1. Priest is … Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four artists with the name Priest:
1. Priest is a Swedish band described as 'a synth band that creates music rooted in the vastness of electronic dreams. The goal of their multifaceted prophecy is to safely guide humanity unto the next evolutionary step – the merging with machines.' Official Facebook Page
2. Synth-pop Priest was formerly known as x Priest x. An 80s style synth-pop collaborative effort between vocalist Madeline Priest and producers Dave Kazyk and Chandler Strang (of Saskatchewan fame – an indie act out of Florida well worth a listen), x PRIEST x takes the lo-fi goodness of Grimes and blends it with the cold synths of Zola Jesus.
3. Priest is a Heavy metal band from Toronto, Ontario Canada, Formed in 2012.
4. Priest aka Priest Da Nomad is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan.
As a New York City underground artist, Priest was born in raised in Detroit and Metropolitan Detroit, and began sharpening his craft at the age of 13. Overtime, and despite the ever-changing current of music, Priest established his creative properties with his storytelling abilities and poetic narratives through observant eyes. At age 24, he moved to New York to "get the hell out of Michigan. It's not that I don't love Detroit, I just love it for what it was, for what it means historically. Detroit got worse and worse, really. It's a empty, hollowed-out version of itself. I was in a position where I couldn't survive or pursue to music, and I had the opportunity so I left."
Drawing a large amount of his inspiration lyrically from Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye, Priest's lyrical content encompasses tones of urban commentary, social dialogue and ironic circumstances of everyday life. In essence, Priest is a realist who documents life in his purest form: uninhibited and unrestrained.
Priest's approach, as he describes it, "depends on the mood of what it is I'm doing. Depending on the emotion of the track, or how I feel about the specific direction, I switch my sh*t up accordingly."
His lyrical style, he expressed is "multi-layered, multi-rhythmic, multi-syllabic. I love words, and when you string them together in a certain way and still hold true to the premise of the track, it sounds amazing. It's not just what you're saying, it's how you say it. Your rhyme pattern is a second instrument. It's a verbal melody. Your sh*t has to be tight and flow right, otherwise it's a ridiculous heap of f*cking noise. Lyrics and flow matter, the ability to rhyme matters. If you refer to yourself as a non-lyrical rapper, then you're not a rapper...
Private Eye
Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then you're in the can
Smiling in the hotseat
For an extra grand
Put on you shades and
Turn baby
Turn around baby
Baby, don't you go crazy
Counting all your choices
Lapping down your mind
Listen to the voices
That you left behind
Rewind the tapes and
Turn, baby
Turn around baby
They're keeping private eye on you
Baby, don't you go crazy
Turn, baby
Turn around baby
They're keeping private eye on you
Baby, don't you go crazy
Find a place to hide
Turn, baby
Turn around baby
They're keeping private eye on you
Baby, don't you go crazy
The song "Private Eye" by the British New Wave and synth-pop band, Priest, is a cautionary tale about being watched and scrutinized. The lyrics tell a story of someone who is being monitored by an unknown organization, that is keeping a close eye on their every move. The person is constantly reminded that all their actions are being recorded and analyzed. The phrase "private eye" has a double meaning; it can refer to a detective or to the monitoring of someone's private life, both of which are themes in the song.
The song starts by describing a quick and fleeting moment, "a fraction of a heartbeat," after which the person is immediately under the gaze of the "private eye." The singer urges the person to maintain their composure and not lose their cool, even when faced with scrutiny. The second verse shifts to the internal struggle of the person, who is weighed down by the weight of their decisions and the fear of being exposed. The lyrics encourage the person to focus on their past, specifically on the people and experiences that have shaped them, and to find strength in their knowledge of self.
Overall, "Private Eye" is a commentary on the loss of privacy in the digital age, and the fear of being watched and judged. The song's lyrics suggest that the best way to push back against surveillance and control is to stay in control of one's actions and to stay grounded in one's past experiences, rather than letting fear and paranoia take hold.
Line by Line Meaning
A fraction of a heartbeat
Things can change in an instant, without warning
Then you're in the can
Suddenly, you find yourself in trouble and unable to escape
Smiling in the hotseat
Acting like everything is fine, even when it's not
For an extra grand
Doing something illegal or unethical for a relatively small amount of money
Put on your shades and turn baby
Trying to hide or escape from the situation
Turn around baby
Look for a different way out
They're keeping private eye on you
Someone is watching and monitoring your every move
Baby, don't you go crazy
Don't lose your mind or make reckless decisions
Counting all your choices
Thinking about all the options available to you
Lapping down your mind
Overthinking and getting lost in your own thoughts
Listen to the voices
Consider the advice and opinions of other people
That you left behind
Remember the lessons learned from past experiences
Rewind the tapes and turn, baby
Reflect on past mistakes and try to find a better solution
Find a place to hide
Try to get away from the danger or difficulty
Writer(s): Priest
Contributed by Carson N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.