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.”
Black Horses
Slaine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The nuns have sewn-up cunts, priests are walking with their killing sticks
My father's just a little boy crying in his bed
My mother's staring at the brains blown out the back of her father's head
How hard is it? How hard is it to trip out in this mess?
When my heart has just, my heart has just been ripped out of my chest
"I am not no bitch" I scream, want no part of what this dream
I'm a screwed up human being being screwed up, chewed-up pills
Told you not to shoot up, Mike, I watched you shoot up shoot up still
Told you not to load that gun, watched you shoot that shoot that steel
I do not want that in this nightmare, no not that, that's too for real
God I fought you tooth and nail but you made me go through all of this
Now I have to call you just to stop this alcoholic ticks
I'm a ticking time bomb and you could kill a donkey which is half the shit that I'm on
It's time to shut the door on this room right here I've had my eye on
Let's move down the hallway further, I can see them raping my mom
Back in Catholic school, acid tripping with my tie on
The walls inside my house were not the ones to be a fly on
My face is looking older, no shoulder to cry on
This place is getting colder, I just want a bed to die on
I should've died much younger, I'm drowning under water
Old enough to see my son, I was too young to meet my daughter
The fetus has a spirit, I hear it from a bassinet
That's empty but I keep looking at it every time I'm passing it
What the fuck you laughing at? Have a little sympathy
Some empathy, you bastards always acting uncompassionate
I'm basking in my past, it's an assassin
This assassin got my future by the throat with the butcher knife and slashing it
Raw from my emotions now they're back to take the last of it
My childhood was stolen from me, fuck it now I'm trapped in it
In Slaine's song "Black Horses," the rapper dives deep into the traumatic experiences from his past. The lyrics are dark and haunting, depicting a world gone awry - a place where buildings are sick, nuns are mutilated, and priests are armed and dangerous. Slaine's own family is caught up in the madness. His father is a little boy crying in bed, and his mother is staring at the brains blown out of her father's head.
Throughout the song, Slaine questions his own perception of reality, wondering if he's "just imagining" the horrors around him. He's angry and frustrated, lamenting the fact that he's "screwed up" and addicted to pills. He's tried to fight against his demons, but feels like a "ticking time bomb" just waiting to explode. Even as he tries to escape his past, the memories follow him down the hallway, with the image of his mother being raped burning in his mind.
Overall, "Black Horses" is a deeply personal and introspective song. Slaine bares his soul, exposing the raw emotions of his traumatic experiences. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a world gone mad, a place where even the most sacred institutions are twisted and corrupt. In the end, Slaine seems resigned to the fact that he's trapped in his past, with no hope of escape.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking through that building and the building's brick, the children sick
As I move through this environment, the physical infrastructure is rusted and the people are diseased.
The nuns have sewn-up cunts, priests are walking with their killing sticks
The religious leaders in this place have perverted themselves, with nuns exhibiting extreme self-punishment and priests carrying deadly weapons.
My father's just a little boy crying in his bed
My own father, in this traumatic environment, is reduced to a helpless, vulnerable child.
My mother's staring at the brains blown out the back of her father's head
My own mother is traumatized by the violent death of her own father, an image that has been seared into her memory.
How hard is it? How hard is it to trip out in this mess?
In the midst of such intense turmoil and tragedy, how can one escape this nightmare through drugs or other means of numbing oneself?
When my heart has just, my heart has just been ripped out of my chest
Despite my attempts to shield myself from the horrors around me, my own heart has been figuratively wrenched from my body.
"I am not no bitch" I scream, want no part of what this dream
I refuse to succumb to the overwhelming despair in this place and vow to resist its pull on my psyche.
Am I really just imagining? Can my eyes trust what I'm seeing?
In such a chaotic and surreal environment, it's difficult to discern what is real and what is imagined.
I'm a screwed up human being being screwed up, chewed-up pills
I am inherently flawed and struggling to cope, resorting to self-destructive behavior to cope with my pain.
Told you not to shoot up, Mike, I watched you shoot up shoot up still
I have seen firsthand the consequences of drug addiction and have even attempted to dissuade someone else from going down that path, to no avail.
Told you not to load that gun, watched you shoot that shoot that steel
I have similarly witnessed the dangers of gun violence and was powerless to prevent it from happening.
I do not want that in this nightmare, no not that, that's too for real
While the horrors of this place are already overwhelming, some events are so extreme that they feel beyond the realm of this already-twisted reality.
God I fought you tooth and nail but you made me go through all of this
Despite my best efforts to resist, fate or a higher power has forced me to endure these tremendous hardships.
Now I have to call you just to stop this alcoholic ticks
The traumas of my past have driven me to addiction, and now I must rely on a higher power to help me overcome it.
I'm a ticking time bomb and you could kill a donkey which
is half the shit that I'm on
My mental and emotional state is extremely fragile and unpredictable, to the point where even the slightest disturbance could trigger a devastating reaction.
It's time to shut the door on this room right here I've had my eye on
I must take control of my situation and remove myself from this toxic environment.
Let's move down the hallway further, I can see them raping my mom
As I continue to navigate through this realm of nightmare, I encounter new horrors at every turn, including the violation of my own family members.
Back in Catholic school, acid tripping with my tie on
Even in more innocent times, my experiences were marked by risk-taking behavior and experimentation with hallucinogenic substances.
The walls inside my house were not the ones to be a fly on
The secrets and traumas of my own family were deeply hidden, even from an outsider who might observe from within.
My face is looking older, no shoulder to cry on
As a result of the intense stress and trauma I have experienced, I have aged beyond my years and have no one to turn to in my distress.
This place is getting colder, I just want a bed to die on
As the horrors of this environment continue to accumulate, I become increasingly desperate for relief or release from my torment.
I should've died much younger, I'm drowning under water
Rather than endure the prolonged suffering that has been inflicted upon me, I ought to have met an earlier, swifter death.
Old enough to see my son, I was too young to meet my daughter
The cycle of suffering and tragedy expands beyond just myself and extends to my family, such that I have missed out on key moments in the lives of my own children.
The fetus has a spirit, I hear it from a bassinet
Even the unborn, as they rest within the womb, possess a vital essence or life energy that can be sensed by others.
That's empty but I keep looking at it every time I'm passing it
Even in the absence of a real, living presence, the specter of these lost, innocent lives continues to haunt me.
What the fuck you laughing at? Have a little sympathy
To those who are not familiar with the traumas and horrors that I have faced, my pain and suffering may seem ludicrous or worthy of derision.
Some empathy, you bastards always acting uncompassionate
Rather than dismiss or make light of the hardships of others, we ought to strive for compassion and empathy in all our interactions.
I'm basking in my past, it's an assassin
Instead of moving beyond my old wounds and finding healing, I am allowing myself to be consumed and destroyed by them.
This assassin got my future by the throat with the butcher knife and slashing it
By refusing to let go of past hurts and resentments, I am dooming myself to an even bleaker future.
Raw from my emotions now they're back to take the last of it
Having been exposed to so much pain and trauma, I am now especially vulnerable to further damage or harm.
My childhood was stolen from me, fuck it now I'm trapped in it
The pain and tragedy that I experienced in my youth have permanently impacted my life and still have a powerful hold over me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Anderson
on My Girl, My Wife, My Mother My Bitch
sh*ts super sick wit it legit, i love slaine, viva slaine, true lyracist boston up, westside down. sh*t man i mean im from the westside you already know how we go, we pimpin playing its trap out here cuz. The bay got it like yeee yaadidah err day... and the east got it whoop unorthodox true hiphop lyricism I have to say theres some crazy good sh*t coming out the east and I love where its going man. love the sound, love the style, f-in raw and brutal, genius yo.