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.
PayBack
Immortal Technique Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fuckin' up our lives
I'll take a piss in your oil fields
I want some motherfuckin' payback so, yo
I wanna run for president, and the focal point when I'm campaigning
Is to put FEMA to work on a plantation at Camp David
Demand payment for New Orleans with the best of swordsmen
On the lawn and I just let 'em burn till death's confirmed
Laid to rest with worms cause otherwise they'll never learn
I'll form a cruel intent, put anthrax through the vents
From out a package I got in the mail that you just sent
But I got a better punishment for these Republicans
I'd let 'em live so they can see us overthrow the government
Let's fuck with them, have the first lady beat me off
Till my semen's launched, then I skeet across her face like Peter North
And I won't leave a doubt what we about when I cream her mouth
Or leave her trout bleeding out on Condoleezza's couch
I'll seek this route without regrets, and drink a brew then think of you
Cause if it's the last fuckin' thing I do I'll
Yeah, Immortal Technique, Rassy
Nigga, I never forget nothing nigga
Fifty-one percent of the World Bank is owned by the U-S treasury
Robbing third world countries out all they resources and equity
When Afghanistan was fighting the Russians
Reagan and Bush gave Bin Laden weapons and told him get to bussin'
We even called 'em freedom fighters
Financed the cost with CIA imported cocaine
That whole Iran Contra Scandal, niggas took the blame
Started a war on drugs
Meanwhile Russia's defeated, America thinks more oil for us
Take over, set up a public government, Arabs ain't bearing it
So the same freedom fighters, George W. call 'em terrorists
Poetic justice, payback's a bitch, these fuckin hypocrites
Like Bill O'Reilly, right-wingers deserve what they get
Rush Limbaugh, drug addict, Giuliani, sex scandal
I wanna thank white supremacists then show you how my tech's handled
My neck's nano-technologically designed
It spits SARS to all you stupid ass execs that capital resigned
I am vindictive, faggots!
Huh, ha ha ha
Yeah I got something for you motherfuckers ha ha
You want it? Here you go!
The first payback that I would accomplish
I'd draft children from the senate and congress
Pompous religious right made suicidal
When I exposed Joe Cephas for ghost writing the Bible
Making nuclear silos, bomb the world with hydro
Chinese dragon sized blunts in Maracaibo
Huh, and everyone flashing a gun on a D-V-D
I'd make them niggas shoot it out with N-Y-P-D
And every fucker that didn't buy my C-D
I'd stab the revolution in their neck with an I-V
See me, own the world, I'd give it back to the poor
I'd give a last name to every single son of a whore
Hard to the core, fuck with the gay list
Niggas pop on they block but they globally nameless
I'd show the hood real gangsters and make 'em famous
Langley Virginia, where my connect for cocaine is
I'd make everybody fuckin' have the world darkening
I make rap-about lyrics, not beats and marketing
Replace every raped virgin's broken hymen
Holding De Beers reclining, while they choke on they diamonds
My designing's like Francis Ford Coppola rhyming
Building a universe inside solitary confinement
I'd reverse Rockefeller laws and bring Mumia home
And serve the President free styling off a the dome
A message to the outgoing president
Hey I got a great idea nigga
Kill yourself
Ha ha ha, you know it's so funny,
I thought about it the other day
You should probably kill yourself
Ah why don't you kill yourself?
Ha ha ha ha ha, kill yourself
The lyrics to Immortal Technique's Payback are visually violent and emotionally charged. The first few lines are a call for revenge on the snakes responsible for the hardships in the lives of the marginalized group. The imagery of a person taking a piss in an oil field is a symbolic image of the kind of outrage and defiant rebellion he wants to express. The main theme of the song is revenge, and he expresses this in the outlandish and violent actions he describes. For example, he wants to put FEMA to work on a plantation at Camp David, something unusual as we commonly think of FEMA helping people who are affected by catastrophes.
The artist even takes a stab at politics, specifically mentioning his desire to run for president. He intends to use this as a platform to demand payment for the citizens of New Orleans, or they will face the swordsmen. His focus is to set up FEMA camps where the oppressed can concentrate and rebel freely, and he is willing to launch missiles on the government to make this happen. He is ready to form a cruel plan, even using anthrax through the vents as an extra bout of vengeance on the Republicans. The lyrics imply that the oppressed are attached by the government and the white supremacists.
Line by Line Meaning
These fuckin' snakes man
The individuals who are ruining our lives are comparable to snakes.
Fuckin' up our lives
These individuals are causing damage and destruction to our lives.
I'll take a piss in your oil fields
As vengeance, I plan to urinate in your oil fields.
I want some motherfuckin' payback so, yo
I desire revenge, and I want it now.
I wanna run for president, and the focal point when I'm campaigning
My main focus when I run for president is to put FEMA to work on a plantation at Camp David.
Is to put FEMA to work on a plantation at Camp David
I will put the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to work by using them to run Camp David similar to the way a plantation is operated.
Demand payment for New Orleans with the best of swordsmen
I will demand payment for the destruction that occurred in New Orleans and will use the best fighters to get it.
Launching missiles at the White House while Tech's performing
While I am performing, I'll launch missiles at the White House.
On the lawn and I just let 'em burn till death's confirmed
I will let the White House burn on the lawn until I know that everyone has died.
Laid to rest with worms cause otherwise they'll never learn
If they are not held accountable for their wrongdoings, they will never change their ways.
I'll form a cruel intent, put anthrax through the vents
I have a cruel plan to put anthrax through the vents and harm the people inside.
From out a package I got in the mail that you just sent
I got the anthrax from a package that was sent to me through the mail.
But I got a better punishment for these Republicans
I have a better idea for punishing these Republicans who have caused harm.
I'd let 'em live so they can see us overthrow the government
I would let them live so that they can see the government being overthrown.
Let's fuck with them, have the first lady beat me off
To cause chaos, I would have the First Lady perform a sexual act on me.
Till my semen's launched, then I skeet across her face like Peter North
Once I ejaculate, I will spray my semen across the First Lady's face similar to the porn star Peter North.
And I won't leave a doubt what we about when I cream her mouth
I will make sure that there is no doubt of our intentions when I ejaculate in the First Lady's mouth.
Or leave her trout bleeding out on Condoleezza's couch
As revenge, I may harm Condoleezza Rice's belongings by leaving blood from my sexual partner's vaginal area.
I'll seek this route without regrets, and drink a brew then think of you
I will pursue this path without remorse and will enjoy my alcoholic beverage while thinking of my plan.
Fifty-one percent of the World Bank is owned by the U-S treasury
More than half of the World Bank is owned by the US Treasury.
Robbing third world countries out all they resources and equity
By doing so, the US is taking valuable resources from third-world countries.
When Afghanistan was fighting the Russians
During the time that Afghanistan was fighting the Russians,
Reagan and Bush gave Bin Laden weapons and told him get to bussin'
U.S. leaders Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush supplied Osama bin Laden with weapons.
We even called 'em freedom fighters
The US referred to those fighting against Russia in Afghanistan as freedom fighters.
Financed the cost with CIA imported cocaine
The CIA funded these activities with money from importing cocaine.
That whole Iran Contra Scandal, niggas took the blame
The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal in which multiple individuals were held accountable.
Started a war on drugs
In response, a war against drugs was started.
Meanwhile Russia's defeated, America thinks more oil for us
Although Russia was defeated, the US only saw it as an opportunity to obtain more oil.
Take over, set up a public government, Arabs ain't bearing it
The US attempted to overthrow Arab governments and set up a new, public one that they would control.
So the same freedom fighters, George W. call 'em terrorists
These individuals were called terrorists by George W. Bush, despite being referred to as freedom fighters in the past.
Poetic justice, payback's a bitch, these fuckin hypocrites
It's ironic and just that these hypocrites are now facing consequences for their actions.
Like Bill O'Reilly, right-wingers deserve what they get
Right-wing individuals, such as Bill O'Reilly, deserve the punishments that they receive.
Rush Limbaugh, drug addict, Giuliani, sex scandal
Other individuals with scandalous behavior, such as Rush Limbaugh and Giuliani, will also face consequences.
I wanna thank white supremacists then show you how my tech's handled
I will thank white supremacists and then show them what my technology can do.
My neck's nano-technologically designed
My neck has been designed with cutting-edge nanotechnology.
It spits SARS to all you stupid ass execs that capital resigned
This technology is capable of spreading the SARS virus to executives who have retired with a large amount of capital.
The first payback that I would accomplish
The first act of revenge that I would accomplish would be to draft children from the Senate and Congress.
I'd draft children from the senate and congress
I would involve children of government officials in my plan for vengeance.
Pompous religious right made suicidal
Those on the religious right will be made suicidal.
When I exposed Joe Cephas for ghost writing the Bible
I will expose Joe Cephas for ghostwriting the Bible.
Making nuclear silos, bomb the world with hydro
I will construct nuclear silos to perpetuate the destruction of the world with hydro bombs.
Chinese dragon sized blunts in Maracaibo
Giant marijuana joints will be smoked in Maracaibo like a Chinese dragon.
Huh, and everyone flashing a gun on a D-V-D
Those who show off their guns on DVDs will be targeted.
I'd make them niggas shoot it out with N-Y-P-D
I will cause those individuals to engage in a shootout with the New York Police Department.
And every fucker that didn't buy my C-D
Anyone who didn't purchase my CD will also be punished.
I'd stab the revolution in their neck with an I-V
I will go so far as to harm those who undermine the revolution by stabbing them in the neck with an IV.
See me, own the world, I'd give it back to the poor
If I ruled the world, I would return power to the poor and oppressed.
I'd give a last name to every single son of a whore
All individuals would be given a last name, even those who have been disregarded in the past.
Hard to the core, fuck with the gay list
I am willing to take on the hardest challenges, including those relating to LGBT individuals.
Niggas pop on they block but they globally nameless
Individuals who cause violence in their own communities are more likely to do so anonymously.
I'd show the hood real gangsters and make 'em famous
I will display the true gangsters in the neighborhood and make them well known.
Langley Virginia, where my connect for cocaine is
My cocaine connect is in Langley, Virginia.
I'd make everybody fuckin' have the world darkening
I will cause everyone to experience despair and hopelessness.
I make rap-about lyrics, not beats and marketing
I make music that prioritizes lyricism, not commercial appeal.
Replace every raped virgin's broken hymen
I aim to undo the damage caused by rape by repairing the hymens of victims.
Holding De Beers reclining, while they choke on they diamonds
While holding De Beers, I will watch those who are choking on diamonds.
My designing's like Francis Ford Coppola rhyming
My aesthetic is similar to that of Francis Ford Coppola's storytelling.
Building a universe inside solitary confinement
I am creating an entire universe despite being confined alone.
I'd reverse Rockefeller laws and bring Mumia home
I will work to reverse the Rockefeller laws and bring Mumia Abu-Jamal home.
And serve the President free styling off a the dome
I will serve as the President and free-style rap directly from my own mind.
A message to the outgoing president
This is a message for the current president.
Hey I got a great idea nigga
I have a great idea, sir.
Kill yourself
You should end your own life.
Ah why don't you kill yourself?
Why don't you take your own life?
Ha ha ha ha ha, kill yourself
I find humor in the prospect of you killing yourself.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANDREW PAUL HALE, ANTHONY S CRUZ, CALVIN JONES, JEAN LOUIS PINOT-PUDOUR, SADE ADU, STUART COLIN MATTHEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind