Jel became familia… Read Full Bio ↴themselves are doseone and jel, from California.
Jel became familiar with dose through his good friend and radio partner, Kevin Beacham. But it wasn't until early 1998 when some tapes were exchanged through mutual friend, Mr. Dibbs, that the two realized their potential together. Soon after a few phone conversations, jel started making frequent sojourns from Chicago to Cincinnati to record with dose. The duo's first couple of tracks ended up on dose's first, self-released record Hemispheres (1998). Then from April of 1998 to January of 1999 they solidified their chemistry, putting the tracks together that would end up on themselves' them. That same Spring dose and jel, along with Slug of Atmosphere and sole and alias of Live Poets began recording deep puddle dynamics's The Taste Of Rain... Why Kneel. Out of that record, the concept of anticon was somewhere born -- whose founding dose and jel would become an integral part of, later bringing them both to the Bay Area.
Since then, both artists have continued to push boundaries, producing and collaborating on a range of work far outside the constructs of traditional genre forms. They've expanded their use and understanding of their equipment, as well as perfected their live performances. Their record, the no music. (2002), involved the use of: an SP-1200, an MPC-2000, a Korg Poly 64 keyboard, some other shit, a Roland VS 880, Digital Performer, a Dr. Sample, various microphones, numerous household items and found objects and sounds. Recently the two of them have also expanded their roles in the group, both contributing vocals and production to the no music.. They also added Dax Pierson on keyboards, Dr. Sample, Theremin and back up vocals on many of their tracks, and to all of their live performances. Dax is essential in adding syncopation and a real time quality to the tracks.
After a six-year hiatus, Themselves return on a rampage of heady rap wrung from hardworking hands. Of course, the duo of Jeffrey “Jel” Logan and Adam “Doseone” Drucker are never too far from the frontlines of good art and honest music. Last year, their Subtle sextet released its third album, the critically acclaimed and wildly adventurous ExitingARM, and a 2005 collaboration with Germany’s the Notwist yielded the cult gem 13 & God. There have been solo offerings, guest appearances, and ceaseless touring, but not peep from the name behind 2002’s left-field classic The No Music. That blessed interim has seen Doseone and Jel become the fearless musicians and exacting artists they’d always meant to be. Now, hungrier than ever, Themselves are here to scrawl a bold new chapter across rap’s too-stale tome. Furthermore, they set out to accomplish this feat unadorned, returning to hip-hop’s most cardinal and carnal form, the number two: the DJ and the MC—neck-snapping beats and precision prose—accompanied by a little righteous indignation, of course.
Such things do have roots, naturally, and Themselves’ are as colorful as one would expect. Drucker was born in Napa, Idaho, to a hippie pair whose relationship wouldn’t outlast its ideals. Logan was raised in Chicago by Pentecostal parents. While the former spent his preteen years bouncing between Philadelphia and New Jersey, surviving by his mile-a-minute wit and ceaseless imagination, Logan nursed an early love for the decidedly safe sounds of Chuck Berry into raging crush on the unhinged backbone of rap music: beats. He’d pump gas in order to save up for the hallowed SP-1200 drum machine (of which he’s now a renowned master); Drucker would hone his unmatched rap styles in street battles before moving to Cincinnati in his late teens. In that city’s annual “Scribble Jam” competition, as “Doseone,” he famously battled Eminem in a final-round showdown—as well as one of his idols, Freestyle Fellowship’s P.E.A.C.E.—and the experience left him hollow. Meanwhile, Jel had forged a sound unto himself, but couldn’t find a voice able to keep pace. In 1998, tapes were exchanged through the venerable DJ Mr. Dibbs, and history came to be made.
Of that initial meeting, much would be born: Doseone’s ambitious, self-released debut Hemispheres (1998); Themselves’ seminal unveiling, Them (1999); the landmark collaborative project, Deep Puddle Dynamics (also featuring Sole, Alias and Atmosphere’s Slug); and the Anticon label itself. Soon, Dose and Jel moved to Oakland in order to spark a movement with Anticon’s other co-founders, two of which (Odd Nosdam, and Yoni Wolf of WHY?) were in yet another celebrated group with Drucker, the eternally lauded cLOUDDEAD. Since, Doseone and Jel have continued to challenge rap—and our conception of music itself—every step of the way. Through their joint projects and an impressive body of solo work (see 2006’s Soft Money, by Jel, or Doseone’s self-released spoken-word album, Soft Skulls), these two have been nurturing the kind of legacy that only gets better with age. In 2009, Themselves return to a core that’s been warming, strengthening, and expanding all the while.
Eating Homework
Themselves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Suddenly a bite... as my fishing rod fell to the floor
Along with the label-less empty can of some processed vegetable
That had propped it up...
Our holy father is probably closer to the horseshoe crab than say... Jupiter
Or so I've been... i can't believe what I've been taught to take note of as precious
Pledge of Allegiance
on down to the correct spelling of success
or standardized rigamaroling utility
Powerful being scoffs at dog ears and near
Truths smeared between index and appendix... but heck
at least the lunches were hot...
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Texas the Longhorn State
refraction of light in the earth's atmosphere
Triceratops
a-e-i-o-u and sometimes...
There's no such thing as a dumb question
"Out damn spot"
p.e.m.d.a.s.
cosine of a 90 degree angle is Zero
"Et tu brute",
whales and dolphins are people too
The Civil War was something to be proud of
Subject, prepositional phrase, predicate
And size order was only... the beginning
So I wonder, has my doodling suffered...
Who misses covering their textbooks
Authority figures folded hands silence...
Brainwashing is educational...
We, the schoolboard and the church and state
Acting on behalf of our sponsors...
Are here to protect you... all of you
From drugs
and the slightest knowledge of sole purpose...
I never had a problem with cheating...
Upon receipt of your son and daughter's scores
You may find him or her to be more than
Apt above average in kind of... well the following
I want my unicorn back...
And that last wish for an infinite amount of wishes...
The damned, the difficult, and the testable material...
That's funny... yours says good job too...
I'm so bad with the names
Of Mice and Men
Huh huh... he's so creative... but he's no xl-57
These completely complacent self-sufficient offspring
Can be confined and reconfigured to appear
As any of the three sexes and have a complete record of
Every single thing there ever is and will be...
Fist fights... the twisted torture of social acclimation...
Bells clang to segment the fun-filled artificial day further
As several hundred Galapagan sea turtles line up to enter the building...
If you give them all different names and teach them all the same
Thing... the earth turns into toffee...
And you can find out how good people really, really are...
Static and cold... my formative years
Were spent projecting myself outside that window
From chair with a desk bolted to it
Bolted to it the sacrificial billy goat accepted
What had been ponded through it...
And the next person who encourages me...
Not to write in the first person gets left back
In case of fire, quietly and in an orderly fashion
Form a single file line in the front of the class
And wait for your instructor, facing the door
Continue towards the north stairwell
Then proceed calmly and quickly towards the nearest exit
Leave your bags and coats behind kindly... thank you
You can't tell me I'm not good at math
Poor writer my...
I've got 25 jumping jacks left and two big circles to run in...
Don't want to be late for attentive head nodding and tie tying class...
Present in six months, I'll be a college graduate...
And then I'm gonna be... mr., dr., police, fire, space man
Ballerina, zookeeper, cowboy, president of the united states...
What are you gonna be...
?
before you get sent out to sea...
Wearing the beautiful silver ring my mother gave me
I see an assembly of these hideous curriculum monsters
coccyx bones
on a splintering rickety loom
All in a light grey auditorium through a knot in a boarded up window
That was painted shut by Satan and his vice principals
The song "Eating Homework" by Themselves is a reflection on the education system and how it shapes us as individuals. The lyrics delve into the idea that what we are taught and the way we are taught it influences everything from our perception of the world to our sense of self-worth. The opening lines describe a moment of distraction - a silver ring catching the light distracts the singer from their task, causing them to drop their fishing rod. This mundane moment serves as a metaphor for the distractions that hinder our ability to learn and grow. The song then moves on to critique the education system, exploring the idea that the rules and regulations we are taught to obey ultimately serve to limit us rather than to empower us.
The lyrics contain a variety of references to different subjects, including history, mathematics, literature, and science. These references are meant to illustrate the breadth of information we are expected to learn in school and the ways in which this information can feel overwhelming and ultimately meaningless. The song also highlights the oppressive nature of authority figures within the education system, suggesting that they are more interested in enforcing compliance than in truly supporting their students.
Overall, "Eating Homework" is a complex and thought-provoking critique of the education system. It challenges listeners to examine their own experiences with education and to consider the ways in which their schooling may have shaped their perceptions and beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Wearing the beautiful silver ring my mother gave me
I am wearing a beautiful silver ring that my mother gave me.
Suddenly a bite... as my fishing rod fell to the floor
I was in the middle of fishing when my rod suddenly fell to the floor.
Along with the label-less empty can of some processed vegetable
That had propped it up...
The can of processed vegetable that was holding up my fishing rod was empty and had no label.
Our holy father is probably closer to the horseshoe crab than say... Jupiter
Or so I've been... i can't believe what I've been taught to take note of as precious
What we consider precious or important may not actually be so, as compared to other things like the horseshoe crab, which could be more revered in the eyes of God.
Pledge of Allegiance
on down to the correct spelling of success
cursive
or standardized rigamaroling utility
What we are taught in school, from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to learning cursive writing and spelling correctly, may just be part of a standardized system without much use or practicality in life.
Powerful being scoffs at dog ears and near
Truths smeared between index and appendix... but heck
at least the lunches were hot...
God probably doesn't care about us having folded or dog-eared pages in our books or the facts that we record or remember, but school lunches could be a fond memory nonetheless.
George Washington
Woodrow Wilson
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Texas the Longhorn State
refraction of light in the earth's atmosphere
Triceratops
a-e-i-o-u and sometimes...
These are just random things that one might learn in school, ranging from historical figures to scientific terms to basic English vowels.
There's no such thing as a dumb question
All questions are valid and worth asking, and there's no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed about not knowing something.
"Out damn spot"
p.e.m.d.a.s.
cosine of a 90 degree angle is Zero
"Et tu brute",
whales and dolphins are people too
The Civil War was something to be proud of
Subject, prepositional phrase, predicate
And size order was only... the beginning
So I wonder, has my doodling suffered...
These are various things that one might learn in school, from Shakespeare's quotes to math formulas to historical events to grammar rules, and wondering whether or not one's creativity or artistic ability has been affected by school.
Who misses covering their textbooks
Authority figures folded hands silence...
Brainwashing is educational...
Covering textbooks and having authoritative figures in school can seem like a form of brainwashing or indoctrination, where we are taught to conform and follow rules without questioning why.
We, the schoolboard and the church and state
Acting on behalf of our sponsors...
Are here to protect you... all of you
From drugs
and the slightest knowledge of sole purpose...
Schools are often influenced or controlled by outside factors like the government or religious organizations and may prioritize things like drug prevention over more meaningful education or self-discovery.
I never had a problem with cheating...
Upon receipt of your son and daughter's scores
You may find him or her to be more than
Apt above average in kind of... well the following
Cheating can be a problem in schools, but even if students do cheat, they may still receive good grades and be considered above average or talented.
I want my unicorn back...
And that last wish for an infinite amount of wishes...
The damned, the difficult, and the testable material...
That's funny... yours says good job too...
These lines express a desire for magical or unrealistic things in life, but the reality is that we often have to deal with difficult and mundane tasks instead and may receive praise or validation for things that don't seem all that significant or worthy of praise.
I'm so bad with the names
Of Mice and Men
Huh huh... he's so creative... but he's no xl-57
These lines are random and seemingly unrelated to each other, possibly a reflection of a scattered or disjointed thought process that can be a result of the school system.
These completely complacent self-sufficient offspring
Can be confined and reconfigured to appear
As any of the three sexes and have a complete record of
Every single thing there ever is and will be...
Schools can teach us to be compliant or passive, and the idea of a complete recording of everything that has ever existed or will exist suggests a sort of loss of personal freedom or individuality.
Fist fights... the twisted torture of social acclimation...
Bells clang to segment the fun-filled artificial day further
As several hundred Galapagan sea turtles line up to enter the building...
School can be a difficult and painful place socially, with its rigid and often arbitrary schedule and systems of punishment and reward, but it can also be a place where unexpected or interesting things can happen.
If you give them all different names and teach them all the same
Thing... the earth turns into toffee...
And you can find out how good people really, really are...
This line suggests that schools can be a form of social experimentation, where if different people are given the same opportunities or knowledge, they may potentially all excel or fail in different ways.
Static and cold... my formative years
Were spent projecting myself outside that window
From chair with a desk bolted to it
Bolted to it the sacrificial billy goat accepted
What had been ponded through it...
These lines suggest a feeling of detachment or a sense of separateness from one's surroundings, and the idea of a sacrificial goat could symbolize the loss of individuality or sense of self in schools.
And the next person who encourages me...
Not to write in the first person gets left back
In case of fire, quietly and in an orderly fashion
Form a single file line in the front of the class
And wait for your instructor, facing the door
Continue towards the north stairwell
Then proceed calmly and quickly towards the nearest exit
Leave your bags and coats behind kindly... thank you
These lines suggest a sense of rebellion or defiance against the strict rules and conventions of schools, but also the importance of being prepared and cautious in case of emergency or danger.
You can't tell me I'm not good at math
Poor writer my...
I've got 25 jumping jacks left and two big circles to run in...
Don't want to be late for attentive head nodding and tie tying class...
These lines suggest a mix of confidence and insecurity in one's abilities, along with a distaste for physical or trivial activities that might take away from time spent on more important or meaningful pursuits.
Present in six months, I'll be a college graduate...
And then I'm gonna be... mr., dr., police, fire, space man
Ballerina, zookeeper, cowboy, president of the united states...
What are you gonna be...
?
These lines represent the optimistic and hopeful side of schools, where education can lead to better career opportunities and dreams can become reality.
before you get sent out to sea...
This line is a mysterious and slightly ominous way to end the song, possibly suggesting uncertainty or danger after leaving the confines of school.
All in a light grey auditorium through a knot in a boarded up window
That was painted shut by Satan and his vice principals
These lines suggest a claustrophobic and oppressive atmosphere in school, where even the slightest hint of light or freedom can be obscured or blocked.
Contributed by Samantha S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.