Friday, June 5, 2009

"Anime Immersion" Lyrics + Explanation

My best friend had/will have a recording studio in his garage (it's currently lacking a mic, and is consequentially referred to in the past and future tenses). When I first got back home, he had me hop on a track he did called "Old Lady Groove." It's ridiculous and about us scooping older women to take care of us. It's ridiculous and I have no further comment. However, it was fun and made me realize how fun it would be to make MY OWN SONG for once (every song I've been on was, at least partially, his concept). So I got to thinking about what I could write a song about and have fun doing. The last track that was kinda my idea was a superhero based track where I just wove in a bunch of X-Men names and powers as a sort of love song. Great fun and extraordinarily revealing of my massive inner nerd. But in a cool way. I was wondering was other nerdy thing could I expose in a rap (negating a lot of the nerdiness in the process). I decided on anime, which I started watching when I was around 10 and still watch to this day. Hence, "Anime Immersion" was formed. I mention 5 shows in 3 verses. Character and organization names are capitalized and bolded. Anything just bolded, treat like a footnote. It's directly relevant to the show. I'll explain the anime references after the lyrics for each verse. However, my explanations probably won't mean all that much if you've never seen the shows (particularly the third verse), so do as I say in the chorus if you really want to get it—or at least read the wikipedia pages maybe.

Verse 1
Well my is simply VICIOUS like the villain in BEEBOP,
And the value starts to SPIKE just as soon as the beat drop.
I'm like EINstein hold the Stein add a bark,
Red-haired hacker mind will illuminate the dark.
JET past you cause I'm a jack of all trades,
And I shoot off this flow at least 3 different ways.
Call it a triple barrel, TRIGUN experience.
JULY when I blow the up in the city y'all get serious,
Causing a STAMPEDE but you cannot proceed
Till you get the 60 billion double dollars I need.
Hold the MILLIE-vanilly, Meryl Strep rap,
Cuz though I'm no street cat, my priest keeps the heat packed,
Machine guns and missiles tucked away in a steel cross

Ask the Heavenly Father if he thinks I'm a real boss.
I'll put you in a deep sleep, save the R.E.M.
In your dreams you'll the space I'm in and the star I am
This flow is hellish, but my arm is angelic
If you're buying what I'm selling then I swear I won't embellish
Don't want to see me get a rise, I advise
You to avoid my 6 gun shine
Been known to fight with KNIVES
But I'm nothing like my brother so I take no lives.


Chorus 1
Consider this here an anime immersion
Ya probably didn't know I was an anime person
In my childhood, time with the tv was time splurgin
So get to know my shows man, do it like it's urgent

Explanation of Verse 1:
First show is Cowboy Beebop, which is set in space and follows a group of bounty hunters. The main villain is named Vicious and the protagonist is Spike. Spike's crew has a pet dog named Ein, hence "Einstein hold the Stein add a bark." The person who takes principal care of Ein is a girl named Edward (yes, I know it's weird, watch the show to get it). Edward is a brilliant computer hacker with reddish hair. Spike's main sidekick is named Jet and is commonly referred to within the show as "a jack of all trades" because he does essentially everything. That's it for Cowboy Beebop in the song. (Once I finish with a show, there are intentional no recurrences).

Next show, same verse, is Trigun. Also set in space with a western theme. This explanation has story elements so it won't be a linear and clear as the last. Protagonist is named Vash the Stampede ("Causing a STAMPEDE"). He is wanted for inadvertantly destroying the city of July ("July, when I blow up in the city") with his special gun called the Angel Arm ("arm is angelic") and there is a large bounty on his head of 60 billion double dollars ("...I need"). People are always trying to capture him for the bounty and destruction always ensues as a result, leading an insurance agency to send two of its employees to follow him at all times; their names are Meryl Stryfe and Millie Thompson (not Millie-Vanilly and Meryl Streep, but that's as close as I could get lol). Over the course of his adventure, Vash meets a gunfighting priest named Nicholas Wolfwood who (you can guess it!) keeps guns and a rocket launched loaded into a gigantic steel cross he totes at all times. Vash is averse to anyone taking the life of another being ("take no lives") and was taught to believe this by his mentor/mother figure Rem Saverem ("deep sleep save the R.E.M."). His brother Knives ("fight with KNIVES") disagrees and wants to use his and Vash's power to destroy humanity ("nothing like my brother"). I think that's all of it. On to verse 2!!

Verse 2
What's my name? Call me the SesquipedALIEN
That's alien, like a SAIYAN is
I'll advise you by sayin this:
If you wanna battle research who it is you're playin with
See I flow like a gun and, yes, I call the Galick
But no, not short for Galatic because that there'd be some wack shit.
It's more Kamehameha with it
Turn this on up if you get what I'm sayin with this.
I ate a rapper but was feeling BULMA-lemic, so I excreted him orally,
Told him that he was boring me and to GOHAN-dle training, but, eh, deplorably
I caught him ice-KRILLIN me, staring at my chain
So I made him watch while I gamed up his main.
"FREIZA (Freeze-uh) honey, caveat
That RED RIBBON in your hair is kinda hot,
Your CHI-CHIs hanging out, yeah, kinda not
I could get you a ring so big, it's KAKARATS.
I've got a Magic Dragon always helps me cheat death
And the smell of Senzou Beans is always on my breath
You got a special CELL and a NAMEKIAN brain
But your Power level's too low to stop this onslaught of game.
You look like you could be a freak, Super Saiyan Level 3.
I got some DRAGON BALLS in my TRUNKS you might like to see.

Chorus 2
Consider this song an anime immersion
Don't think it's clever, you're an anime virgin.
A track about toons is like a hip-hop insurgence
Get acquainted with my shows, treat it like its urgent.
Explanation of Verse 2:
If you don't know that this is Dragon Ball Z, I appreciate the fact that you love me enough to indulge my nerdiness by reading this far into this esoteric ass blog. Thank you. To the other 80% of people who saw Dragon Ball Z growing up, not too much explaining needed. Saiyan is the alien race most of the shows characters were from. Vegeta's special attack was called the Galick Gun and Goku's was the Kamehameha Wave. Bulma was a supporting character who never fought and eventually married Vegeta, though not until after she'd had a tryst with Krillin. Gohan was Goku's soon, really weak in the beginning of the show (he was like 5 or 7), an absolute badass as a teenager and a flat-out pansy during the end. Krillin was the short, bald, and useless guy. Freiza was the super evil alien who blew up the Saiyan's home world and killed Krillin making Goku go Super Saiyan. The Red Ribbon Army created androids to try to take over the world. Chi-Chi was Goku's wife, and someone wore the pants in a relationship where she dated the universe's most powerful fighter. Kakarat is Goku's Saiyan name. The Magic Dragon is summoned whenever all 7 dragon balls are collected; upon his appearance he grants a wish (or tree) then makes the dragon balls inert for a year. Senzou beans are magical beans that automatically restore a person to full health/back up to fighting condition. Cell was another product of the Red Ribbon Army and nearly did destroy the world, only to be stopped by Gohan in his badass days. Namekians are Piccolo's (remember, the scary angry green guy) race. Power level was always used to gauge opponent's strength in the show until everyone went off the charts. Super Saiyan 3 was the highest level of power reached by any of the Saiyan's in this Dragon Ball series. The Dragon Balls are magical glowing orange orbs that make magic happen and I keep them in my Trunks :) Trunks is actually the son of Bulma and Vegeta; and one of the shows more G characters despite (or because of) his pink hair.

Verse 3:
In a rut, Oh never in a rhyme scheme,
"In" there was the letter.
Spell the word and you're defining
My current viewing pattern and this knowledge will behoove you
Cuz my sexy rap spit justu makes it likely that you'll splatter,
Or better cream, in the front your jeans,
But you get what I mean, so let's get back to the scene.
Call me a beat ninja quick to rush into the battle,
See I've got a bunch of clones always hiding in my shadow
But when I beast up they just get up and skeedaddle.
Turn tail and run,
How many tails do they grow? Between nine and one.
In the next line, the last show in this rhyme I'll speak
Because how you gon be clean if you ain't got BLEACH
Gun flow is HOLLOW a new metaphor I seek
The sword flow is drawn and ready to be released
Call it's name once, wake up from its sleep
Change form
though still fighting with the same beat.
Scream "Bankai" and it switches up again
But I'll just don a silence mask and bring this to an end.


No chorus, just silence.

Explanation of Verse 3:
Alright, I think I went too crazy on the first reference, because I told Brandon what the show was and he couldn't get it for a solid minute. "In a rut, Oh, never in a rhyme scheme/"In" there was the letter spell the word"
N a rut O= Naruto. Maybe not possible to see unless you're in the strange little word of my mind. Naruto is a show about ninjas fighting for control of the world and these special tailed beast which contain immense power. One of these tailed beasts, arguably the most powerful, is bonded to Naruto and uses him as a host. There are nine beasts and they increase in tails relative to their power. The protagonist is host of the nine-tailed beast. Naruto is a clown and in his early days create a ninja technique to transform himself into a naked (covered with clouds) woman and calls it the "Sexy Jutsu" ("sexy rap spit jutsu"). All ninja moves are called jutsu in the show. Naruto is hot-headed and idealistic and rushes into numerous battles. ("beat ninja, quick to rush into a battle"). His primary battle move is to make copies of himself, using a technique called "Shadow Clone Jutsu" (clones always hiding in my shadow"). At times Naruto loses control of the tailed-beast that exists within him, causing it to possess him, fill him with power and send him into a berserker state ("when I beast up"). When in this state, everyone stays back until he can be calmed. The tails manifest themselves and increase in number the longer he stays in his emotional state and they increase ("turn tail and run. how many tails they grow? Between nine and one.")

Other show is called "Bleach." There are people who act a guides to the after, like Valkyries from Norse mythology called Shinigami. If a soul dawdles too long in going to its new place, corrupted souls will come and consume it (or it will corrupt naturally) becoming a soul being known as a "hollow" (gun flow is hollow). The Shinigami fight the hollow with special swords. These swords have names and unique personalities which manifest as special attributes when the sword is "released" ("sword flow is drawn and ready to be released"). The sword are released by having their names call, at which point they undergo a physical transformation and acquire new properties and abilities ("Call its name once, wake it up from its sleep/change form"). If a person gets strong enough, they can attain a second release called a "Bankai" (which may literally translate to second release...big maybe on that); this second release is many times stronger than the first and always involves another form change. Eventually, some Shinigami are revealed to have hollow powers activated by donning a mask similar to those worn by the hollow ("don a silence mask"). These masks bring even more power and typically tilt the scales in the favor of their owners ("bring this to an end").


Well, thank you for taking this long excursion with me through the canals of my nerdy glory. Hopefully you enjoyed it. If you didn't think it was hot, watch an episode of the shows and try it again. Track recording coming soon! I'm trying to get a beat for it. I'm going to ask one of the dudes who makes beats for Brandon's group for something will a clearly Asian+hip-hop sound. Maybe sample the show soundtracks or something. If anyone reading this makes beats and would like to create one, please feel free.
Seriously, I hope you enjoyed it. Or if not it (the rap) then your trip into my world and the copious amounts of dirt you've just gained on me.

And here's a video of me rappin it over the focus beat...

4 comments:

  1. i LOVED it, as i knew i would. phone call should be coming tomorrow.

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  2. so today i went for some dinner and headed over to my friends basement where we chill all the time. and the power was out for about 3 hours so we freestyled on and off for about 2. and then i definitely worked in some dbz references. but thats about the extent of anime knowledge.

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  3. Wossen, did you steal any of mine? What'd you come up with?

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  4. not really. i referenced saiyans and the spirit bomb. not sure everyone got the reference. i cant really remember what it was - there was much going down. but a few other references:
    1)mario kart banana peels
    2)fox mccloud in super smash bros
    3)koopas

    ReplyDelete