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Plague: "Chant" (including memoirs)

1/30/2014

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Artist(s): Jeremiah Dirt
Song:  Chant 
Word Count: 374
Producer: Fingaz
Recorded: Area 12 
Album: Plague (Rescue rec. 1999) 
Dirts favorite Line(s): ‘they wanna take me to the river/ and give to me some cement Nikes!’, ‘I get crazy like a punk rock mohawk’, ‘hit up the army, light the fuse of the warpath’

Lyrics & Memories: Chant


This is by far the oldest song I wrote appearing on the PLAGUE album. It’s hard to pinpoint but I would put it in 93, NO later than 94. I remember writing it during the time I was in an old crew called ‘Quest 4 Souls’.

            I can’t remember exactly why but I picked the American Indian culture as a background for the track. Growing up in San Diego there is a lot of celebrations and festivals centered around that community, and as a kid I always admired the fierceness of Indian warriors (the cowboys sucked!). The purpose behind this song was just a ‘warpath’ vibe so native American Indians just naturally popped into my head while writing.

            With that said, I will tell you about an unusually funny memory I have about this track. This song seriously is the oldest on the album. Even the track was completed shortly after writing it. So all the way back in 94 I was doin small shows and rockin this track. One of these performances was at an outdoor community block party in L.A. city. So here I am in the middle of the ghetto jumpin around performing this one. BUT…few people know that the original song had me doing this crazy chanted chorus. Kinda like the baseball fans that chant at the Redskin Indian games. Well at this particular show a 300-pound, drunk Indian lady that was very upset with me approached me after wards.

            She had got the feeling that I was mocking her culture. And, I kid you not, she almost killed me right there in the middle of the street. I tried to explain to her that I have alotta respect for the Indian culture and that is what the song stemmed off of. But she wasn’t having it (a scrawny kid tryin to tell a fully grown, fully intoxicated adult the depth behind a song)! She put a curse on me and my family then said that if I ever played that song again her spirit would hunt me down and choke me in my sleep!

            It was a long time after that before I even dared to rock that song again. And even when I finally did, that ‘Chanting’ chorus was definitely omitted! It was crazy. I laugh about it now, but back then I was 17 years old and having a huge older woman threaten to kill me was a bit frightening.

            When I toured with POD in 97 this seemed to be the favorite. I was used to Bboys and breakdancing. But alotta the shows I did with them was with other bands and I was the only hiphop act. So I used to get kids to start a mosh pit to this track! They all thought that was hilarious.

            I have an old Rescue records comp from 94 that has this track on it. It’s actually not the album version because it was the VERY first time I ever recorded in a studio and it showed. Walkin to school in the hood and freestyling while someone else beat boxed was far different than sittin in that vocal booth with that scary microphone hovering over you. But lemme tell you! I learned how to master that mic quick!

Out of all the tracks on PLAGUE I think Chant had one of the most memorable beats. It was just an ill and raw track. Real gritty and street level. Slow moving but powerful like a flash flood.

I was always a Micheal Jackson fan when I was little (yeah! Shaddup!) and always wanted to scratch ‘Smooth Criminal’ in a song. That worked out well here too! Then some goof balls make a million dollars recently by doin a cover of it (Alien Ant Farm)!!

            Out of all my tracks, this one has got to be the oldest and most history filled. To write a few paragraphs now doesn’t seem to do any justice. Chant is so old I can barely remember its beginning. Man! I’m getting old!

            Chant was recorded a few times before the album version and re-recorded over a new beat for the ‘Upsetter Mixtape’, 2009.

 CHANT 
 I'LL   STICK    IT   IN  YOUR   BACK,    SON
I  BEAT  DOWN  PARTIAL  DARKNESS,  LIKE   THE  RASTA'S
BEAT   DOWN  UPON   THE  DRUMS
AT  THE  NIYABINGHI   PARTY
HA----HA
EMOBILIZIN'   DARK   AREAS
GOT  EVERYBODY  RUNNING ,  AND  SCARED  OF   A
LITTLE  BROTHA  LIKE  ME  BECAUSE  I  USE  MY  VERSES  LIKE  THEY  WAS  A  GUN
(  CHICK-CHICK ) AND  MAKE  AN  EMCEE  RUN
MY  STYLE  IS  INFAMOUS,   KNOWN   ACROSS THE  MAP
I'LL   BOARD  YOUR  SHIP  AND  TAKE  YOUR  LOOT  LIKE  THEM  PIRATES
I  GO  PUBLIC  TO  THE  ENEMY
DERIVE   MY  STRENGTH  FROM  GOD  SO  THE   IMMORAL  CAN'T  BEAT  ME
I  EXCEED  OVER  THE  DEVILS   SILLY   INSTRUMENTS
MY  WAYS   ARE   POTENT,  WHILE  YOUR  WAYS   ARE   IMPOTENT
SO   GET   YOUR  CREW  AND   WE  CAN   GET    IT   ON
LIGHT  A  FIRE  AND  SING  ALL  NIGHT  LONG

V.2
MY   EXPERTISE    IS   DANGEROUS,  LIKE  THE  WRONG  END  OF  A  SHOTGUN
BUT STILL  DEVILS  HAUNT  MY  CRANIUM
I   BE   BIG   CHIEF-WHILE   YOU   BE  LITTLE   CHIEF
'CAUSE   I   SMOKE   A  SPIRIT   WHILE  YOU   SMOKE   A   LEAF
I   GET  CRAZY   LIKE   A   PUNKROCK   MOHAWK
ANTAGONIZE   AND    HEAR  THE   SOUND   OF   THE   TOMAHAWK
WICKED  ALWAYS  PLAYS  THE  OUTSIDE,   NEVER  STANDIN'   CLOSE  TO   MY   WINDPIPE
BECAUSE   THEY   MIGHT   GET   SNIPED
A   PROCESSION   OF  LOCUST   STANDIN'   WITH   INDIAN   SPEARS
WAITIN'  FOR  THE  DEVIL  TO  COME  NEAR
HIT   UP   THE   ARMY,   LIGHT   THE   FUSE   OF   THE   WARPATH
AND   LISTEN   TO   THE   WAR   CHANT
THE   FIRE   IS   BURNIN'   WITHIN
TO   CHASE   ALL   THE  SNAKES   FROM   THE   SNAKE   DEN
AND   LAY   THE  DEVIL'S   WORLD   DOWN   LOW
AND   WHEN   HE   SAYS   WHAT   THE   HECK,   I    SAY.…
" YOU'VE  BEEN  HIT  BY  A  SMOOTH  CRIMINAL"
...(HEY YOU CAN'T  GO   IN  THERE,  THAT'S  ABBADON'S                   OFFICE)...

V.3
A  SHADY   CHARACTER   IN   THE   CORNER,   HA
I  SAID  TO   MYSELF   THIS   MUST   BE   THE  ENEMY
I   APPROACHED   THE   TABLE   SLOWLY
HIS   STINKIN'   MEN   STOOD  TO  THE  BACK,   AND   SURROUNDED   ME
NOW   THERE'S   MAD   BROTHAS   ON   ALL   SIDES   AND   ALL   THE  WHILE   
ALL   I   SEE   IS   CROOKED   UPSIDE   DOWN   SMILES
THEY   WANNA   TAKE   ME   TO   THE   RIVER
AND   GIVE   TO   ME   SOME   CEMENT   NIKE'S
I    BUST   A   MICROPHONE   OUT   QUIOK
GUNS   POINTED   AT   MY   HEADD-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK
I   LET   MY   VOICE   SLICE   THROUGH  THE   SILENCE
ALL   OF   THEM   ARE   SWEATIN'   BUT   NO   ONE   GETS   VIOLENT
NO  ONE  LET   THE  BULLET   DOWN   THE   SHAFT  
BECAUSE   I  STARTED   TO   GO   ON   THE   WARPATH
SCREAMIN.....
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    The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
    -Psalm 55:21
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