DJ Shadow spent his teenage years in Davis, California and was a DJ at the community radio station KDVS. During his time as a radio disc jockey, DJ Shadow was significant in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the California-based Solesides record label. His early singles for the label, including In/Flux and Lost and Found (S.F.L.), were genre-bending works of art merging elements of funk, rock, hip-hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin found records. DJ Shadow is often cited as a leading creator of trip-hop, though this is a label he strongly contests.
Although he previously released a couple of original works (during 1991-1992 for Hollywood Records) by the time Mo' Wax's James Lavelle contacted him about releasing In/Flux on the fledgling imprint, it wasn't until his distribution association with Mo' Wax that his sound began to mature and cohere.
Shadow's first full-length work, Endtroducing....., was released in late 1996 to immense critical acclaim. Following the success of this album, he acted as a shadow producer for Rage Against The Machine for their album, Evil Empire. It is said he influenced the solo on their song "Bulls On Parade". Endtroducing... made the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. Preemptive Strike, a compilation of early singles, followed in early 1998. Later that year, Shadow produced tracks for Psyence Fiction, the debut album by U.N.K.L.E., a long-time Mo' Wax production team that gained superstar guests including Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), Richard Ashcroft (of The Verve), Mike D (of the Beastie Boys) and others. His next project came in 1999, with the transformation of Solesides into a new label, Quannum Projects. Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, The Private Press, was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie "Scratch" (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie.
The documentary films "Dark Days" and "Wisconsin Death Trip" feature music of DJ Shadow while "Scratch" features an interview and more music.
DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow artist Cut Chemist. Together they have made two CDs entitled Brainfreeze and Product Placement. These albums fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. The second of these (Product Placement) followed a very similar pattern to the first, but using remixes/other versions of the songs in roughly the same order.
In the year 2004, Shadow released his feature length DVD, In Tune and On Time. The DVD features a live performance in London, emphasizing intricate visuals.
In 2005, Shadow released a Deluxe Edition of his first album, Endtroducing.... and a new album, titled "The Outsider" in 2006.
While Shadow's earlier works, especially 'Endtroducing.....', are known for their innovation in genres such as hip-hop, ambient, and trip-hop, his fourth full length album, The Outsider, had several tracks dedicated to Hyphy. This decision has been controversial, leaving many fans feeling alienated. DJ Shadow addressed this point in an August, 2006 interview, in which stated, "Repeat Endtroducing over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."
Also in 2005, Brian Udelhofen began work on the Shadow Percussion Project, an attempt to adapt some of the tracks from Endtroducing... for a live performance group. The result was largely successful and well-received by DJ Shadow himself.
In 2007 DJ Shadow was contacted by the Hollywood Bowl to do a show featuring Freeze with Cut Chemist. However, not wanting to repeat old material DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came up with a whole new routine entitled The Hard Sell. In 2007 and 2008 they went on The Hard Sell tour and were accompanied on stage by two large video screens with visuals created for the tour.
Discography
Solo Albums
* 1996 - Endtroducing.....
* 1998 - Preemptive Strike
* 2000 - Dark Days
* 2002 - The Private Press
* 2003 - The Private Repress (Japanese Remix Album)
* 2004 - In Tune and On Time
* 2005 - Endtroducing... (2xCD Deluxe Edition)
* 2006 - The Outsider
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.1 Best of the KMEL Mixes
* 2007 - The 4-Track Era Vol.2 Best of the Remixes and Megamixes (1990-1992)
* 2011 - The Less You Know, the Better
with Q Bert
* 1997 - Camel Bobsled Race (Q-Bert Mega Mix) CD-EP
with UNKLE
* 1998 - Psyence Fiction
with Cut Chemist
* 1999 - Brainfreeze
* 2001 - Product Placement
* 2004 - Product Placement on Tour
* 2005 - Freeze
* 2008 - The Hard Sell
with Dan The Automator
* 1998 - Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and Sitars
JoJo's Word
DJ Shadow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fighting the pain, clenching my fist, yeah
Y'all probably saying, "How did he get here?"
I recollect while I sit here
Nothing is going right
Dreaming that my demons is on sight
Maybe I've been living the wrong life
I'm just one of many children
Raised by the system, pops was a victim
We didn't wanna sell
But they was 'bout to evict him
And his whole family
Momma got trama from drama, it's insanity
Recently she been strung out
Caught her where the drug dealers hung out
She seen me and ran like shots rung out
Just a matter of time before the block come out
And tell me I'm a crack baby, I need a gat maybe
I'm only fifteen, it's that crazy
Blood on my hands, blood on my wrist, yeah
Fighting the pain, clenching my fist, yeah
Y'all probably saying, "How did he get here?"
I recollect while I sit here
Grandma say life is precious but I can't stand it
I ain't living life, I'm doing life on the planet
I got a friend in my head that understand it
That voice taking control, I call her Janet, nah
Schizophrenic I just see the real things
Can it be therapeutic to kill things?
Especially when they become a burden
Like that little kid that could never get a word in
Never getting love, never been deserving
Well hopefully they clap when it's closed curtains
I'm so certain I ain't finna grow
I don't wanna breathe, I just wanna go (what?)
Blood on my hands, blood on my wrist, yeah
Face of disgrace, I promised I wouldn't drip tears
Small heart, big fears
Looking in the mirror, this is it, yeah
Never thought I'd be my own killer
Mom's dealer gave me something that'd numb the filler
Every bit of the pain, the wall and floor stained
Been in this bathroom for about an hour
Grandma sleep, she thinking I'm in the shower
But by the time she wake up, no more drama
Just nerve damage and nirvana
A step closer to death, I feel calmer
I feel purpose
At home it's easy to feel worthless
The knife I used is laying on the floor
I sure am satisfied, I done tried before
I'm having flashbacks
to everything that I saw
Then I feel somebody opening the door (oh sh-)
Blood on my hands, blood on my wrist, yeah
Family screaming, damn my demons got me
Prayer couldn't stop me, Heaven dropped me
Now I suffer
Grandma calling for my mother
She don't want me but I love her
Sorry to my baby brother
no more pain, I got you covered
All this bleeding, fucked the tub up
Grandma lift me, thought I hovered
And this world has gotten tougher
Pop I love you, so much shit I needed from you
Hope I didn't disappoint you
It was either this or join you in that prison
Grandma gripping my small body telling me to hold on
Her palms so soft make me wanna stay strong
Her eyes watering wonder where we went wrong
By the time they cared I was gone
The lyrics of DJ Shadow and Stro's song JoJo's Words are about an individual who is struggling with the pain and trauma of their upbringing. The song describes a person who is living in a project building with their family and who was raised in a system that failed them. The main character speaks about their experiences with drugs and violence, explaining how they ended up with "blood on my hands, blood on my wrist." The song paints a picture of a person who has become disillusioned with their life and who may be considering suicide. The lyrics express the character's feelings of hopelessness and despair, as well as their frustration with the system that has failed them.
The song is a powerful commentary on the experiences of many people who are raised in difficult circumstances. It speaks to issues of poverty, violence, and social inequality, and highlights the need for change in society. The lyrics are emotionally charged and provide a stark look at the realities of life for many people in America.
Line by Line Meaning
Blood on my hands, blood on my wrist, yeah
I'm covered in blood and I'm hurting.
Fighting the pain, clenching my fist, yeah
Trying to cope with the pain by keeping my fists clenched.
Y'all probably saying, "How did he get here?"
You might be wondering how I ended up in this situation.
I recollect while I sit here
As I sit here, I remember how I got to this point.
Nothing is going right
Everything in my life is going wrong.
Dreaming that my demons is on sight
Having nightmares about facing my inner demons.
Maybe I've been living the wrong life
Perhaps I've been making the wrong choices in life.
Project building, trillion
I grew up in a project building where there were many other children like me.
I'm just one of many children
I'm just one of the many children who grew up in that project building.
Raised by the system, pops was a victim
I was raised by the system, and my father was also a victim of the same system.
We didn't wanna sell
We didn't want to sell drugs, but we had no choice.
But they was 'bout to evict him
We were about to be evicted from our home.
And his whole family
My father's entire family was affected by the same problems.
Momma got trama from drama, it's insanity
My mother is traumatized by all the drama around us, and it's driving us all crazy.
Recently she been strung out
Lately, my mother has been using drugs.
Caught her where the drug dealers hung out
I found my mother where the drug dealers hang out.
She seen me and ran like shots rung out
When she saw me, she ran away as if someone had fired a gun.
Just a matter of time before the block come out
It's only a matter of time before the police show up.
And tell me I'm a crack baby, I need a gat maybe
The police might call me a crack baby, and I might need a gun for protection.
I'm only fifteen, it's that crazy
I'm only fifteen years old, and this is all so crazy.
Grandma say life is precious but I can't stand it
My grandmother says that life is precious, but I can't bear it.
I ain't living life, I'm doing life on the planet
I'm not really living my life, just surviving on this planet.
I got a friend in my head that understand it
There's a voice in my head that understands what I'm going through.
That voice taking control, I call her Janet, nah
That voice is taking over, and I call it Janet.
Schizophrenic I just see the real things
I have schizophrenia, and I see things that are really there.
Can it be therapeutic to kill things?
Is it possible that killing things can be therapeutic?
Especially when they become a burden
Especially when they become a burden in my life.
Like that little kid that could never get a word in
Like that little kid who was always ignored and never heard in my life.
Never getting love, never been deserving
I've never felt loved or deserving in my life.
Well hopefully they clap when it's closed curtains
Maybe people will finally appreciate me when I'm gone.
I'm so certain I ain't finna grow
I'm sure I won't live long enough to grow old.
I don't wanna breathe, I just wanna go (what?)
I don't want to keep living, I just want it to be over.
Face of disgrace, I promised I wouldn't drip tears
I'm ashamed of myself and I promised I wouldn't cry.
Small heart, big fears
I have a small heart and a lot of fears.
Looking in the mirror, this is it, yeah
As I look in the mirror, I know this is the end.
Never thought I'd be my own killer
I never thought I would be the one to end my own life.
Mom's dealer gave me something that'd numb the filler
My mother's dealer gave me something to help me forget my pain.
Every bit of the pain, the wall and floor stained
Every bit of pain has stained the walls and floors of this bathroom.
Been in this bathroom for about an hour
I've been in this bathroom for about an hour.
Grandma sleep, she thinking I'm in the shower
My grandmother thinks I'm taking a shower.
But by the time she wake up, no more drama
But by the time she wakes up, all the drama will be over.
Just nerve damage and nirvana
All that's left will be nerve damage and a sense of peace.
A step closer to death, I feel calmer
As I get closer to death, I feel more at peace.
I feel purpose
I feel like my life has a purpose.
At home it's easy to feel worthless
At home, I often feel worthless.
The knife I used is laying on the floor
The knife I used to end my life is on the floor.
I sure am satisfied, I done tried before
I'm finally satisfied, as I've tried this before.
I'm having flashbacks to everything that I saw
I'm remembering everything that I've seen and experienced.
Then I feel somebody opening the door (oh sh-)
Then I hear someone opening the door (oh shit).
Family screaming, damn my demons got me
My family is screaming, and my inner demons have won.
Prayer couldn't stop me, Heaven dropped me
Even prayer couldn't save me, and Heaven has given up on me.
Now I suffer
Now I'm in pain and suffering.
Grandma calling for my mother
My grandmother is calling for my mother.
She don't want me but I love her
My mother doesn't want me, but I still love her.
Sorry to my baby brother
I'm sorry to my little brother.
no more pain, I got you covered
You won't have to feel any more pain, as I will take care of you.
All this bleeding, fucked the tub up
All the blood has messed up the bathtub.
Grandma lift me, thought I hovered
My grandmother lifts me up and thinks I'm hovering.
And this world has gotten tougher
This world has become too difficult for me to handle.
Pop I love you, so much shit I needed from you
Dad, I loved you and needed so much from you.
Hope I didn't disappoint you
I hope I didn't disappoint you, Dad.
It was either this or join you in that prison
It was either kill myself or end up like you, in prison.
Her palms so soft make me wanna stay strong
My grandmother's touch is so soothing, it makes me want to live.
Her eyes watering wonder where we went wrong
My grandmother is crying, wondering where things went wrong.
By the time they cared I was gone
They only care about me now that I'm dead.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joshua Paul Davis, Brian Vaughn Bradley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tandochagi1174
Can't wait for this kid to truly blow up, regardless of the platforms his been expanded to, he deserves more than what he puts out
@SeekerNinetyFive
Stro never dissapoints...
@snorkeldawg4555
Super intense can’t listen to this many times it hits too hard
@genericusername3039
"I ain't living life, I'm doing life on the planet"
@thescoobymike
over this beat
@thescoobymike
these lyrics
@BaneTrogdor
DAMN good one
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
🎧▶🎶🗣
@TheCzenczi
Keep it up and you gon blow up dude
@R3N3G
Nice collab