From listening to his first album, it was clear that Immortal Technique was about more than just rapping over hip hop beats. He truly desired to be a revolutionary, touching on many political and social-economic issues such as poverty, the effects of European and U.S. colonialism in third world countries, corruption, and even vegans. Throughout the album, Tech maintains the same wit and aggressiveness as he did in his rap battles, making the impact of his rhymes even more effective. Tracks like the underground classic “Dance With The Devil” showed Tech’s ability to maintain his passion while His flow was so engaging that it outshined the subpar production of the album, which could have been Tech’s intention from the beginning. However, upon hearing the album, you cannot help to wonder how Tech would sound over carefully crafted beats that compliment his style.
At the time this was released, I had just started college, and the release of his first album fell under my radar. When he dropped his 2nd album, Revolutionary Vol. 2, in 2003, I raised an eyebrow but did not sit down and listen fully. It was not until he dropped the single “Bin Laden” with Mos Def along with the remix with Chuck D, KRS-One, and DJ Green Lantern when I really started paying attention:
[Immortal Technique]
I pledge no allegiance, nigga fuck the president's speeches
I'm baptized by America and covered in leeches
The dirty water that bleaches your soul and your facial features
Drownin' you in propaganda that they spit through the speakers
And if you speak about the evil that the government does
The Patriot Act'll track you to the type of your blood
They try to frame you, and say you was tryna sell drugs
And throw a federal indictment on niggaz to show you love
This shit is run by fake Christians, fake politicians
Look at they mansions, then look at the conditions you live in
All they talk about is terrorism on television
They tell you to listen, but they don't really tell you they mission
They funded Al-Qaeda, and now they blame the Muslim religion
Even though Bin Laden, was a CIA tactician
They gave him billions of dollars, and they funded his purpose
Fahrenheit 9/11, that's just scratchin' the surface
[Hook - Mos Def]
Bin Laden didn't blow up the projects
It was you, nigga
Tell the truth, nigga
(Bush knocked down the towers)
Tell the truth, nigga
(Bush knocked down the towers)
Tell the truth, nigga
If you think Tech saves his venom for just the U.S. regime, on the remix, he calls out Bin Laden for his “CIA money” and calls him a “fake muthafucka.” While I felt that the production on both songs showed an improvement in Tech’s beat selection, it was not the production that attracted me to Immortal Technique. At that point in my life, I finally “got it.” The country had gone through a controversial election, a devastating terrorist attack, and years of paralyzing fear of either being another victim of a terrorist attack or being persecuting for stating that the Bush administration’s agenda and actions during this period was bullshit. As time went on, like many others, I felt that something was not right in the way the United States was progressing. On top of that, popular music rarely reflected this feeling, just showing how much record companies would rather control what you’re thinking rather than reflect how people are feeling. While some artists did speak up, it seemed fleeting and not extensive likely due to the fear of criticism for being anti-American and/or preachy. Immortal Technique came at a time that people just wanted to hear the unfiltered truth, and he was not afraid to speak it. Looking back at it, what Immortal Technique did for hip hop was extremely important to how hip hop is now. Besides Tech’s dedication to addressing political and social inequities, he chose to put out his music independently without the support of any major labels. Thus, Immortal Technique maintained his socially conscious tone in his rhymes, freed himself from having his content controlled by major labels or losing out on his royalties, and built up a loyal fanbase – something every artist aspires to do. I also believe his success inspired other artists to either go independent and/or have more socially conscious content (Killer Mike immediately comes to mind, and I might have a review for his last album soon).
Ten years after Immortal Technique’s debut, he released The Martyr, a collection of previously unreleased tracks and some new music as well. If you fear that you do not have the money to buy this album, fear not, my friend. Tech is giving this album away for free and can be downloaded from his website, so you have nothing to lose. Also, feel free to distribute the album to others, for Immortal Technique encourages this on the introductory track “Burn This.” What people who never listen to Tech before this album might not appreciate is his progression as an artist. I believe that Tech was conscious of the necessity to select better production for his album, and he has definitely stepped his game up on that end. Furthermore, he has also focused on making each song more that a long verse broken into parts with a chorus, which he had a habit of doing on his first 2 albums. His previous album/mixtape The 3rd World displayed Tech’s newfound songwriting ability, and The Martyr continues this trend. Fans familiar with Tech’s work might view this as him watering down his style to widen his appeal. To me, it is a thin line between watering down your style and artist progression. Anyone can make music for his or her own enjoyment or satisfaction, and that desire could lead you to make music that others appreciate. Other times, if you want others to like your music, then you will probably put in some additional effort to give it a little extra appeal to the masses. So where do you cross the line? I believe every artist is different, but an easy way might be to see if the artist starts doing things in their music that he or she said that they would never do. To me, Immortal Technique has done nothing to compromise his message or his goals as a revolutionary by improving the quality of his music. In fact, the more appeal that his music has to the masses makes him more dangerous to the “establishment” for the same reason that 2Pac was considered a threat (yeah, the government wanted 2Pac dead! It’s real, people!). So anyone who wants to criticize Tech for this should shut the fuck up and listen to his music. You might enjoy it.
If you don’t enjoy the album, then I will enjoy it for you. There is a lot to like about the album. Longtime collaborator Southpaw provides the majority of the production on the album and shines on the title track as well as “Black Vikings,” “Civil War” and “Goonies Never Die.” If you have ever seen The Goonies, you cannot help but smile hearing Southpaw’s use of the opening track from the movie to create the background for Tech, Diabolic, and Swave Sevah Gomez to spit fire. DJ Green Lantern gets in on the action with “Angel and Demons” featuring dead prez. A couple of the less-known producers provide some of the more memorable beats, such as Shuko on “Rich Man’s World (1%)” where Tech creatively raps from the perspective of the corporate elite responsible for the corruption and suffering across the world:
I spend my day pimpin’ America overseas
Pension for the workers, nigga please
Embezzlement etiquette, private settlement
I'm better with confederate rhetoric
From my mansion in Connecticut
Foreclose, evict hoes out of tenement
I twist words like a speech impediment
I hope you got good credit, bitch
If not, better get a new job with benefits
While I play golf with niggas I get cheddar with
New money buys brand new carats
My old money bought your great grandparents
You got grills in your mouth, I ain't mad at ya
I own every goldmine in South Africa
Thanks, baby, you made me a billion
Plus I own a building for each one of my children's children, that's the shit
Snort coke in the whip, Miss USA suckin' my dick
Yeah, what! Fuck the law cause real jail is for suckas
I go to country club prison, you dumb motherfuckers
(I am the 1 percent, fuckin' bitch!)
All those rappers talking about their wealth have nothing on these guys. It puts things in perspective. Another highlight is the Slimfass produced “Natural Beauty,” a smoothed out backdrop with a hook sung by Mela Machinko. This is probably a prime example of how someone might claim that Tech is moving too far away from his original sound. The track is akin to Blackstar’s “Brown Skin Lady” or Goodie Mob”s “Beautiful Skin.” However, Immortal Technique succeeds in adding his own revolutionary flare to the song, rebelling against the mainstreams unrealistic and damaging ideas of beauty and attraction:
The business of beauty isn't a natural model
It's built to be the opposite of the cultures we topple
These magazines got you caught in a hustle
Cause when you starve yourself, your body doesn't burn fat, it burns muscle
And men who don't even like women control the business
That's why the women look like men and the men look like bitches
I break it down as god is my witness
Remember sambo caricature characteristics
Now who got the collogen under they lipstick
Implanted arabic hips surgical sickness
A bipolar society that claims to be righteous
Spray paintin artificial melanin tryin to be like us
Livin in a pathetic epidemic of schizophrenic buying
Synthetic body with credit, you mad that I said it
But you know that I'm right
Find a natural beauty and get you some natural lovin' tonight
One of my favorite tracks is “Toast to the Dead,” with scratches from DJ Green Lantern and production provided by the late, great J-Dilla. If you don’t know, J-Dilla aka Jay Dee was one of the best but slept-on producers in hip hop. Unfortunately, he lost his life in 2006 after a long battle with lupus., but he left a legacy that many people, including myself, did not realize existed until I did my homework. I doubt that they were able to collaborate while Dilla was still living, but I feel that it is a shame that they did not collaborate more. Both of them could have done some damage:
Here’s a toast to the dead, for all of my fam
I will never let an idea die with a man
My rhymes are like Nazca lines designed to give a view-of-this
J.Dilla’s still alive as long as his music is
A toast to the dead for rap legends and pioneers
Your legacy won’t be forsaken as long as I am here
Knowledge of the past and, wisdom of the present
I’ll teach and leave in the hands of a worthy lieutenant
A toast to the dead, for children with cancer and aids
A cure exists and you probably, could have been saved
Sad to see, medicine divorce morality
Corporate homewreckers, pimpin’ up a salary
A toast to the dead, for those that’ve died today
The victims and those exonerated by DNA
The only thing worse than giving freedom to the guilty
Is killing the innocent, and leavin’ your soul filthy
Immortal Technique, remember me when I’m gone
I encrypted my lyrics to stay alive in a song
So you’ll always keep a piece, of my spirit inside
When you struggle to complete what I started before I died
But some of you, won’t survive the changes the earth makes
Swallowed by tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes
And that’s just the first stage of ‘you-can-not-reverse-ways’
And realize that we are one, regardless of our birthplace
At the end of the day, The Martyr comes off more than just an album of rare material from Immortal Technique. It feels like a Tech album in every shape and form, but Tech is definitely a better artist and songwriter than he was when he began. It is a good thing to see artists improve rather than decline as their career progresses. Having more well known guest such as Killer Mike, Styles P, and Joell Ortiz shows that even other emcees are not taking Tech lightly. Immortal Technique has something to say, and I suggest you all take a listen. The way Immortal Technique is raising his profile, I am afraid that there is not much time left before he either burns out or is silenced. Either way, don’t miss out.
Download the album by clicking here.
