Chrome largely abandoned conventional rock compositions, instead employing cut up and collage techniques and heavily processed sound to create a kind of sci-fi punk sound. They made use of tape loops, samples, noisescapes, synthesizers and strange guitar sounds.
Following Alien Soundtracks, John Lambdin left Chrome, and Gary Spain gradually played less of an active role in the band, leaving a core of Helios Creed and Damon Edge to explore their own experiments with new members. The Creed/Edge collaboration lead to a number of more albums, including Half Machine Lip Moves (making best album lists by Wire Magazine and Julian Cope), Read Only Memory, Red Exposure, Blood On the Moon, 3rd from the Sun and No Humans Allowed.
In 1983 Edge moved to Paris with his wife, where he formed a new lineup of Chrome, releasing a number of albums without Helios Creed, starting with Into the Eyes of the Zombie King, until Edge's death in 1995. Helios Creed formed a new version of Chrome with both new and previous members, shortly after Edge's passing. The Helios-lead Chrome releasing their first album, Retro Transmission, in 1997, and have never officially broken up. They also toured from 1997 to 2001. The last released Chrome album was 2002's Angel of the Clouds, which was pieced together from unused tapes featuring Damon Edge.
Both Damon Edge and Helios Creed have a number of solo, non-Chrome titled albums.
There are other artists with the same name:
2. Chrome is a rapper from North Memphis, Tennessee's Frayser area, the same neighborhood of fellow H.C.P member, Frayser Boy. Chrome is signed to the Hypnotize Minds record label, which is owned by Three 6 Mafia.
Chrome released his first album in the winter of 2005, called Straight To The Pros. The singles off of that album were "So Fresh" and "I Learned".
3. Chrome is a thrash metal band from Kangasniemi, Eastern Finland.
4. Chrome is also a Swedish viking rock band.
5. Chrome is a hip hop artist from Norwich, England.
6. Chrome is an Austrian minimal techno duo. It's a project of Camo and Krooked who are better known for their drum and bass music.
23 And 1
Chrome Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yea like I said
Probation and parole is a trap for niggas
That shit real dawg, real talk nigga
I wanna say whats up to all my niggas down in 201
Whats up mane
Jailhouse downtown
I feel ya my nigga
Hoes don't give a fuck about a nigga mane
Its like when u go down here mane
You a slave mane, a modern day slave
[Chorus x2: Chrome]
What you niggas know about really bein locked down
23 and 1 on lower level known as downtown
What you niggas know about a first degree murder charge
Only release be to see leavin from the jailyard
[Chrome]
I done seen a lota shit man in my lifetime
My little brother got his whole life on the line
And aint it sorta strange how life change
First it bring joy, then it bring pain
And I cant live with the reign in the game
But this how it is when you in the fast lane
Yo momma doin good and yo granny is too
Yo little brotha Chris
Yo we tight like glue
And niggas on the block still with the same shit
So you aint missin nothin just keep writin hits
Hold ya head up until yo boy get rich
And I'm feelin fed up with this dumb bullshit, so…
[Chorus x2: Chrome]
What you niggas know about really bein locked down
23 and 1 on lower level known as downtown
What you niggas know about a first degree murder charge
Only release be to see leavin from the jailyard
[Chrome]
I give my right hand to God to bring you back
For my homie, man that's a natural fact
I'm missin ya dawg
Do what we used to laugh and play
Smoke a whole lotta weed just to pass the day
Runnin from the police hoping we get away
Even though we did dirt, we found time to pray
Of course I'm mad
I'm feelin like you gonna say
But most of all, I'm feelin like we both should talk
We both should win
Yea, but you off in the pen
I'm facing stress and I won't let it fail all my tests
And I mean I won't let a nigga crash my dreams
And it seems like everything is just hitting the feds
[Chorus x2: Chrome]
What you niggas know about really bein locked down
23 and 1 on lower level known as downtown
What you niggas know about a first degree murder charge
Only release be to see leavin from the jailyard
The lyrics of Chrome's "23 And 1" depict the harsh reality of life in prison. The song talks about the 23 hours of lockdown and 1 hour of yard time that prisoners get in the lower level, known as downtown. The song also touches on the unfairness of the probation and parole system, which often traps black people into a cycle of imprisonment.
The chorus repeats twice, highlighting the struggle of being locked up for a first-degree murder charge, with the only release being a brief time in the yard. Chrome adds depth to the song when he speaks about his little brother being on the line, facing a life sentence. He reflects on the way that life can change quickly, bringing joy, but followed by pain.
He also mentions the frustration of being caught up in the game and the fast lane, and the unfairness of everything hitting the feds. The song ends by touching on the frustration of having his friend locked up, but also pointing out that he wouldn't let it crash his dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Yea like I said
I previously mentioned this but it still rings true
Probation and parole is a trap for niggas
The system is designed against us
That shit real dawg, real talk nigga
This is the harsh reality we face and need to acknowledge
I wanna say whats up to all my niggas down in 201
Shoutout to my guys in cell block 201
Jailhouse downtown
The prison system in the city
I feel ya my nigga
I understand your situation
That shit wild mane, that shit fucked up mane
It's a messed up situation
Hoes don't give a fuck about a nigga mane
Women aren't loyal when you're behind bars
Its like when u go down here mane
Being in prison feels like being a slave
You a slave mane, a modern day slave
The prison system is a form of modern-day slavery
I done seen a lota shit man in my lifetime
I've been through a lot
My little brother got his whole life on the line
My brother is facing serious charges
And aint it sorta strange how life change
It's strange how quickly things can go wrong
First it bring joy, then it bring pain
Life can be unpredictable and full of highs and lows
But this how it is when you in the fast lane
This is the reality of living a fast lifestyle
Yo momma doin good and yo granny is too
Your mom and grandma are doing well
Yo little brotha Chris
Your younger brother, Chris
Yo we tight like glue
We're close like family
And niggas on the block still with the same shit
People on the street are still caught up in the same lifestyle
So you aint missin nothin just keep writin hits
You're not missing out on anything, just keep making music
Hold ya head up until yo boy get rich
Stay strong until you're successful
And I'm feelin fed up with this dumb bullshit, so…
I'm tired of all this nonsense
I give my right hand to God to bring you back
I would do anything to have you back
For my homie, man that's a natural fact
That's just how it is for my friend
I'm missin ya dawg
I miss you, man
Do what we used to laugh and play
I wish we could go back to the good times
Smoke a whole lotta weed just to pass the day
We used to smoke weed just to pass the time
Runnin from the police hoping we get away
We used to run from the cops, hoping to escape
Even though we did dirt, we found time to pray
Despite our wrongdoings, we still found time to pray
Of course I'm mad
I'm definitely upset
I'm feeling like you gonna say
I feel like you would say the same thing
But most of all, I'm feelin like we both should talk
But above all, I think we need to talk
We both should win
We should both come out on top
Yea, but you off in the pen
But you're in jail
I'm facing stress and I won't let it fail all my tests
I'm dealing with a lot of stress but I won't let it get the best of me
And I mean I won't let a nigga crash my dreams
I won't let anyone stand in the way of my goals
And it seems like everything is just hitting the feds
It seems like everything is working against us and we're getting caught by the authorities
What you niggas know about really bein locked down
You don't know what it's like to be locked up
23 and 1 on lower level known as downtown
Being locked down means being confined for 23 hours and only having 1 hour outside on the lower level of the prison, known as downtown
What you niggas know about a first degree murder charge
You don't know what it's like to be charged with first degree murder
Only release be to see leavin from the jailyard
The only way to leave is to be released from the prison yard
Contributed by Sarah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.