Squared Circle Lyrics - Revisted

The Breakdown: Squared Circle
Shouts out to Bryce in France for hitting me up about this song. I decided to get in depth on this joint and give more insight on the inspiration, as well as what I wanted to convey.

Comments and feedback are appreciated. If you just read it, that's cool too, lol..

Oh, and Happy Born Day to Moto, Shred One, and Mike Dayao!!!!!

"See we lost both kings, now we back in the ring

Not just the back of the bus, still we back in a rut,

like 40 years, blood sweat, grandma's tears,

Move year after year, while most living in fear,

Future stuck on the block, caught up running from cops,

Mission impossible if you ain't got no plot,

The land we fight for ain't the same we died for,

We been getting played out since the second civil war,

Sell the game, we need more, feel the flame, lost souls,

Feel the pain of great scores, double years of monthly mess,

Leave them stamps for progress, hit a ballot but don't guess,

Stay informed and organized, free at last before we die…"


Breakdown:




The inspiration for this verse was Coretta Scott King's passing (lost both kings) and my take on the "second civil war" (the Civil Rights movement). We (in I mean it in a total sense including the entire country) have made some progress, but the effects of not being organized and dealing with the issues facing the community, especially in the low income and poverty stricken areas have been staggering. Couple that with the influx of drugs, which in turn brings crime, and the lack of education in these communities makes for a feeling of "getting played out" since those times. We need structure, organization, and a vision (Mission impossible if you ain't got no plot..) if we want to find success.




"Its the greatest story ever told

at the same time the lie unfolds,

Watch the b*llsh*t unload,

They don't want to kick the truth to the youth

But Hip Hop is the proof,

That the answer's in you...


Expression of might, we overcast from underclass

My elevation, my motivation from the beat of my heart,

To the kick and my fist raised high

Now keep them fist raised high…"




Breakdown:




So these are actually two hooks, the pre hook and the main. In the pre hook, I just wanted to pay homage to Inspectah Deck's line off "CREAM" (Kick the truth to the young black youth) and flip it. Basically telling the youth, that the answer is in YOU. Because that's where the future is, in the hands of the youth. Also, I feel like Hip Hop is very instrumental (or can be) in the coming together of people all over the world under a common banner.


The main hook is more of a take on expressing and progressing mind, body, and soul. I also threw the "overcast" up in there cause that my favorite project from Atmosphere, so it just kind of came out there.




"Like the last time we broke code, ended up being sold

and now my people don't wanna get out and rap this vote,

Its like we stringing a rope pushing ourselves down the river,

Almighty Universal, yeah we thinking bigger,

Like dominating them figures, reinvest them bless stacked,

Get a crib then bet it back,

Two more cribs, then bet it back,

See ya hood, then bet it back,

Before long control that,

In the hands of the people, 12 stomps over needles,

Help the feeble pull up them straps,

Feel the plan and proact,

Equality is where its at, Unity in numbers,

You got to get up, get out, and get something,

Black, yellow, red, and white,

Fist up ready to fight..."




Breakdown:




This verse was just more of a call for unity and I wanted to sprinkle some solution in the mix. I am not a fan of the songs where people are going with a topic and you feel like you didn't get the whole story beginning to end. I also wanted to throw some references beyond just the civil right movement, so I touched on the slave trade a bit (like the last time we broke code…), and the ideal of Africans selling Africans to symbolize that we have to be careful not to sell each other out. Not in the anti snitching sense, cause that's bogus, but just in the fact of having respect for each other and rolling with the team that you are on. I also touched on the fact of rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. If it's possible, its critical to own some land and reinvest in your community. The more people who can take their wealth and build on that in their community, the end result for a lot of these areas will change. Then we can "Help the feeble pull up them straps", a reference to Booker T. Washington's philosophies on the subject of what people need to do to succeed. Not that I am proponent of that track fully, but he had some good points. I also sprinkle a reference to the Zulu Nation, which is a big part of this inspiration and the culture as a whole.




Thanks for reading and you can check out "Squared Circle" in the player or the video if you haven't in awhile.