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Plague: "Grasshopper" (with memoirs)

1/30/2014

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Artist(s):  7Lock (solo) 
Song:  Grasshopper 
Word Count: 411
Producer: Fingaz
Recorded: Area 12, Abbot Sounds 
Album: Plague (Rescue rec. 1999) 
Dirts favorite Line(s): ‘I scrape you off like cream on the cookie/ 7 Lock on the spot runnin them vets like rookies’ 

Lyrics & Memories: Grasshopper

 No song came as cryptic and mysterious as 7Lock’s GRASSHOPPER track!

And it was a bit of a struggle to get it on the album. I have a fond memory of sitting down at a taco shop in downtown San Diego, pleading to my A and R. It was the old artist creativity against the corporations ideas saga! I have ideas on how things should be. One of those ideas consists of letting your boys get a piece too. It’s only right! The men that were with you for the ride the whole time. The men that supported you even back when you was in the cradle. That’s your people! Give em a chunk! 2 songs on this album became such a battle to get on because my representative wasn’t seeing it like that. One was ‘Good Medison’ and the other was this one.

            “We only signed you, Dirt, not 7Lock!” said Rueben (by the way, I love Rueben! Don’t read too far into this story.)

            “But I aint askin you to sign him too! This is just a solo track that he’s gonna rock. He’s my boy! C’mon, I’m just giving him his spot on my album.”

            “But that’s the point. YOUR album. Not His. Why is he getting a solo track on your album!?”

            “Because I want to show that we (Locust) are a team! How can I show that if I don’t let my man shine? I know it’s a little different the way I wanna do it, but trust me, it will be dope!”

            I finally got Rueben to agree after I cried a bit and then promised that 7Lock wouldn’t ask for money.

            7 and me went over to Fingaz, who showed us an extra track he had. I didn’t like it. To tell you the truth, I still don’t think I like it (the beat alone)! But Lock was all over it. So he staked his claim and wrote the lyrics. The ONLY reason I like the end track now is because 7Lock came ruff on it! I think if anyone else attacked it, I wouldn’t dig it. The dope vocal sample of Kane from ‘Kunf Fu’ leaving his master at the end of the song is a personal highlight too (I came to the table with that!).

            When the album dropped, most people seemed to like it. And there was a year, at least, where 7 Lock and I got to perform a lot on stage and that would be his solo for the shows.

Nevertheless that song sparked the biggest ‘Locust’ mystery ever. Everyone liked it but didn’t know why. Especially since they didn’t know what the heck the chorus was about! I got tons of email (and still get an occasional question) asking what he was talking about.

            So here’s an official explanation (I wont explain the song lyrics. You can get at Lock and ask him about those. But here’s the chorus explained):

            You see, in the ‘Shadow of the Locust’ universe there are times when we create our own ‘language’ or slang words. This song utilized on such instance where we had been using a slang term within the crew (and still do).

            A grasshopper and a locust are the same exact insect. The only differences is that a locust is when too many grasshoppers are born in one place and they start swarming. Their numbers make them ferocious because they are fighting harder for food and mates. So in a way a grasshopper is that insect you hear all solo in the field at night chirping away. A locust is that same exact insect with thousands of his friends coming to knock on your door! So in our slang terminology within the group, a ‘grasshopper’ is some dude that is either weakhearted or not saved. A ‘Locust’ is a warrior! A person who is tired of a mundane, mediocre existence and jumps up to join the plague! Although they are the same creature, locust tend to be much larger and vivacious because they get more exercise and build more strength through the fierceness of the extra competition.

            So when 7lock says, “you be the grasshopper, I’ll be the weedhopper”. He is saying that you can settle for being the weak one, but he is gonna jump over lifes’ struggles.

Make sense? Good! I am glad we could clear this up.

            7Lock recorded this track in a home studio in southtown Diego called ‘Abbot Sounds’. It was mixed a few times before the album version. 

GRASSHOPPER (performed by 7Lock)

I  GOT  FORM  LIKE  KATA  FROM A  JUDAN  SENSAI
TENTH  DEGREE  KID  BE  THE  LESSON  I  GIVE
PRETEND  YOU  BE  THE  GRASSHOPPER  I  BE  THE  LEAD
TAKE  HEED--7-LOCK  SWIFT  TO  LAY  DOWN  YOUR  NEED, CHUM
I  SEE  YOU, YOU  SEE  ME  LIVIN  LIFE  ABUNDANTLY
SOMETIMES  YOU  WONDER  BEE  WHAT  BE  THE  REMEDY
I  TELL  YOU  POWER  FROM  THE  MOST  HIGH,  GUY
BUT  STILL  YOU  PRAY  TO  JUBU  JI  AND  HAILE  SELASSIE
YET  I  TRIED  TO  SHOW  YOU MUCH WISDOM LIKE  THE  LORD  OF  ILLUSION
BUT  IT  ALL SEEMS  CONFUSING-ALL  YOU  CAN
IS  WHAT  I  SAY  WHEN  I  SPIT  THIS  FLAME  KID
IS  WHAT  I  SAY  WHEN  IM  LAYIN  DOWN  MY  GAME  KID
I  READ  MY  SCROLL  WHILE  YOU  SMOKE  YOUR  CANNABIS
STANDIN  ON  MY  FRONT  LAWN  TWIRLING  STAFF,  SON

CHORUS
YOU  BE  THE  GRASSHOPPER  I  BE  THE  WEED HOPPER
YOU  JUMP  THE  GRASS  AND  I LL  JUMP  THE  WEEDS
2Xs

I  GIVE  PLAN  LIKE  PROFESSOR X  TO  THE  WOLVERINE
LIKE  QUEEN,  ANOTHER  BITES  THE  DUST  EMCEE
I  SCRAPE  YOU  OFF LIKE  CREAM  ON  THE  COOKIE
7-LOCK  ON  THE  SPOT  RUN  THEM  VETS  LIKE  ROOKIES
LOOK  BEE  SHADOW  OF  THE  LOCUST  BE  MY  SECT
CHRIST  BE  MY  REFUGE  AND  YOU  BE  THE  REFUGEE,  BET
I  CAN  RUN  THE  SHOW  LIKE  THE  GONG
TEARIN  DOWN  THE  WALLS  IN  YOUR  WHOLE  SYNAGOGUE
LIKE  GHENGIS  KHAN  I  TAKE  CONTROL  OF  YOUR  KLAN
YOU  AND  MOHAMMED  AND  YOUR  WHOLE  HOLY  KORAN
SON  I  COME  TO  BRING  YOU  TRUTH  LIKE  TODAY AND  SON  I  SEE  YOU  COME  TO  BRING  ME  TRUTH  LIKE  O.J.
BOOM  EXPLOSION  LIKE  THE  SUN  HIT  THE  MOON
7-LOCK  ON  THE  WARPATH  DOOM
TO  ALL  YA  NOMADS  I  GO  CAUSE  DESTRUCTION  THROUGH  THE  WHOLE  DANG  CORE
AND  MY  GOD  GIVES  ME  FLAVA  FOR  SOME  MORE,  RAW

CHORUS 2Xs

MY  WHOLE  CLICK  BE  HOLY GHOST  LIT
SEE  I  BRING  IT  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  MY  MOUNTAIN
DOWN  TO  MY  FOUNTAIN
PURE  LIKE  EVIAN  MY  FLOW  COMES  TO  YOU
PURE  LIKE  EVIAN KID  JUMP  IN  MY  POOL
SON  I  COME  TO  SHOW  YOUR  WAY  OUT  THE  DARK
FOLLOW  ME  TO  MY  ARK  AND  WE LL  SAIL  TO  NEW YORK
AND  JAPAN
AND  RUN  IT  LIKE  A  GOSPEL  SCAM
YOU  AND  ME  LIKE  BILLY  GRAHAM
AND  WE  CAN  LEAVE  THIS  HERE  LAND, MAN
AND  THEN  I LL  SHOW  YOU  MY  HOLY GHOST  MANTIS
SPIRITUAL  TAI  CHI  AND  MY  JUDO  FROM  ATLANTIS
THEN  I LL  SEND  YOU  OFF  ON  YOUR  OWN
MASTA  OF  A  STYLE  TO  MAN  THATS  UNKNOWN
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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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