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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Fat Kids Need an Anthem
Cage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was a fat guy
I was a big fat guy
I was a fat guy
Its no wonder I stayed inside
This is nothing to kick dirt on if you're thin you get your flirt on when you're fat you make love with your shirt on I'm dying to hide yellow inside you can't hurt me I'm already beating myself up at two thirty. I can miss some lunch switch from Captain Crunch to Wheaties being at such high risk for diabetes. If the fantasy in my head could see the day I would jump around in front of my ex and say:
I was a fat guy
I was a big fat guy
I was a fat guy
And now I'm truly alive!
I was a fat guy
Why was I so ugly inside?
I was a fat guy
I'm so happy I could just die!
I just wanted to lose some weight you know and drop a couple of lbs and maybe drop a few pant sizes get the fat that's hanging around my heart and clean out my arteries. I remember I was watching Fight Club with my ex-girlfriend and the part came up where he had bitch-tits and she laughed and I had bitch-tits so that means she was really laughing at me. I was just tired of feeling like shit you know I figured if I lost the weight I might not feel like shit anymore but guess what I still feel like shit. They say you are what you eat that means I went from shit to a vegetable and the worst part about is I was happier when I was fat and on drugs. I went from fantasizing about women to fantasizing about food I can't eat anymore.
In Cage's song "Fat Kids Need an Anthem", he discusses his struggles with body image and weight. The lyrics reflect the frustration and self-loathing he experiences as he tries to come to terms with his appearance. He mentions that there is no medication to cure him and apologizes for anyone who has to see him in this state. Cage describes feeling worse in the morning than in the evening, as waking up only reminds him of his struggle. When he looks in the mirror, he sees his enemy and is constantly stuck with his memory.
The chorus, "I was a fat guy, I was a big fat guy, it's no wonder I stayed inside", is an admission of his past weight issues, and how it affected him socially. Cage notes that being overweight, unlike being thin, is not something to be celebrated or desired. He describes feeling like he needed to hide and that his weight made him ugly on the inside.
In the second verse, Cage discusses his efforts to lose weight and the emotional toll it takes on him. He notes that as a fat person, he can't be intimate with his shirt off, and that he is constantly beating himself up over his appearance. He talks about the fear of developing diabetes and how he fantasizes about being able to confront his ex-girlfriend about his weight loss.
Overall, "Fat Kids Need an Anthem" is a poignant and brutally honest song about the challenges of being overweight and how it affects self-esteem and mental health.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no medication to cure me I've been so patient
I have been waiting for so long for a cure, but there is none.
I'm sorry you have to see me this way but the frustration is killing me
I feel bad that you have to see me like this, but my frustration is overwhelming me.
in the morning more than the evening more in the morning because when I wake up it doesn't leave me.
My frustration is worse in the morning because it sticks with me as soon as I wake up.
Its not a dream when I look in the mirror my enemy isn't staring at me though I'm stuck with his memory.
My enemy is not staring at me through the mirror, but his memory stays with me and continues to haunt me.
I guess its just to say and stop trying to tell you ok there's something I have to tell you
I need to tell you something and stop trying to hold it in.
I was a fat guy
I used to be overweight.
I was a big fat guy
I used to be very overweight.
Its no wonder I stayed inside
It's understandable why I preferred to be indoors.
This is nothing to kick dirt on if you're thin you get your flirt on when you're fat you make love with your shirt on I'm dying to hide
It's not something to be ashamed of, but when you're thin you can show off and when you're fat, you feel like you have to hide.
yellow inside you can't hurt me I'm already beating myself up at two thirty.
I'm experiencing feelings of guilt and shame, but I am already punishing myself.
If the fantasy in my head could see the day I would jump around in front of my ex and say:
If only my fantasy could become a reality, I would be able to show off my weight loss to my ex.
And now I'm truly alive!
I feel alive and reborn after losing the weight.
Why was I so ugly inside?
I was unhappy with myself before losing the weight.
I'm so happy I could just die!
I am incredibly happy now and very grateful for the change.
I just wanted to lose some weight you know and drop a couple of lbs and maybe drop a few pant sizes get the fat that's hanging around my heart and clean out my arteries.
I wanted to lose weight to improve my health and be able to fit into smaller clothing.
I remember I was watching Fight Club with my ex-girlfriend and the part came up where he had bitch-tits and she laughed and I had bitch-tits so that means she was really laughing at me.
I watched a movie with my ex-girlfriend where a character had a physical feature I hated about myself and her reaction to that feature made me feel ashamed.
I was just tired of feeling like shit you know I figured if I lost the weight I might not feel like shit anymore but guess what I still feel like shit.
I hoped that losing weight would improve my emotional state, but I still feel terrible.
They say you are what you eat that means I went from shit to a vegetable
The phrase 'you are what you eat' applies to me because I changed from junk food to healthy food.
and the worst part about is I was happier when I was fat and on drugs.
The sad reality is that I was once happier when I was overweight and abusing drugs.
I went from fantasizing about women to fantasizing about food I can't eat anymore.
My focus used to be on women, but now I am constantly thinking about food that I can no longer eat.
Contributed by Gabriel R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.