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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Dr. Strong
Cage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My name is Chris Palko and I'm a former patient of Stony Lodge Hospital.
[Verse 1]
You dropped me off and left me here then started your vacation
Away from me with your new family, I got no invitation
If you don't think he's abusive it's because he's in your ear
I was just in your house going to school looking for validation
Pissed you off now I'm in the hospital eating medication
And if I tell em I don't want to take em that I'm still myself
But the drugs they're making me take are making me want to kill myself
And if I try and refuse meds then they force it in me
Everything they write in my chart is a plot to bring me
[Chorus]
Down, why you gotta tie me down?
And kick me while I'm on the ground
There's nothing you can take from me now
Cause all I have has been thrown out
So why you gotta tie me down?
Was only trying to figure it out
I'd like to get up but I'm tied down
[Verse 2]
When you wake up drugged it's tough to get your thoughts sorted
And you realise you're tied down about to be drawn and quartered
But there's no horses about to rip you limb from limb
But the tranquilizer in your blood is what they give to them
And after thirteen hours of being tied to a bed
You're to shuffle the hallways, fuck off, and die in your head
I thought when I made it out I'd be carried and celebrated
Thought of who I was when I went in, got out, he didn't make it out
Who would think every stupid thought that you contemplated
Would convolute what was constituted as complicated.
Permanently faded, necessary that they calm you
Arrive and drag yourself around for days relay the zombie life
I saw a light desperately trying to move near it
But I'm plagued with thoughts, as soon as I leave I hope they tear it
[Chorus][x2]
When I get there, let me in..
In Cage's song "Dr. Strong," the rapper, whose real name is Chris Palko, reflects on his time spent at the Stony Lodge Hospital. Palko shifts between describing his experiences at the hospital and the reasons why he was sent there in the first place. The song is an unfiltered and emotional exploration of mental illness, addiction, and recovery.
In the first verse, Palko addresses his absent father and questions his motives for leaving him at the hospital. He suggests that his father was not present for him and was more interested in starting a new family. Palko also explores how people who should offer support and validation, like his mother, can become enablers who use mental health as justification to invalidate his opinions and stifle his self-expression. He also references the trauma of being forced to take medication he doesn't want to take and the side effects that can drive someone toward self-harm.
In the second verse, Palko talks about what it feels like to be drugged and tied down without consent, referencing the consequences of a flawed mental health system that uses force and coercion instead of empathy, understanding, and communication. Palko acknowledges the difficult process of healing and how the experience of wrestling with one's own inner demons can sometimes feel like being shackled to one's pain. The chorus is a poignant plea for freedom and a chance to move on and grow beyond his painful experiences.
Overall, the song is a raw and introspective look at the experience of living with mental illness and the struggle of healing, recovery, and self-acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
You dropped me off and left me here then started your vacation
You abandoned me here and went on a trip without me
Away from me with your new family, I got no invitation
You went with your new family and left me behind
If you don't think he's abusive it's because he's in your ear
If you can't see the abuse, it's because he's manipulating you
If I don't see things your way then I'm not thinking clear?
You think I'm confused just because I have a different perspective?
I was just in your house going to school looking for validation
I was just a kid trying to find my place in the world
Pissed you off now I'm in the hospital eating medication
You got angry with me and now I'm being drugged in a hospital
And if I tell em I don't want to take em that I'm still myself
And if I say I don't want to take the drugs, you say I'm still myself
But the drugs they're making me take are making me want to kill myself
But these drugs are making me suicidal
And if I try and refuse meds then they force it in me
And if I resist, they force the medication on me
Everything they write in my chart is a plot to bring me
Everything written in my chart is meant to harm me
Down, why you gotta tie me down?
Why do you have to restrain me?
And kick me while I'm on the ground
And hurt me while I'm already down
There's nothing you can take from me now
There's nothing left for you to take from me
Cause all I have has been thrown out
Because everything I had has been lost
So why you gotta tie me down?
So why do you have to keep restraining me?
Was only trying to figure it out
I was only trying to understand things
I'd like to get up but I'm tied down
I want to get up, but I can't because I'm restrained
When you wake up drugged it's tough to get your thoughts sorted
When you wake up drugged, it's hard to think clearly
And you realise you're tied down about to be drawn and quartered
And you realize you're restrained and about to be punished severely
But there's no horses about to rip you limb from limb
But there are no actual horses coming to hurt you
But the tranquilizer in your blood is what they give to them
But they give you tranquilizers to keep you under control
And after thirteen hours of being tied to a bed
And after being restrained to a bed for 13 hours
You're to shuffle the hallways, fuck off, and die in your head
You're forced to shuffle through the halls, alone with your thoughts
I thought when I made it out I'd be carried and celebrated
I thought when I left, I would be welcomed home with open arms
Thought of who I was when I went in, got out, he didn't make it out
I think about who I was before, and about those who didn't make it out
Who would think every stupid thought that you contemplated
Who would've guessed that every silly thought would become so complicated?
Would convolute what was constituted as complicated.
Would distort what was already complex
Permanently faded, necessary that they calm you
Permanently drugged, it's necessary to keep you calm
Arrive and drag yourself around for days relay the zombie life
You arrive and are made to shuffle around like a zombie for days
I saw a light desperately trying to move near it
I saw a beacon of hope and tried to reach it
But I'm plagued with thoughts, as soon as I leave I hope they tear it
But my mind is full of negative thoughts, and I worry that they will ruin any hope I have
When I get there, let me in..
When I arrive, please let me enter
Contributed by Peyton M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.