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Volume Three (2004​-​2005)

by Nine Leaves

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1.
The Nameless 04:05
Now what the hell are we fighting for Verbal wars are caused 'cause the hard go soft Lines get crossed then get pissed off Pistols get drawn and lives are lost What a very large cost for a smaller than small force ‘Cause the garbage y'all applaud is as false as those mob laws And that fictional mob boss in that flick that you knocked off Impress Stang-tak Get a backpack and cap and clap gats in Iraq Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars may drop but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars are falling but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless What do you deem meaningful The things and thoughts that equal you You say it false but sing it true Holding a role in people's view Low and behold what's deep in you Beats at you, it eats at you You see the creep start seeping through You need someone to speak to you Lord I’ve grown fatigued and weak from the strain of my passive ways The pain and my rage boils my blood and makes it hard to pass the days Regrettably I may have to say My back can’t stand the massive weight Of all the baggage and burdens of the battered and over worked Who shed their blood and worth into the dirt of mother Earth The thug in me wants to roar Let the hard core of this soul burst I’m letting the instrumental know that spitting this rhyme hurts So fuck what you heard It’s the rebel nigga from Jerz Let me repeat the words Better never sleep in the burbs We earning respect in the game that has none to give It’s do or die in this life of rhyme I fight to death for my one to live Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars may drop but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars are falling but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless Ignorance stings So know that I breed the warriors that live to slay kings Money sings in the land So I’ll shake the corporate hand to be able to bury it beneath the sand Understand Sold your soul to Sam Your blood I have to spill The slaughter of a fake is in demand Past the point of thrill You’re the king of your hill But from the valley’s where the shadow of death comes to kill Dead soldiers on this morning are put into coffins Others mourning the murder of innocent families You talking like you got the weight of the world Let me speak to you man to girl Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars may drop but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless Tongues get chopped but the words don’t stop Stars are falling but the world don’t stop Thinking you’re on top and famous But your legacy in hip-hop is nameless
2.
Look for the polkadots and wear the suit Everything will be taken care of Twelve o’clock Keep it clean He’ll be there at midnight Make sure he don’t fuck up Yeah, it’s real simple You’re only as good as your last job Hang up the horn Button my vest With the heater laced to my chest Dressed with the best double breasted Italian wear I am completely aware Get the job done No bloody affair Paid the valet his pay Stepped away with a pace of haste I’m more than a few seconds late Make my way to the place Look at the damn line Fuck standing in line I cut the damn line Dap the bouncer like my man Pound with president Grant Now I walk in right according to plan Smooth Latin grooves by the band led by Zan He’s singing “One Man” That’s my jam Sexy girls dance in clans of three in front of me See the polkadots at the coat spot I proceed I leave the black leather Receive back the Beretta Now I’m ready for whatever The plan’s coming together One man’s love is another man’s pain One man’s loss is another man’s gain One child’s tears And it falls like rain One man’s blood running through my veins My roam’s now a skip The chrome’s on my hip Try not to trip and look suspicious Fuck this Needs me a sip just to stable my nerves Fuck the bar, I’m a star Got a table reserved Yo thanks for the tip Here’s your drink I made it extra hard So sip it slow so you don’t sink Grabbing all the top shelves Line your glasses up ‘Cause I’m filling them all up Just to see more bucks Awe struck at the polkadots walking to the booth Waitress get this tray up to that VIP dude VIP is dead But still there’s nothing best I see a short dress Long legs, exposed chest In slow steps With a tray by side A drink I didn’t buy Look at the bar See the guy with the ladybug tie Looking for signs Henne raw, napkin right Let me read the scribbled mess And check the draw and design You got thirty seconds so make your mind up You got two routes, but only one out It’s time to climb up the stairs And to get there you’re passing the stage To the left of the band Hope that you’re ready for games Ready to look up at the elevator Don’t go in it ‘Cause if you do you run the risk that they can lock you up in it So pass it up Hang a right on some Splinter Cell missions Avoid the cameras up three flights And take your position Read the statistics Now I know what the math is Strike my book of matches Plus the prints lay in the ashtray Now it’s ashes Jump quick from where I sit and sip Convert my skip to a dash Shit Bumped by this prick Still I gotta move quick Not to be rude in mood So I wink I think I can’t spare the time for stairs to climb The elevator’s a dare but there clear in sight Up three flights right Open doors slide Target in sight I pull it from the side Beretta lead flies He dies There’s cheddar to find Déjà vu Why Open doors slide He must of armed the alarm Rushed by guards that are armed I fire on and get fired upon Me rinse out me gun Them expired and gone Without haste I grab the suitcase Closed case Mi gwon One man’s love is another man’s pain One man’s loss is another man’s gain One child’s tears And it falls like rain One man’s blood running through my veins One man’s love I kept pace but took the back way Heat to my chest like strapped grenades One man’s loss I move smooth Lock and load With shots fired Enter third stage One man’s love Motherfucker made a mess Caress the trigger and fucking aim One man’s blood running through my veins A single shot running through his veins
3.
You see If you’re gonna survive You gotta make yourself God You gotta be fucking prepared to unleash Hell on those who oppose you I’m talking about the worst parts of the Bible man Fire and brimstone Look at me Look at me If you ever If you ever even think of betraying me If you ever decide to cross that fucking line I’ll fucking bury you You hear me? Man, life’s a game Life’s a game It’s a simple game Chess There’s nothing wrong with taking a few pawns for the checkmate ‘Cause there’s more to the crime than the prize There’s the stage The lights It’s all about the grand production These streets is tough They’ll swallow you down man If it’s too easy It it seems too easy something’s wrong If something seems wrong it usually is I’ve been in the game for a long time A few years They know my name out here So you a hot shot That’s what I hear, you a hot shot You did a few gigs here and there You moved a few bricks You ain’t shit You ain’t shit Take a look at me Look at me Look at me You see me? I’m a hated man Why? Because I do whatever I want to do I do whatever the fuck I want to do Look at you Look at you There used to be a word called respect But you don’t know nothing about that You don’t know what the fuck that is And take that cross off your neck I’m your fucking God now Nothing but criminals catching criminals But you want to know what separates me from them? Honesty I’m honest with you And I’m honest with myself So you can call me a criminal But I got a heart And that’s more than most
4.
There’s a smile upon her face But underneath her face Her shoulders bear the weight There’s not much more before she breaks Not much more that she can take So she’ll take her life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms There’s a smile upon his face But underneath his face His shoulders bear the weight There’s not much more before he breaks Not much more that he can take So he’ll take his life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms Underneath the faces lie thick lines of facial features Tears and hateful speeches said to self when days would equal Up to nothing, not that she was up to nothing good But the love she dealt to everyone was kept like they were glue She kept giving to keep living and wept into her room Never regret giving she kept sitting reflecting on her mood She hid it all inside and passed these patrons by with smiles She crocodile grinned and pretend they were worth her while Sending her smirk with style, she kept those people on a pedestal Letting through emotions, however never exchanging views Hating you for not returning the love she handed Granted you never knew her but liked when you shaked hands With a cycle of life turned to deal with all of the pain Into her palm clutched a rifle it goes bang Advantages of emotional moments in life learned Those moments are like learning that fire just might burn There’s a smile upon her face But underneath her face Her shoulders bear the weight Not much more before she breaks Not much more that she can take She’ll take her life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms There’s a smile upon his face But underneath his face His shoulders bear the weight There’s not much more before he breaks Not much more that he can take So he’ll take his life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms Underneath the straight A status A manner void malice The hand raised for pleasantly speaking in classes The quiet isolated Visually fascinated with the social abilities that the other kids played with It made him self-conscious ‘Cause silence was his bondage from life Imagination becoming his world common He grew intoxicated with pictures and illustration It made his escaping for when the other kids played him An escape that only grew to rhymes and tapes Emerging inside of a culture where they shared his state And it’s a cool state Separate the crowds of thugs The common theme love Greeted in with pounds and hugs Underneath the isolation he found his art Underneath the mainstream he was releasing his heart Underneath the childhood where hew as quiet as kept Emerged a grown man blessed with the spiritual depth There’s a smile upon her face But underneath her face Her shoulders bear the weight There’s not much more before she breaks Not much more that she can take She’ll take her life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms There’s a smile upon his face But underneath his face His shoulders bear the weight There’s not much more before he breaks Not much more that he can take He’ll take his life is the thought when distraught Is it something we’ve been taught Is it wrong Is it something that belongs Is it underneath my palms Underneath his palms Lies a twisted psalm One decision spawned by the story in a song How he longed to be loved like that How he wished his family would've looked at him like that Beaten with that five-hued belt resting on the shelf This is how he felt If fury comes in five colors That’s just enough to evenly be spread on each one of my knuckles He wrapped the buckle tight across his fist Then the fight that was missed all his life would now begin Standing over both his parents deep asleep in bed The first blows to the head opened the door to more red Now an orphaned boy he could finally begin to look ahead And underneath it all with a smile upon his face He could begin to look ahead
5.
Full Moon 04:01
6.
I’ve led a crocodile smile life Grin to the fact that the control that I’ve had has exited stage right And it’ll take flight And flock to a brighter future Try to cover the path of the past and ride with the vibes that I’m used to Damn right I’ve returned, be prepared for the sacrifice Hoping to slice it right Whether it’s axe or knife heads will roll And complete solar systems get consumed The Galactus of hip hop is back so stayed tuned Plagues in one breath, holocausts the next Twist turrets to burn chests just to make me chuckle I laugh at nuclear winters, humans head for shelter I enjoy the toxic fumes that would otherwise melt you Hope you felt the cries of a thousand deaths Fill up one verse with a thousand breaths And I ain’t even inhaled yet You get impaled with crucifixes You choose to mix quick pixels dilate pupils confuse you with this Synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas When I synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas Don’t stray far or get heated up when I spit Even up inside the belfry I’m free to just lift an evil assist Insist catch a hex when I’m pissed Your neck and your wrist are the best part, they’re easy to slit Needing to vent The second coming and I’m intent Content with the fact that your brain will get bent Lay you to rest take a sec man just for the cause RIP rest in pieces Wait for applause Synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas When I synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas I nod and grin give a wink for much approval You ruined your existence for the fact you think you’re too cool Practice black magic and whisper chants in voodoo I’m bout to take all of you pussies right back to school Breathing a mushroom could plus exhaling a hail of uranium Impaling all tall tales of complaining This veil iron monster mixture Remove your spine to get your posture fixed up Impostures ripped up and never come equipped but I fluctuate flatlines to the beat of this verse Release the beast on this track and you’re feeding him first Arm wrestle elephants for their ivory I’m more than what the eye can see EBEs are eyeing me So silently solidify foundations I pound the ground with finely crafted maces Bound and gag the natives I am I with skull and staff Shrug off solar flares and laugh Those that missed their path get baths in quicksand I’m the nicest with a hint of bio virus And a twist of dip that sponge in water then I fry them Close your eyelids and succumb to the forked tongue violence Used the seismic kindness to free the blinded mindless To the ode of the verse, controlling the surge Adverse with the words reverse surf pull your curses in currents Spinning like turrets turning flat lines into curves Fixing the course in short man I’m sick with the verbs Suicidals slit their wrist to this shit In a mix I’m beginning to vent with pens in ridiculous grips Splatter the ink I think your brain matter is weak I shatter the beat I think that your data deleted as bad as you think Defeat I don’t trust you as you long as I breathe As far as me well that goes without saying you see Same enemy’s circuits fried from same energy Blaming emcees but your game is too meek I’m freeze framing and explaining tame the wildest of beasts Ex-marine trained to snipe quiet in breeze So silence at ease See your heartbeat bleep deceased accept it And the printout of your flatline reads Phenetix Synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas When I synchronize all orders of ciphers to slay ‘em in Are you silently sliding out cyphers decided you staying in ‘Cause it’s hot as hell in any box that I’m blazing in Remain in a cadence to the symphony of cicadas All of these cats are actors and calming the static Monochromatic bleak future you used to calling dramatic You fall on the sabbath and never decided for resting ingesting the essence Swallowing theaters blocking the entrance Mocking intentions with frock and suspenders I stand painting your sentence With one word I cover the canvas The blood on my hands gets you asses bludgeoned and smashed with Bricks in baskets tsk in taskets quick in caskets Oops missed my adlibs My prose composed in frantic pen strokes explode flows to show who Chad is
7.
Red Dress 03:01
Once upon a night Upon a fading sun A steady pace to some But in truth longing to be undone It’s kind of like being indoors during a storm Viewing through window panes But missing the feel of the rain As it pours down Such a soothing sound I just need something more now I just need to let it all out Cover ground to new heights Where passion engulfs me like a light That’s a life That’s when she came in sight As when lightning strikes You’re filled with an awe And this glorious form It moves you along And it moves you to song And that dress she had on was like a red dawn Ooh she had a red dress on The color of a red dawn Just to watch you dance Eyes open wide Lust put aside I’m seeing for the first time Just to watch you dance Just to watch you dance Just to watch you move Brings purpose and it soothes Just to watch you dance I don’t need your name I don’t need your number or need you to feel the same Just to watch you dance It made me say wow One word Called out loud Simple yet so complex I feel it in my chest It made me say wow She had a red dress on Man she looked so good She had a red dress on She looked so good She had a red dress on Following the heart’s desire I step up onto the floor Before I walk away I’m determined to let it soar So I risk it all Ending this moment is what I chance But there’s no way I’m leaving this place without a dance I don’t want romance I just want to have your opposite stance Feeling enhanced to inspire trance Need another sense of her dress One word can only express Simple and complex I feel it in my chest Oh wow I feel it in my chest Oh wow And I said wow Ooh she had that red dress on The color of a red dawn And I said wow The color of a red dawn Wow Got so much style baby That red dress was killing me The color of a red dawn I knew I would be alright I said wow to that red dress If I just dance
8.
On The 10th 03:57
This undying love in my heart Held captive by the fact that we’ve been torn apart Although I know there’s no letting go I’m still alone A still depone Bemoan to fill my soul The drummer boy Still drumming and marching I’m humming the trumpets are gone and departed I’m feeling brave-hearted And hazed by the violence ‘Cause my senses tell me this war is childish At home where my mind slips At home where my child sits beside my wife Besides this fight They’ve been on my mind since the instant I left Just to think that I left To help To fight While the health of my wife wasn’t at best A rhinovirus infected her chest She says that it’s less She stressed that it’s best that I go and protect And do what I must We discussed then a thrust of entrust hit me stern Unconcerned now Man of house my son had now earned So I turn to the road To a journey unknown All I know is the goal is return to my home So I march to the valley of death with no fear, My sword, my shield A lock of her hair Proper luck I keep tucked in a spot of my gear My paths locked I ask God If this would end tragically Please watch over my family I can accept my fate Based upon how far you’ve taken me If my wife can feel the pain and grieve Then have a saint Take my seed I promise to stay by your side As I watch from upon on high Come up when it’s your time Until then I’ll ride And for him forewarn him A guide to his stride A light for this last flight A slight insight from the past life Forever your wife From the start how I tried ‘Till death did we part To my vows I abide This undying love in my heart Held captive by the fact that we’ve been torn apart Although I know there’s no letting go I’m still alone A still depone Bemoan to fill my soul Raise shield Yield sword Noise like violent storm The archers aim Then Arthur falls Can’t stop to mourn Move on March on Our army’s strong They will fall eventually In comes the infantry Killed one Killed three We cut through them like weeds Run through with light speed Through the cloud light bleeds Right on me can’t see Lift my shield So, oh I blocked the blow Whoah, the man on high guides my way Dragonfly flies on my blade Swing it flies away Slink then another slaid What is happening Back to attack again Then I trip through See her musk thistle Hear “It must miss you” Feel the heat near as the flaming spears whisk through They whistle by I can’t see your eyes I can’t see your smile I conceive you’ve died I can’t seem to cry I can’t explain I don’t know why I feel the pain Feel whole inside The goal is still I must get back to home So I pick up, move on For my family I go To our family you go my sweet Till then I’ll hold your seat For my saint till we meet Again
9.
10.
I know a lot of people they wonder just where we’ll end up Living happy ever after loving our neighbor and such But seeing our situation must admit it is tough ‘Cause more than half the population still has yet to grow up Now after twenty plus centuries let us see what’s what And examine some point of views to see if we can wake up And understand the paranoia that we have through the years What I ask is who it is that we should currently fear Wait Easy question Just turn the TV on to get the valuable lesson ‘Cause the question doesn’t warrant thinking more than a second It’s all the Middle Eastern fanatics with nuclear weapons Right? Those brown people with their silly Islam ‘Cause only they possess the intelligence to make a bomb Yet I could of sworn I heard of something called Vietnam And some scary people Midwest don’t read the Koran It’s not a question of arms It’s a quest for concern Paranoia’s a state of being for which we have yearned But vulnerability’s a state with which you must come to terms And defining terrorism’s up to one to discern But if you think it comes from only big bearded men Just recall the setting of Weaver in Ruby Ridge when Mother of three holding her baby shot in the head After the ATF mowed down their only son dead Think back to lovely Waco Texas and then Ponder exactly where supposed terrorists den But if not Arabs who should we fear instead? Okay I got it It’s all of the people in the projects Black and Hispanic always trying to steal my contents Without a conscience You know the place and the route Where minorities orally order your wallet come out Where inner city youths are always shooting about Looking to pounce Making profits off the drugs they sell out But see I’m calling it out Because I truly do doubt That Central Park is the place where these drugs up and sprout Are you catching my drift Or do you need me to shout Need me to walk and talk all of the nonsense you spout How many gun manufacturing plants are under ya? How many blacks are on flights to Columbia? Not a whole lot So no wonder you’re wondering You’re wonderful hatred is coming in with a thundering Ignorance cluttering Causing violent concussions And while you integrate My statements have you rapidly shuddering Rapidly butter your toast It’s going down your throat Listen to what I’m saying You need it more than most ‘Cause blacks are only 12 percent of the population Yet they account for 30 percent of the nation’s arrests This is not a test But I stress you pay attention ‘till everything connects ‘Cause the leading cause of death for young black men Is murder by other men No pretend This is what it is This is what you live Take a second to remove the dagger from your ribs ‘Cause more than not The offender’s race is the same as the victim that’s shot, stabbed, or whatever It’s not a plot but a choice you got See, you’ve been assigned to the character criminal And in addition to subliminal acceptance of the role that’s been given you You don’t acknowledge what you’re living through Start to see it through And of course the contribution of the news is certainly critical Thus I don’t advise taking the media literal Unless you like fiction with your cereal ‘Cause only 1 percent of all killers are serial Yet if you went by the news you should be shaking hysterical Causing a medical team to come and inspect ya Fearing a black man’s gonna come and get ya Time to check the facts National crime on the whole’s been declining since the early 1990’s So keep breathing, relax Entertainment motivates their presentation of stats And emotions are manipulated So I can’t really say that I’m swayed by any prime time official statements Where desire to think for yourself Puts you in violation of the government’s interpretation So what should you fear? Mid-east WMD’s Or mistaken American death penalties What should you fear? Drug dealers selling crack Or genetically modified food you eat in stacks Who should you fear? The teenage kids in detention Or the ones in suits stealing your pension Who should you fear? Homeless people in the streets Or the politicians making decisions while safe in their seats Who should you fear? Gang members who would kill for a stare Or the ones charging you for your healthcare And pharmaceutical companies keep ‘em paying for the treatment ‘Cause cures don’t reap as well as continued diseases Institutions explicit interest is in making money off of your existence in sickness That’s some ridiculous sick shit And police commit crimes in the name of justice Ain’t no way McCarthy could ever have touched this Cops using race to further their case And then they wonder why there’s so many blacks behind the prison gates Prison inmate That’s a fate that awaits so many black males Cuz according to the state Half of them get arrested for index crimes to date So police, police Yes to them let’s unleash All our anger whenever there’s an officer in the street Whether local, state, or federal level if we meet They’re gonna feel what it’s like to be at a person’s feet That goes for any chief, patrol men, and even desk staff Come on man, you trying to make me laugh Have we not progressed beyond five and a half Pointing and shouting in kindergarten class For real You can’t condemn ‘em in general ‘Cause all that really does is make your position less credible Untenable is such a claim These people are out every day Risking their lives to save people like me and you That’s not to say I condone everything they do ‘Cause quite a few are power hungry and prejudiced But there’s evidence of many with humanitarian sentiments So if not blacks or cops I got one more idea for where our fear should drop White people For their wars and hate have always been quite lethal Prejudicial homicide Military genocide Whites are certainly heading the art of war unequaled Their religion of cathedrals have killed and malled Causing indigenous African worldviews to fall Native Americans are barely left at all And those who disagree have always crumbled or crawled Yet he sustains and the white man remains standing tall So if lack of pigment brings sin Then given the color of my skin Maybe you should fear me But do my cells contain genes that make me guilty of causing the practice of slavery? No matter the race Can anyone truly inherit disgrace? Ancestral kin Let’s begin by seeing this issue for what it is ‘Cause it’s easier to hate than to comprehend Easier to fear than to understand men Examine your foreign or racial policy And ask, do I grasp the concept of a self fulfilling prophecy? So you can hate whites
Or any other race if you like Be aware though you’re bound to lose the fight ‘Cause all you little puppets like to strike with your might But the puppet master’s got far better sight Now understand right where you stand Racism, terrorism, they go hand in hand Whether you manage land Or have a hand in scams Social division is simply part of the plan While you run, run, run in the same place While you watching the TV learning the criminal’s face While everyone around you’s in heightened states While you look to the sky praying for God’s grace But heaven be damned should you use your voice Or ever discover that you actually have a choice Cuz truth be told when it’s all said and dealt The only thing that you should ever fear is yourself

credits

released August 1, 2022

Music Composed and Arranged by Zack Hemsey

Album Mixed and Mastered by Lou Hemsey and Zack Hemsey

Artwork & Design by Omead Afshari

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