Genius | Song Lyrics & Knowledge

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Also known as “Peace”, the second track from Kanye’s Freshmen Adjustment mixtape is an early recording that features several lines that would be repurposed later in his career.

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The Mask DANGERDOOM (Ft. Ghostface Killah) – The Mask

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Third song off The Mouse & The Mask, a song featuring Ghostface Killah with whom DOOM reportedly had an album in the works together as DOOMSTARKS.

Samples:

“Sadness Theme” by Franco Micalizzi
“If You Only Had the Time” by Nova Local
“Rhythm’s Dealer” by Ted Atking and His Orchestra

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Sizzla Kalonji

8 years

And ofcourse it’s a reference to the fact that they both (used to) wear a mask, derp.

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188

1 year

I KNEW IT I KNEW IT WAS SADNESS THEME DANGER MOUSE IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE

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I Want to Talk to You Nas – I Want to Talk to You

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In track 9 of Nas’s ‘I Am…’ album, he vies for a voice in the way things are run. He doesn’t like how the government is handling situations, especially that of the situation in the ghettos. Nas believes that it if he was given power, he’d be able to make a change.

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121

4 years

Should be “extinction on earth”, not ‘extension’. That really doesn’t make sense in the context of this song.

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Shadows of Tomorrow Madvillain (Ft. Quasimoto) – Shadows of Tomorrow

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The song features excerpts from the 1974’s movie “Space Is the Place” by musician Sun Ra.

Madlib handles all the rapping on this track – rapping the first verse under his high-pitched alter-ego, Quasimoto, then switching to his normal voice for the second.

“Shadows of Tomorrow” is a tribute to Sun Ra, in which Madlib lyricizes Ra philosophy, and even repeats the name “Sun Ra” over and over. The title of the track is taken from a song Ra wrote titled “The Shadows Cast By Tomorrow” that was released on a limited 7-inch, hand-painted by Ra. In the spirit of his predecessor, Madlib claims to be part-alien, and speaks coolly about music in a way that stretches beyond earthly restraint. [Source:
Propeller Mag]

Quasimoto’s verse comes from a poem Sun Ra wrote on the back of his Angels and Demons at play album.

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The song features excerpts from the 1974's movie "[Space Is the Place](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Is_the_Place)" by musician [Sun Ra](/artists/Sun-ra).

Madlib handles all the rapping on this track - rapping the first verse under his high-pitched alter-ego, [Quasimoto](/artists/Quasimoto), then switching to his normal voice for the second.

"Shadows of Tomorrow" is a tribute to Sun Ra, in which Madlib lyricizes [Ra philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Ra#Philosophy), and even repeats the name “Sun Ra” over and over. The title of the track is taken from a song Ra wrote titled “The Shadows Cast By Tomorrow” that was released on a limited 7-inch, hand-painted by Ra. In the spirit of his predecessor, Madlib claims to be part-alien, and speaks coolly about music in a way that stretches beyond earthly restraint. [Source: 
[Propeller Mag](http://www.propellermag.com/June2014/CookSunRaJune14.html)]

Quasimoto's verse comes from a poem Sun Ra wrote [on the back](https://s3.amazonaws.com/filepicker-images-rapgenius/8DZS6ZFTCajuD6ac7Kvm_R-1053385-1517065238-6394.jpeg.jpg) of his [*Angels and Demons at play*](https://www.discogs.com/Sun-Ra-And-His-Myth-Science-Arkestra-Angels-And-Demons-At-Play/release/1053385) album.

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8,524

3 years

Everybody keep it on the d-low but here’s the movie referenced above. After watching it, I realized how influential it was to Madlib’s style on this album and the overall flow of it.

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Street Lights Kanye West – Street Lights

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One of the most emotionally distressing tracks off an already depression-focused album is “Street Lights.”

Kanye iterates the repetitiveness of life and its petty affairs, and even the monotony of time and destiny itself.

Light is a motif in Kanye’s work, with songs “Flashing Lights”, “Street Lights”, “All of the Lights”, “Ultralight Beam”, “Highlights” and “Low Lights” (while light is not used in the same context for all of the songs).

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193

8 months

best song on the album 100%

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Windmill, windmill for the land
Turn forever, hand in hand Gorillaz (Ft. De La Soul) – Feel Good Inc.

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Damon Albarn—through his Noodle character—said to MTV:

I remember the beginning of the formation of “Feel Good Inc.” quite clearly, I had a beat that was a little bit ‘80s, very upbeat. But maybe halfway through, my attention wandered. I played something more acoustic, just something that reminded me of the countryside. So I wrote down some keywords to help with the lyrical imagery. 'Windmill’ was one of them. It was a trigger to symbolize a different time and also a reference to the ‘dark satanic mills’ that William Blake wrote about in his verse of “Jerusalem.” I remember that it all started when I was reading the ingredients off the back of a [potato chip] packet.

The ‘dark satanic mills’ that Blake wrote about were none other than the large-scale mills in England during the Industrial Revolution that threatened to crush the business of small, independent mills in the same way the Inc. would obliterate anything crossing its path. The simple windmill that Noodle sits by in the music video recalls freedom and independence, so it is to be associated with this latter kind of mills.

It’s worth noting that George Orwell also used windmills as a metaphor for totalitarian and coercive power in his 1945 novel Animal Farm.

There’s also the English idiom “tilting at windmills,” which means battling imaginary enemies. This comes from the novel Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, whose titular character fights with windmills thinking they’re giants.

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Damon Albarn—through his Noodle character—[said to MTV](http://www.mtv.com/news/1522776/road-to-the-grammys-the-story-behind-gorillazs-feel-good-inc/):

> I remember the beginning of the formation of "Feel Good Inc." quite clearly, I had a beat that was a little bit '80s, very upbeat. But maybe halfway through, my attention wandered. I played something more acoustic, just something that reminded me of the countryside. So I wrote down some keywords to help with the lyrical imagery. 'Windmill' was one of them. It was a trigger to symbolize a different time and also a reference to the 'dark satanic mills' that [William Blake](/artists/William-blake) wrote about in his verse of "[Jerusalem](/William-blake-and-did-those-feet-in-ancient-time-annotated)." I remember that it all started when I was reading the ingredients off the back of a [potato chip] packet.

The 'dark satanic mills' that Blake wrote about were none other than [the large-scale mills](https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/theres-nothing-patriotic-about-william-blakes-jerusalem/) in England during the [Industrial Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution) that threatened to crush the business of small, independent mills in the same way the Inc. would obliterate anything crossing its path. The simple windmill that Noodle sits by in the music video recalls freedom and independence, so it is to be associated with this latter kind of mills.

http://images.rapgenius.com/13a5c1c9df166e260d6166efe28c8e63.515x289x1.jpg

It's worth noting that [George Orwell](/artists/George-Orwell) also used windmills as a metaphor for totalitarian and coercive power in his 1945 novel *[Animal Farm](/George-Orwell-animal-farm-chapter-1-annotated)*.

There's also the English idiom ["tilting at windmills,"](http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/tilting-at-windmills.html) which means battling imaginary enemies. This comes from the novel [*Don Quixote*,](/Miguel-de-cervantes-don-quixote-part-one-chapter-one-annotated) by [Miguel de Cervantes](/artists/Miguel-de-cervantes), whose titular character fights with windmills thinking they're giants.

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808

7 years

Unlike machines, windmills aren’t powered industrially (or at least, the one in the music video isn’t), but by wind. The windmill is symbolic of freedom, as it isn’t controlled by people. 2-D says that the people in this city are like machines; Doing what they’re told to do by the corrupt Feel Good Inc. They aren’t free, like windmills. 2-D thinks they should turn away from the people that control them and be free together, forever.

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808

7 years

I think that the windmill is symbolic of freedom. A windmill uses the power of wind to turn, not machinery. 2-D is saying that we should break free and not be controlled by the Inc. We should be like windmills that aren’t controlled by machines and told what to do.

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Prateek

7 years

The windmill could alternatively represent hope. 2D represents those opposing the Inc. So 2D in this verse asks people opposing the Inc. to keep doing so and to keep faith. He also asks for solidarity, “Turn forever hand in hand” and “Is everybody in?”. Lastly 2D explores the idea that no matter how oppressive the Inc. may be, love will always remain free.

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Celso

7 years

The Wildmill land is a clear contrast to the Fell Good ‘Inc.’ tower. I really don’t fell that it is symbolic of oppression here.
In the video clip is pretty clear that the island is symbolic of freedom and honest good feelings. It flies freely through above and below the clouds, unlike the ‘Inc.’. The ‘Inc.’ is always alienated above the clouds, far from the reality of he city.
2D tries to wake up as he seeks true love and freedom. He envies Noodle as he see her chilling there.
The representation authoritarianism in the song are the ‘Inc.’ and De La Soul.

And by the way, it’s clearly “Turn forever”

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Paranoid Kanye West (Ft. Mr. Hudson) – Paranoid

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In the closest thing that comes to normal rapped vocals from Ye on 808’s & Heartbreak, Yeezy is reflecting upon a past relationship and laments his frustrations to his past flame. Kanye is manipulating his girlfriend calling her paranoid and making sure she stays with him while laughing behind with another girl.

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Family Business Kanye West – Family Business

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The stories in this song are not actually all about Kanye’s family. Per Complex, Tarrey Torae (who sings “they don’t mean a thang” toward the end) helped Kanye with the stories for this song.

Kanye was like, ‘I need this to be about real-life family,’“ recalled Tarrey. "I’m the oldest of 48 grandkids on my mom’s side and I’m in the middle of 36 grandkids on my father’s side. So when he said, ‘I need material.’ I was like, ‘I got plenty of material.’” Tarrey went on to tell Kanye about taking baths with her cousins, sleeping six in a bed, and her auntie who was known for her bad cooking. In fact, at the end when Kanye says “Let’s get Stevie out of jail,” he’s actually referring to Tarrey’s godbrother.

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Marked this as missing something ?

5 years

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895

5 years

Kanye doesn’t say “Let’s get Stevie out of jail” at the end. That’s some little kids voice

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[Chorus: Ludacris] Kanye West (Ft. Ludacris) – Breathe In Breathe Out

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This whole hook is about walking the walk- claim you have money, hoes, whips? you best be able to prove it.

Per MTV,

[Kanye] didn’t have to pay Ludacris to get him on the chorus of ‘Breathe In, Breathe Out,’ he just had to give up three of his much-sought-after beats for free, one of which turned into ‘Stand Up.’

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