Rebel Without a Pause
The Evolution Control Committee Lyrics
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Brothers and sisters
I don′t know what this world is coming to
Yes, the rhythm, the rebel
Without a pause, I'm lowering my level
The hard rhymer, where you never been, I′m in
You want stylin'? You know it's time again
D, the enemy, tellin′ you to hear it
Some say no to the album, The Show
Bum Rush, the sound, I made a year ago
I guess you know, you guess I′m just a radical
Not on sabbatical, yes, to make it critical
The only part your body should be partyin' to
Panther power on the hour from the rebel to you
Ay yo Chuck, I don′t understand this, man
Yo, we got to slow down man, you losin' them
Radio suckers never play me
On the mix, they just okay me
Now, known and grown, when they′re clocking my zone, it's known
Snaking and taking everything that a brother owns
Hard, my calling card
Recorded and ordered, supporter of Chesimard
Loud and proud, kicking live next, poet supreme
Loop a troop, bazooka, the scheme
A rebel in his own mind
Supporter of my rhyme
Designed to scatter a line of suckers who claim I do crime
They on my time ticket
Ay yo, Chuck, they think we takin′ shorts
Show 'em this is cold medina, man
Come on, kick it
Terminator X, Terminator X
Terminator X, Terminator
Yo Chuck, you gettin' ′em nervous
They can′t handle this, they gonna break down
From a rebel, it's final on black vinyl
Soul, rock and roll coming like a rhino
Tables turn, suckers burn to learn
They can′t disable the power of my label
Def Jam, tells you who I am
The enemy's public, they really give a damn
Strong Island, where I got ′em wilin'
That′s the reason they're claiming that I'm violent
Never silent, no dope, getting dumb, nope
Claiming where we get our rhythm from
Number one, we hit ya and we give ya some
No gun, and still never on the run
You wanna be an S1, Griff will tell you when
And then you′ll come again, you′ll know what time it is
Impeach the president, pulling out my ray gun
Zap the next one, I could be your Shogun
Don't last a minute
Soft and smooth, I ain′t with it
(Hardcore) raw bone like a razor
I'm like a laser, I just won′t graze ya
Old enough to raise ya, so this'll faze ya
Get it right boy and maybe I will praise ya
Playing the role, I got soul too
Voice my opinion with volume
Not what I am
(Rough) ′cause I'm a man
No matter what the name, we're all the same
Pieces in one big chess game
The voice of power
Is in the house, go take a shower, boy
P.E. a group, a crew, not singular
We wear black Wranglers
We′re rap stranglers, you can′t angle us
I know you're listening
I caught you pissin′ in your pants
You're scared of us dissing us
The crowd is missing us
We′re on a mission y'all
Yo Chuck, yo! Yeah, man
Yo, you got ′em runnin' scared
Terminator X, Terminator X
Terminator X, kick it Terminator
Come on
Come on
Attitude, when I'm on fire
Juice on the loose, electric wire
Simple and plain, give me the lane
I′ll throw it down your throat like Barkley
You see my car keys, you′ll never get these
They belong to the Nine-Eight posse
You want some more, son? You wanna get some?
Bum-rush the door of a store, pick up the album
You know the rhythm, the rhyme plus the beat is designed
So I can enter your mind, boys
Bring the noise, my time
Step aside for the flex, Terminator X
Yeah, that's right
This jam is rated cold medina, boy
That′s right, cold medina, that's right
We showin′ up in E-F-F-E-C-T also known as effect
You understand what I'm sayin′?
Yeah! Yeah, boy
Bring that back one more time
Bring that beat back man
Bring that beat back
Bring that beat back
Y'all wanna hear that beat, right?
Bring that beat back
One, two, three, four, hit it
This shit ain't over, come on y′all
Let′s get busy, come on
Say yeah, say hell yeah
Come on y'all
Let′s work the house
Somebody, everybody
Everybody scream
Ain't it fun
Ain′t it fun
The Evolution Control Committee's song "Rebel Without a Pause" is a tribute to Public Enemy's original track with the same name. In the beginning, the song reflects the uncertainty in the world while celebrating the rhythm that never stops. From the start, the lyrics are a tribute to the rebel who remains unchanged, who continues to fight and push back - this is the hard Rhymer. The reference to the hard Rhymer signals that the intention is to be the voice of strength and rebellion in the song.
The song continues with a reflection of Public Enemy's time, where the music spoke with power, and the lyrics delivered a message. Chuck D's verse talks about how prior to their music being recognized on the radio; people did not want to hear it because they wanted style rather than message. However, the group has decided that the lyrics are more important than the sound, thus changing the game.
Even though the song is a tribute, it is essential to recognize that it is an indicator of how the hip hop game has evolved over the years. Public Enemy's music, even when delivered with a hard beat, was political in content. They would rap about issues such as racism, social justice, oppression, and the effects of drugs and alcohol. The Evolution Control Committee's song, on the other hand, displays the transition from critical and political, to a celebration of the music itself.
Writer(s): E. Sadler, C. Ridenhour, H Shocklee, N Rogers, E Sadler, C Ridenhour
Contributed by Caroline E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@NobodobodoN
I saw ECC do this live once. Two turntables, synch the speed, start at the right point, and GO. He had to drop the needle once on the rap track to repeat a verse, but otherwise they already played together just fine. It was incredible.
@Soundgas
Yes, the daddy of mash-ups: fun/hilarious and it just works. Have had it on 7 since release and played it out for years. Great stuff!
@k1p1t0
genius, one of the classics of the genre. copyright can suck it.
@KevinBrownsvideos
Still the best mash-up ever done!
@exexalien
The granddaddy of mash-ups right here. The people criticizing obviously don't have a clue.
@kickerofelves930
It samples Herb Alpert's "Bittersweet Samba" off the Whipped Cream album... tasty stuff!
@KidArch
this isnt the first time ive heard this mashup... but, for the life of me, i cannot remember where i heard it before weird
@Loukh2499
Am here for a music presentation for school about mash ups and this shit is fire
@princeminski47
I used to have the ECC tape this was on. Great great great. Wish it wuz on CD. [hint] "The Acid Family" a favorite.
@sizone
Got this from Trademark when he first did it on a demo tape... remember that the UFOrb album came out the same time, guess that was like 1991 or 2... couldnt stop listening to this and laughing.