Immortal Technique question

evil_seed

It has taken me a while to wke up to this guy. He is one of the best around today. I downloaded some tracks to see what he's like and I have to admit, I now think he is great. The tracks I downloaded are Freedom of speech, Cause of death, you never know (my fav), industrial revolution, point of know return. these are all class songs. My question is: Why has he not blown up/ famous? He really should be

Orizio

I don't see why having 5 goode songs should make him famou.The Hip-Hop industry is cluttered with talented MC's(and IT is far from the best)'who should have blown up'.Since when did talent have anything to do with being famous in Hip-Hop?Have you watched MTV Base lately?

ubu

For the reason Orizio mentions above but also how many overtly political rappers do you know in the charts? its against the common interest in the USA at the moment to have rappers like I.T making waves, the government dont wan't him causing trouble, they even tried setting him up with a drugs charge in Colorado last year afaik.
He also refuses to sign to a Major record label (see Freedom Of Speech quote below) and is not going to get play on MTV/BET without a major label backing him.

"Fúck a record deal, I want development land
With my benevolent clan
And that's the reason that I only trust my fam
40,000 records sold, 400 grand
Fúck a middle man, I won't pay anyone else
I'll bootleg it and sell it to the streets myself"

The way I.T does things he's not going to suddenly blow up overnight, his music only spreads through word of mouth really, the way to help him blow up/become famous is to buy his C.Ds (www.viperrecords.com) and spread the word further yourself.

Ive made my view known quite a few times on here before about Immortal Technique, but he has alot more than 5 good songs, his two LPs are brilliant and theres a shít load of freestyles/battles/mixtape/guest spot material out there with him on it aswell and he deserves to blow up but i cant see it happening.

Cannibal Ox

Can you imagine a video for Dance with the Devil? On MTV?
Me thinks not.

He is one of the best I've heard in a while, even if his politics are ridiculous, mostly cause he spits like no one else out there. I can't think of any other emcee besides maybe Dalek whose lyrics drip with as much venom.

Corholio

He is an incredible MC alright, Dance With The Devil is an amazing story song. Bin Laden is also a fantastic track, short 1st verse though. His rhyming technique is awesome, much like Rakim's he dosen't rhyme words 3 lines apart like Jay-Z does.

" I pledge no allegiance, n***a f**k 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 n****z to show you love
This **** 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 "

" They say the rebels in Iraq still fight for Saddam
But that's bull****, I'll show you why it's totally wrong
Cuz if another country invaded the hood tonight
It'd be warfare through Harlem, and Washington Heights
I wouldn't be fightin' for Bush or White America's dream
I'd be fightin' for my people's survival and self-esteem
I wouldn't fight for racist churches from the south, my nigga
I'd be fightin' to keep the occupation out, my nigga
You ever clock someone who talk ****, or look at you wrong?
Imagine if they shot at you, and was rapin' your moms
And of course Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons
We sold him that ****, after Ronald Reagan's election
Mercenary contractors fightin' a new era
Corporate military bankin' off the war on terror
They controllin' the ghetto, with the failed attack
Tryna distract the fact that they engineerin' the crack
So I'm strapped like Lee Malvo holdin' a sniper rifle
These bullets'll touch your kids, and I don't mean like Michael
Your body be sent to the morgue, stripped down and recycled
I fire on house niggaz that support you and like you
Cuz innocent people get murdered in the struggle daily
And poor people never get **** and struggle daily
This ain't no alien conspiracy theory, this **** is real
Written on the dollar underneath the Masonic seal "

yak_kadafi

i think alot of radio and tv stations are just to scared to play his stuff cos they think they would get into trouble with the us government etc etc...and if you play something like that in america think of how may complaints you would have in a country where its citizens are so patriotic....

Orizio

*Reads the above quotes*

Seriously his politics suck.I mean fair play to him for reading a few Chomsky books but where's the originality?Mindlesss leftist slogans and depressing rhetoric.

Corholio

Listen to a few more of his songs before you say that, the above song was on a mainstream mixtape, his albums have much more politicial songs.

Orizio

I have both his albums.His politics still suck.:p

yak_kadafi

Orizio wrote:

*Reads the above quotes*

Seriously his politics suck.I mean fair play to him for reading a few Chomsky books but where's the originality?Mindlesss leftist slogans and depressing rhetoric.

well they do suck if u ride america's dick...which you probably do

Orizio

yak_kadafi wrote:

well they do suck if u ride america's dick...which you probably do

In fact they suck if you've got an IQ higher then a 4 years old,and I do.

ubu

No, YOU suck :rolleyes:

Makaveli

Use of Rolleyes smiley is now a bannable offence.

David19

Makaveli wrote:

Use of Rolleyes smiley is now a bannable offence.

Brilliant! Its an awful smiley.

yak_kadafi

Orizio wrote:

In fact they suck if you've got an IQ higher then a 4 years old,and I do.

ok???????????????

Cannibal Ox

IT's read some books and seen what he wants to see in them. There's no doubt he's right in some things, but in others he's almost as bad as the Socialist Youth. Basically, my problem with him is that he goes too far overboard and when you've got thousands of people believing every word he says, it's a serious problem. You can't solve the type of problems IT raps about if your living in a paranoid fantasy world.

Course, there's always the possiblity rapping about politics is just his gimmick and all he really gives a shít about is making money.

Orizio

Cannibal Ox wrote:

IT's read some books and seen what he wants to see in them. There's no doubt he's right in some things, but in others he's almost as bad as the Socialist Youth. Basically, my problem with him is that he goes too far overboard and when you've got thousands of people believing every word he says, it's a serious problem. You can't solve the type of problems IT raps about if your living in a paranoid fantasy world.

Course, there's always the possiblity rapping about politics is just his gimmick and all he really gives a shít about is making money.

*Nods his head in agreement*

Personally,its not that his politics are way out there or just too radical,its more that I find Chomskyism pseudo Marxism seriously offensive,the kind of politics suited to those that live in a black and white world without complexities.I just can't stand that trash,particurly when the rapper is so god damn preachy.loud and unoriginal.

If you want to listen to some political/social rap then try Hell RAZAH,Killah Priest or maybe some of Ras Kass and Canibus's stuff.Better still read a book.

Klimseven

jesus christ you can ask exactly the same question about all of the good emcees out today. Why isn't Mf Doom famous? Why isn't Jehst famous? Why weren't Black Sheep famous? Why weren't the Pharcyde famous? I could go on for years, you get the point. Talent, originality and quality don't equal fame or success unfortunately. To become famous you usually have to water your s hit down to pander to a banal, apathetic, ignorant mainstream audience and record companies.