Ice-T started in 1982 out with other West Coast rap pioneers such as Kid Frost, DJ Flash, and The Egyptian Lover with Electro recordings. Later on, he changed his style and was the first West Coast rapper to be accepted by the East Coast. 6 'n The Mornin is sometimes seen as the track that triggered the whole gangster rap movement. It was produced by The Unknown DJ, who produced electro funk tracks before and went on to produce Compton's Most Wanted. The song was inspired by Schoolly D's "P.S.K. What Does It Mean?" and became itself the inspiration for Eazy-E and N.W.A's Boyz-N-The-Hood. Ice-T went on to work with Afrika Islam, the man behind the beats on 1987's Rhyme Pays, 1988's Power and 1989's The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say.
He also is a star in Law in Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 1992 he created the crossover band Body Count with 4 other black musicians.
Pulse of the Rhyme
Ice-T Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I check your audio
Increase the bass response
Hope n the speakers blow
I got no time to sit and flip
And pop bullshit
Turn up your stereo hops
Insert the rhyme clip
Make sure it7s air tight
E.Q. the track exact
So shit sounds right
I rhyme of death
And darkness and danger
Your crib or car
Becomes a torture chamber
I write my rhymes with violence
What you expect?
Sounds of pain
The snap of a broken neck
All alone in darkness I sit each night
Write my rhymes
With blood upon a butcher knife
You say the Ice is ill, and ill I am
They try to ban my shit
And I don't give a damn
Roll up, your eye will get swoll up
Suckers who flexed
Yo, their deaths got tolled up
Cause I'm not the nigga to toy with
Boy with the big mouth
Ya got time to riff?
There's time to take you out
Put a couple caps in your ass
Cut your head off
Send it to your mom with flowers
Cause I'm so soft
Lay on your wack crew
Smoke the whole bunch
Bury 'em in my bck yard
And then I'll eat lunch
Cause I don't give a fuck about you
Or him or her
Whenever I'm in the house
A death just might occur
Is this real or fiction
You'll never know
CHORUS
While you're locked to the
Pulse of the rhyme flow!
Once I lock you up, you can't get loose
You put your head inside
And I placed the noose
The mic drips juice slow
From its steel mesh
My words feel like hooks
Underneath your flesh
Makin' you twist and turn
Scorch and burn, when will you learn?
The '90s are my turn
To pitch a vocal fit, like the ultimate
Gangster rhyme, yo, I invented the shit!
Watch me dod it, as I do it
And I do it right
Grab the gauge
Duct tape on the flashlight
Doin' the black ski mask
And come to your house
Cut off your power
And do you with the lights out!
Is this real or fiction?
You'll never know
CHORUS
A pool of blood
and floating body parts
Would make me grin
A close view of a razor
When it's breaking skin
If you were burnin'
I'd use gasoline to put you out
Cause I walk alone
And choose the dark route
Nightmares gotta be loved by some
And I'm the one
Ya want to come, bring your shotgun
You ever see your partner die?
No? Well I have!
You ever see your father die?
No? Well I have!
You ever see your mother die?
No? Well I have!
So shut the fuck up, punk
And clear the rhyme path!
What would make meel calm and nice
Is a slow slice
Through your jugular and windpipe
Throw me in jail
I won't even try to make bail
Put me in the gas chamber
And watch me inhale!
Is this true or false?
Well you'll never know
CHORUS
Jason, Tales from the Crypt
And the Dark Side
Another fly murder, another suicide
Did these flicks
Have an influence on my brain?
I really doubt that shit
I think that I was born insane
When I was young
I had a lust for knives and guns
Use a magnifying glass
To fry an ant with the sun
And on and on
My lust for death got bigger
At fifteen
I was placed behind a trigger
Although I'm dirty
Not the one to be swept up
step up, I'd love to open your chest up
I've got no concept of life or death
All I want is your last breath
Give me a motherfuckin' break
I should behave
Give me a motherfuckin' shovel
I'll dig graves!
I break ill in extra large portions
where's your parents
I'll make you an orphan
So when you're talkin' crazy
You better think of me
The I, to the see, to the E, to the fuckin' T!
There'll be no tears
No screams or cries, just a laser beam
Between your fuckin' eyes
You feel strange well now you know
CHORUS
In the song "Pulse of the Rhyme," Ice-T speaks about his process of checking his microphone and sound system before spitting his intense, violent lyrics. He rhymes about death, danger, violence, and darkness, writing with a level of violence that is not for the faint of heart. His rhymes are written to be a sonic experience that penetrates listeners. The chorus, "while locked to the pulse of the rhyme flow", emphasizes the power of music, and the listener's captivation under the spell of vocal rhythms, words, and beat.
The lyrics are powerful, written to intimidate and provoke fear. He speaks about death, danger, pain, and torment. These lyrics are not for everyone, and they have raised controversy over the years. Some people take it as a sign of his influence on them, while others reject his verses as inappropriate for society. The song is a seminal piece of work that marked a defining moment for the Rap genre as it entered the mainstream in the late 1980s.
Line by Line Meaning
Just checkin' my microphone once
I am testing my microphone
As I check your audio
I am checking your audio quality
Increase the bass response
I want the bass to be louder
Hope n the speakers blow
I want the artists to be so loud they might break
I got no time to sit and flip
I don't have time to waste
And pop bullshit
And talk nonsense
Turn up your stereo hops
Turn up your stereo
Insert the rhyme clip
Listen to my rap song
Roll your windows up
Close your car windows
Make sure it7s air tight
Make sure there are no gaps in the windows
E.Q. the track exact
I am adjusting the track equalizer perfectly
So shit sounds right
So the sound is perfect
I rhyme of death
I rap about death
And darkness and danger
I rap about dark and dangerous things
Your crib or car
Your house or car
Becomes a torture chamber
Will feel like a place of torture when you listen to my song
I write my rhymes with violence
I write my lyrics with a violent tone
What you expect?
What do you expect from me?
Sounds of pain
My lyrics sound painful
The snap of a broken neck
I refer to the sound of a neck breaking in my song
All alone in darkness I sit each night
I spend my nights alone in the dark writing lyrics
Write my rhymes
I write my lyrics
With blood upon a butcher knife
Inspired by violence, I write my lyrics with a bloody butcher knife
You say the Ice is ill, and ill I am
You praise my lyrics as sick and twisted, which I am
They try to ban my shit
Censorship doesn't stop me from creating and performing
And I don't give a damn
And I don't care what they think
Roll up, your eye will get swoll up
If you mess with me, you'll end up with a black eye
Suckers who flexed
People who challenge me or try to outsmart me
Yo, their deaths got tolled up
I keep a count of those who try to oppose me and end up dead
Cause I'm not the nigga to toy with
Because I'm not someone to mess with
Boy with the big mouth
Someone who talks too much
Ya got time to riff?
Do you have time to argue?
There's time to take you out
If you have time to argue, you have time to fight and lose
Put a couple caps in your ass
I'll shoot you
Cut your head off
I'll decapitate you
Send it to your mom with flowers
I'll send your severed head to your mother with flowers
Cause I'm so soft
Just kidding, I'm not actually soft
Lay on your wack crew
I'll defeat your team
Smoke the whole bunch
I'll smoke all of your guys
Bury 'em in my bck yard
I'll bury them in my backyard
And then I'll eat lunch
And then I'll eat my lunch
Cause I don't give a fuck about you
Because I don't care about you
Or him or her
Or anyone else
Whenever I'm in the house
Whenever I'm nearby
A death just might occur
Someone might die
Once I lock you up, you can't get loose
Once I get hold of you, you can't escape
You put your head inside
You submit to me
And I placed the noose
And I catch you with a trap
The mic drips juice slow
The microphone emits sounds slowly
From its steel mesh
From its steel elements
My words feel like hooks
My lyrics are like hooks that penetrate you
Underneath your flesh
They get under your skin
Makin' you twist and turn
Making you move and shake
Scorch and burn, when will you learn?
You feel overwhelming heat, when will you realize what's happening?
The '90s are my turn
This is my time to be in the spotlight
To pitch a vocal fit
To deliver an angry performance
Like the ultimate
Like nothing you've ever heard
Gangster rhyme, yo, I invented the shit!
I am the mastermind behind gangsta rap
Watch me dod it, as I do it
Watch me do it as I brag about it
Grab the gauge
I'll get my gun
Duct tape on the flashlight
I'll tape the flashlight to my gun
Doin' the black ski mask
I'll wear a black ski mask
And come to your house
I'll come to your home
Cut off your power
I'll cut off your electricity
And do you with the lights out!
I'll attack you when it's dark!
A pool of blood
If I kill you, there will be blood
and floating body parts
And your body will be dismembered
Would make me grin
This would make me happy
A close view of a razor
I enjoy looking closely at a razor blade
When it's breaking skin
When it cuts through the skin
If you were burnin'
If you were on fire
I'd use gasoline to put you out
I would use gasoline to put you out
Cause I walk alone
Because I am a lone wolf
And choose the dark route
And I choose the dark path
Nightmares gotta be loved by some
Some people seem to love nightmares or horrific things
And I'm the one
And I love and create horror
Ya want to come, bring your shotgun
If you want to challenge me, be prepared for a fight
You ever see your partner die?
Have you ever witnessed someone you cared about die?
No? Well I have!
Well, I have seen people die
You ever see your father die?
Have you ever seen your father die?
No? Well I have!
Well, I have seen my father die
You ever see your mother die?
Have you ever seen your mother die?
No? Well I have!
Well, I have seen my mother die
So shut the fuck up, punk
So don't try to talk tough to me, punk
And clear the rhyme path!
And let me pass and perform my music
Jason, Tales from the Crypt
These horror series are my inspiration
And the Dark Side
And the dark side of life
Another fly murder, another suicide
In these stories, people are dying all the time
Did these flicks
Did these movies
Have an influence on my brain?
Did these movies influence me?
I really doubt that shit
No, I don't think so
I think that I was born insane
I think I was always crazy
When I was young
When I was a child
I had a lust for knives and guns
I was always fascinated by weapons
Use a magnifying glass
I would use a magnifying glass to focus the sun's rays
To fry an ant with the sun
And use that energy to hurt insects
And on and on
And so on
My lust for death got bigger
As I got older, I became more obsessed with death
At fifteen
At the age of fifteen
I was placed behind a trigger
I was given a gun to hold
Although I'm dirty
Although I am a criminal
Not the one to be swept up
No one can catch me
Step up, I'd love to open your chest up
Try and challenge me, and I'll kill you immediately
I've got no concept of life or death
I have no respect for human life or death
All I want is your last breath
All I want is for you to die at my hands
Give me a motherfuckin' break
Stop complaining and leave me alone
I should behave
Maybe I should act more civilized
Give me a motherfuckin' shovel
Actually, no, give me a shovel
I'll dig graves!
I'll be burying more people
I break ill in extra large portions
I'm really good at what I do
Where's your parents?
Where are your parents to protect you?
I'll make you an orphan
I'll kill your parents, and you'll be alone
So when you're talkin' crazy
So if you're trying to talk tough or trash talk
You better think of me
You better remember who you're dealing with
There'll be no tears
No one will mourn your death
No screams or cries, just a laser beam
No one will be around to hear you die, just a reference to laser sight
Between your fuckin' eyes
And a bullet shot between your eyes to kill you
You feel strange well now you know
If you're wondering how it feels to die, now you know
While you're locked to the
As you're listening to the
Pulse of the rhyme flow!
Beat of the song!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALPHONSO HENDERSON, TRACY LAUREN MARROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ecobogan238
It's been probably 10 years since l had a hearty stroll through this album....I'm 47 now...bought it when l was 18. The tight tech skill of this man, let alone the lyrics and beat, l sure took for granted when l was younger. This song is as pure hardcore and relentless as gangster rap pretty much ever got. 30 years later the people involved in the various authorities that tried to shut Ice-T (and NWA) down are long forgotten while he remains more respected, active and relevant than ever.
Flawless sledgehammer of a track.
@MrTheHillfolk
Wore the crap out of this tape ,glad a buddy made a few copies and handed em out 😝
@cjeanrond
True words
@aftermath66699
Hearty stroll
@MicheleCobre
Very underrated masterpiece LP
@LAZLOUFORIA1379
Definitely Slept On Got Me Thru Lots of Shitty Days
@Etcher
A stone cold classic, still gets bumped in the car on the reg reg
@ThatGamingGuyfromthe70s
I reckon there are very few hip hop albums as solid and consistent as this one. From start to finish it follows a theme and each song whilst sounding raw is meticulously produced with some superb turntable work. The lyrics are vivid, concise and articulate. I bought this album when it came out, i was 18 and I still listen to this now. There are so many great tracks on this but if i had to choose i'd go for Mind of matter and Escape from the killing fields.
@blit416
so dope. Ice, man, kids dont know. toy punks NEVER knew. Real men knew.
@bobbobby7633
The ice got Macho