I’m running in Omaha with my iPod Nano on shuffle. This particular iPod is dedicated for working out and has a small but eclectic mix, which includes, among others, Charlie Parker, Brazilian guitar masters Jorge and Odair Assad, Tom Waits, J.S. Bach and a rapper I discovered last year, Immortal Technique.
Technique, or “Tech,” as he’s referred to by fans, is a hardcore rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent. I discovered him recently when his album, “Revolutionary Vol. 2” was playing quietly in a van driving me to a gig.
The van’s young driver seemed pleasantly surprised when I asked him to turn it up. As the pulsating classical strings in “The Point Of No Return” blended into a funky beat, I felt a metal- like intensity to the music.
“This is the point from which I can never return and if I back down now then forever I burn.”
Damn. Why hadn’t I thought of these lyrics?
Further listening revealed a complexity unique to most rappers. If you’re not put off by the crude imagery and profane language, you’ll find someone with a deep conscience, vast knowledge of history, a keen wit and master rap skills.
All of these elements are used to create powerful tracks, some of which launch into scathing critiques of the CIA and the Bush Administration, as well as the entertainment industry (the hip-hop world in particular).
Immortal Technique is not afraid to take on anything and anyone and doesn’t mince words. Hypocrisy and contradictions are uncovered left and right. His audacity is on a level of another great musician/social critic Frank Zappa whom, if he were alive, would be a fan, I’m sure.
Soon, I find a public park and follow a path to a large lake which I begin to the lake when one of Technique’s tracks comes on.
At first I think about fast forwarding. Why? Because I’m enjoying the serenity of running in solitude on this beautiful day. The iPod just fed me one of J.S. Bach’s two part inventions (played by pianist Andras Schiff) which added to the scene of green grass, blue sky and the lake.
Classical piano seems to fit the vibe at this particular moment, more so than hardcore hip-hop.
But as the track plays, I find, I’m drawn in. I haven’t heard this one yet. This is a more smooth, ambient track than usual. His tone is soft and reflective. It’s like a different guy.
Somehow, it works with the beautiful scenery. I remove my finger from the iPod and let it play on. Suddenly, I find myself getting caught up in the story.
It’s about a beautiful Latina girl from his Harlem neighborhood in the mid 90’s. She is smart, classy and well spoken. She doesn’t fit in with the other neighborhood girls. She is on her way to a bright future.
Technique, meanwhile, is a teenage thug at that time, who doesn’t know any better. He has no business even talking to a girl like her. Yet, he does and finds that she reserves all judgment towards him.
As she gradually accepts his friendship, she sees a side of him that no one else does, enabling him to believe in his own potential. He develops a deep respect for her, so much that he won’t make a move on her, for fear of spoiling their relationship, as described in the following line:
“I never tried to sneak a touch, or even cop a feel.
I was too interested in keeping it real.”
She opens his mind to new ideas. Soon his interests and energy begin to veer away from gang life and towards art and culture:
“She would always call me “Carino”, and never Technique,
Bought me a new book to read every 2 or 3 weeks.
Forever changing the expression of my thoughts when I speak”
She convinced me, to stop hangin’ out on the streets
To stop robbin’ and stealin’, from people like you
Instead I took her out to the Apollo and the Bronx Zoo
We sailed del Barrio and the Metropolitan too”
“You Never Know” is a love story told on the level of a modern, urban William Shakespeare. The fact that this story is told by a guy who is so menacing in his other songs makes it all the more powerful. The song is a reminder of the preciousness of life and love. Forget those pathetic chain mail e-mails that we all get. This is the real deal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTxTs9-6g0Y&feature=related
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/immortaltechnique/youneverknow.html