1. The Rapper: Cage Ke… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1. The Rapper: Cage Kennylz (born Christian Palko), commonly known as Cage, is an underground rapper based in New York City, United States.
Cage's life has gone from watching his father shoot heroin, to addiction and violence and mental institutions to cutting an album for Columbia Records and being a rising star in the heyday of the NYC independent rap scene, to the final culmination and personal triumph that his most current release Hell's Winter has become. It's a brand new record from someone who has been through more extreme circumstances than most people could ever imagine, and has come out triumphant and a better person because of it, and whose artistic vision now reflects this.
18 years old, fresh out of the lodge, Cage decided to pursue his the talent he honed while in hell and try to become a professional rapper. He made a demo, got a manager and was introduced to Pete Nice of 3rd Bass fame. Pete featured Cage on his solo effort "Dust to Dust" on the song "Rich Bring 'Em Back" in 1993. This was his first appearance on a rap record.
Through Pete Nice Cage met fledgling radio personality Bobbito Garcia who had just started his soon to be legendary late night mix show with DJ Stretch Armstrong. He was invited up to the show several time, earning a rep in the emerging underground NY scene as a savage and raw new MC with an original style based on his tortured life and demented imagery
Through his connection with that show, he met and formed a strong friendship with the KMD (whose front man Zev Love X would eventually be known as MF DOOM) and formed a very strong friendship with the late great Subroc. Cage was the last person to see Subroc alive before he was killed. He also became associated with and close to: Kurious Jorge, K-Solo, Godfather Don, Artifacts, Pharoah Monch, El-P (who actually worked with Cage briefly in 1994 on a 3 song demo now lost to the world), the Juggaknots and many more.
Bobbito and Pete Nice started a label through Columbia Records called Hoppoh and were on the verge of singing Cage as one of their first releases. At this time Cage was heavily abusing drugs and every time he got into the studio he was too high to record anything that Columbia thought was worthy of a major label release.
In 1997, Cage's friend and mentor Bobbito Garcia started his own independent label Fondle 'Em Records, and offered cage a twelve inch deal. Refocused and determined to get it right this time, Cage penned the single Agent Orange b/w Radiohead. The single would go on to be one of the landmark records of the golden era of NYC underground/independent rap music and propelled Cage into cult star status.
After a few more singles with Fondle 'Em, Cage met and became friends with Philly to New York transplant rap group The High And the Mighty. He formed a group with them called the Smut Peddlers, and Rawkus (who were riding high on albums by Company Flow and Mos Def, to name a few) offered them a full length album deal through Eastern Conference’s imprint, Eastern Conference. The record sold over 50 thousand copies and solidified Cage's status as a rising rap star in the independent scene.
Cage went on to do more records with Eastern Conference including his first solo record Movies for the Blind. The record was the realization of the very character he became through his tortured early years, relying on raw, savage, often cruel, misogynistic, gritty and rebellious attitudes he had formed through his earlier years. The record struck a chord, selling 15 thousand copies in just 2 weeks, and his legion of dedicated fans grew ever bigger, attracted to his visceral and dangerous persona and music. He traveled the world several times over in support of the record and became a major draw in the independent show circuit.
Soon after he started the supergroup Weathermen, comprised of good friends Camu Tao, El-P, Aesop Rock, Yak Ballz, Tame 1, Breeze of the Juggaknots and Vast Aire.
Restless with his artistic direction and feeling trapped by a persona created out of his troubled youth, he found himself at a crossroads. He felt as though he was squandering his writing abilities and catering to music with content that only scratched the surface of what he was about. He no longer wanted to project crazy for the sake of crazy and grew tired of showing the results of his past and how they reflected on his personality. Instead, he wanted to explain why he was the way he was and wanted to make a record that he could play for his daughter someday; a record that reflected the man he was now while at the same time finally shedding light on the source of his rage, pain and rebellion. It was at this point that he and El-p started to seriously talk about making an album that would truly realize his desire to take his art to another level. They cautiously talked and imagined this transformation for over a year, culminating with his signing with Definitive Jux records. Cage worked to to bring these ideas to fruition, and the result is a cathartic and radical statement of a tortured boy turned man. A detailed, imaginative and often disturbing look into the dark territory that Cage had so closely guarded from the fans that loved him.
Cage appeared at the end of the Head Automatica album Decadence on the track 'I Shot William H. Macy' - lead singer Daryl Palumbo appeared on the RJD2 produced track Shoot Frank, as well as his band being referenced throughout the album (notably on Scenester, with Cage urging the listener to "slip it in your Head Automatica folder"). Head Automatica also wrote a song called K-Horse about Cage on their new album Popaganda.
Actor Shia LaBeouf star of Transformers (July 2007) will be playing Cage in an upcoming movie about his life.
2. The Power Metal Band: (from website bio) CAGE formed in 1992 after the breakup of two outfits from San Diego, CRUSHER and NOMAD. The band has become an underground legend of sorts and are still active to this day. Their original lineup consisted of Sean Peck (Vocals), David Garcia (Guitar), Eric Horton (Guitar), Mike Giordano (Bass), and Damian Arletto (Drums).
In 2010 original bassist Mike Giordano and lead guitarist Anthony Wayne McGuiniss left the band, and new recruits bassist Steve Brogden (guitarist/vocalist for Howler) and former Brick Bath bassist Pete Stone were added on. Current lineup consists of Sean Peck(vocals), Dave Garcia(Guitar), Casey Trask(Guitar), Dwight Magic(Bass), and Sean Elg(Drums)
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Betrayal
Cage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man will not return
I have no one to turn to
There is no kingdom for me
This is not how I was told it would be
I have but one choice left
One way to go
One last chance to save my soul
The dark will be once and for all
What have I done ?
Just what have I done ?
What have I done ?
I know what must be done
The lyrics of Cage's song Betrayal capture the sense of despair and hopelessness that comes with a life that did not turn out as expected. The opening line, "The cities still burn," creates an atmosphere of darkness and chaos, suggesting that the world is falling apart around the singer. The second line, "Man will not return," captures the sense of finality that comes with loss and death. Taken together, these lines suggest a world that is on the brink of destruction, with no hope of redemption.
The third and fourth lines, "I have no one to turn to / There is no kingdom for me," highlight the sense of isolation and loneliness that the singer feels. They suggest that the characters in the song have been betrayed by someone or something, and are now left to fend for themselves in a world that is hostile and unforgiving. The line "This is not how I was told it would be" further emphasises how the singer believed that their life would pan out one way, but it has gone in an unexpected direction.
The final lines of the verse, "Vanquished when the angels fall / The dark will be once and for all" suggest that the singer sees themselves as a fallen angel, someone who has been cast out of paradise and doomed to wander in the darkness. The repeated line "What have I done?" suggests that the singer is grappling with feelings of guilt and remorse, possibly blaming themselves for their current predicament. The final line, "I know what must be done," indicates that the singer is determined to take action to change their circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
The cities still burn
The destruction and chaos caused by war continues to rage on.
Man will not return
The men who have gone to fight in war will not make it home alive.
I have no one to turn to
There is no one left to offer help or support in this time of need.
There is no kingdom for me
The artist feels lost and without a place to call home.
This is not how I was told it would be
The reality of the current situation is not living up to the artist's expectations.
I have but one choice left
The singer's options have dwindled down to only one course of action.
One way to go
The singer has decided on a specific path forward.
One last chance to save my soul
The artist sees this course of action as their last opportunity to redeem themselves.
Vanquished when the angels fall
The downfall of those who were once believed to be unimpeachable will mark the end of this struggle.
The dark will be once and for all
This decisive moment will bring an end to the darkness and misery that is currently plaguing the artist.
What have I done ?
The singer is grappling with regret and the repercussions of their actions.
Just what have I done ?
The artist is beginning to realize the gravity of their actions and is questioning the morality behind them.
I know what must be done
Despite the burden of regret, the singer has come to a conclusion about what the best course of action is for the current situation.
Contributed by Stella A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.