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5​.​Tough Love (One Spank mix)

from the Upsetter Mixtape by Jeremiah Dirt

/

lyrics

Artist(s): Dirt
Song: Tough Love
Word Count: 731
Soundscape: 2211
Recorded: Redrum
Album: the Soon Coming collection

Dirts favorite Line(s): ’Peter call Thomas to touch the wounds please/ I’m breakin cats in half, like when monobrows get tweezed’, ‘whether it’s war or peace, imma get mines/ it’s been prophesied/ I make obstacles hop aside/ and in the avalanche I come down dancing in the rockslide’



In early November of 2002, after I had spent the month in Chicago writing and recording, I was contacted by 2211 about doing a show up in Monterey California. I reminded him of the gifts he had sent me a few years before: some beats he had made with, might I add, a mighty fine ear for sample selections. I had told him way back then that I wanted one beat specifically and, as usual, it got put into my ‘Beat Selection Wine Cellar’. You know, the storage facility in the back of my mind that collects the rawest of materials, and marinates them in brain barrels, where repetitive thought and methodical planning ripens them. I am typically future-minded. I secure these crude audible ingredients usually by saying something like, “Ay! even if it takes me years, save this beat for me!”
And, true to my word, the sonic components age as they are consolidated with verbs, nouns and adjectives. For years this specific sound selection waited in the vats with it’s hauntingly repetitious string loop. Not much came in the form of whole verses but an ideology was strongly forming. Before the words, I was thinking of the concept.
At the time the beat was given to me, there was an inner circle debate, amongst SOTL members, about choruses. I always have a bit of trouble with choruses. They are supposed to be the literal center of a song. So much can go wrong. So much can go right. A good chorus unifies the verses while a bad one can untie those chords and bring the whole track falling like so many dead leaves on the dirty ground (← a good chorus from a famous White Stripes song!). It seems the spectrum goes from one side to writing a chorus that has ‘mass appeal for the multitudes’ while the other encourages ‘depth that makes people dig for their own answers’.
For at least a year after I had acquired the music for the verbal raping, I still couldn’t come up with anything substantial for the unifying chord. That is when my extremists thought processing kicked in. I thought it would be cool to write a song that had a whole bunch of choruses. My initial inspiration for this was RZA’a ‘Unspoken Word’ song. If you check that one out, the rhyme continues through most the track with an unrelenting, continuous assault. There is no one strong chorus, but the lyrics are slightly broken up with a few peppered bars that seem like they could be extracted and used as the focal point in a separate song.
Back to my trip up to Monterey: It obviously became a dual purposed trip. I was going up for the whole of 3 full days to do a show and work on recording some tracks. Nate’s church had recently purchased a full studio setup for recording and mixing their services. It ran off Quebase software, and the Inspector had been studying the program in preparation of my visit.
The goal was to finish 3 songs, one for his upcoming project and two for me to take home (I’m so selfish!), while I was up there. Upon arrival I had no material ready, just the ideas. It was a faith trip that I was a bit nervous about. I had just come off a spiritual and lyrical high months before in Chicago and I had some small doubts that I wouldn’t be able to write anything else.
On the plane up I found myself wishing I had prepared for it more. I sometimes have these whimsical daydreams that I will be signed to a major label one day, release an album that skyrockets into the atmosphere, which enables me the ability to pick from our large cultural think tank of great emcee’s to work with on a track. So before we record my ‘dream track of perfectly assembled emcees’ (A.K.A. the ‘song that would be too long because there are so many lyrical giants’ song) I walk into the Studio to the likes of Guru, Rakim, Method Man, GZA, Jeru the Damaja, LMNO, Cannibus, Nas, Mos Def, Biggie …..OK, OK….I’ll pick one…let’s go with Nas, the Illmatic. Say I walk into that studio to record the eagerly awaited dynamic lyrical duo with Nas. The fans are anticipating the verbal outcome. The label is dropping mad cash to record and mix the track to the highest divinely tuned peaks possible. As soon as I enter the control room, Nas is just finishing up what will go down in Rap history as his greatest verse ever! Nastradamus and I exchange a quick handclasp as he exits the vocal booth and I enter. I clear my throat, the recording light goes on, the track starts thumping in my headphones, I open my mouth…and nothing comes out. I’ve had the beat for months but I haven’t written a thing! Plus Nas and the engineer are laughing at me because I am naked and they have never seen skinnier, whiter chicken legs in their lives! I hate that dream! But nevertheless, that’s how I felt on the plane: unprepared and soon to be embarrassed.
All worried and for no good reason. I was pleasantly surprised with the weekends’ outcome. The show was well received, Monterey Bay sets a nice atmosphere to inspire the creative processes (don’t forget to visit and peruse the local aquarium), and I was able to finish what would become ‘Tough Love’. It was based of the ‘chorus idea’ I had, so if you listen close, there is not one strong chorus but many. On top of that there are numerous sub-choruses that come in after pre-sub-choruses! There are actually few lyrics in my opinion. Many of the bars can be taken out and used as a chorus in an entirely separate song. My goal was to create the track with a river of words interspersed by the rocks of choruses, only interrupted by the ‘wedding ceremony’.
The ‘Tough Love’ idea came at the tail end of writing. Most of the actual lyrical content is just the typical self-aggrandizing hiphop boast with the sub-thought of bringing our culture back to a respectable format (as compared to the materialistically greedy stance of most emcee’s). For some reason this reminded me of my mom beating my @$$ when I was being disobedient in an effort to bring me back to some level of respectability as a kid. So we mused ourselves by adding the ‘beating of the whack emcee’ at the end and thus came up with the title and idea of the whole song. Tough Love is not a holier than thou roasting, but rather an ‘enough is enough, I love you but we gotta get ourselves right’!
At the time of writing this memoir (10/14/03), we are actually re-recording and remixing the vocals and the music after a year of having the track, since it was done in such a short amount of time with no attention to detail. So I don’t know yet how the final out come will sound, but I am hoping for the best. It is definitely one of my favorites of the unreleased stuff we have currently been working on.
This track was remixed by DJ Fingaz for the ‘Upsetter Mixtape’, 2009.









TOUGH LOVE
N’ WHEN MY MAN RAN UP, YOU LIKE, ‘AH! THE SCAMS UP!’
LEAVIN THE SPOT LIKE DUCKS MIGRATING IN FLOCKS
RHYMES ROTATING LIKE CHAINS ON BIKES
I’M DODGIN SPIKES, WAITIN FOR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
PETER CALL THOMAS TO TOUCH THE WOUNDS, PLEASE!
I’M BREAKIN CATS IN HALF, LIKE WHEN MONOBROWS GET TWEEZED
N’ TELL MS. CLEO THAT THE CARDS DON’T TELL ALL
CAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN, FROM ON HIGH, FIERY ROCKS FALL
FROM THE FIRMAMENT, I’M STAMPIN MY STYLE PERMANENT
A COVENANT, IN THE BEDROCK
CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN AND FIND MY FLAG IN THE SUMMIT OF HIPHOP
AND AS THE CROWD RAISES THEY AHNDS
AW MAN….HERE IT COMES AGAIN
IN THE BACK OF THE CLUB, WHERE EMCEE’S CAN’T RECORD OVERDUBS
MEN GET STRIPPED LIKE ACID IN BATHTUB
BUTT NAKED!
CAUSE ON THE STREET YOU CANT FAKE IT!
YOU EITHER GOT IT OR YOU DON’T
SOME WILL TRY THINKING THEY CAN BUT THEY WONT
LIFE IS FULLA STRUGGLES BUT YOU GOTTA KEEP GOING
WHAT?! GOING! GOING! GOING!
SAY IT! GOING! GOING! GOING!

STUFF HIM IN THE TRUNK, IF HE DON’T FIT MANGLE HIS LEGS
SCRAMBLE HIS ARMS AND LEGS LIKE OMELLETTE EGGS
THE PREDATOR, MY DREADLOCKS HANG LIKE A TANGLED CHAIN
TRIED TO GET ME ON THE MIC, BUT YOU SOUND LIKE THE PEANUTS GANG
TEACHER, WHEN SHE TALKS GIBIRISH
WOMP-WOMPWOMP, WHEN THE BEAT STOMPS
IMMA HIDE YOUR CADAVER ON THE BASS RIFF
THEN STAMPEDE ON YOUR MEN LIKE WHEN THE CATTLE SHIFTS
SCIENTIST SUPREME, A CHEMIST THAT MIXED A VERBAL VACCINE
VERBAL VATICAN
SOME ATTACK AT THE BACK OF MEN
I GET MINES ON THE FRONTLINE, TESTED BY TIME
IF IMMA BATTLE SNAKES, IMMA BATTLE SNAKES ON THE FRONTLINE
I SOUND SELECT
LIKE WHEN HOODS HIT TRUNKS IN CAR WRECKS
COLLISION!
TONITE THERE SHAL BE NO DIVISION
CAUSE WHEN THE MUSIC TRAVELS
WE PUT BAD VIBES IN THE GRAVEL
LAYIN IT DOWN SO PARTY PEOPLE CAN GET UP
PARTY PEOPLE GET UP! (X3)

‘STEPPIN TO ME’ YO THAT’S THE WRONG MOVE
SO WHAT YOU WANT HUH? ‘DOPE OR DOGFOOD’
VITAMIN PACKED, A GASOLINE AND A MATCH
GETTING COOKED IN THE BATCH WHEN DECIBELS ARE DISPATCHED
DANCIN WITH WOLVES, I FLIP MY VOICE INTO THE BACK MASK
SUBLIMINAL
MY MOUTH TUNNEL MEDICINAL
NOW WHO STEALS RHYMES LIKE A CRIMINAL
YOU EMCEES WHO BRINGA WATER GUN TO A GANG FIGHT
YOUR NUTS! AND LIKE TOM GREENS YOU DON’T HANG RIGHT
GETTING BLOWN LIKE A WINDCHIME
I INJECTED A DICTIONARY AND THESUARUS INTO MY ENZYMES
N’ SO IN THESE END TIMES I SEND RHYMES
WHETHER ITS WAR OR PEACE, IMMA GET MINES
IT’S BEEN PROPHESIED
I MAKE OBSTACLES HOP-A-SIDE
AND IN THE AVALANCHE, I COME DOWN DANCIN ON THE ROCK SLIDE
WITH NO CUT LIGAMENTS
NO BROWN IN MY PIGMENT
BUT STILL KINDA HARD TO FIND THE EQUIVALENT
I SPIT FLAME PAST MY ADAMS APPLE
PROPOSED TO HIPHOP AND GOT MARRIED IN A CHAPEL

DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH, BLING-BLING OR POVERTY?
I DO!
AND IN THIS RELATIONSHIP, WILL YOU TRY YOUR BEST TO PROMOTE PEACE?
I WILL!
WILL YOU ALSO PROMOTE STRENGTH IN UNITY, BEFORE RESORTING TO YOUR GOD GIVEN DEADLY SKILLS?
I WILL!

‘YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE’ PASSIONATE
DON’T GET JEALOUS, WE CAN ALL HAVE IT
TAKE HER TO THE DANCEFLOOR AND START PASSIN IT
THEN WATCH THE CROWD TAKE THE FORM OF AN OCEAN
ROLLIN UP AND DOWN! C’MON!
UP, DOWN, UP DOWN! (X4)

IF YOU HAVNT GOT SOME, THEN COME GET SOME NOW
THROW YOUR GUN FINGERS IN THE AIR AND POP EM OFF LIKE BLOW!
BOUNDLESS ACTIVITY
WE DANCIN AROUND LIKE WHEN THE SLAVES GET FREED FROM CAPTIVITY
JUMPIN UP, LIKE SKATER DUDES ON ASPHALT
DOIN OLLIE TRICKS, MY THROAT WILL EXALT
AS MY HEART WRITES WORDS ONTO MY LIPS
FELLOWSHIP WITH THE DRUM KIT, MY BRAINS A PENTIUM CHIP
LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS!
BLODCLOT! AND DEAD LEAVES GET CLIPPED
WHEN THE BEAT DROPS! THE WHOLE CROWD FLIPS
THE PARTY ROCKS!
AS THE DJ MAKES SURE THAT THE RECORDS GET CHOPPED
LIKE ROSA PARKS WE REFUSE TO GIVE UP
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP LIVING IT UP
IF WE HANDLE OURSELVES WELL, WE’LL GET THROUGH THE NIGHT
GET SOME SLEEP AT WORK THEN COME BACK TOMORROW NIGHT
BUT FOR NOW, JUST SEE WHAT YOU CAN GET INTO
N’ ALL YOU SUCKAS!
THIS IS GONNA HURT ME MORE THAN YOU! TOUGH LOVE!

credits

from the Upsetter Mixtape, released May 15, 2008

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Jeremiah Dirt (Shadow of the Locust) Odessa, Texas

ALL FULL ALBUM DOWNLOADS HAVE FREE HIDDEN BONUS TRACK(s)!
Beginning a career in 1999 with the acclaimed album, Plague, after years of touring with, then, labelmates POD, Dirt has kept and keeps his fans loaded up with his unique blend of creative, emotional, revealing lyrical ferocity and love for pure Hiphop.
Founding Father of 'Shadow of the Locust' - he's proven to be an emcee NOT to sleep on.
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