Braintax originally performed as a duo, but former member DJ T.E.S.T. left in the mid-1990s. T.E.S.T. only appeared on one official Braintax release - the 1992 debut EP, Fat Head. Christie retained the recording name and it has since become synonymous with him as a solo artist.
Though Christie had been involved in the underground breakdancing and rapping scenes for a number of years, his career effectively started with the release of the Fat Head EP. Perhaps most noted was track 5, "Talk About The Future," sampling Quincy Jones's "Summer In The City." The sample was used in response to American hip hop act The Pharcyde's use of it in its track "Passin Me By," from album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. Braintax's lyrics reflected a maturity beyond his years and this track in particular was a sign of what was to come.
Throughout his career, Braintax's lyrics have been thoughful, hard hitting and reflective, ranging from politics to spirituality and the state of hip hop music to the war in Iraq. Decrying the fake posturing and the laziness of UK hip hop acts, Braintax, along with a slew of cohorts such as Blade, Harry Love and Lewis Parker, triggered a renaissance in the UK hip hop scene, both setting the pace and paving the way for new artists and labels. As well as the variation in production styles, the depth and complexity of Braintax's lyrics are a clue to his success. Though he may not like it, philosophical musings, such as those on "Oceans" (Biro Funk, 2001), on the essence of contentment and the struggle to find peace in the modern world, appeal to a wide audience and, significantly, a middle class audience. In any case, Braintax has been a pioneer of the renaissance in UK hip hop and remains heavily involved, constantly pushing the music forward: "If there is a point it should be that we benefit more from music we relate to than from that we just listen to."
Joe Christie has also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains.
Last Date
Braintax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm stood waiting, waiting for this girl to appear
It's been 40 minutes and I'm still here
The last train's due and that's just like you
I'm in the station - hard, concrete fridge
By this pieced-up bridge
She's always f#@*^n' late and doesn't even see the pisstake
Been 2 years and I'm still living in my first mistake
And December air stinging my nose
My grip tightens on my stone hands
See, I know she isn't with another man
She just takes her time because she really doesn't give a damn
And when she's finally here she's all smiling
No apology, I could have been chillin on my island
But how am IÂ ? You don't know cos you don't even care to ask
Arrogant, assuming that I'm happy and we're gonna last
And fail to see the way you mess with my head
I feel to dis you - call out my ex's name in bed
Now, defeat you or attack you ? Do neither I play statue
For every wise response, a sly remark, I can't match you
Cos logic's out the widow and reason's out the door
I'm looking hard at it like tracks by Main Source
Of course I'm vexed, you say I want you for (what !?)
We're going nowhere, moving round in circles, jogging on the spot
It's all so familiar now but back then
You were bringing up things I said way back when...
Flashing all the right smiles trying to twist my friends
Why is the way you act so irrational ?
It's like talking to a brick wall about the price of cement
Demented ways of acting that defy all sense
Not your time of the month it's just your time to waste time
Letting off steam, breaking shit, trying to rip my rhymes
...Put the pad down slowly please take a step back
and don't even think about going for the multi-track...
You got a temper like Flashman, bully-styles late night
My mum and dad are in the next room, stay quiet
You give me more shit than teachers did
You need to smoke some of this and calm down quick
Arguing's an option but there's got to be a reason
And by the way, I don't respond to blackmail either
See I'm a true believer in some self-respect
And I'm about to call your bluff if you're threatenin' to jet
I can't stand slanging matches, I retreat into my shell
Only cos you won't listen while you're giving me hell
I'd like to call an analyst or just record the conversation
Just to make you listen to it and point out the contradictions
I'm tired of listenin', you can't believe I'm faithful
You're pissed off cos I'm not eternally grateful
You're the funny type, then again, similar to many of my friends
Same shit, different girl, time and again
The same hassles, the same game and the same end
The same blend, the best ever when it's time for bends
A firework, ready for war with me
But I'm just tryin' to write a rhyme right now and drink my tea
Why you startin' on me ?
See, I was thinking we were team-mates
And don't be tryin' to tell me that it's over cos you're too late...
I'm not psychic
I'm not a sidekick
The song "Last Date" by Braintax is about waiting for a girl who always shows up late, and the frustration and confusion that comes with being in a relationship with someone who doesn't seem to care about your time or feelings. The lyrics describe the singer's annoyance with waiting for his girlfriend, who he says doesn't even apologize for being late. He questions their relationship and wonders if it's worth all the trouble and stress. He feels trapped and powerless, unable to communicate his feelings or confront his girlfriend about her behavior. The song ends on a somewhat ambiguous note, with the singer expressing his desire to be treated better but also acknowledging that he's not sure what his girlfriend wants or why she behaves the way she does.
One interesting fact about the song is that it was released in 2001 on Braintax's album "Biro Funk", which was his debut album as a solo artist. The album received critical acclaim and helped establish Braintax as one of the leading voices in the UK hip hop scene. "Last Date" was one of the standout tracks on the album, and it remains a cult classic among hip hop fans.
Another interesting fact about the song is that it features a sample from "Friendly Pressure" by Jhelisa, a British soul singer who was popular in the 1990s. The sample adds a soulful, jazzy vibe to the track, and it helps to highlight Braintax's skills as a producer as well as a rapper.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm stood waiting, waiting for this girl to appear
I'm standing here, waiting for this girl to appear.
It's been 40 minutes and I'm still here
It's already been 40 minutes and I'm still here waiting.
The last train's due and that's just like you
The last train is about to leave and it's just like you to be late.
I'm in the station - hard, concrete fridge
I'm in the station and it's as cold as a hard, concrete fridge.
By this pieced-up bridge
I'm standing by this bridge that's in need of repair.
She's always f#@*^n' late and doesn't even see the pisstake
She's always late and doesn't even realize how much of a joke it is.
Been 2 years and I'm still living in my first mistake
It's been 2 years and I'm still regretting my first mistake of being with her.
I'm standing here with a stray frost bitin'
I'm standing here with the cold air biting at me.
And December air stinging my nose
The cold air of December is so cold it's stinging my nose.
My grip tightens on my stone hands
I'm getting so frustrated that my hands are becoming stiff and unyielding.
See, I know she isn't with another man
I know she's not with another guy, but that doesn't excuse her being late.
She just takes her time because she really doesn't give a damn
She takes her time because she doesn't really care about anyone else's schedule but her own.
And when she's finally here she's all smiling
Finally, when she arrives, she's just all smiles, not even realizing that she was late or that I am upset.
No apology, I could have been chillin on my island
She doesn't even have the courtesy to apologize, when I could have been enjoying myself on a distant island instead of waiting for her.
But how am I ? You don't know cos you don't even care to ask
She doesn't even ask me how I am or how waiting made me feel.
Arrogant, assuming that I'm happy and we're gonna last
She's arrogant and assuming that I'm happy and that our relationship will last.
And fail to see the way you mess with my head
And she fails to see how she messes with my head and my emotions.
I feel to dis you - call out my ex's name in bed
Sometimes I feel like disrespecting her by calling out my ex-girlfriend's name in bed, as a way to express my frustration.
Now, defeat you or attack you ? Do neither I play statue
I'm not sure whether to try and defeat her or attack her verbally, so instead, I just stay quiet like a statue.
For every wise response, a sly remark, I can't match you
She always responds with a clever remark, and I just can't come up with anything to match her wit.
Cos logic's out the widow and reason's out the door
I can't use logic or reason with her because she doesn't respond to it.
I'm looking hard at it like tracks by Main Source
I'm trying to look at our relationship objectively, like I'm examining the tracks of a song, but it's difficult.
Of course I'm vexed, you say I want you for (what !?)
Of course, I'm angry because she's insinuating that I want her for something that I don't actually want.
We're going nowhere, moving round in circles, jogging on the spot
Our relationship isn't going anywhere and we're just stuck in the same place, like we're jogging in place.
It's all so familiar now but back then
Everything seems familiar and repetitive now, but it wasn't like that at first.
You were bringing up things I said way back when...
She's bringing up things I said a long time ago, which is counterproductive to moving forward in our relationship.
Flashing all the right smiles trying to twist my friends
She's trying to manipulate my friends by flashing them fake smiles so they'll take her side in our arguments.
Why is the way you act so irrational ?
I don't understand why you act so irrational and unpredictable.
It's like talking to a brick wall about the price of cement
Talking to her about anything is pointless, like trying to talk to a brick wall about the price of cement.
Demented ways of acting that defy all sense
Her behaviors are crazy and don't make any sense.
Not your time of the month it's just your time to waste time
It's not that time of the month for her, she's just wasting my time.
Letting off steam, breaking shit, trying to rip my rhymes
She's taking her frustration out by breaking things and trying to mess up my music.
...Put the pad down slowly please take a step back and don't even think about going for the multi-track...
I'm telling her to back away slowly and not even think about touching my music equipment.
You got a temper like Flashman, bully-styles late night
She has a temper like Flashman, and can become a bully especially when it's late at night.
My mum and dad are in the next room, stay quiet
My parents are in the next room, so I'm telling her to stay quiet and not cause a scene.
You give me more shit than teachers did
She gives me more trouble than my teachers ever did.
You need to smoke some of this and calm down quick
I'm telling her to smoke something to calm down and relax quickly.
Arguing's an option but there's got to be a reason
Arguing is an option, but there needs to be a good reason for it.
And by the way, I don't respond to blackmail either
I'm letting her know that I won't respond to blackmail tactics.
See I'm a true believer in some self-respect
I have self-respect and I believe in it.
And I'm about to call your bluff if you're threatenin' to jet
If she threatens to leave, I'm going to call her bluff and let her go.
I can't stand slanging matches, I retreat into my shell
I don't like arguing and I tend to retreat into my own head when it gets too heated.
Only cos you won't listen while you're giving me hell
I retreat because she won't listen to me and is just giving me a hard time.
I'd like to call an analyst or just record the conversation
I wish I could call an analyst or just record our conversations, so she could see how irrational she is.
Just to make you listen to it and point out the contradictions
I want her to listen to the conversation and realize her own contradictions.
I'm tired of listenin', you can't believe I'm faithful
I'm exhausted from listening to her and she can't believe that I'm faithful in our relationship.
You're pissed off cos I'm not eternally grateful
She's angry because I'm not constantly grateful for her.
You're the funny type, then again, similar to many of my friends
She has a sense of humor, but it's similar to a lot of my other friends.
Same shit, different girl, time and again
It's the same old thing with a different girl, every time.
The same hassles, the same game and the same end
Every time it's the same problems, the same game, and the same end result: disappointment.
The same blend, the best ever when it's time for bends
But at the same time, it's the same blend of excitement and passion when we're intimate.
A firework, ready for war with me
She's like a firework, ready to explode and start a war with me at any moment.
But I'm just tryin' to write a rhyme right now and drink my tea
But right now, I'm just trying to focus on writing music and enjoying my tea.
Why you startin' on me ?
Why are you starting an argument with me right now?
See, I was thinking we were team-mates
I thought we were on the same team and on the same side.
And don't be tryin' to tell me that it's over cos you're too late...
And don't even try to tell me that it's over, because it's too late now.
I'm not psychic
I don't have any psychic abilities.
I'm not a sidekick
I'm not anyone's sidekick, I'm my own person.
Contributed by Aaliyah I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.