There has never been an anomaly in hip-hop quite like the southern trio CunninLynguists. Sampling genres from psych-rock to blues, New Romantic to polka, they have been musically compared to UGK and Atmosphere in the same breath. They have toured and shared stages with Kanye West and Aesop Rock to equal success. They have produced for Lil' Scrappy as well as KRS-One. They have crafted songs with international soul superstar Cee-Lo Green and politically charged indie-favorite Immortal Technique … on the same album. CunninLynguists have eschewed categories, boxes and labels for 10 years, 5 albums and 4 official mixtapes, all while having what XXL Magazine described as the "Most Hated Name In Rap".
The result? If you want labels...Southern boom-bap. Too white for BET, too black for MTV2. A preacher's son, a caucasian guy from rural Georgia and a convicted felon. But mainly … a self-made career, one of the most consistent catalogs of any current hip-hop act and one of the most loyal, worldwide fanbases in all of indie rap music.
Backed with gritty beats, quality rhymes and 808 thump, the 'Lynguists intend on recapturing the soul in southern hip-hop. With what Spin Magazine calls "Outkast's tragicomic poignancy", Deacon The Villain, Kno and Natti follow in the footsteps of artists like Goodie Mob, Ya'll So Stupid, Geto Boys and the aforementioned 'Kast in painting a picture meant to remind the world that politics, death, racism, relationships, religion and struggle are just as relevant to life below the Mason-Dixon as anywhere else.
Their critically acclaimed debut LP, Will Rap For Food, was released in October 2001. CunninLynguists were joined by Floridian emcee Mr. SOS for their 2nd LP, Southernunderground, which was independently released April 1, 2003 on Freshchest Records and QN5 Music and re-released in 2004. Guests included Masta Ace, Tonedeff and RJD2. Between Southernunderground and A Piece of Strange, they released two mixtapes titled Sloppy Seconds Vol. 1 and Sloppy Seconds Vol. 2. Their third LP, A Piece of Strange, was released in January of 2006 via LAU Records. Their fourth album, Dirty Acres, was released 2007. In 2009, they released two more mixtapes titled Strange Journey Volume One and Strange Journey Volume Two, featuring such artists as Freddie Gibbs, E-40, Slug, and Killer Mike. Their most recent LP, Oneirology, was released in 2011. Guests included Big K.R.I.T., Tonedeff, Freddie Gibbs, and Anna Wise of Sonnymoon.
The group has toured worldwide, appearing onstage alongside acts like Nappy Roots, Cee-Lo Green, Bun B, Kanye West, Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan, Brand Nubian and more.
Kno, hailing from Georgia and currently residing in Lexington, Kentucky, has been described as "one of the top loop-miners east of the Mississippi" by URB. He produced the majority of Will Rap For Food and Southernunderground, all of A Piece of Strange, and has also recieved critical acclaim in The NY Times, Rolling Stone and other magazines for his remix of Jay-Z's Black Album, entitled Kno vs. Hov : The White Al-bu-lum in 2004. Kno released a solo LP in 2010 titled Death is Silent.
Born in Versailles, Kentucky, Deacon has also established himself as a producer. His beats have been rocked by the likes of KRS-One, King Tee as well as local Kentucky artists such as Rob Jackson and Bonafide Circle. The son of a reverend, his ear for melody and church trained voice have also landed him hook work for Ruff Ryders, Sean Price and more. Deacon released an album with Sheisty Khrist titled Niggaz With Latitude in 2010.
The duo has already begun work as a production duo under the name A Piece Of Strange, currently producing for Lil' Scrappy, Devin The Dude, D-12, Immortal Technique, Warner Brothers' rock and roll outfit Melee and others. They are managed by Lee "Skill" Resnick, whose only other clients are platinum producers Denaun Porter, Naughty By Nature's Kay Gee and Mr. Lee from Houston.
The group now officially counts emcee Natti as the third and final piece of the CunninLynguists' puzzle. After turning to music as a positive release after a 2 year prison stint in the early 2000's, Lexington, Kentucky native Natti's gravely drawl and streetwise lyrics give the group a decidedly interesting 3rd angle on the group's already broad range of subject matter.
Origin: Atlanta, GA
Year Formed: 2001
Members: Deacon The Villain
Kno
Natti
Former Member: Mr. SOS
Official Site: www.cunninlynguists.com
The Gates
CunninLynguists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't gonna live
I don't believe I'm gonna live to get much older
Lights out, so peaceful, stressless
Things used to seem so restless
Forgive me please, see I need to address this
Just haven't been this breathless since I met this
Mothered my blessed kid, but was destined to exit early
Guess you can say I've been blessed with the best gifts
Reminiscing, holding her necklace in my clenched fist
Ha, it's funny how we move in sudden directions
Dedicated my life to the public's protection
Never remarried cause love's an investment
Besides, I had a baby girl to worry about
That would struggle to blend in
Now as I think, a weightlessness is interrupting my senses
A pulsing tension carries my very frame
I rise up in ascension - WAIT!
I try to escape, but I arrive at these gates
I see a figure standing guard who invites me to pray
I tried it all
At the gates of Hell
I'm going to lay
Down, down
I walk towards the figure that's extending it's hand
I move to enter past the gates yet I'm met with it's grasp
Slow down son, there's things to discuss such as family
But first, let us talk about vanity
Vanity? Man, you're sadly mistaken
Either that or your sanity's shaken
If you'd examine me patiently
You'd retract on your statement
I haven't sinned flagrantly, I've acted as faithfully
As any other single father
Who raised a baby girl graciously
Nakedly, she was at your door after her mother's death
Ignorant to racial anger and other stress
Later had a mixed baby at her sweet sixteen
How did that fit within your picnic scene?
Sometimes it's too late to fix these things
The pristine dream was over
Had to face the fact she split these genes with his sick seed
With skin the darkest pigment seen
And so I kicked and screamed
Until we found the peace that distance brings
A mixed raced queen, that was your thoughts about her mama
Up yonder went her soul, your hate growed from ponders
On life, being less trife with a white wife
So any instance of y'alls differences it was slice-slice
Oh my, it's not her race, my daughter's love flies blind
I couldn't take her making the same mistakes that crushed my life
I'm dumbstruck by these baseless allegations
I've saved too many lives of all creeds
For you to paint me as a racist
I've endangered my own safety to save babies from blazes
Black, white, latino, even asian on occasion
But why so?
How dare you question my motivation!
No need to second guess, your only aim was to be famous
Lord knows, you've left behind scorched souls
Black children left chilling, later found burnt whole
So sadly, your glory's to come urgently
Sentenced to fight fires for eternity
The lyrics to CunninLynguists' song "The Gates" showcase the singer's journey towards death as he meets the figure standing guard at the entrance to the afterlife. The singer has lived a fulfilling life, having dedicated himself to public service and raising his daughter as a single father after his wife passed away. However, he is met with a series of accusations and judgments, particularly regarding his integrity and alleged racism. The figure at the gates ultimately sentences him to an eternity of fighting fires, highlighting the harsh consequences of one's actions in life.
The opening lines, "Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord / I ain't gonna live / I don't believe I'm gonna live to get much older," set the tone for the song as the singer anticipates his impending death. The following verses highlight his reflection on his life and his relationships with the people around him. The narrative is punctuated with the accusation that the singer is a racist, which the singer vehemently denies. Despite his protests, the figure at the gates sentences him to a never-ending cycle of fighting fires, highlighting the harsh punishments that await those whose actions negatively impact others.
Overall, "The Gates" is a poignant reflection on one's mortality and the consequences of one's actions, particularly with regards to how they affect others. The song's somber tone and introspective nature make it a powerful reminder to live life to the fullest and consider the impact that our actions have on those around us.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell the Reverend Harris to pray for me, Lord
A plea for prayers to the Lord from Reverend Harris as the singer does not expect to live much longer.
I ain't gonna live
The singer does not expect to live for much longer.
I don't believe I'm gonna live to get much older
The singer thinks that they will not live for much longer and will not live to be much older.
Lights out, so peaceful, stressless
The artist is experiencing a peaceful and stress-free state as if the lights have gone out.
Things used to seem so restless
The artist reflects on how things used to be restless in the past.
Forgive me please, see I need to address this
The singer apologizes and wants to address something important.
Just haven't been this breathless since I met this
The singer has not been this breathless since meeting someone special.
Woman who lept into my life when I was reckless
The artist met someone special and fell in love when they were reckless.
Mothered my blessed kid, but was destined to exit early
The person the artist fell in love with gave birth to their child, but passed away early in life.
Guess you can say I've been blessed with the best gifts
The artist feels blessed to have had the best gifts in life.
Reminiscing, holding her necklace in my clenched fist
The singer fondly remembers his loved one and holds her necklace tightly in his hand.
Ha, it's funny how we move in sudden directions
The artist finds it ironic how life can take sudden turns and change direction.
Dedicated my life to the public's protection
The singer has dedicated his life to protecting the public.
Never remarried cause love's an investment
The singer did not remarry because they believe love is an investment.
Besides, I had a baby girl to worry about
The singer had a baby girl to take care of so they did not remarry.
That would struggle to blend in
The artist's daughter would struggle to blend in or feel accepted.
Now as I think, a weightlessness is interrupting my senses
The artist is feeling a weightlessness that is interrupting their senses.
A pulsing tension carries my very frame
The singer feels a tension that is pulsating within their body.
I rise up in ascension - WAIT!
The singer feels like they are ascending, but then pause suddenly.
I try to escape, but I arrive at these gates
The artist tries to escape, but ends up at these gates.
I see a figure standing guard who invites me to pray
The artist sees a figure guarding the gates and is invited to pray.
I tried it all
The artist tried everything.
At the gates of Hell
The singer is at the gates of Hell.
I'm going to lay
The artist is going to lay (presumably to rest or to accept their fate).
Down, down
The singer repeats 'down' to emphasize that they are laying down.
I walk towards the figure that's extending it's hand
The singer walks towards the figure that is extending its hand.
I move to enter past the gates yet I'm met with it's grasp
The singer tries to enter past the gates, but the figure's grasp stops them.
Slow down son, there's things to discuss such as family
The figure tells the artist to slow down and says there are things to discuss like family.
But first, let us talk about vanity
The figure wants to talk about vanity as the first topic.
Vanity? Man, you're sadly mistaken
The singer thinks the figure is mistaken to bring up vanity.
Either that or your sanity's shaken
The singer suggests that the figure is not in the right state of mind.
If you'd examine me patiently
The artist requests that the figure examine them patiently.
You'd retract on your statement
If the figure examines the artist patiently, they will retract their statement on vanity.
I haven't sinned flagrantly, I've acted as faithfully
The artist has not sinned purposely and has acted faithfully.
As any other single father
The singer has acted as any other single father would.
Who raised a baby girl graciously
The artist raised their baby girl graciously.
Nakedly, she was at your door after her mother's death
The singer's daughter was left alone after her mother's death.
Ignorant to racial anger and other stress
The singer's daughter was ignorant of racial anger or other stressors.
Later had a mixed baby at her sweet sixteen
The singer's daughter had a mixed race baby at age sixteen.
How did that fit within your picnic scene?
The figure questions how the mixed baby fits into the artist's ideal family scene (which is presumably all one race).
Sometimes it's too late to fix these things
Sometimes things cannot be fixed or changed.
The pristine dream was over
The wonderful dream the singer had was over.
Had to face the fact she split these genes with his sick seed
The singer had to accept that their daughter had a mixed race baby with someone they did not approve of (sick seed).
With skin the darkest pigment seen
The baby had very dark skin color.
And so I kicked and screamed
The artist was upset and fought against the situation.
Until we found the peace that distance brings
Eventually, the artist found peace through distance (acceptance?).
A mixed raced queen, that was your thoughts about her mama
The daughter is a mixed race queen, and that was what the singer thought about her mother (the person the daughter is mixed with).
Up yonder went her soul, your hate growed from ponders
The mother has already passed away and the artist's hate grew from thinking about it all.
On life, being less trife with a white wife
The singer thought that life would be less troublesome with a white wife.
So any instance of y'alls differences it was slice-slice
Any time they had a disagreement, the singer would end the conversation and cut it off (slice-slice).
Oh my, it's not her race, my daughter's love flies blind
The singer realizes that it is not about race, but that his daughter's love is blind.
I couldn't take her making the same mistakes that crushed my life
The artist does not want their daughter to make the same mistakes they once did which ruined their life.
I'm dumbstruck by these baseless allegations
The artist is speechless and shocked by the accusations without any evidence or reason.
I've saved too many lives of all creeds
The singer has saved many lives of all different beliefs and races.
For you to paint me as a racist
The singer thinks it is unfair to call them a racist when they have saved so many people of different races.
I've endangered my own safety to save babies from blazes
The artist has risked their own safety to save babies from fires.
Black, white, latino, even asian on occasion
The artist has saved people of all different races, including Black, white, latino, and asian.
But why so?
The figure asks why the artist has saved so many people of different races.
How dare you question my motivation!
The singer is offended that their motivation is being questioned.
No need to second guess, your only aim was to be famous
The figure accuses the artist of only wanting to be famous and having no other motives.
Lord knows, you've left behind scorched souls
The figure reminds the singer that they have left many souls behind who are deeply affected or scarred by their actions.
Black children left chilling, later found burnt whole
The figure brings up an example of how the singer's actions have hurt Black children.
So sadly, your glory's to come urgently
Unfortunately, the singer's glorious moment of entering the afterlife is now urgent and near.
Sentenced to fight fires for eternity
The artist is sentenced to fight fires for eternity as punishment for their actions while they were alive.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Passthekind
on 616 Rewind - Feat. Tonedeff, Sankofa, Kashal Tee & Celph Titled
They got too many ?s on the lyrics.
The first one, you're gone in 60 seconds, like Nicholas Cage is.
2nd one, In the stretcher you went into a physical rubix cube.
3 n 4 got me too, I gotta listen again.
5 What kind of man are you I bet you sit on a urinal too.