“The album is a collection of street stories,” explains Skatterman. “That’s also how we came up with Urban Legendz. Everything is being told from an urban aspect. When we’re done putting the album out, we will be legends coming from Kansas City.”
Skatterman & Snug Brim take the first step toward that goal with lead single “Block Party,” a sure-fire party-starting cut that is as infectious as it is memorable. “We picked that song because it has a good feeling,” Snug says. “It’s universal, a party song. We have block parties down in Kansas City.” “Like we say on the song, ‘More whiskey, more weed,’” Skatterman adds. “That’s how you’re doing it in the hood, suburbs, street corners or in college. That’s how young people party. We ain’t buying no Cristal drinks, going to the club hopping out of Bentleys. It ain’t about that. We’re keeping it real urban grounded, down to the normal, to where the average, everyday person is doing what we’re doing. We’re not talking outside of our means. It ain’t no Bentley’s on the streets where we from.”
The celebratory, feel-good vibes of “Block Party” notwithstanding, the rest of the album sustains a largely serious tone. On “Car Wash,” Skatterman & Snug Brim detail the sometimes shocking events that transpire at Missouri car washes, while on “Murder By #’s” they swear by the code of the streets. Elsewhere, the rhymers give multiple meanings to street slang on “Pakman” and blast fake rappers on “U Not Mafioso.”
“Crazy,” one of the album’s standout tracks, features Skatterman & Snug Brim rapping about the monumental struggle in their own lives. The captivating, compelling cut gives each rapper’s story a personal, vulnerable perspective rarely heard on rap songs.
“We’re just not telling a story from the criminal aspect,” Skatterman says. “We’re telling the more emotional side. Everybody talks about people getting shot, hustling, and going to jail, but I don’t hear people talking about the emotions, and who is hurting from that. There’s a momma at home somewhere hurting about her son being locked up.”
Both Skatterman & Snug Brim know about pain. Skatterman’s mother was a teenager when she had him. His father left when he was five and his mother and his grandmother raised him. Their love made Skatterman oblivious to his volatile surroundings. “I didn’t have what I wanted, but we always had what we needed,” he says. “I felt like I had it good until I was old enough to be able to see what was going on.”
Around the same time in Kansas City, Snug Brim, the oldest of four children, was having an equally rough childhood. Also abandoned by his father, Snug never thought about pursuing a musical career until he started spending time with his uncle, who was a rapper.
Skatterman & Snug Brim became friends in school and started making separate moves in Kansas City’s rap scene. Skatterman was a member of the Southside Rollers, a rap group that released an album in 1998, the same year that Snug Brim dropped his debut album, Center Piece of the Puzzle. Impressed with his friend’s work, Skatterman approached Snug Brim about a potential collaboration. They united for Worth A Million, an album that earned a fan in Tech N9ne, the innovative rapper who co-owns Strange Music.
Tech N9ne brought Skatterman & Snug Brim to the Strange Music fold, leading to their appearance on the critically acclaimed Beef soundtrack, an MSC Music/ Strange release that also features Ice Cube, KRS-One, Eazy-E, Jayo Felony and Tech N9ne, among others.
As people whose struggle has given them perspective, Skatterman & Snug Brim inject a sobering realism into Urban Legendz. “You’re not going to hear the same song, the same style, the same mood from us from song to song,” Skatterman says. “We’re going to bounce around like you do in real life. You have your good days and you have your bad days. That’s our album.”
It’s an album that Skatterman says will establish the Midwest as a hip-hop power player. “We’re coming from Kansas City, Missouri and we don’t really have a voice out there at all right now, or the Midwest at all,” he says. “It seems like it’s just West Coast, Down South and East Coast. It’s like the Midwest don’t have a voice right now. We feel like when we’re done, we’ll be the voice of the Midwest.”
Not to mention “Urban Legendz.”
Crazy
Skatterman & Snug Brim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know you drive me up the wall
The way you make good on all the nasty tricks you pull.
Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love.
And it always seems you got somethin' on your mind other than me.
Girl, you got to change your crazy ways.
You hear me?
And that you're headin' out to Hollywood.
Girl, you been givin' me that line so many times
It kinda gets like feelin' bad looks good. Yeah.
That kinda lovin' turns a man to a slave.
That kinda lovin' sends a man right to his grave.
I go crazy, crazy baby, I go crazy.
You turn it on, then you're gone.
Yeah, you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby.
What can I do, honey? I feel like the color blue.
You're packin' up your stuff,
And talkin' like it's tough
And tryin' to tell me that it's time to go. Yeah!
But, I know you ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that over coat.
And it's all a show. Yeah!
That kinda lovin' makes me wanna pull down the shade. Yeah!
That kinda lovin', yeah, now I'm never, never, never gonna be the same.
I go crazy, crazy baby, I go crazy.
You turn it on, then you're gone.
Yeah, you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby.
What can I do, honey? I feel like the color blue.
I'm losin' my mind, girl, cause I'm goin' cra...
I need your love. Honey, yeah!
I need your love.
Crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby,
I'm losin' my mind, girl, cause I'm goin' crazy.
Crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby.
You turn it on then, you're gone.
Yeah, you drive me...
Ooh, ooh, ooh. Ooh, ooh, ooh,
Ow, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, now baby, baby, baby, baby
The lyrics to Crazy by Skatterman & Snug Brim are a portrayal of a tumultuous relationship. The singer is expressing frustration with his partner, who he describes as driving him up the wall due to her unpredictable behavior. Despite their efforts to make things work, they seem to fight more than they express love. The singer pleads with his partner to change her "crazy ways" before it destroys their relationship entirely. The song seems to be a back-and-forth between the couple, with the singer recounting different ways his partner has hurt him emotionally. However, despite all the negativity, the singer still cannot help but feel crazy for the woman he loves and can't seem to let go of.
The lyrics of Crazy are relatable to anyone who has experienced a tumultuous relationship with a partner that they cannot seem to quit. The song highlights the fact that love can be both beautiful and painful, and that sometimes it's difficult to differentiate between the two. The lyrics also reveal the reality of how individuals can become so addicted to a particular someone's love and attention that they are left feeling helpless and vulnerable without it.
Line by Line Meaning
Come here, baby.
Addressing the listener to come closer.
You know you drive me up the wall
The listener's behavior is causing significant stress.
The way you make good on all the nasty tricks you pull.
The listener is manipulative and vindictive.
Seems like we're makin' up more than we're makin' love.
There is more conflict and drama than there is intimacy in the relationship.
And it always seems you got somethin' on your mind other than me.
The listener is distracted and uninterested in the artist's needs.
Girl, you got to change your crazy ways.
The listener's behavior is unreasonable and needs to change.
You hear me?
Asking if the listener is listening and understands.
Say you're leavin' on a seven thirty train,
The listener frequently threatens to leave the relationship.
And that you're headin' out to Hollywood.
The listener has grand plans for their future but never follows through.
Girl, you been givin' me that line so many times
The listener makes empty promises and uses the same excuses repeatedly.
It kinda gets like feelin' bad looks good. Yeah.
The listener enjoys causing emotional pain and drama.
That kinda lovin' turns a man to a slave.
The listener's behavior is controlling and domineering.
That kinda lovin' sends a man right to his grave.
The singer feels like this kind of relationship will cause harm to their emotional or physical wellbeing.
I go crazy, crazy baby, I go crazy.
The singer's emotional reactions to the relationship are intense and overwhelming.
You turn it on, then you're gone.
The listener is inconsistent and unreliable.
Yeah, you drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby.
The listener's actions and behavior stoke strong feelings of obsession and desire in the artist.
What can I do, honey? I feel like the color blue.
The artist feels helpless and sad.
You're packin' up your stuff,
The listener is preparing to leave the relationship.
And talkin' like it's tough
The listener is acting tough and brash.
And tryin' to tell me that it's time to go. Yeah!
The listener is trying to convince the artist to end the relationship.
But, I know you ain't wearin' nothin' underneath that over coat.
The artist sees through the listener's facade and knows they are hiding something.
And it's all a show. Yeah!
The listener is being phony and putting on a performance.
That kinda lovin' makes me wanna pull down the shade. Yeah!
The listener's behavior is so intense that the singer wants to shut it out and retreat into solitude.
Yeah, now I'm never, never, never gonna be the same.
The artist feels like their emotional state and wellbeing will be permanently altered by this relationship.
I'm losin' my mind, girl, cause I'm goin' cra...
The singer is overwhelmed by their emotions and about to lose control.
I need your love. Honey, yeah!
The singer feels like they require the listener's affection to survive.
Yeah, you drive me...
The singer trails off in their sentence, indicating intense emotion.
Crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby,
Repeating that the artist's feelings of obsession and desire for the listener are consuming them.
Ow, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
An exclamation of emotion and intensity.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
A repetition of the previous line.
Yeah, now baby, baby, baby, baby
An affectionate and emotional address to the listener.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Desmond Child, Perry Anthony Joseph, Steven Tyler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind