Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to keep control over his production, and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music. He claimed in an interview to have sold close to 200,000 units of his three official releases.
Biography
Early life
Coronel is African-Peruvian and was born in 1978 in a military hospital in Lima. His family emigrated in 1980 to Harlem to escape the ongoing internal conflict in Peru. During his teenage years he was arrested multiple times due in part to what he has said was "selfish and childish" behavior. He attended Hunter College High School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Shortly after enrolling in Pennsylvania State University, he was arrested and charged with assault-related offenses due to his involvement in an altercation between fellow students, the charges stemming from this incident led to him being incarcerated for a year. After being paroled, he took political science classes at Baruch College in New York City for two semesters at the behest of his father, who allowed Coronel to live with him on the condition that he go to school. Honing his rapping skills in jail, and unable to find decent wage-paying employment after his release, Coronel began working on the restaurants of New York while bad mouthing MCs whenever the opportunity arose. This, coupled with his victories in numerous freestyle rap competitions of the New York underground hip hop scene such as Rocksteady Anniversary, Braggin Rites and others, led to his reputation as a ferocious Battle MC.
Revolutionary Vol.1 and Vol.2
In 2001 , Immortal Technique released his first album Revolutionary Vol. 1 without the help of a record label or distribution, instead using money earned from his rap battle triumphs. Revolutionary Vol. 1 also contained the underground classic Dance With The Devil. In November 2002, he was listed by The Source in its "Unsigned Hype" column, highlighting artists that are not signed to a record label. The following year, in September 2003, he received the coveted "Hip Hop Quotable" in The Source for a song entitled "Industrial Revolution" from his second album. Immortal Technique is the only rapper in history to have a "Hip Hop Quotable" while being unsigned. He released his second album Revolutionary Vol. 2 in 2003. In 2004, Viper Records and, in 2005, Babygrande Records re-released Immortal Technique's debut, Revolutionary Vol. 1, to make it available to a wider audience. "Point of No Return" from Revolutionary Vol 2 was used as the entrance theme for Rashad Evans during the UFC 88 Main Event between Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans.
The 3rd World and The Middle Passage
Between 2005 and 2007 Immortal Technique began working on The Middle Passage and The 3rd World, the two albums that would serve a follow up to Revolutionary Vol. 2 and complete the series. He was also featured on several movie soundtracks and video game soundtracks, all the while touring relentlessly and becoming heavily involved in visiting prisons to speak to youth and working with immigrant rights activists and raising tens of thousands of dollars for children’s hospitals overseas. He invested his money not in items that are usually associated with fame but rather in large pieces of farmland in Latin America. He created a writing grant program for high school students as well.
Civil War
Immortal Technique Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ghetto is like a prison with invisible bars
No matter where you at, it always follows you where you are
And it's hard out there for a pimp to get out of
But it's harder for the hooker that he beat the shit out of
I got niggas underground in the confederate states
I find it? Running the slavery that prison creates
So I never hate on the south: I respect their vision
And white execs that love to see us in that position
They reflect the stereotypes of america's vision
They want us dancing, cooning and hollering
Only respect us for playing sports and modeling
More than racism: it's stay in your place-ism
More people are trapped in practical blackface-ism
So fuck a civil war between the north and the south
It's between field niggas and slaves that are stuck in the house
[Hook:]
Civil war for the soul of a nation
This is a struggle to save civilization
Demonstrations overthrowing the occupation
The annihilation of mental colonization
Civil war for the soul of a nation
We fight for the future of our civilization
Destroy the corrupt government organizations
Trying to survive cultural assasination
Crip niggas, blood nigga, eses, asians
Why the fuck we warring with each other's population?
If you ever wanna dead all our population
People in? Nation, why the separation?
Why we got jamaicans hating on hatians?
When the british and french raped both nations
Mexicans and blacks kill each other: straight hating
While the government profits from prison population
If you on the bottom, be you anglo or asian
You gotta understand the realness of what I'm saying
You gotta recognize another g at the enemy
When the police ride, they fear us frequently
We gotta make you see where the truth be
If you a g, then go and develop gd
50 years of gangs and our people still poor
If we running from the streets we should really end war
[Hook:]
Our hearts were torn apart just like y'alls was
Watching towers full of souls fall to sawdust
Everytime we called your office you ignored us
Now you holding hearings all inside of congress
Microscopes on us, ask if we're jihadists
My answer was in line with all of the founding fathers
I think patrick said it best: give me liberty or death
I shall never accept anything less
You claimi innocence
You say you're victimless
But you gave the kiss of death in the name of self-defense
Slavery and theft have brought our nations to the end
Pacify your citizenry with success
We believe in freedom, justice, security
But they're only good when applied universally
Certainly if I rage against the machine
My aim was only to clean the germs out of the circuitry
Heard you need putting fear inside your heart
Make you burn qu'rans and tell me not to build a mosque
Me, my wife and babies we ain't never made jihad
We just want to touch our heads to the floor and talk to god
Ask him to remove every blemish from our heart
The greatest threat abroad doesn't come from any bomb
The moment you refuse the human rights of just a few
What happens when that few includes you? Civil war
The lyrics of Immortal Technique’s “Civil War” paint a picture of the struggles of people from the ghetto, who feel trapped in a prison with invisible bars. The hook describes the song as “a struggle to save civilization” and “civil war for the soul of a nation.” The first verse goes on to talk about the issues of prostitution, slavery, and racism still being prevalent in America. While the south is respected for their vision, the artist hates people that promote the “samboism” stereotype, and he hates white execs that only like to see black people in positions where they are dancing, cooning, or modeling, which reflects America’s vision. Instead of it being a civil war between the north and south, it’s a war between field niggas and slaves who are stuck in the house.
The second verse touches on the idea that people of different races are warring against each other when the government is the real enemy. Immortal Technique questions why Jamaicans hate Haitians, when the British and French raped both nations. He talks about how the government profits from prison populations, and that people on the bottom, whether Anglo or Asian, must understand the truth of the war they are fighting. The final part of the verse points out that in America, when someone refuses the human rights of just a few, it tends to lead to civil war, even if it's just one person.
Interesting facts about Immortal Technique’s “Civil War” include that the song was on his third album titled “The 3rd World,” released in 2008. The album was dedicated to political prisoners and revolutionaries throughout the world, and it dealt heavily with social issues. It reached #99 on the Billboard 200 chart, which was his highest-charting album to date. Some of the lyrics were inspired by historic events, like the line “give me liberty or death” from Patrick Henry's famous quote. The song also makes reference to the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, and how the government ignored the pleas of people in the ghetto before those attacks took place. The “jihad” reference in the final verse was a reference to the political climate around the time the song was released. Immortal Technique is known for being outspoken about his political and social views, and this song exemplifies that.
Chords: Gm, Cm, Eb, F, Gm, Cm, Eb, Bb, F.
Line by Line Meaning
The ghetto is like a prison with invisible bars
Living in the ghetto is like being in a prison that doesn't have visible bars.
No matter where you at, it always follows you where you are
The impact of living in the ghetto stays with you no matter where you go.
And it's hard out there for a pimp to get out of / But it's harder for the hooker that he beat the shit out of
While it's difficult for a pimp to leave the dangerous world of sex work, it's even harder for the sex workers who are physically abused by them.
I got niggas underground in the confederate states / I find it? Running the slavery that prison creates
There are people working underground in the southern states where slavery once thrived, running the new slavery of the prison industrial complex.
So I never hate on the south: I respect their vision / I just hate on niggas that promote samboism
While he respects the historical significance of the south, he hates those who promote subservient and demeaning portrayals of Black people.
And white execs that love to see us in that position / They reflect the stereotypes of america's vision
White executives who promote such portrayals reflect America's historical racist views of Black people.
They want us dancing, cooning and hollering / Only respect us for playing sports and modeling
American society only respects Black people in media roles that perpetuate racist stereotypes.
More than racism: it's stay in your place-ism / More people are trapped in practical blackface-ism
The issue is more than just racism, it's that Black people are expected to stay in roles of subservience, leading to the creation of new forms of racism through media portrayals.
So fuck a civil war between the north and the south / It's between field niggas and slaves that are stuck in the house
Rather than focusing on the historical North/South divide, we need to focus on the divide between Black people who are able to work in the fields and those who are confined in their homes.
Civil war for the soul of a nation / This is a struggle to save civilization / Demonstrations overthrowing the occupation / The annihilation of mental colonization
The battle we are fighting is for the very soul of the nation, to save the ideals of civilization and overthrow mental colonization.
Crip niggas, blood nigga, eses, asians / Why the fuck we warring with each other's population?
Different gangs and racial groups should stop fighting amongst themselves and focus on fighting their common oppressors.
If you ever wanna dead all our population / People in? Nation, why the separation?
To stop the population from being killed completely, we need to come together as one unified group rather than being separated by our origins.
Why we got jamaicans hating on hatians? / When the british and french raped both nations
It makes no sense for Jamaicans to hate Haitians when both of these countries have been historically victimized by the colonial powers of Britain and France.
Mexicans and blacks kill each other: straight hating / While the government profits from prison population
It's senseless for Mexicans and Black people to kill each other when the true profits are going to the government through its prison industry.
If you on the bottom, be you anglo or asian / You gotta understand the realness of what I'm saying / You gotta recognize another g at the enemy
Regardless of your race, if you are in the bottom caste of our society, you should recognize that the system is your enemy.
When the police ride, they fear us frequently / We gotta make you see where the truth be
The police often fear and mistreat Black people, so we need to raise awareness about the reality of the situation.
If you a g, then go and develop gd / 50 years of gangs and our people still poor / If we running from the streets we should really end war
Rather than turning to gang life, we should focus on developing ourselves and working to end the poverty that is driving people to these dangerous lifestyles.
Our hearts were torn apart just like y'alls was / Watching towers full of souls fall to sawdust / Everytime we called your office you ignored us / Now you holding hearings all inside of congress
Just like everyone else, he was deeply hurt by the tragic events of September 11th, but politicians ignored his concerns until it became a political issue.
Microscopes on us, ask if we're jihadists / My answer was in line with all of the founding fathers
The government is closely scrutinizing Muslims, asking if they are terrorists, but the values of the founding fathers speak to the importance of religious freedom.
I think patrick said it best: give me liberty or death / I shall never accept anything less
Quoting Patrick Henry, he believes that liberty is a fundamental right and he would never accept anything less than this ideal.
You claimi innocence / You say you're victimless / But you gave the kiss of death in the name of self-defense
Perhaps claiming innocence, someone who kills in self-defense is still responsible for ending the life of another, which he likens to a 'kiss of death.'
Slavery and theft have brought our nations to the end / Pacify your citizenry with success
The historical baggage of slavery and theft have brought us to this point in history and political leaders are blindly placating the population with shallow success.
We believe in freedom, justice, security / But they're only good when applied universally
These values of freedom, justice, and security only work if they are applied to everyone in the society equally.
Certainly if I rage against the machine / My aim was only to clean the germs out of the circuitry
His intention when raging against the powers that be is to clean out the corrupt parts of society in order to create a fairer, more just world.
Heard you need putting fear inside your heart / Make you burn qu'rans and tell me not to build a mosque
The government uses fear tactics to gain support, going so far as to burn holy books in the case of certain religions and limiting the construction of religious institutions.
Me, my wife and babies we ain't never made jihad / We just want to touch our heads to the floor and talk to god
Rather than being terrorists, many Muslims simply want to practice their religion of praying peacefully and humbly to Allah.
Ask him to remove every blemish from our heart / The greatest threat abroad doesn't come from any bomb / The moment you refuse the human rights of just a few / What happens when that few includes you? Civil war
By asking God to remove any hatred in our hearts, we can work towards peace. The greatest threat to America does not come from foreign lands, but from within due to the denial of human rights. If we refuse the equal rights of some, we risk tearing ourselves apart in a civil war.
Civil war for the soul of a nation / We fight for the future of our civilization / Destroy the corrupt government organizations / Trying to survive cultural assassination
There is a civil war happening for the soul of America, as people fight for the future of a fairer civilization. The only way to win is to destroy the government corruption that is promoting cultural assassination.
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MrRedberd
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
— Martin Niemöller, Lutheran pastor in Nazi Germany
kai russell
Brother Ali is so slept on. The message he's pushing is so important, and those lyrics...
" we believe in freedom justice, security , but they are only pure when they're applied universally , certainly if I Rage Against the Machine my aim is only to clean the germs out of the circuitry ".
You know exactly what he's saying yet you could dissect it a million different ways. That line is in the top twenty of all time for me. Maybe top ten. A rapper's message is important to me and brother Ali just embodies everything good, everything positive about a message that could be pushed. It might sound cliche but immortal technique, brother Ali, or people like this are saints, or chosen ones, etc. The type of people who long ago in the past were shamans, or priests, or rabbis, etcetera. I'm not saying they're perfect, or are any better than any of us. They're more in tune that they're alive to have a voice. We're not free, and we have no real say. We're going down a dark road and being told we're in the drivers seat. We need to get this world back into the light of love and compassion. We we all need to realize that most of us want the same things. We need to start working together so we can make the world a better place cuz we have the means to. We have the motive, but those positive changes can't be made because they stand to take away from the people and systems already in power.love you all..
They're pushing a black white divide hard nowadays, and manufacturing outrage. That's why people like George Soros fund black lives matter . You think that demon cares about you? Fuck no there's a bigger picture. Its divide and conquer or my enemies enemies is my friend. The people at the top and run the show, yeah most of them have white skin, but not all of them. They're Saudis, Hispanics, Asian branches. They all set aside they're differences long ago, and they're stirring the pot to make sure we never come together. There's is race targeted oppression... But thats because hella white are asleep and fully trust their government, hella minorities. Whites had/ have more or less showed they'll go with flow and be good little boys, where minorities of all types rebel, come together, and have more reasons to do these things. They're more scared of us/y'all.
I say us/y'all cause in this life I am a white man, but I remember two past, lives one of which I was an African. Believe me or dont and i dont blame you if you dont. I cant give you my experience, and I feel guilty I got these experiences. I'm proud of what my people of that life have become. Hate how we got here, but proud none the less. I can't wait for the day, we all start having epiphanies and realizing what we are and what we're doing here. Sincerely, love you all
Astral Marmot
I'm not Muslim, but every time Brother Ali says "We just want to touch our heads to the floor and talk to God" I get tears in my eyes. I'm a black woman but I won't turn my eyes from any people who are victims of systemic hatred. Whoever you are, never forget: your empathy, the pain you feel for yourself and everyone like you, is what separates you from those who would do harm. I know it hurts. But if these lyrics show us anything, it's that the ability to vulnerable has tremendous power. Only fools see it as weakness. They just lack the courage to wield it. Be at peace, friend. You're not alone.
CDubz WHAT
Amen Sister
ThaGodWeCreate
The last will be first in the next life
It's Me
I love you like my own 🙏💯
canid song
Thank you Sister.
Graham Davies
Facts. Kiaora from newzealand. Truth touches all corners of this rock we on
Juan Montero
That Brother Ali verse will forever remain one of the most heartfelt verses I've ever listened to.
evmanbutts
His song Uncle Sam Goddamn is just as potently heartfelt.
TheRelandi
I legit get chills listening to this song. It is the embodiment of free speech, hip hop, counter culture and activism. This is what I look for in music. All substance.
Mec Thekilla
I agree bro most people that listen to mainstream don’t get music like this immortal tech is a dying breed for sure