KMD released their first album Mr.Hood on Elektra in 1991. A nearly impossible-to-find release (although since has been re-issued in Oct. 2006), Mr. Hood preached power and positivity, with obscure samples from Sesame Street found throughout the album, and saw future Metal-Faced-Villain Zev Love X in a uniquely different light. Two years later Subroc would be killed in a car accident forcing the promising MC, Zev Love X into the underground where he would later emerge as the tortured soul MF DOOM. With Onyx having left the group, controversial artwork by Zev, and Subroc's unfortunate death, the release of their second lp "Bl_ck B_st_rds" seemed improbable and was shelved by Elektra fearing negative media coverage due to the recent 'Cop Killer' song by Ice-T's group Body Count. The cover art for the album had sparked worries in Elektra's board room. After years of bootlegs, "Bl_ck B_st_rds" finally saw the light of day in 2001 on the Subverse record label.
Bananapeel Blues
KMD Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm
Yeah this here's blues joint
A lot of brothers don't like this joint
Cause it might not be funk or funky (teach anyway, teach)
It's more tribal
And speaking to my only two real tribes out there now
Hmm? Aight, so we feel to build open, the bananapeel blues
Check it
The original man is the black man true? (true true true)
Presented to the youth, is more than nuff proof
But when one mixes truth with a goof
Caused this contradiction and confusion so I raise the roof (raise it)
Tongue to truth, it may sound like a good hand to feed from
But follow this lead, we need to find what's true indeed
Some get caught up in the thought of intellect
And say he helped us, when it's his lumpless but that got us in this mess
What a monkey (teach, gwan teach)
I said a lot of brothers might not get this cause it ain't funky
Sure enough we ain't gonna be played by no monkey
See because the monkey fits the shoes
In these bananapeel blues (ain't that somethin, ain't that somethin)
Y'all with me? (yeah yeah)
Twas once said to remember that the soul is see-through
How true we'll soon see as I check to what's written
(check the script and read)
Let's see uhh Genesis chapter two verse seven
"Man became a living soul" so where's my man getting this
Actual force, probably that same old can
Or barrel of monkeys who call me and you a soul man
And call my food a soul food
Yeah I'm sposed to have soul, yet I'm uncivil and cruel
And I come from apes, yet this monkey rapes
And I'm a babboon, then soon to be coon
And when I know this, I'm labelled a lunatic
Racist rebel crazy Muslim
Now face this monkey
Truth is truth is what pays me
And can a Muslim be fooled (not nowadays bro!)
And can a quote unquote monkey be reformed (now cipher!)
Yeah, and while me and you is warmed by the sun
Most of all life or in existence, uhh I take this instance to ask
If the monkey man was so pure why can't he endure (uh-huh)
The sun which is the natural source for all living (uh-huh)
Without giving up his life to cancer
And three-fifths or less is the dancer
Wrong answer
Yeah wrong answer says the Kause
And while his still skin rumples and wrinkles
Zee L exposes a monkey's uncle (what's up with a monkey's uncle)
(speak the truth)
(it's smooth, it's smooth, I like this beat)
(To the Gods out there, peace to the Gods)
"(but tell me) how much more evidence do the citizens need?" [x16]
The song Bananapeel Blues by KMD is a blues joint that speaks to the two real tribes out there. In the beginning, Zev Love X introduces the idea that the original man is the black man who has been presented to the youth, which is more than enough proof. However, when one mixes the truth with a goof, it causes confusion and contradiction, which is why Zev raises the roof. He tries to explain that we should follow the lead and find what's true indeed rather than getting caught up in the thought of intellect. Zev also discusses how some people might not understand the song's symbolism because it's not funky. Still, the message is clear, and they do not want to be played by a monkey because the monkey fits the shoes in these Bananapeel blues.
In the second section of the song, Zev Love X raises the thought that the soul is see-through, and he checks what's written to understand the truth. He refers to Genesis chapter two verse seven, which says that "Man became a living soul." Zev then raises an essential question; if the monkey man was so pure, why can't he endure the sun, which is the natural source for all living? He continues questioning why some people believe that black people come from apes, and the monkey rapes while referring to how they are labeled as lunatics or racists. Finally, Zev asks why the citizens need more evidence to understand that the truth is what pays them and that a quote-unquote monkey cannot be reformed.
Line by Line Meaning
The original man is the black man true? (true true true)
Is it true that the original man is the black man?
Presented to the youth, is more than nuff proof
There is enough evidence presented to the youth to support this claim
But when one mixes truth with a goof
When someone mixes truth with a mistake
Caused this contradiction and confusion so I raise the roof (raise it)
This contradiction and confusion causes frustration, hence I express my frustration
Tongue to truth, it may sound like a good hand to feed from
Speaking the truth may sound like a good idea to follow
But follow this lead, we need to find what's true indeed
However, we need to investigate and find what is truly the truth
Some get caught up in the thought of intellect
Some people get too involved with the idea of intelligence
And say he helped us, when it's his lumpless but that got us in this mess
These people believe that someone helped us, when it was actually their inactivity that caused this mess
What a monkey (teach, gwan teach)
What a foolish person
I said a lot of brothers might not get this cause it ain't funky
I said that many people might not understand this because it's not considered cool or funky
Sure enough we ain't gonna be played by no monkey
We are not going to be fooled by someone who is foolish
See because the monkey fits the shoes
This is because the monkey is a good fit for these circumstances
In these bananapeel blues (ain't that somethin, ain't that somethin)
These are the difficult circumstances that we are currently in
Twas once said to remember that the soul is see-through
It was once said to remember that the soul is transparent
How true we'll soon see as I check to what's written (check the script and read)
Let's see if it's true as we review what's been written
Let's see uhh Genesis chapter two verse seven
Let's look at Genesis chapter two verse seven
"Man became a living soul" so where's my man getting this
Man became a living soul, where is my man getting this?
Actual force, probably that same old can
The true force behind this is likely the same old cause
Or barrel of monkeys who call me and you a soul man
Or it's a bunch of foolish people who believe in the idea of a "soul man"
And call my food a soul food
They also call my food "soul food"
Yeah I'm sposed to have soul, yet I'm uncivil and cruel
I am supposed to have a soul, but I can be uncivil and cruel
And I come from apes, yet this monkey rapes
I am supposed to evolve from apes, yet this foolish person is committing awful acts
And I'm a babboon, then soon to be coon
And they treat me like a baboon and then call me a coon
And when I know this, I'm labelled a lunatic
And when I point this out, they label me as insane
Racist rebel crazy Muslim
They label me as a racist, rebel, crazy Muslim
Now face this monkey
Now confront this foolish person
Truth is truth is what pays me
What pays me is speaking the truth
And can a Muslim be fooled (not nowadays bro!)
A Muslim cannot be fooled (not nowadays, brother!)
And can a quote unquote monkey be reformed (now cipher!)
Can a foolish person be reformed? (now let's discuss this!)
Yeah, and while me and you is warmed by the sun
While you and I enjoy the warmth of the sun
Most of all life or in existence, uhh I take this instance to ask
I'd like to take this opportunity to ask
If the monkey man was so pure why can't he endure (uh-huh)
If this foolish person was so great, why can't they endure (uh-huh)
The sun which is the natural source for all living (uh-huh)
The sun is the natural source for all life
Without giving up his life to cancer
Without getting cancer from the sun's rays
And three-fifths or less is the dancer
And only a small fraction of people are able to truly enjoy life
Wrong answer
That's the wrong answer
Yeah wrong answer says the Kause
That's the wrong answer, says KMD
And while his still skin rumples and wrinkles
While his skin continues to age
Zee L exposes a monkey's uncle (what's up with a monkey's uncle)
Zee L exposes the foolish behavior of this person (what's up with that?)
(speak the truth)
Speak the truth
(it's smooth, it's smooth, I like this beat)
This is a smooth beat, I like it
(To the Gods out there, peace to the Gods)
Greetings to all the Gods out there
"(but tell me) how much more evidence do the citizens need?" [x16]
How much more evidence do the people need? (repeated sixteen times)
Contributed by Leo C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.