’ down So everybody dive in the funk and drown Your ability to distinguish between Authentic and mainstream like you’re still a teen We all feel the need to act the Philistine When the DJ drops the beat guillotine And brings in the bass-line from “Billy Jean” And it may seem like I’m askin’ “please Forget about your critical faculties” But that’s just the way that it has to be When you work in a hiphop factory When I scan the crowd like a barcode And I see your eyes sparkle Like diamonds hiding in charcoal That’s when I start to go berzerko… Girls! All I wanna do is go to The club and get loaded and go Home at like four in the mornin’ With my friends Dancin’ and laughin’ and havin’ The times of our lives and never Havin’ anything hassle us Ever again I love real hiphop like Posdanous Or Black Thought from the Roots y’all, that’s the truth But rap today is all mass-produced It’s like capital gain is the absolute I’m tryin’ to capture the taste of the passion fruit Like back in the day on the avenue Before rap music was ever designed Like fast food for the assembly line I’m goin’ back to the groove of like ’79 I wanna put that vibe in a jam and capture it Standardize it and manufacture it And stand aside as my brand is blasted From dance clubs to instant classic Now throw up your hands like fans of Jurassic Five, feelin’ alive and fantastic And that’s why this vibe is handcrafted I can’t mask it, I’m ready to blow My gasket, I guess it’s inevitable When the drums and the melody comes, just let it go Be sensible: hey, you never know Maybe revolution is preventable And dance music is the antidote So when your sanity reaches the end of its rope You can blow off steam on the dance flo’ When I scan the crowd like a barcode And I see your eyes sparkle Like diamonds hiding in charcoal That’s when I start to go berzerko… Girls! All I wanna do is go to The club and get loaded and go Home at like four in the mornin’ With my friends Dancin’ and laughin’ and havin’ The times of our lives and never Havin’ anything hassle us Ever again Rap is the opiate of the masses You're smokin' it when you shake your asses Burnin' burnin' burnin' down the house!
3.
Covenant 04:42
This is a covenant For all my cousins and brothers and sisters lovin’ it I wanna see some hip-hop heads in government I swear to God; we should be runnin’ it, instead of this Fundamentalist son of a bitch; twisted Neo-Cons Holdin’ a fleet of bombs worse than Vietnam I wanna be like John Lennon singin’ freedom songs Come on, people, respond if you’re feelin’ me; reach for the ceilin’ Increase your ability to rebel against The tyranny of military intelligence Pre-emptive strike isn’t a synonym for self-defense Go ahead and tell it to the skeletons who live in a prison of limited vision This is, and it isn’t, a metaphor I wanna see some freestyle battles instead of war I wanna feel like real peace is what we’re headed for Instead of a settled score Let’s invent a better agenda than this endless vendetta When the gold rush is over the covenant’s comin’ To get some hopes up, and get some parties crackin’ wide open Like some coconuts, and get some crowds goin’ nuts If you know what I’m goin’ on about then let me know it! This is a catalyst For this tragedy of common extravagance This is critical mass, and when it collapses We’ll be livin’ as savages, after the cataclysm When this planet isn’t inhabitable we’ll reminisce About a state of existence that isn’t primitive Like day and night, when the light cycle is limited This is definitive, but it isn’t inevitable If we get committed to better alternatives The trick is learnin’ to live with impermanence We better get this jet ready for some turbulence But whose concern is this? When the engine is burnin’ Then everyone begins turnin’ to survivalists But any vital statistics I try to list Get dismissed as pessimistic; it’s idleness That’s why defiance is justifiable This fight is final so I define this alliance as tribal When the gold rush is over the covenant’s comin’ To get some hopes up, and get some parties crackin’ wide open Like some coconuts, and get some crowds goin’ nuts If you know what I’m goin’ on about then let me know it! When the gold rush is over the covenant’s comin’ To get some hopes up, and get some parties crackin’ wide open Like some coconuts, and get some crowds goin’ nuts If you know what I’m goin’ on about then let me know it! This is a battle cry I’m tryin’ to rally the gadflies to ask why Society has to be stratified; that’s right We’re like the Last Samurai attackin’ a line of cannons Tryin’ to find some kind of advantage or leverage And the watchword is cock-sure irreverence So we’re lookin’ to hip-hop for deliverance ‘Cause the cycle never ends; it just goes right to the beginning again After extinction level events are introduced Like a riot with a few quiet interludes. When the fight has been moved to your living-rooms Then what’cha gonna do? This revolution isn’t a coup It’s a mood you gotta get into when the trial ends Mahatma Ghandi style with non-violence But it’s a wildin’-out song now, ‘cause silence Would leave us environmentally like the last Polynesians survivin’ On Easter Island, so keep freestylin’ When the gold rush is over the covenant’s comin’ To get some hopes up, and get some parties crackin’ wide open Like some coconuts, and get some crowds goin’ nuts If you know what I’m goin’ on about then let me know it! This is a testament To the infinite potential of citizens To get together and begin settlin’ differences Instead of splittin’ like The Commitments; Lauryn hit it when she said, “Hypocrites Always wanna play innocent;” it’s no excuse These evasive clichés are over-used It’s been makin’ me crazy enough to blow a fuse But the grass is growin’ roots, and after this moment of massive Over-graspin’ is over, we’ll know what to do to moderate And all this faith in technology is not the way We’ve gotta change the way we operate and stop the waste ‘Cause it’s not safe, and often the race to the bottom is automated When the way to the top is difficult Hate it or not, your response is pivotal You could stay sedated and watch and say it’s pitiful Or get involved with it and build critical skills And get your representatives ready for this political will When the gold rush is over the covenant’s comin’ To get some hopes up, and get some parties crackin’ wide open Like some coconuts, and get some crowds goin’ nuts If you know what I’m goin’ on about then let me know it!
4.
Grateful 04:01
Inside a cave I hide away in a state of hibernation I lie stationary, wide awake; in violation Of my impatience, I wait for the change in vibration That signifies swings of tide in the basin Of my relationship with civilization I created this place; this is my station And I can exchange it, like a fish’s migration From glaciers to find nascent riverside locations And this is why spaces I occupy go vacant I traded my safety zone to stay locomotive And I make the most of the way I chose to live In this chaos; my brain is overloaded But I remain devoted to the fate of a vocalist Though I can’t say I made it alone as a soloist 'Cause I owe this to those who came and paid and supported Without you, I’d never get my shows promoted This game is gold plated but I won't grow jaded 'Cause I'm grateful for the way that you keep me motivated Oh I am an explorer That's movin' cross the water But I'm only moving forward 'Cause I am supported The wind is on my shoulder Blowin' subtle whispers I'm searchin' for the answer 'Cause I am an explorer So this is my attempt to start givin’ it back To those who encouraged my decision to tap Into this vision, this indigenous knack For descriptive images and limitless adjectives I know most of you probably don’t even listen to rap But without you, I’d be on different track I could’ve driven a cab or lived in a shack In the woods, or even been to prison and back I could’ve been an exact copy of America’s white Middle class wannabe black stereotype Or I could’ve just imitated one of my parents’ lives And had the “junior” on my name parenthesized Like one-tenth the size, but I’m aware inside Of where my errand lies, and it’s got me terrified ‘Cause I’m like Shirzad in Arabian Nights Beyond my narrative lies paradise This game is gold plated but I won't grow jaded 'Cause I'm grateful for the way that you keep me motivated Oh I am an explorer That's movin' cross the water But I'm only moving forward 'Cause I am supported The wind is on my shoulder Blowin' subtle whispers I'm searchin' for the answer 'Cause I am an explorer But I’m not a paralyzed nervous person ‘Cause your encouragement is my nourishment I built this surrogate home and furnished it With verses in the service of perfect workmanship And I learned to curb this internal turbulence When I heard your urgent nurturing whispers, and courage went Surging through me, and I knew my purpose then Was to work ten times harder to deserve every word of it It makes me impervious to negative attitudes And fills me with a sense of benevolent gratitude Like: whatever you do now, I’ll never be mad at you It takes absolute certainty to get Pegasus lassoed And I have the aptitude and I’ll do what I have to do To see the last of this Promethean task through Even if that means feelin’ the wrath of Zeus And whatever I make happen, I’m takin’ it back to you It's my world I can do what I wanna do You can't stop me from myself Rockin' 'til there's nothing left And I say Thank You For your gifts and your blessings for me Cause it's my world To do just as I see

about

Recorded as a demo in 2005 and never officially released, now available exclusively via Bandcamp as a name-your-price download. Produced by Lin Gardiner.

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released May 30, 2005

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about

Baba Brinkman New York, New York

Science rapper and inventor of several novel hip-hop variants. Canadian transplant to New York. Pathological optimist.

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