The Coup, part of the sub-genre of political hip hop, is politically radical and Marxist in their music, and align themselves with other radical hip-hop groups like Dead Prez. Their music is characterized by electronic sounds and bass-driven backbeats overlaid by humorous, cynical and sometimes violent lyrics criticizing capitalism, American politics, pimping as a form of patriarchal exploitation, and police brutality, among other things.
The Coup's debut album was 1993's Kill My Landlord. In 1994 they released their second album, Genocide and Juice. After a four-year recording hiatus, the group released the critically acclaimed Steal This Album in 1998, the title of which was reminiscent of lifestylist Abbie Hoffman's Steal this Book. The album featured the stand-out single "Me and Jesus the Pimp in a '79 Granada Last Night". The online magazine Dusted called Steal This Album "the best hip-hop album of the 1990s".
In 2001, The Coup released Party Music to widespread praise. However, in part due to distribution problems, sales of the album were low. The original album cover art depicted group members Pam the Funkstress and Riley standing in front of the twin towers of the World Trade Center as they are destroyed by huge explosions; Riley is pushing the button on a guitar tuner. The cover art was finished in June 2001, and was scheduled to be released just after the September 11, 2001 attacks. In response to the uncanny similarity of the artwork with the Sept. 11 attacks, the album release was held back until alternative cover art could be prepared.
The attention generated to the album's cover art generated some criticism of the group's lyrical content as well, particularly the Party Music track "5 Million Ways to Kill a CEO". The song's rap includes lines like, "You could throw a twenty in a vat of hot oil/When he jump in after it, watch him boil". Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin cited the song in calling The Coup's work a "stomach-turning example of anti-Americanism disguised as highbrow intellectual expression".
On November 15, 2005, Tarus Jackson (AKA Terrance), who had joined the group as a promoter, was fatally shot during a robbery at his home in Oakland.
December 2, 2006 saw another tragedy for The Coup: About two hours following a performance at the San Diego House of Blues, the tour bus in which they were riding drove off the road and flipped over before becoming engulfed in flames. All passengers managed to climb out alive, though some were badly injured. They did, however, lose all of their clothes, computers, cash, identification, house/car keys and cell phones as well as all of their instruments and sound equipment. Since an insurance settlement is potentially a year away, they were forced to cancel the rest of their tour.
Current line-up:
Boots Riley: Lyrics, Vocals, Production, Handclaps, Dancin and Keyboard tweeks.
Pam The Funkstress: Scratches and Poplocking
Silk-E: Vocals and gettin her muthafuckin gig on.
B'nai Rebelfront: Guitar and "not a damn thing else".
J.J. Jungle: Bass, Backflips, and Spins.
Hassan Hurd: Drums and football.
LJ Holoman: Organ and other keys.
Their songs "My Favorite Mutiny" and "Pork & Beef" were featured in the 2007 film Superbad, while "Ridin' The Fence" was featured in EA's 2007 skateboarding video game, Skate.
Pork and Beef
The Coup Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all good man, we off in the Oakland Hills
Dodging em' one time, check it out
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
Don't trust the police, no justice no peace
They got me face down, in the middle of the street
Pistol whip me with the heat, chicken shits sizzling
Trying to serve me the all-you-can eat murder beef
I'm a young, black, heterosexual male
Don't drink no drank, don't smoke, don't sale
That's the real reason that they want me up in jail
They want me to fail, I resist and rebel
See I give a fuck about the see-O-P's
P-I-G's I wonder if I can shake em' like a P-I-T
Cause they wanna see me D-I-E
Got me cash under mob, I'm a pre-O.G
Dark Sobe associates, vicious, venomous vocalist
Chrome 4-4 toting, holding it down for Oakland
Folks do be smoking and shit we do what we holding
Some just don't notice they get demoted
Throw em' all the time music
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
This is for them ladies with them empty plates
For that raise ripped that you didn't calculate
If you ever in your life been awarded to state
On the corner with cake
If they send an undercover and you tip the bag, huh
Next time I see em' with no hesitation
I'm peeling off like stolen registration
And leave a lot of smoke
See I'm that sort of folk
That been pig hunting since my mama's fucking water broke
Cause they the henchmen nah they the lenchmen
Between the rich and puffs of weed known to trench them
Cause they dispense with the dollars and cents
So when you stand go get candles, flowers, and incense
Behind steel gates is fifty percent of our bill rates
A pre-kin making microchips for Bill Gates
Pelican Bay, t-shirts for the workout
Police station where the slave catchers lurk out
Listen to the thunder, I'm no more taking under routes
We'll synchronize and give em' shit to wonder bout
The DEA is filthy, yell not guilty
We need control of the cash and the realty
And get rid of all the motherfucking parasites
More than weed burn at 420 Fahrenheit
Shaking in they boots when we start to bust
They ain't scared of rap music, they scared of us
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
If you got beef with see-O-P's
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Cause they be harassing you and me
Ya gotta understand we still not free
The Coup's song "Pork and Beef" is a powerful anthem about police brutality and the systematic oppression of Black people in America. The lyrics are a call to action for listeners to resist the oppressive systems in place by any means necessary. The song starts with the rapper dodging police and urging listeners to throw Molotov cocktails at the police (P-I-G's) who are constantly harassing and abusing Black people. The chorus repeats this message, emphasizing the ongoing struggles and injustices faced by Black communities.
The second verse focuses on the personal experiences of the rapper as a young Black man who is constantly targeted by the police. He speaks out against the unjust treatment he has received just for being Black and the way that the police try to criminalize and imprison young Black men. He also touches on the societal pressures that Black men face to conform and the reason why the police are threatened by them. The third verse examines how the system of oppression operates on a larger scale, with references to the prison-industrial complex and the role that the DEA and politicians play in perpetuating these systems. The song ends with a call for unity and resistance against the oppressive forces that continue to harm Black communities.
Line by Line Meaning
If you got beef with see-O-P's
If you have a conflict with the police
Throw a Molotov at the P-I-G's
Use a destructive method to retaliate against the oppressors
Cause they be harassing you and me
The police mistreat and abuse us
Ya gotta understand we still not free
We are not truly liberated
Don't trust the police, no justice no peace
We cannot rely on the police to bring us justice and must make our voices heard
They got me face down, in the middle of the street
The police have placed me in a vulnerable position
Pistol whip me with the heat, chicken shits sizzling
The police resort to violence, instilling fear with their firearms
Trying to serve me the all-you-can eat murder beef
The police are aiming to do serious harm to me
I'm a young, black, heterosexual male
I identify as a young, straight African-American male
Don't drink no drank, don't smoke, don't sale
I don't take drugs or engage in illegal activities
That's the real reason that they want me up in jail
The police are prejudiced against me for who I am and want to imprison me
They want me to fail, I resist and rebel
The police are hoping I'll succumb to their pressure, but I push back
See I give a fuck about the see-O-P's
I strongly dislike the police
P-I-G's I wonder if I can shake em' like a P-I-T
I question whether I can rid myself of the police's presence, like a dog chooses to shake off fleas
Cause they wanna see me D-I-E
The police want to see me dead
Got me cash under mob, I'm a pre-O.G
I'm hiding my money and positioning myself to be an original gangster in the future
Dark Sobe associates, vicious, venomous vocalist
The members of my crew are skilled musicians who possess a deadly demeanor
Chrome 4-4 toting, holding it down for Oakland
One of my crew members wields a large weapon to protect our neighborhood
Folks do be smoking and shit we do what we holding
Some people are smoking marijuana, but my crew is focused on protecting our community
Some just don't notice they get demoted
Some people don't realize they're losing status in our society
This is for them ladies with them empty plates
This message is for women who struggle with hunger
For that raise ripped that you didn't calculate
Women who didn't receive a deserved pay raise
If you ever in your life been awarded to state
If you've been given welfare or government aid
On the corner with cake
Selling drugs outside
If they send an undercover and you tip the bag, huh
If a police officer tries to catch you, but you provide a warning to other dealers
Next time I see em' with no hesitation
The next time I encounter those police officers, I won't hesitate to act
I'm peeling off like stolen registration
I'm evading them like a stolen license plate
And leave a lot of smoke
I'll make a quick getaway and leave a lot of dust behind
See I'm that sort of folk
This is just who I am
That been pig hunting since my mama's fucking water broke
I've been battling against the police since the day I was born
Cause they the henchmen nah they the lenchmen
The police are agents of the rich and powerful, enforcing their will on the common people
Between the rich and puffs of weed known to trench them
The police divide the wealthy and those who do drugs by trying to crack down on the latter
Cause they dispense with the dollars and cents
The police operate with a focus on financial gain instead of justice
So when you stand go get candles, flowers, and incense
When people die at the hands of the police, we mourn them with traditional funeral rituals
Behind steel gates is fifty percent of our bill rates
Half of our money goes toward paying the costs of imprisonment
A pre-kin making microchips for Bill Gates
Even prisoners are forced to work and support wealthier individuals
Pelican Bay, t-shirts for the workout
Prisoners at the notorious Pelican Bay facility are so heavily locked up that they only receive t-shirts for exercise clothes
Police station where the slave catchers lurk out
The police operate as if they are hunting slaves for their own gain
Listen to the thunder, I'm no more taking under routes
I'm no longer avoiding confronting the police and am much more vocal about my opposition to them
We'll synchronize and give em' shit to wonder bout
We'll coordinate and confuse the police with our strategy
The DEA is filthy, yell not guilty
The DEA is a corrupt organization, and we must fight back against any accusations they bring forth
We need control of the cash and the realty
We must gain control over our finances and the physical property we occupy
And get rid of all the motherfucking parasites
We must eliminate any individuals that harm our community
More than weed burn at 420 Fahrenheit
More than just marijuana is at stake and must be addressed
Shaking in they boots when we start to bust
The police are scared of us when we take action
They ain't scared of rap music, they scared of us
The police are more intimidated by us as people than they are by our music
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOOTS RILEY, TOMIE LENEAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind