Song Title: The Cause of Death Artist: Immortal Technique Play Count: 54

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWh077_Ed3w

i'm not a huge fan of rap or hip hop/rap in general. it makes me mad that people dumber than me are making millions of dollars...especially near-retarded pseudo-gangster-rappers (or real gangsters, even worse) with laughably elementary lyrics (50 cent, lil' wayne, t-pain, insert the artist you just heard on the radio here).

i guess you have to respect the likes of biggy, 2pac, nas, and dre if not for any other reason they are idolized by their peers, and there is no greater accomplishment in life than respect of your peers...that being said there are only a handful of songs from these guys i can listen to. let's face it, dealing cocaine, killing people, and the hood-life aren't really relevant to a middle-class white kid from maine.

as with mostly everything there are exceptions. jay-z and eminem are icons. the elite of the elite. comparable to only the best ever in their respective fields (babe ruth- baseball, joe montana- football, michael jordan- basketball, paris hilton- whores). they make you decipher lyrics (challenge your intellect) while still being catchy enough to stay mainstream (idiots still like them) which is truly amazing.

to the point at hand--immortal technique. if you have never listened to immortal technique i highly urge you to buy The Revolutionary Volume II. the man is inferior to no rapper talent wise and he raps about issues that are actually relevant to society. he knows his shit. to keep the metaphor going, immortal technique is the josh gibson of baseball.

some of my favorite lines from this track (The Cause of Death). "i doubt there could ever be a more wicked mc/because aids infested child molesters aren't sicker than me"-- breathtaking! "...with skills unused like fallopian tubes of a dyke/my words will expose george bush and bin laden/as two separate parts of the same seven headed dragon"...great lines. some interesting facts about conspiracy theories in this track too (a guilty pleasure of mine).

i will leave you with one of the greatest verses ever found on a rap album:

"And just so Conservatives don't take it to heart

I don't think Bush did it, 'cuz he isn't that smart
He's just a stupid puppet taking orders on his cell phone
From the same people that sabotaged Senator Wellstone
The military industry got it poppin' and lockin'
Looking for a way to justify the Wolfowitz Doctrine
And as a matter of fact, Rumsfeld, now that I think back
Without 9/11, you couldn't have a war in Iraq
Or a Defense budget of world conquest proportions
Kill freedom of speech and revoke the right to abortions
Tax cut extortion, a blessing to the wealthy and wicked
But you still have to answer to the Armageddon you scripted
And Dick Cheney, you fuckin leech, tell them your plans
About building your pipelines through Afghanistan
And how Israeli troops trained the Taliban in Pakistan
You might have some house niggaz fooled, but I understand
Colonialism is sponsored by corporations
That's why Halliburton gets paid to rebuild nations
Tell me the truth, I don't scare into paralysis
I know the CIA saw Bin Laden on dialysis
In '98 when he was Top Ten for the FBI
Government ties is really why the Government lies
Read it yourself instead of asking the Government why
'Cuz then the Cause of Death will cause the propaganda to die.."

Repeat Offender: The Fourth Branch, Obnoxious, Leaving the Past

BRYtunes Genius Recommendation : Eminem- Mosh, Play Count: 26