When it comes to beats and rhymes, Canadian producer Marco Polo and Brooklyn MC Torae don’t play, just check the résumé. On his 2007 critically acclaimed album Port Authority, Polo recruited a who’s who of MC’s like Kool G Rap and Kardinal Offishall to ride over his hard-hitting, boom-bap instrumentals. Torae, on the other hand, has certified his rep as one of the game’s illest lyricists in a similar fashion with remarkable wordplay on his highly touted 2008 street album Daily Conversation. So, in the spirit of great hip-hop duos, the producer and the MC signed with Duck Down Records (home of Buckshot, 9th Wonder, Black Moon, B-Real of Cypress Hill, KRS-ONE, Sean Price, Heltah Skeltah, DJ Revolution, Smif N Wessun, Ruste Juxx, Boot Camp Clik and Kidz in the Hall) in 2009 to release their collaborative album Double Barrel.
“He’s bringing the hardest production that he can bring, I’m bringing the hardest rhymes I can bring; together its like a double barrel blast,” says Torae of the album’s persistent theme. The two first hooked up when Marco tapped the MC to guest on his Mick Boogie-helmed mixtape The New Port Authority in 2007. In turn, Marco went on to produce “Casualty” on Tor’s Daily Conversation. “I think we just had a connection in the studio,” says Polo, “We wanted to make an album that we wanted to hear with banging beats and aggressive rhymes.”
Sonically Double Barell pays homage to New York’s mid-‘90’s rap scene, when artists like Gangstarr and Wu-Tang Clan reigned supreme. The album’s first single “Party Crashers” is a definite standout, harkening back to that era with its chest thumping percussion and rock solid rhymes. So rather then try to fit in with hip-hop’s pop set, Marco and Torae chose the unconventional route. “I think the sound of the album is not the most popular or trendy, but we’re going to crash the party,” says Tor, “ We’re coming in with this sound and we’re coming in doing what we want to do.”
Songs like the dramatic “But Wait” and the free associative “Word Play” display Tor’s forward thinking conceptuality, while the rock-infused “Danger” stands as one of Marco’s finest productions to date. Overall the album is chock-full of the street-influenced rap that fans have come to expect from the two hip-hop upstarts.
More than superior rhymes and dynamic beats, Double Barrel is a testament to the ever-important creative relationship between rapper and beat maker. “You want to have a good sense of chemistry with a person and Marco and I have good chemistry,” says Torae. “You’re going to have a consistency in the sound,” says Marco of the benefits of the one MC, one producer dynamic.
Throughout the album pays homage to the genre of rap that influenced the duo and even features critically acclaimed heavyweights like M.O.P., Masta Ace and Sean Price to help balance out the track list. Still while honoring the past, Marco and Torae’s main goal is ultimately to further their art. “We’re not trying to take it back,” says Marco we just wanted to make an album that knocks.”
With the boom bap in tow, the pair aim to prove that behind all the flashy videos and high priced toys, hip-hop always boils down to two things: beats and rhymes. Double Barrel more than accomplishes the goal, and Torae sums up the collaboration perfectly when he spits, “He makes violent beats, I’m from the violent streets/That Double Barrel sound, that’s where violence meets.”
Rah Rah Shit
Marco Polo & Torae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aha
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
Yo, aiyo
The flow is so butter, the beat is so gutter
This type shit'll have you clap you a nucca
Bucka, what you really thought this gon be?
With this shit Marco bang from his MP?
Coupled with all of the bullshit that's in these streets
This is N.W.A slash BDP
Slash Onyx slash Hit Squad and Kool G
Slash Bomb Squad, nigga, we PE
It'll take a nation of millions to hold me back
The poor schools, AIDS, guns and crack - prrah
Same difference, flame spittin, a bunch of gays sittin
In corporate offices talkin 'bout what the game missin
You and your carpet collaborator made it a caucus
And all your fine designs, food, frontin as bosses
Fuck it, I don't give a damn how much you spin like a ceiling fan
I was raised how I just could kill a man
Really man, I'm a Dame Grease and Dilla fan
Shout to Mally G, Da Youngsta's in Philly, man
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
So any time I say rah rah shit while I'm out on the tour
Let me hear the crowd roar
And if the drums bang hard like it's cops at the door
Let me hear it once more
Shit spitteral, more General than ( ? )
I'm precisely pinnin the problem, clear and plain
On my fresh to def shit like I'm Dana Dane
I'm the future, present, the past from where we came
Brooklyn, nigga, wear your chain, we dare you, mane
Shit'll disappear like it's David Blane
Lotta bullshit be makin it, y'all just be takin it
Nigga, do yo dance, lean with it, shake with it
Once it get back to the spot that created it
I'mma make the fuckin earth quake with it
Sacred is the cash, muthafuckas sell they ass
In some skin-tight jeans, lookin queer as fags
Even got the gays biz, nigga that's just sad
Yeah, I say what you feel but scared
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
Counter attack, counterproductive, counter-react
Put your money on the counter, get the quality back
Niggas spittin lightweight, get your calories back
If you markin the price up, get your salaries capped
It's flattery that, you like it when I batter that track
And try to clone my whole zone when you craftin your rap
But just face it, brutally, at best your bars basic
The time it take to create is timely time wasted
Be cautions when you coppin what me and Marco creatin
A simple song savor to have you down at the station
See, he make violent beats, I'm from the violent streets
The Double Barrel sound, that's when violence meets
(All-out wild shit, that rah rah shit
That jump-up-and-ready-to-fuck-shit-up-now shit)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers)
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
The lyrics to "Rah Rah Sh*t" by Marco Polo and Torae are a mix of bravado and frustration with the rap industry. The chorus features the repeated refrain of "I'm on that rah rah sh*t" which seems to signify a desire for violence and aggression towards those who are not up to their standards as rappers. The verses dive into the state of the music industry and the artists within it, with lines like "Even got the gays biz, nigga that's just sad", calling out the commodification of marginalized groups by people in power within the industry.
The name-dropping of influential hip-hop and rap groups throughout the verses- everything from N.W.A to Das EFX- is a nod to the roots of the genre and serves to further emphasize the disappointment with where the industry has gone. The chorus then returns with even more intensity as they want to "break fool" and cause chaos. The song's overall message seems to be a call to action to stand up to the mediocrity and commodification of rap music, and to return to the raw, passionate roots of the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on that rah rah shit, that rah rah shit
I've had it up to here with y'all weak-ass rappers
(Contracts and all that, guns, guns)
I'm tired of hearing about your weak contracts and fake guns
(Like a gat, I wanna break fool, cock me back)
I'm ready to go hard and let it all out
The flow is so butter, the beat is so gutter
This song is smooth but the lyrics are raw
This type shit'll have you clap you a nucca
This song will have you hyped and ready to fight someone
Bucka, what you really thought this gon be?
What did you really think this song was going to be?
With this shit Marco bang from his MP?
This song is going to bang on your speakers
Coupled with all of the bullshit that's in these streets
This song is addressing the issues that exist in our society
It'll take a nation of millions to hold me back
It will take a lot to stop me from speaking my truth
The poor schools, AIDS, guns and crack - prrah
All the issues facing disadvantaged communities- boom
Same difference, flame spittin, a bunch of gays sittin
Everyone is talking about the same thing, and it's not moving us forward
In corporate offices talkin 'bout what the game missin
People in suits are talking about what the hip hop industry needs, but they don't really get it
Fuck it, I don't give a damn how much you spin like a ceiling fan
I don't care how impressive your marketing is, it doesn't make your music any better
Really man, I'm a Dame Grease and Dilla fan
I appreciate the greats in the game
Shit'll disappear like it's David Blane
I can make things disappear like a magic trick
Sacred is the cash, muthafuckas sell they ass
People are willing to do anything for money, even degrade themselves
Be cautions when you coppin what me and Marco creatin
Be careful when you try to imitate our style
The Double Barrel sound, that's when violence meets
Our sound is like a double barrel shotgun, it's explosive and dangerous
(All-out wild shit, that rah rah shit
This is intense, aggressive music
That jump-up-and-ready-to-fuck-shit-up-now shit)
It will make you get up and ready to cause chaos
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shurlokke
I read the "Critical Beatdown" in an old XXL mag and checked it out...these boys comin down...im from the South and I fuck with real hip-hop...
@slashzOrrr
yea sorry about that...to my suprise youtube changed the quality options for the video after some time since i uploaded it. at first, the video actually was in HQ :)
@socproductionsofficialtv1
re uploid it then
@UKGraffitiWriter
HQ??? it's 240p