If you believe life is hard, yet one of the best gifts anyone can be grante… Read Full Bio ↴If you believe life is hard, yet one of the best gifts anyone can be granted, you’ll understand the journey of SLAINE. Hailing from the Dorchester, area of Massachusetts, with deep connections in South Boston, SLAINE’s youth was spent as somewhat of a gypsy, bouncing from place to place. Despite not having a normal home foundation, he aspired, like other starry eyed kids, to become a force in the entertainment industry. After Mapping out a plan to obtain his goals, SLAINE packed his bags, moved to New York City, and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts. After only seven months, an unfortunate altercation with a school employee resulted in his expulsion.
The incident was a major setback that suspended his dream of becoming a filmmaker. Although dismayed and discouraged, SLAINE was determined to prevail, and began a new pursuit towards his entertainment goal… Music.

His discovered his love for hip hop early in his life. "I started writing rhymes when I was nine years old, I use to record on my boom box with a pair of headphones plugged into the microphone jack. I felt they were just words on a page because I didn’t have an outlet to perform them.” Determined and focused, SLAINE spent his nights as a club promoter to survive in the hard lonely streets of New York City, while at the same time, recording and being managed by hip-hop legend MC Shan. While recording a demo in a studio operated by the Lordz of Brooklyn, SLAINE was introduced to Danny Boy O'Connor of House of Pain.

That introduction led to a production deal with DJ Lethal of House of Pain, which in turn led to the mix tape release ‘The White Man is the Devil: Volume 1’ and the formation of the group Special Teamz, with Boston rap legends Edo G and Jaysaun. Special Teamz dropped a self-titled street CD, which garnered critical acclaim and allowed the group to tour in Europe. In a very short time, SLAINE had gone from living in poverty with a drug habit to traveling the world and working with hip-hop icons such as DJ Premier, Ill Bill, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, The Alchemist, and a host of other talented artists. He also became part of the collective LA COKA NOSTRA, alongside Ill Bill and all three members of House of Pain - Everlast, DJ Lethal, and Danny Boy. La Coka Nostra’s debut album, "A Brand You Can Trust" debuted at #84 on the Billboard Top 200 and #6 on the Rap charts, sending a message to the masses that the group’s brand of gritty hip-hop was exactly what fans of the genre had been waiting for.

SLAINE's name continued to grow far past his hometown of Boston due to the exposure he has received in publications such as The Source, XXL, The New York Times, The Boston Herald, and his sold out performances across the globe. SLAINE has been nominated for a Boston Music Award and received 4 trophies at The Mass Industry Committee's hip-hop awards, including and award for Best Lyricist.

As his music career expanded, a personal battle with drugs became a focal point that reared its ugly head. After overdoses, hospital visits and a whirlwind of drugs and violence, SLAINE finally checked into rehab. Instantly, he found himself with homeless drug addicts and realized he was no different than any of them. "Everybody had a story to tell. That was where the idea and the hunger for "The White Man is the Devil" was born. "The White Man" is a cocaine reference, not a declaration of self hate."

Since conquering his addiction, SLAINE has been presented with many new and exciting possibilities… such as acting. A chance of a lifetime presented itself through an unexpected ally, hometown hero and Academy Award winner Ben Affleck. SLAINE made his acting debut with his portrayal of Bubba Rogowski in Affleck's return to screenwriting and directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone". The film was critically acclaimed and led to a larger role in the blockbuster “The Town” featuring Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), and Jon Hamm (Mad Men). He is also been in films, “The Crack Down” and “Bad Blood” and in the upcoming movie “Cogan’s Trade” with Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini.

While Slaine’s acting career has allowed him to blaze new paths, his venomous lyrical attack burns hotter than ever on his debut solo album, "A World With No Skies 2.0", which drops August 16th , 2011 through Suburban Noize Records. With hard-hitting lyrical content, and a vicious delivery, "A World with No Skies 2.0" instantly takes hip-hop back to its grimy roots on the streets. To execute his dark musical vision, Slaine enlisted the help of his La Coka Nostra brothers Everlast and ILL BILL, as well as Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks, to create a dark hip-hop album that hits squarely in the jaw. "Even though I started my career as a solo artist by hustling my ‘The White Man is the Devil’ mixtapes, I think people are more familiar with me from Special Teamz and La Coka Nostra,” commented Slaine. “With this album I set out to create a soundscape that brings you into my world as an individual which is a bad place to be. The record is hard, dark and aggressive, from the beats to the lyrics. It’s a deeply personal trip through my life and the things that made me who I am today. A ‘World with No Skies’ is a look into my psyche and a vision of my dreams, nightmares, and realities."

Despite ups and downs throughout his career, SLAINE is living his life to the fullest. "I love making music that means something to me, I am grateful for all the experiences that I have had—good and bad. I am lucky to be alive, but my past also made me who I am today.”

Angel Dust
Slaine Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Intro:]
When I was a young man – scratch that, I am a young man. When I was a young
Boy I wanted to alter my mind with a substance. I tried every little thing
That I could smoke or sniff and every pill that I could chew or swallow. It
Made me high but inside I still felt hollow like there was no tomorrow so I
Resorted to sniffing this dust and drinking this bottle.

[Verse 1:]

Why do I do what I do and have what I have?
I make myself into what I have pictured myself as
Picture myself bad with a pad erratically
Vicious, I felt mad at a world that had it for me
Watching them scatter, scurry sideways and laterally
In a hurry, judgment is bad, vision is blurry
I got the ugliest attitude in this rhythmic flurry
Shivery misery, look at this smile, isn't it ugly?
Chipped-tooth grin, heroin sin
Evil wordplay spray ever since I've been ten
Have I forgot to mention my name is Slaine?
I am famous, the shameless, heinous, aimless
Reign to strange on some deranged shit
While my ego's even bigger than Ving Rhames' lips, amigo
It's like in Spanish, you don't understand the language
That I came with, let's take a purple rain hit

[Interlude: Excerpts from the Bible]

[Verse 2:]
Every fight that I get into, lose a little bit of blood
A little booze, a little drugs, litter crews in little slugs
Bitter news to get a buzz, spit it, you's a little bug
My girl thinks I am the worst mama, considered thugs
Me and all of my friends cause karma had shit on us
We switched to yey instead of dust, dismissed what they said of us
I took my time, never rushed dust, my lust must be
Choppers and screwdriver point plus a trustee
My guts are bigger than my nuts, trust me
I puffed enough els and huffed enough paint to cover a Huffy
I lie all the time, it's getting harder for my mother to trust me
I'm hungry motherfucker, my cupboard is dusty

[Interlude:]
So here I am as an older man and the world has only gotten colder, man. I
Don't know the plan. A lone soldier. Damn. Look what's happened to me: When
I was a boy looking to that substance I never thought it would come to
This.

[Verse 3:]
For each different crew, I slipped into
The gutterish hunger and sicker addiction grew
It crawled in my veins, it's a ball and a chain
It's a demon on my shoulder that keeps calling my name (Slaine!)
I weep with the willows, sleep with the pillows
Creep with the silhouettes deep in the middle
Secrets and riddles, anger and smooth steel
Pulling the trigger cause I don't know who's real
Know who's who or either what's what
How can I believe? I'm so deceived and fucked up
My poetry bleeds on these rosary beads
And I'm looking in the mirror at what's supposedly me
Look how you've grown into this ghostly mc
Look what I've known, I see how must of them be
Society's streets, I'm another casualty
Fogging up the window looking through the glass at reality

[Interlude: Excerpts from the Bible]

Overall Meaning

In "Angel Dust," Slaine speaks candidly about his struggles with substance abuse, self-image, and the difficult reality of growing older in a cruel world. In the intro, Slaine recounts his desperation to escape his reality as a young man, trying every substance he could find in search of something to make him feel alive. But despite the temporary high, he still felt empty inside, leading him to turn to Angel Dust, a dangerous and addictive drug, and alcohol to cope with his pain.

In the first verse, Slaine reflects on his attitude and behavior, acknowledging that he has become the very thing he once despised. He paints himself as a vicious and angry young man, taking aim at society and anyone who gets in his way. He also speaks to his own fame, recognizing that his ego has become too big for its own good. In the second verse, Slaine continues to delve into his addiction and the impact it has had on his life. He laments his lack of trustworthiness and the damage he has done to his relationships. He also acknowledges his hunger for more drugs and the desperation he feels with an empty cupboard and no one to turn to.

In the final verse, Slaine highlights the growing sense of hopelessness he feels as he gets older. He reflects on the various crews and people he has associated himself with and how his addiction has only grown more intense from those experiences. He speaks to the demons that haunt him daily and how they have become a part of him, making him feel like a ghostly MC. He ends the song looking out into the world and acknowledging his own struggles as one amongst many others.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was a young man – scratch that, I am a young man. When I was a young Boy I wanted to alter my mind with a substance. I tried every little thing That I could smoke or sniff and every pill that I could chew or swallow. It Made me high but inside I still felt hollow like there was no tomorrow so I Resorted to sniffing this dust and drinking this bottle.
As a young man, I craved altered states of consciousness and experimented with various drugs, but none of them provided lasting fulfillment. In my desperation, I turned to snorting angel dust and consuming alcohol.

Every fight that I get into, lose a little bit of blood A little booze, a little drugs, litter crews in little slugs Bitter news to get a buzz, spit it, you's a little bug My girl thinks I am the worst mama, considered thugs Me and all of my friends cause karma had shit on us We switched to yey instead of dust, dismissed what they said of us I took my time, never rushed dust, my lust must be Choppers and screwdriver point plus a trustee My guts are bigger than my nuts, trust me I puffed enough els and huffed enough paint to cover a Huffy I lie all the time, it's getting harder for my mother to trust me I'm hungry motherfucker, my cupboard is dusty
My life is plagued with violence and substance abuse, causing my loved ones to view me as a dangerous criminal. Despite warnings, I continue to indulge in dangerous drugs, preferring the intensity of dissolving angel dust over other options. I lie frequently to those around me, and my behavior has left me in a constant state of need.

So here I am as an older man and the world has only gotten colder, man. I Don't know the plan. A lone soldier. Damn. Look what's happened to me: When I was a boy looking to that substance I never thought it would come to This.
As I age, I've grown increasingly isolated and embittered by the harshness of the world. I'm unsure of my purpose and feel alone in my struggles with addiction. I never anticipated the negative consequences that would result from my early experimentation with drugs.

For each different crew, I slipped into The gutterish hunger and sicker addiction grew It crawled in my veins, it's a ball and a chain It's a demon on my shoulder that keeps calling my name (Slaine!) I weep with the willows, sleep with the pillows Creep with the silhouettes deep in the middle Secrets and riddles, anger and smooth steel Pulling the trigger cause I don't know who's real Know who's who or either what's what How can I believe? I'm so deceived and fucked up My poetry bleeds on these rosary beads And I'm looking in the mirror at what's supposedly me Look how you've grown into this ghostly mc Look what I've known, I see how must of them be Society's streets, I'm another casualty Fogging up the window looking through the glass at reality
My addiction has infiltrated every facet of my life, leaving me lost and uncertain of who I can trust. I am haunted by my own demons and often resort to violence as a means of self-preservation. My experiences have left me disillusioned and distrustful of society, viewing myself as just another victim of its harsh realities.

Contributed by Jayce C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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