1) Masada is an experiment… Read Full Bio ↴There are two active groups named Masada:
1) Masada is an experimental klezmer jazz collective and compositional project led by John Zorn.
It began as a "songbook" of more than 200 short compositions for small mixed ensemble, written in according to a number of rules, such as the maximum number of staves and the modes or scales used. Zorn formed the initial Masada group in order to record and perform this set of tunes. This band consisted of John Zorn - alto saxophone, Dave Douglas - trumpet, Greg Cohen - bass, and Joey Baron - drums. This iteration of Masada released the first Masada songbook on 10 discs with the Japanese DIW label, as well as live recordings on Zorn's Tzadik label.
In 2003, Zorn composed a second Masada songbook, "The Book of Angels", and vastly expanded the scope of the project by inviting dozens of artists (from multi-Grammy winners to newly-curated ensembles) to record albums for Tzadik based on Zorn's songs. In 2014, Zorn began a third and final Masada songbook, "The Book Beri'ah", which was released as an 11 disc box set in 2018. With this book, the compositional aspect of the project was completed, bringing the total number of Masada songs to 613, the number of commandments traditionally understood by Jews to be in the Torah.
As a result of the size of the project, multiple offshoot bands and ensembles have developed out of it, such as Electric Masada, Masada String Trio, Bar Kokbha, Bar Kokhba Sextet, Mycale, and Zion80.
2) Masada is a 4-piece screamo/hardcore Band from Erlangen, Germany. They released a demo in 2014 and their first album in 2016. In 2021, they unexpectedly released their sophomore album, "II".
The following short-lived acts formerly using the name are currently inactive or disbanded:
a) A hardcore band from Hamilton, New Zealand, who released two EPs via MySpace in the late 2000s.
b) A Swedish psychedelic trance and goa duo formed in 1999, consisting of producers Mathias Westin and Torsten Edwinson, who saw brief success on the MP3.com Trance chart in the early 2000s.
c) A death metal band from Philadelphia, PA, who released a two-track demo on Bandcamp in 2011.
Karaim
Masada Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had to stay minal, when DEA stopped my gray rental
Incidental, my girl home watchin Jay Leno
Prophecize, I pulled the wise
Shallow demeanor, karma was the main schemer
What could be greener, when all I thought about was Beemers
Then came the questioning
Arrestin me was steppin rare
Askin permission so he could say he kept it fair
Fake mustaches and hundred yard dashes
Through lake molasses because my government's so facist
Don't choose to ass-kiss dolo spots
I did the massacus on all areas, harassless
Don't wanna do enough confront a cew
That night I got two, went to sleep, woke up wit guns drew
No time for cryin cowards
Too late for fire power
Karma convinced me to leave him at his dying hour
[Chorus] 2x
Now leading back to that night
Reality strikes
Them unknown faces are the casualty types
[Donte]
When you watch yo' nigga rise and disguise
You despise cuz I built an enterprise
While you still livin lies
And I'm all you wanna be, but that's all you gonna be
Get your long path and yo' ass from in front of me
Niggas thought you had my back and you was stealin out my pack
When other niggas try to tell me "I wasn't even feelin that"
That's my ace, that nigga got keys to my place
And he know about the cash, stashed G's in the safe
Wait, no time to waste when best friends player-hate
Relocate, can't sleep, now I gotta stay awake
And take a still break, cuz I be dealin wit this ill fate
When niggas be fake, infiltrate and try to and steal weight
"The way I vex, will cause an insane karma" [Del] 2x
[Main Flo]
All up on the humble
Fuckin wit fake niggas that know I bubble
Precise juggle, cuz life is my type of struggle
Seven-fifty IL's, and tales of fly females
Who caught in these sales wit live details
Shades by Cartier, and big links that hardly play
It could be Auste, let's do this in a large way
I wanna see the Amazon basing
To set out to gather my thoughts into a calm basement
[Donte]
Man ain't nuttin change, niggas don't know what they facin
Already steady pacin, they seeds to be replacements
We ain't the felon type
Or into sellin white
Cuz everything money bring, children of the malonites
I'm Bob's song, provin Ja live, not gone
To pay a devil on a loan, got to rob yo' own
No love wit no peace, gave life to the beast
As the defecit increase, Exodus outta Greece
This note is legal tender, depths connect, render
Evil spender, people mentors resurrect to evil vendor now
Chorus 2x
"The way I vex will cause an insane karma" 4x
In the song "Karaim", Masada explores the themes of betrayal, karma, and living a life of crime. The lyrics in the song detail two characters, Main Flo and Donte, who are involved in a life of crime and are trying to navigate the consequences of their actions. They are both experiencing the effects of fake friends and betrayals, and the consequences of their choices. Main Flo raps about committing crimes and his mindset during those actions, he talks about his girl watching television while he is out committing crimes. He also talks about police surveillance and being stopped by the DEA. Donte raps about the jealousy and deceit of fake friends, and how these fake friends steal from him.
The chorus of the song points towards the harsh reality of their lives as criminals, with the unknown faces being the casualty types. Masada describes how the choices they have made and the people they have surrounded themselves with will ultimately lead to their downfall, causing an “insane karma”. The song is a commentary on the crime and violence in society, and the concepts of power, jealousy, and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
I had to stay minal, when DEA stopped my gray rental
I had to remain calm when the DEA stopped the rental car I was in
Incidental, my girl home watchin Jay Leno
As an aside, my girlfriend is at home watching Jay Leno
Prophecize, I pulled the wise
Using foresight, I approached the wise people for advice
Wit frame eyes for disguise, talkin like them white guys
I disguised myself by speaking like a white person, with my framed glasses as part of the disguise
Shallow demeanor, karma was the main schemer
My superficial behavior resulted in karma being the primary orchestrator of events
What could be greener, when all I thought about was Beemers
What could be more focused on material possessions, when all I thought about was BMW cars?
Then came the questioning
I was interrogated/questioned by authorities
Arrestin me was steppin rare
My arrest was a rare occurrence
Askin permission so he could say he kept it fair
The authorities asked for permission to make it seem like they were treating me fairly
Fake mustaches and hundred yard dashes
The authorities wore fake mustaches and ran long distances to try and catch me
Through lake molasses because my government's so facist
I had to run through thick, slow liquid (molasses) because my government was excessively authoritarian
Don't choose to ass-kiss dolo spots
I didn't choose to flatter/curry favor with isolated areas
I did the massacus on all areas, harassless
I carried out attacks on all areas without harassment
Don't wanna do enough confront a cew
I didn't want to confront a group of people
That night I got two, went to sleep, woke up wit guns drew
I got two guns that night, went to sleep, and woke up with them drawn
No time for cryin cowards
There was no time to waste crying or being cowardly
Too late for fire power
It was too late to use firearms
Karma convinced me to leave him at his dying hour
Karma made me decide to abandon someone in their final moments
When you watch yo' nigga rise and disguise
When you see your friend succeed while pretending to be someone they're not
You despise cuz I built an enterprise
You hate it because I built a successful business or organization
While you still livin lies
While you're still living dishonestly
And I'm all you wanna be, but that's all you gonna be
I am all that you aspire to be, but you will never achieve that status
Get your long path and yo' ass from in front of me
Get out of my way and go down your own path
Niggas thought you had my back and you was stealin out my pack
People thought you were loyal to me but you were actually stealing from me
When other niggas try to tell me "I wasn't even feelin that"
When other people tried to warn me, "I wasn't even feeling that"
That's my ace, that nigga got keys to my place
That guy was my close friend, he had access to my home
And he know about the cash, stashed G's in the safe
He knew about the money I had hidden in the safe
Wait, no time to waste when best friends player-hate
There's no time to waste when your closest friends are trying to bring you down
Relocate, can't sleep, now I gotta stay awake
I had to move to a new location, couldn't sleep, and had to stay alert
And take a still break, cuz I be dealin wit this ill fate
And take a brief moment of rest, because I'm dealing with a negative/ill fate
When niggas be fake, infiltrate and try to and steal weight
When people are being fake and trying to infiltrate and steal drugs
"The way I vex, will cause an insane karma" [Del] 2x
My actions will lead to severe consequences
All up on the humble
I'm staying humble
Fuckin wit fake niggas that know I bubble
Dealing with fake people who know I'm successful
Precise juggle, cuz life is my type of struggle
I'm carefully balancing things because life is the type of struggle I face
Seven-fifty IL's, and tales of fly females
BMW 750i cars and stories of attractive women
Who caught in these sales wit live details
Women who are involved in illegal activities and can provide specific details about them
Shades by Cartier, and big links that hardly play
Sunglasses made by Cartier and large necklaces that don't move much
It could be Auste, let's do this in a large way
We could go to Austria, let's do it in a grand way
I wanna see the Amazon basing
I want to see the Amazon rainforest
To set out to gather my thoughts into a calm basement
To go there and think clearly in a quiet, secluded area
Man ain't nuttin change, niggas don't know what they facin
Nothing has changed, people don't know what they're up against
Already steady pacin, they seeds to be replacements
They're already pacing nervously, planning to take over our position
We ain't the felon type
We're not the type of people who commit serious crimes
Or into sellin white
We're not involved in selling cocaine
Cuz everything money bring, children of the malonites
Because wealth causes corruption, and we don't want to be part of that
I'm Bob's song, provin Ja live, not gone
I'm like a song by Bob Marley, showing that I'm still alive and not forgotten
To pay a devil on a loan, got to rob yo' own
To repay a dangerous loan, you have to steal from your own people
No love wit no peace
There's no love or peace
Gave life to the beast
This situation has created a monstrous problem
As the defecit increase, Exodus outta Greece
As the economic problems worsen, people are leaving Greece (like the book of Exodus from the Bible)
This note is legal tender, depths connect, render
This piece of paper (money) is legally recognized as currency, and can connect and resolve debts
Evil spender, people mentors resurrect to evil vendor now
Someone who spends their money on evil things becomes a mentor for others to do the same
"The way I vex will cause an insane karma" 4x
My actions will lead to severe consequences
Contributed by Lily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.