01-30-19
Immortal Technique is an artist that many may have little to no knowledge of; his work has centered on the underground rap-battle movement which started in the Eastern United States towards the end of the 20th century.

Dance with the Devil is an intimate exposition on life in America through the eyes of a young struggling gangster. A child with no role-model, looking for acceptance, and protection. As the title suggests, there is a point in which the main character has to decide whether or not to rely on the strength of their of fortitude and spirit or enlist the help of a more nefarious power in order to survive. This allegorical device is not literal, at least not in the red-skinned, pointy horn way, but rather in the evil and hatred which lies within all of us.

Throughout the song, we hear the person, William, and the context of his life. His family, his neighborhood his situation. From an initial cursory glance, it’s pretty much identical to most songs singing about the struggle of the hustle and the streets. But this is nearly a ten-minute song, so to think that it’s going to be something generic would be a mistake. Throughout the song, we hear William descending deeper and deeper into the scene to move up the ranks. This all climaxes when he’s put into a position where he’ll finally be able to be entered into the inner circle, but to do so he had to prove he was “cold-hearted” and strong enough to run with the crew.

Immortal Technique paints a gruesome picture in which this gang attacks, kidnaps, rapes, and murders an unsuspecting victim, only to find out, in the end, it was William’s mother.

Yeah, I suppose that would be enough to classify under the blanket of “disgust,” but that’s not entirely the message of the song… yeah, it gets worst. Immortal Technique wrote this song as a message to the world, and the men in it, to illustrate that this horror, something so unconscionable is sadly a normal circumstance throughout the world. This song lives to stand as a villain that we can refer to and see the dangers of allowing ourselves to slip into those nefarious cycles.

In 2007, Immortal Technique took a few minutes to address what this song means, and the story behind it: “I always get asked, “is that a true story, did that shit really happen?” And I tell motherfuckers, YO, it happens every day in every country all over the world motherfucker. And I say this a lot because at a lot of underground shows there’s a lot of fucking dudes, so it’s going to be personal for some of you men here—and I’m going to say, and I hope you take it to heart motherfucker. Your mother, your sister, your grandmother, the girl you came here with today, or the woman you gonna marry someday, motherfucker, she might have lost her virginity by being the victim of rape, or have been the victim of that sometime in her life, and she might never tell you, and you might never know, and it’s because women are prouder than men, and when men were enslaved it was the women that rose up and carried us and made us who the FUCK WE ARE. IT IS THE WOMEN OF OUR CULTURE THAT CREATE EVERYTHING THAT WE WILL BE, THE NEXT GENERATION OF RAPPERS, JOURNALISTS, DOCTORS, LAWYERS, ARTISTS, ACCOUNTANTS… So it’s time for us to take care of them, NOT BECAUSE THEY CAN’T TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES, NO BABY! It’s because we owe you the honor and respect. Motherfucker, you make the changes you want to see in the rest of the world, in yourself first. You don’t want nobody fucking you mom around like that; you don’t want anybody to be touching your sister like that motherfucker. So before you call yourself a MAN, before you call yourself a GANGSTER, since you make the changes you want to see in the rest of world in yourself first, you confront that when you see it. You see somebody touching your kids in the neighborhood; you see somebody violate somebody, you put that nigga in the fucking dirt… otherwise, you ain’t no man, homie, otherwise you ain’t no gangster.

This may be a drastic approach, becoming the executioner, and though my first inclination is to agree and support the idea, I acknowledge the slippery slope this creates. I do believe the sentiment still stands true, and that we are the first, last, and sometimes only line of defense for ourselves and our communities. This is why it’s so important to be the change we desire; it’s important to be the voice that speaks out for the impoverished or ill-represented.

I see the country as it continues to change. This last week there were nearly half-a-dozen mass shootings throughout the country. The pictures on the TV tend to be the same, the story and the background is often the same too. A disenfranchised Caucasian individual who feared their power was slipping, and this was their last way to exert their control. We sit by and watch the TV every week waiting for something to change, and the change often comes in the form of increased violence and unrest. A lot of that can be credited to a large number of people that refused to get involved because the victims don’t look like them, so it doesn’t matter.

I believe this is what Immortal Technique is trying to address at the crux of his creation. We cannot negotiate with our ethics. If something would be unacceptable for you, it should be unacceptable for others, meaning we can’t turn a blind eye to the violence, the hatred, and the vile rhetoric that continues to create an atmosphere of tolerance as it pertains to the intolerant. Giving people the benefit of the doubt when they haven’t earned the right has left us with countless mistakes, including a Supreme court justice that would love an opportunity to restrict women’s rights further.

The culture which has been created by the Alt-right and their supporters continues to lead an assault on our country, and its foundation, and I frankly don’t have any response to that except to continue pointing out glaring incongruencies. I suppose that’s a large purpose of this project.

Before I continue off the rails, I think I should end this thought here, and give one last explanation for the existence of the song from the creator himself. This is from a 2012 interview when asked if this song was based on real life or not: “Real life, the only thing I changed about the story was me being on the roof… I never raped a woman; I was never part of that. But all those things that happened became reality. The thing I make a point in telling people all the time is that it really grew as an urban legend, because it started to happen again and again but the story was always a little bit different. Like it wasn’t always his mother, it turned out to be his aunt or his cousin; but because you’re doing violence in your own community how do you think that’s not going to affect what’s happened. Some people told me that it happened with some Bloods in Jersey or some gangs in South Africa or a gang in London; it became worldwide. People were like “wow, this is so eerily similar to this,” and I’m like it’s because we’re all the same people, we all think we can gain power by inflicting pain on other individuals, but true power comes from people loving you and people willing to sacrifice for you…not forcing individuals to sacrifice for you. That’s the difference between demanding respect and commanding respect, and anybody who doesn’t know the difference between those two doesn’t understand respect, and probably ain’t never got none in their life. So, I think when you write stuff of that nature it’s always important that people realize, yeah that happens every day, in this country. Look at the rape statistics on the military in this country… look at the rape statistics in general at college… you know you’re sending your daughter to school, to learn, your sending your sister to school to learn, your cousin, your daughter…anybody! And look at what the potential is for her to be a victim of that crime. It’s a reality that people don’t like to discuss in this country, but its true, and giving it a face, and giving it that horrific imagery made it impossible for people to ignore… So that’s where the strength of the song comes from.”

Lyrics:
[Verse 1]
I once knew a nigga whose real name was William
His primary concern was makin’ a million
Bein’ the illest hustler that the world ever seen
He used to fuck movie stars and sniff coke in his dreams
A corrupted young mind at the age of thirteen
Nigga never had a father and his mom was a fiend
She put the pipe down, but for every year she was sober
Her son’s heart simultaneously grew colder
He started hangin’ out, sellin’ bags in the projects
Checkin’ the young chicks, lookin’ for hit-and-run prospects
He was fascinated by material objects
But he understood money never bought respect
He built a reputation, ’cause he could hustle and steal
But got locked once and didn’t hesitate to squeal
So criminals he chilled with didn’t think he was real
You see, me and niggas like this have never been equal
I don’t project my insecurities in other people
He fiended for props like addicts with pipes and needles
So he felt he had to prove to everyone he was evil
A feeble-minded young man with infinite potential
The product of a ghetto-bred capitalistic mental
Coincidentally dropped out of school to sell weed
Dancin’ with the Devil, smoked until his eyes would bleed
But he was sick of sellin’ trees, and gave in to his greed

[Hook]
Everyone tryin’ to be trife never face the consequences
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
Ask a nigga doin’ life if he had another chance
But then again, there’s always the wicked that knew in advance
Dance forever with the Devil on a cold cell block
But that’s what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
Devils used to be God’s angels that fell from the top
There’s no diversity, because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot

[Verse 2]
So Billy started robbin’ niggas, anything he could do
To get his respect back in the eyes of his crew
Startin’ fights over little shit up on the block
Stepped up to sellin’ mothers and brothers the crack rock
Workin’ overtime for makin’ money for the crack spot
Hit the jackpot, and wanted to move up to cocaine
Fulfillin’ the Scarface fantasy stuck in his brain
Tired of the block niggas treatin’ him the same
He wanted to be major like the cut throats and the thugs
But when he tried to step to ’em, niggas showed him no love
They told him any motherfuckin’ coward can sell drugs
Any bitch nigga with a gun can bust slugs
Any nigga with a red shirt can front like a Blood
Even Puffy smoked a motherfucker up in the club
But only a real thug can stab someone ’til they die
Standin’ in front of them, starin’ straight into their eyes
Billy realized that these men were well-guarded
And they wanted to test him before business started
Suggested rapin’ a bitch to prove he was cold-hearted
So now he had a choice between goin’ back to his life
Or makin’ money with made men up in the cyph’
His dreams about cars and ice made him agree
A hardcore nigga is all he ever wanted to be
And so he met them Friday night at a quarter to three

[Hook]
Everyone tryin’ to be trife never face the consequences
You probably only did a month for minor offenses
Ask a nigga doin’ life if he had another chance
But then again, there’s always the wicked that knew in advance
Dance forever with the Devil on a cold cell block
But that’s what happens when you rape, murder, and sell rock
Devils used to be God’s angels that fell from the top
There’s no diversity, because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot

[Verse 3]
They drove around the projects slow while it was rainin’
Smokin’ blunts, drinkin’ and jokin’ for entertainment
Until they saw a woman on the street, walkin’ alone
Three in the mornin’, comin’ back from work, on her way home
And so they quietly got out the car and followed her
Walkin’ through the projects, the darkness swallowed her
They wrapped her shirt around her head
And knocked her onto the floor
“This is it, kid, now you got your chance to be raw.”
So Billy yoked her up and grabbed the chick by the hair
And dragged her into a lobby that had nobody there
She struggled hard, but they forced her to go up the stairs
They got to the roof and then held her down on the ground
Screamin’, “Shut the fuck up, and stop movin’ around!”
The shirt covered her face, but she screamed and clawed
So Billy stomped on the bitch until he’d broken her jaw
The dirty bastards knew exactly what they were doin’
They kicked her until they cracked her ribs and she stopped movin’
Blood leakin’ through the cloth, she cried silently
And then they all proceeded to rape her violently
Billy was made to go first, but each of them took a turn
Rippin’ her up and chokin’ her until her throat burned
Her broken jaw mumbled for God, but they weren’t concerned
When they were done and she was lyin’
Bloody, broken and bruised
One of them niggas pulled out a brand new twenty-two
They told him that she was a witness of what she’d gone through
And if he killed her, he was guaranteed a spot in the crew
He thought about it for a minute, she was practically dead
And so he leaned over and put the gun right to her head

[Sample]
I’m fallin’ and I can’t turn back
I’m fallin’ and I can’t turn back

[Verse 4]
Right before he pulled the trigger and ended her life
He thought about the cocaine with the platinum and ice
And he felt strong standin’ along with his new brothers
Cocked the gat to her head and pulled back the shirt cover
But what he saw made him start to cringe and stutter
‘Cause he was starin’ into the eyes of his own mother
She looked back at him and cried ’cause he had forsaken her
She cried more painfully than when they were rapin’ her
His whole world stopped, he couldn’t even contemplate
His corruption had successfully changed his fate
And he remembered how his mom used to come home late
Workin’ hard for nothin’, because now what was he worth?
He turned away from the woman that had once given him birth
And cryin’ out to the sky, ’cause he was lonely and scared
But only the Devil responded, ’cause God wasn’t there
And right then he knew what it was to be empty and cold
And so he jumped off the roof and died with no soul
They say death takes you to a better place, but I doubt it
After that, they killed his mother, and never spoke about it
And listen, ’cause the story that I’m tellin’ is true
‘Cause I was there with Billy Jacobs, and I raped his mom too
And now the Devil follows me everywhere that I go
In fact, I’m sure he’s standin’ among one of you at my shows
And every street cypher, listenin’ to little thugs flow
He could be standin’ right next to you, and you wouldn’t know
The Devil grows inside the hearts of the selfish and wicked
White, brown, yellow and black — color is not restricted
You have a self-destructive destiny when you’re inflicted
And you’ll be one of God’s children that fell from the top
There’s no diversity, because we’re burnin’ in the melting pot
So when the Devil wants to dance with you, you better say never
Because a dance with the Devil might last you forever

HIDDEN TRACK: “DIABOLICAL”

[Intro: Immortal Technique]
Oh, y’all motherfuckers thought it was over, huh?
Well, it’s not, you didn’t count on a fallen angel gettin’ back
Into the grace of God and comin’ after you
Y’all niggas ain’t shit, your producers ain’t shit
Your fuckin’ A & R ain’t shit
I’ll fuckin’ wipe my ass with your demo deal
Yo, Diabolic, take this motherfucker’s head off!

[Verse 1: Diabolic]
Go ‘head and grip Glocks
I’ll snap your trigger finger in six spots
You’ll have to lip lock with hypodermic needles to lick shots
I’ll watch you topple flat
Put away your rings and holla back
Can’t freestyle; you’re screwed off the top, like bottle caps
Beneath the surface
I’m overheatin’ your receiving circuits
By unleashin’ deeper verses than priests speak in churches
What you preach is worthless
Your worship defeat the purpose
Like President Bush takin’ bullets for the secret service
Beyond what y’all fathom, I shit on cats and jaw tap ‘em
Show no compassion, like havin’ a straight-faced orgasm
Tour jack ‘em, have his half-a-ten bitch suck my friend’s dick
In the mean time, you can french kiss this clenched fist
Diabolic: a one-man brigade spreadin’ cancer plague
Fist-fuckin’ a pussy’s face, holdin’ a hand grenade
So if I catch you bluffin’, faggot, you’re less than nothin’
I just had to get that stress off my chest like breast reduction

[Verse 2: Immortal Technique]
You motherfuckers are nothin’, you cannot harm me
I’ll resurrect every aborted baby and start an army
Storm the planet, huntin’ you down, ‘cause I’m on a mission
To split your body into a billion one-celled organisms
Immortal Technique’ll destroy your religion, you stupid bitch
You’re faker than blue-eyed crackers nailed to a crucifix
I’m ’bout to blow up, like NASA Challenger computer chips
Arsenic language transmitted revolutionarily
I’m like time itself: I’m gonna kill you inevitably
Chemically bomb you, fuck usin’ a chrome piece
I’m illmatic, you won’t make it home, like Jerome’s niece
I’ll sever your head diagonally for thinkin’ of dissin’ me
And then use your dead body to write my name in calligraphy
This puppet democracy brain-washed your psychology
So you’re nothin’, like diversity without equality
And your crew is full of more faggots than Greek mythology
Usin’ numerology to count the people I sent to Heaven
Produces more digits than 22 divided by 7
You’re like Kevin Spacey: your style is usually suspect
You never killed a cop, you not a motherfuckin’ thug yet
Your mind is empty and spacious
Like the part of the brain that appreciates culture in a racist
Face it, you’re too basic, you’re never gonna make it
Like children walkin’ through Antarctica, butt-naked