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.
Harlem Streets
Immortal Technique Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like those mother fuckers runnin' away from the twin towers
Gun shots rock the earth like a meteor shower
Bowling For Columbine, fair, giving the media power
Innocence devoured like a chicken spot snack box
Government cocain cooked into ghetto crack rock
Corrupt cops false testimony at your arraignment
Check to check, constant struggle to make the payments
The subway stays pakced like a multi-cultural slave ship
It's rush hour, 2:30 to 8, non stoppin'
And people coming home after corporate share croppin
And fuck flossin, mothers are trying to feed children
But gentrification is kicking them out of their building
A generation of babies born without health care
Families homeless, thrown the fuck off of the welfare
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
It's like Cambodia the killing fields uptown
We live in distress and hang the flag upside down
The sound of conservative politicians on television
People in the hood are blind so they tell us to listen
They vote for us to go to war instantly
But none of their kids serving the infantry
The odds are stacked against us like a casino
Think about it, most of the army is black and Latino
And if you can't acknowledge the reality of my words
You just another stupid mother fucker out on the curb
Trying to escape from the ghetto with your ignorant ways
But you can't read history at an illiterate stage
And you can't raise a family on minimum wage
Why the fuck you think most of us are locked in a cage
I give niggaz the truth, cause they pride is indigent
You better off rich and guilty than poor and innocent
But I'm sick of feeling impotent watching the world burn
In the era of apocalypse waiting my turn
I'm a Harlem nigga that's concerned with the future
And if your in my way it'd be an honor to shoot ya
Up root ya with the evil that grows in my people
Making them deceitful, cannibalistic and lethal
But I see through the mentality implanted in us
And I educate my fam about who we should trust
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Immortal Technique’s song Harlem Streets is a powerful critique of the social, economic, and political conditions of life in Harlem. The opening lines of the song describe the way in which the streets of Harlem are inundated with white powder, a reference to the widespread use of cocaine in the neighborhood. The image of people running away from the twin towers suggests a connection between the devastation of 9/11 and the desperate conditions that many people live in Harlem. The sound of gunshots rocking the earth like a meteor shower further reinforces this connection, as it suggests that violence and trauma are everyday experiences for people living in the neighborhood.
The next few lines of the song touch on several other problems facing Harlem residents, including corrupt cops, poverty, and the struggle to make ends meet. The image of the subway being packed like a multicultural slave ship highlights the way that people in Harlem are mobile but also trapped, unable to escape the conditions that keep them impoverished. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase “Homicide Harlem”, emphasizing the sense of danger and violence that pervades the neighborhood.
The final verse of the song is perhaps the most powerful, as Immortal Technique takes aim at conservative politicians who he claims are sending poor minorities to fight in wars while their own children avoid service. The line “the odds are stacked against us like a casino” suggests that the system is rigged against people living in Harlem, making it difficult for them to achieve success or escape poverty. Ultimately, the song is a call to arms for people to recognize the systemic problems facing Harlem and take action to address them.
Line by Line Meaning
Harlem streets stay flooded in white powder
Harlem is heavily affected by the drug trade where cocaine is being sold out in large quantities.
Like those mother fuckers runnin' away from the twin towers
Drug dealers in Harlem are selling cocaine in large quantities similar to the amount of people who fled away from the Twin Towers during 9/11.
Gun shots rock the earth like a meteor shower
Harlem is constantly plagued with gun violence that sounds like a continuous rain of bullets.
Bowling For Columbine, fair, giving the media power
The media often portrays an unfair and biased depiction of Harlem's issues and wrongly emphasizes the problems while negatively impacting the African American community.
Innocence devoured like a chicken spot snack box
The youth in Harlem feel like they have no choice but to join the drug trade in order to survive. their innocence is being stripped away by the harsh reality of poverty.
Government cocain cooked into ghetto crack rock
The government's intervention in the drug trade has resulted in the creation of crack cocaine that harms the people of Harlem.
Corrupt cops false testimony at your arraignment
Harlem is disrupted with corrupt law enforcement officers who can manipulate the justice system.
Check to check, constant struggle to make the payments
Harlem's residents live paycheck to paycheck and face financial challenges.
Working your whole life wondering where the day went
People in Harlem are working long hours and don't have time to enjoy their lives.
The subway stays pakced like a multi-cultural slave ship
The subway system in Harlem is overcrowded and people are jam-packed in a way that is reminiscent of slave ships.
It's rush hour, 2:30 to 8, non stoppin'
Harlem is always busy, especially during rush hour which runs from 2:30 pm to 8 pm.
And people coming home after corporate share croppin'
Harlem's residents work for big corporations in sharecropping-like conditions.
And fuck flossin, mothers are trying to feed children
People in Harlem have to prioritize their basic necessities like feeding their families, over luxury items.
But gentrification is kicking them out of their building
Harlem is undergoing gentrification which is causing displacement of its longtime residents.
A generation of babies born without health care
Harlem's health care system is in need of improvement as many newborn babies are without proper health care.
Families homeless, thrown the fuck off of the welfare
Harlem's low-income families that depend on welfare are being kicked out and left homeless.
It's like Cambodia the killing fields uptown
Harlem has become a dangerous place where gun violence is rampant, similar to the killings in Cambodia's killing fields.
We live in distress and hang the flag upside down
People in Harlem live in a state of mental and emotional distress and believe that the American flag no longer represents their values.
The sound of conservative politicians on television
Politicians that don't understand Harlem's issues and don't represent the African American community often appear on television.
People in the hood are blind so they tell us to listen
Those who are not living in the circumstances of Harlem are not qualified to give advice or contextualize the issues there.
They vote for us to go to war instantly
Politicians are quick to send African American and Latino youth to war without considering the consequences.
But none of their kids serving the infantry
Politicians from affluent backgrounds do not have their children serving in the military like the African Americans and Latinos from Harlem do.
The odds are stacked against us like a casino
People in Harlem are at a disadvantage due to oppressive structures of society, similar to the odds of a casino always being in favor of the house.
Think about it, most of the army is black and Latino
African Americans and Latinos make up the majority of the military and this disproportionality is not acknowledged.
And if you can't acknowledge the reality of my words
People who do not understand or refuse to acknowledge Harlem's issues are incapable of seeing reality.
You just another stupid mother fucker out on the curb
People who are ignorant to Harlem's issues are oblivious to reality and cannot help with constructive solutions.
Trying to escape from the ghetto with your ignorant ways
People who are unaware of the issues surrounding the ghetto are attempting to escape the problems with their own ignorant beliefs.
But you can't read history at an illiterate stage
People who are illiterate are unable to read and understand the history of Harlem, which compounds the problems experienced by the community.
And you can't raise a family on minimum wage
Minimum wage is inadequate when it comes to raising a family and feeding children in Harlem.
Why the fuck you think most of us are locked in a cage
Harlem is plagued with mass incarcerations which disproportionately affect African Americans and Latinos in the community.
I give niggaz the truth, cause they pride is indigent
Immortal Technique gives the people of Harlem truthful information that they need but are otherwise deprived of.
You better off rich and guilty than poor and innocent
The justice system is rigged to benefit the rich and wealthy, while being poor in Harlem makes a person more likely to be convicted of a crime - regardless of their guilt or innocence.
But I'm sick of feeling impotent watching the world burn
Immortal Technique is tired of feeling powerless and watching his community suffer along with the rest of the world.
In the era of apocalypse waiting my turn
Immortal Technique lives in an era of chaos and uncertainty, stuck waiting for a breakdown of society and the world to come.
I'm a Harlem nigga that's concerned with the future
Immortal Technique is a concerned resident of Harlem who sees himself as part of the community and is invested in his hometown's future.
And if your in my way it'd be an honor to shoot ya
Immortal Technique views himself as a soldier that will fight for what he believes in, even if that means harming those who stand in his way.
Up root ya with the evil that grows in my people
Immortal Technique acknowledges the alarming presence of violence and brutality that is growing within the people of Harlem.
Making them deceitful, cannibalistic and lethal
Poverty is taking a toll on the innocent residents of Harlem and is leading them to become deceitful, cannibalistic and lethal.
But I see through the mentality implanted in us
Immortal Technique challenges the negative and corrupted mentalities that are instilled within the people and culture of Harlem.
And I educate my fam about who we should trust
Immortal Technique informs his family on the values and important matters that they should believe in and trust.
Homicide Harlem, blaow!, what's the problem?
Immortal Technique repeatedly asks what can be done to combat the issue of homicides in Harlem.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind