There is at least seven artists named Natas:

1. Detroit Acid Rap Tr… Read Full Bio ↴There is at least seven artists named Natas:

1. Detroit Acid Rap Trio Natas;
2. Argentinian stoner rock group Natas, that after the release of their first album Delmar changed its name to Los Natas;
3. Lithuanian singer Natas;
4. Hardcore/Gabber producer Robert Gilmore (aka Rob Gee). Alias for one release (12" vinyl, "The Master Plan", 1993) on Bastard Loud Records, New York City;
5. Chicagoan death/thrash metal turned crossover trio, also known as Not Us;
6. German one-man black metal performer, later known as Kriegskarthaun;
7. Black Metal from west coast of Norway, Sunnfjord Natas, descending from the band Mara.

Detroit Acid Rap Trio Natas: Esham, TNT and Mastamind defined a dark style of hardcore rap characterized by decadent motifs and heavy metal-like aggression.

Taking considerable influence from Niggaz4life-era NWA, the Detroit, MI, trio came hard on their 1992 debut album, Life After Death, to the point where their anger-exuding music alienated all but a small cult audience fascinated with their anarchic disposition and their self-termed style of "Acid Rap." On this album they rapped about the most disturbing and shocking themes imaginable, capturing the darkest corners of their burnt-out city's most horrible ghettos with their lyrics in an attempt to be as hardcore as possible. To further the impact of these lyrics, Esham self-produced the album, laying down gritty beats and making effective use of rock samples to give the album a harsher tone.

Successive albums found the trio improving their rapping and their production, as they slowly matured, moving progressively away from mere exploitation. By the end of the '90s, their music had considerably evolved in terms of not only lyrical content and delivery but also in terms of production, resulting in an innovative realization of their original intent that finally blossomed on WWW.Com (Wicket World Wide).

Before forming NATAS, group leader Esham had already established himself as a solo artist, debuting at the end of the '80s with Boomin' Words From Hell, followed by a few EPs. At this time, Esham was a student at Osborne High School in Detroit, where he eventually crossed paths with Mastamind in the tenth grade. After listening to a three-song demo tape given to him by Mastamind, Esham decided to form a group with the promising rapper and TNT, a longtime friend. The three got together and decided to call themselves NATAS as a symbol of their anarchic, evil disposition at the time, being mere teenagers. In 1992, Esham released NATAS' debut album, Life After Death, on his REEL Life Productions label. Two years later he released a similar follow-up album, Blaz4me, an album nearly as twisted and disturbing as its predecessor. Then came the dark Doubelievengod album in 1995, which found the trio moving forward artistically as well as ideologically. When NATAS released Multikillionaire: The Devil's Contract in 1997, it became clear that the group had reached a turning point. Along with Esham's accompanying Bruce Wayne: Gotham City 1987 album from the same year, Multikillionaire broadened Natas' scope, aiming for conceptualism while abandoning the exploitative elements of previous works. NATAS resurfaced in 1999 with WWW.Com (Wicket World Wide), claiming that their name was an acronym for "Nation Ahead of Time And Space" rather than Satan spelled backwards in hopes of changing their image. The album improved upon Mulitkillionaire's flaws and represented a more mature representation of the group's ambitions. Featuring live instruments where Esham used to place samples, the album's production was considerably innovative for its time, marrying a rock attitude with a rap aesthetic and garnering considerable acclaim from the underground. Following this release, both Esham and Mastamind took time off to work on solo albums in the wake of the album's success and the Detroit rap scene's sudden evolution to a substantial hotspot for up-and-coming talent.

midnight
Natas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Esham)
12 in the mornin, woke up with the shakes
Serial killa, Mr. Frosted Flakes
My hands were all bloody and I don't know why
I'm thinkin bout my bitch and why she had to die
Some niggaz out to get me said she settin me up
They pulled out they pistols started wettin me up
I seen my life pass before my eyes in a flash

I drew down my weapon and I started to blast
My bitch caught a slug in the back of the neck
I emptied out the tech and niggaz hit the deck
I ran for the beamer it was sittin in front
I left my bitch's body smokin like a philly blunt
And it was

(CHORUS)
In the midnight hour
In the midnight hour, it all happened
In the midnight hour
In the midnight hour, they started cappin

I'm bleedin like a motherfucker grabbin my chest
My heartbeat racin like a EMS
I called my partner up on the portable phone
I blew my bitch brains out with the chrome
My nigga said he'd meet me at the Omni hotel
Court date was today and he just jumped bail
Police out to get him, he was under arrest
Bitch warrant for my nigga with the mental stress
Met my nigga at the spot and he had nothin to say
Metro airport to East L.A.
When we got the city it was drama again
Seen a nigga that we jacked in 89 for 10
And it was

(CHORUS)

The nigga started trippin he was wavin his gun
Pissed off since 89 cause we murdered his son
Straight bullets started flyin every way but in mine
Still bleedin like a pig and I'm pressed for time
I looked up and my nigga caught a slug in his face
Now I'm madder than a motherfucker tryin to embrace
My homie body turned cold, I felt him slippin away
He was just here alive now he dead today
And the nigga who had shot him, he was shot on the floor
So I went to his body and I shot him some more
He looked me dead in the face and said you're going to hell
I spit blood in his face as I started to yell

(CHORUS)(2x)

They started cappin
In the midnight, in the midnight hour

Overall Meaning

This song is a gritty and violent story about a man caught up in a dangerous situation. The lyrics describe a nightmarish scenario in which the singer wakes up in the middle of the night trembling and covered in blood. He believes his girlfriend has been murdered by some people who are out to get him. In a panic, he opens fire on his assailants and flees, leaving his girlfriend's body behind. He then calls his partner and they flee the city together, encountering more violence along the way. Eventually, the singer is the only one left alive but badly wounded and hallucinating that the very people he's been fighting are actually demons come to drag him to hell.

The lyrics are full of vivid imagery and intense emotions, conveying a sense of fear, desperation, and nihilism. The violence and profanity add to the song's overall atmosphere of danger and despair. However, it's worth noting that the song is also a critique of a society that breeds violence, corruption, and mistrust, especially among young Black men who are forced to navigate a hostile and oppressive world.

Line by Line Meaning

12 in the mornin, woke up with the shakes
I woke up at midnight with fear and trembling

Serial killa, Mr. Frosted Flakes
I am a dangerous killer, like a fictional character from a popular cereal brand

My hands were all bloody and I don't know why
I had blood on my hands, and I didn't know how it got there

I'm thinkin bout my bitch and why she had to die
I am thinking about my girlfriend who was killed and wondering why it had to happen

Some niggaz out to get me said she settin me up
Some people are trying to harm me and told me my girlfriend was plotting against me

They pulled out they pistols started wettin me up
They took out their guns and began shooting at me

I seen my life pass before my eyes in a flash
I had a near-death experience where I thought about my entire life in a short moment

I drew down my weapon and I started to blast
I took out my gun and started firing back to defend myself

My bitch caught a slug in the back of the neck
My girlfriend was shot in the neck

I emptied out the tech and niggaz hit the deck
I fired my gun until it was empty, and the attackers fell to the ground

I ran for the beamer it was sittin in front
I escaped in my car which was parked in front

I left my bitch's body smokin like a philly blunt
I left my girlfriend's body behind, and it was still smoking from the gunshots

In the midnight hour
All of this happened at midnight

In the midnight hour, it all happened
Everything that happened occurred during midnight

In the midnight hour
All these events took place at midnight

In the midnight hour, they started cappin
At midnight, the attackers began shooting at me

I'm bleedin like a motherfucker grabbin my chest
I am bleeding heavily and holding my chest in pain

My heartbeat racin like a EMS
My heart is beating fast like an emergency medical service

I called my partner up on the portable phone
I called my friend on a small, mobile phone

I blew my bitch brains out with the chrome
I shot my girlfriend in the head with a gun

My nigga said he'd meet me at the Omni hotel
My friend promised to meet me at the Omni hotel

Court date was today and he just jumped bail
My friend skipped his court date and did not appear in front of the judge

Police out to get him, he was under arrest
Police were looking for my friend to arrest him

Bitch warrant for my nigga with the mental stress
There was a warrant for my friend's arrest due to his mental instability

Met my nigga at the spot and he had nothin to say
I met my friend but he didn't have any explanation for his actions

Metro airport to East L.A.
We headed to East Los Angeles from the airport

When we got the city it was drama again
As soon as we arrived in the city, there was trouble again

Seen a nigga that we jacked in 89 for 10
We saw a person we robbed in 1989 for $10

And it was
This is what happened next

The nigga started trippin he was wavin his gun
The person we robbed became agitated and waved his gun

Pissed off since 89 cause we murdered his son
The person was angry because we killed his son in 1989

Straight bullets started flyin every way but in mine
Bullets were flying everywhere but not aimed at me

Still bleedin like a pig and I'm pressed for time
I am still bleeding heavily and in a hurry

I looked up and my nigga caught a slug in his face
I saw my friend get shot in the face

Now I'm madder than a motherfucker tryin to embrace
My anger increases as I try to come to terms with my friend's death

My homie body turned cold, I felt him slippin away
My friend's body started getting cold, and I felt him slowly dying

He was just here alive now he dead today
My friend was alive moments ago, but now he is dead

And the nigga who had shot him, he was shot on the floor
The person who shot my friend was also shot and lying on the ground

So I went to his body and I shot him some more
I approached the shooter and shot him repeatedly

He looked me dead in the face and said you're going to hell
The shooter, before dying, looked at me and said I will go to hell

I spit blood in his face as I started to yell
In anger, I spat blood on the shooter's face and started to yell

They started cappin
The attackers started shooting

In the midnight, in the midnight hour
All of this happened at midnight

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Michael Balzary, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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