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 Song Search:
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