Madlib was born in Oxnard, California to musician parents Otis Jackson, Sr. and Dora Sinesca Jackson. He sampled his first song at 11 years old, sourced from his father's collection. His younger brother is the producer and rapper Michael "Oh No" Jackson. His uncle is the jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis. He was raised in Oxnard, where he began his music career.
During an interview on Chrome Children, Madlib stated that his most significant musical influences include Miles Davis, Sun Ra, and David Axelrod. Some of his hip-hop influences are Large Professor, Marley Marl, Paul C, DJ Pooh, and Dr. Dre.
Broken
Madlib Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Curse over blessing, pray it be heaven sent
Forgive me, my dirty deeds was desperate
Fuck the government, I got my own deficit
Death to me the only thing that's definite
Money rule the world, but when you dead that shit's irrelevant
Fingers numb from coka selling, no vote, but out for presidents
Granny found my dope, I told her I would stop for selling it
Empty promises left them all broken
She said Jamel, I can tell your perspective out of focus
You too obsessed with the liquor, bitches and weed smoking
A young nigga that's been thugging since the old days
Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Pray my demons never catch up from my old ways
Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
Uh yeah
Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Surviving off cold cuts and cold Spam
Can't see eye to eye with my old man
Hiding my insecurities with this gang flag
We both despise the police, but he wore the same badge
And as I child I admired that, now I wonder how
He was a pig, but you was barely making 20 thou
I guess that's why you put me on that lick for 20 pounds
A life of crime is all we ever shared from then to now
And I'm a crook and you crooked, that's all we got in common
He chunked the deuce to my mama, so much for family bonding
But how could something so destined to be just get demolished?
Running through groupies and whoppers, I guess I got it honest
And honestly I know I'm out here fucking up
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
And seven bucks an hour wasn't good enough
Cause seven days a week I'm living in a rush
Seven days a week I'm living in a rush
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
And the money was the root to what the evil is
It's mandatory for me to live
I hustle harder than the next dude
Remember, everybody is out to get you
Niggas don't respect to live and let live
So I pack a .40 caliber 'cause that's how shit is
Out here, no fear, fuck feelings
Trigger man rule, that's the art of drug dealing
I'm trying to stack my money to the ceiling
No new friends, don't wanna talk about old business
Sex on the beach, sipping Guinness
With a bitch so thick she can't take no dick
Imagine working grave-yard shifts
Lost friends steady talking that shit
A million a day is for minimum wage
Work a nigga like a slave 'til he put him in his grave
Frail moments, same page
(Seven days a week I'm living in a rush
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts)
The lyrics to Madlib's song "Broken" are a reflection on the singer's life and the struggles he faced growing up. The singer starts by mentioning Allah and expressing his anger towards the government. He then talks about his past actions, admitting that he has made mistakes and that he is not proud of them. The singer also mentions the importance of money, which rules the world when you're alive but becomes irrelevant when you're dead. He talks about his involvement in drug dealing, and how it has affected his relationship with his grandmother.
The second verse shows that the singer had an estranged relationship with his father, who was a police officer. However, they bonded over their involvement in a life of crime. The singer is honest in admitting that he is a crook, just like his father. He also talks about his own insecurities and his willingness to do anything to make money. The singer is aware that he is in a dangerous profession and has to protect himself, which he does by carrying a gun.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about his daily struggles and how he is always in a rush to make money. He believes that everyone is out to get him and that he has to hustle harder than the next person to survive. The song ends with the singer talking about the harsh reality of drug dealing, the loss of friends, and how he feels like he's living his life in a frail state. The song's lyrics are straightforward and honest, and it gives the listener a glimpse into the life of someone caught up in the world of drugs and crime.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, Allah the merciful, the beneficent
Acknowledging the mercy and goodness of God
Curse over blessing, pray it be heaven sent
Preferring curses over blessings and hoping for divine intervention
Forgive me, my dirty deeds was desperate
Asking for forgiveness for past desperate actions
Fuck the government, I got my own deficit
Disregarding the government and acknowledging personal financial struggles
Death to me the only thing that's definite
Recognizing that death is the only certainty in life
Money rule the world, but when you dead that shit's irrelevant
Acknowledging the importance of money in the world, but ultimately recognizing its irrelevance after death
Fingers numb from coka selling, no vote, but out for presidents
Numbing of the fingers from drug dealing, not participating in voting but still seeking power like presidents
Granny found my dope, I told her I would stop for selling it
Grandmother finds drugs and the artist makes an empty promise to stop selling them
Nigga please, she knew I was lying before I even spoke it
Grandmother saw through the artist's lies before he even spoke them
Empty promises left them all broken
The artist's broken promises have disappointed those affected by them
She said Jamel, I can tell your perspective out of focus
Grandmother comments on the singer's distorted perspective
You too obsessed with the liquor, bitches and weed smoking
Grandmother points out the artist's unhealthy obsessions
A young nigga that's been thugging since the old days
The singer has been involved in criminal activity since a young age
Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Despite being young, the singer feels like they have seen everything
Pray my demons never catch up from my old ways
The singer hopes their past doesn't come back to haunt them
Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
Carrying a weapon because the artist was going through a rough period
Surviving off cold cuts and cold Spam
The artist is surviving off of cheap and low-quality food
Can't see eye to eye with my old man
The singer doesn't have a good relationship with their father
Hiding my insecurities with this gang flag
The singer uses a gang flag to hide their insecurities
We both despise the police, but he wore the same badge
The artist and their father both hate the police, but the father used to be a police officer
And as I child I admired that, now I wonder how
The artist used to look up to their father's job, but now questions his occupation
He was a pig, but you was barely making 20 thou
The father was a corrupt police officer who didn't make much money
I guess that's why you put me on that lick for 20 pounds
The father taught the singer how to steal
A life of crime is all we ever shared from then to now
The artist and their father only have a shared history of criminal activity
And I'm a crook and you crooked, that's all we got in common
The singer and their father only share their criminal tendencies
He chunked the deuce to my mama, so much for family bonding
The father split up with the singer's mother, showing a lack of familial attachment
But how could something so destined to be just get demolished?
The singer reflects on how something that seemed destined to work out ended up failing
Running through groupies and whoppers, I guess I got it honest
The artist is following in their father's promiscuous footsteps
And honestly I know I'm out here fucking up
The artist is aware of their mistakes and wrongful behavior
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
The singer hides drugs in their pants
And seven bucks an hour wasn't good enough
The singer didn't feel satisfied with their previous job's wage
Cause seven days a week I'm living in a rush
The artist is constantly on the go and feeling rushed
It's mandatory for me to live
The artist feels like hustling is necessary for survival
I hustle harder than the next dude
The artist hustles more aggressively than others
Remember, everybody is out to get you
The singer feels like everyone is their enemy
Niggas don't respect to live and let live
The artist feels like people don't have mutual respect and understanding
So I pack a .40 caliber 'cause that's how shit is
The singer carries a gun for self-defense
Out here, no fear, fuck feelings
The singer is fearless and doesn't care about emotions
Trigger man rule, that's the art of drug dealing
The singer follows the rule of violent aggression in the drug trade
I'm trying to stack my money to the ceiling
The artist is working to accumulate a lot of money
No new friends, don't wanna talk about old business
The artist doesn't want new friends and doesn't want to discuss past experiences
Sex on the beach, sipping Guinness
The singer enjoys sexual experiences on the beach while drinking Guinness beer
With a bitch so thick she can't take no dick
The singer is with a woman who is unable to handle sexual penetration
Imagine working grave-yard shifts
The artist imagines how difficult it would be to work overnight shifts
Lost friends steady talking that shit
The artist has lost friends who constantly gossip about them
A million a day is for minimum wage
A million dollars a day is what the artist considers the minimum wage for themselves
Work a nigga like a slave 'til he put him in his grave
The singer is willing to work others to death for their own benefit
Frail moments, same page
The artist experiences moments of weakness but is still on the same path
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Otis Jackson, Fredrick Tipton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Imad Alam
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Broken
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib
Fred speaks on being broke and coming from a broken home. Here, legendary rapper (and someone his… read more »
BROKEN LYRICS
[Produced by Madlib]
[Intro: Freddie Gibbs]
Yeah, dig deep
Yeah, uh
Keep it 100, been there, done it
All we do is dig deep, uh
A-100, been there, done it
Uh, uh, uh, yeah
[Verse 1: Freddie Gibbs]
Yeah, Allah the merciful, the beneficent
Curse over blessing, pray it be heaven sent
Forgive me, my dirty deeds was desperate
Fuck the government, I got my own deficit
Death to me the only thing that's definite
Money rule the world but when you dead, that shit's irrelevant
Fingers numb from coka selling, no vote, but out for presidents
Granny found my dope, I told her I would stop for selling it
Nigga please -- she knew I was lying before I even spoke it
Uh, empty promises left them all broken
She said ''Jamel, I can tell your perspective out of focus
You too obsessed with the liquor, bitches and weed smoking''
A young nigga that's been thugging since the old days
Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Pray my demons never catch up from my old ways
Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
[Interlude: Freddie Gibbs]
Uh, yeah
Keep the heat cause I was going through a cold phase
Uh, yeah
Promise I've done seen everything but old age
Uh, been there and done it, man
100, man, uh, uh, uh, yeah
[Verse 2: Freddie Gibbs]
Surviving off cold cuts and cold Spam
Can't see eye to eye with my old man
Hiding my insecurities with this gang flag
We both despise the police but he wore the same badge
And as I child I admired that now I wonder how
He was a pig, but you was barely making 20 thou
I guess that's why you put me on that lick for 20 pounds
A life of crime is all we ever shared from then to now
And I'm a crook and you crooked, that's all we got in common
He chucked the deuce to my mama, so much for family bonding
But how could something so destined to be just get demolished?
Running through groupies and boppers, I guess I got it honest
And honestly I know I'm out here fucking up
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
And seven bucks an hour wasn't good enough
Cause seven days a week I'm living in a rush
[Interlude: Freddie Gibbs & Scarface]
Seven days a week, I'm living in a rush, uh
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
Yeah, know what I'm sayin'? Hahahah
A-100, man (A-100)
I been there, done it, man
Facemob and Gibbs
[Verse 3: Scarface]
If money was the root to what the evil is
Is it mandatory for me to live?
I hustle harder than the next dude
Remember, everybody is out to get you
Niggas don't respect to live and let live
So I pack a .40 caliber cause that's how shit is
Out here, no fear, fuck feelings
Trigger man rule, that's the art of drug dealing
I'm trying to stack my money to the ceiling
No new friends, don't wanna talk about old business
Sex on the beach, sipping Guinness
With a bitch so thick she can't take no dick, ahh
Imagine working grave-yard shifts
Bossman steady talking that shit
A million a day is for minimum wage
Work a nigga like a slave 'til he put him in his grave
Fred, I’m on the same page
[Outro: Freddie Gibbs]
Seven days a week, I'm living in a rush, uh
Seven grams of rock, I stuff 'em in my nuts
Yeah, know what I'm sayin'? Hahahah
A-100, man (A-100)
I been there, done it, man, you know what I'm sayin'?
Uh, yeah
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“BROKEN” TRACK INFO
FeaturingScarface
Produced ByMadlib
Written ByMadlib, Scarface & Freddie Gibbs
Release DateMarch 18, 2014
EXPAND TRACK INFO
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Lakers
FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB
Piñata (2014)FREDDIE GIBBS & MADLIB
1. Supplier
2. Scarface
3. Deeper
4. High
5. Harold's
6. Bomb
7. Shitsville
8. Thuggin
9. Real
10. Uno
11. Robes
12. Broken
13. Lakers
14. Knicks
15. Shame
16. Watts
17. Piñata
18. Deep
19. Cold on the Blvd
20. Terrorist
21. The Morning After
Piñata [Credits]
Piñata [Album Art + Tracklist]
COMMENTS
Trevor Smith
Wonderful. This beat just washes over you.
T Localman
Been listening to this instrumental for over 2 years now and I still love it!
Mr. TAMW
First time listening to it
Hhiv Bkgfj
One of the greatest beats of all time. I can listen to it for hours and can not get enough of it.
UNKNWN
Madlib is a genius
rorz999
💯
JMJ -K
a very soothing beat filled with melancholy. This entire album is amazing.
Eren
how can a beat be this perfect
Pepe Borja
This beat reminds me of Redbone
NoSoyOmega
those classics from the 70's have that kind of vibe