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.
You Devil You
Themselves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you wait for ransome notes?
Would you trust him? Could you trust him?
Trust him like mom with a hot needle
Or do you cut a hole in the roof?
Hell and dump down armfulls of flowers
And flat worms livening up his basement
And maybe his heart starts a-changing
And he lets your girl go
With fur coats and shit
You can't make satan prey
You can't sick mom armed with hot needles
You can't shoot guns down the sewer
Or bang on the ceiling angry for god
The devil is alot like you
He's scared up to it's horns of happiness
Don't deny yourself mornings
Sing in the face of your enemies
The lyrics of Themselves's song "You Devil You" explore the idea of confronting and challenging one's own demons, symbolized by the devil. The song presents a hypothetical scenario where the devil has taken away someone's women, posing the question of how one would react. The lyrics suggest that rather than resorting to violence or anger, a different approach is proposed.
The first verse contemplates whether one would trust the devil, likening it to trusting one's own mother with a potentially dangerous object like a hot needle. It then introduces a contrasting image, suggesting an alternative method of dealing with the devil. Instead of forcefully confronting him, the approach of showering him with kindness and beauty is proposed. By filling his space with flowers and creatures, the lyrics imply that the devil's heart might be softened, leading him to release the stolen women willingly.
The second verse dismisses the idea of trying to overpower or control the devil. It states that like you, the devil is also scared of happiness. The lyrics suggest that denying oneself joy and happiness is a pointless battle. Instead, the song encourages facing one's enemies, metaphorically singing boldly in their faces.
Overall, "You Devil You" encourages a more compassionate and unconventional approach to dealing with personal demons, rather than resorting to violence or aggression.
Line by Line Meaning
What if the devil stole your women
Imagine if the devil took away your loved ones
Do you wait for ransome notes?
Do you expect demands for their return?
Would you trust him? Could you trust him?
Would you have faith in him? Could you have faith in him?
Trust him like mom with a hot needle
Have as much trust in him as you would have in your own mother with a dangerous tool
Or do you cut a hole in the roof?
Or would you take drastic action to confront the situation?
Hell and dump down armfulls of flowers
Send down gifts and gestures of goodwill
And flat worms livening up his basement
Even creatures considered unpleasant can bring life and change to his dark place
And maybe his heart starts a-changing
Perhaps his feelings and intentions start to transform
And he starts sniffing flowers
He begins to appreciate the beauty and positivity around him
And he lets your girl go
And he releases the person he had taken from you
With fur coats and shit
Providing her with luxury and comfort
You can't make satan prey
You cannot manipulate or control the devil
You can't sick mom armed with hot needles
You cannot instigate your mother, armed with a dangerous tool
You can't shoot guns down the sewer
You cannot dispose of your anger and frustration by shooting firearms into the sewer
Or bang on the ceiling angry for god
Or express your anger towards God by banging on the ceiling
The devil is a lot like you
The devil shares similarities with you
He's scared up to its horns of happiness
He is so afraid of finding happiness
Don't deny yourself mornings
Do not deprive yourself of new beginnings
Sing in the face of your enemies
Find joy and strength in confronting your adversaries
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Farrar
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lost pelican
Such an underrated project. One of my all time favorite anticon releases, all this long time later I’ve many pleasant and very weird memories where this was the perfect soundtrack
FreeHoudini
I have always adored how simple and yet totally spooky this video is.
areola ayatollah
Why cant the beauty in something like this be in the randomness? Why does everything have to have a deep profound meeting? Art can be brain garbage thrown together nicely like Anticon often does and did here.
fkykas
Maybe the meaning changes according to who listens to it, but today for me this sounds totally about evil people, oppressors and fight against them, and that people who live with such things are a lot like the oppressor and they must stand up.
Strange Powers
Religion? this is as deep as it gets
twin atoms
the way doseone writes lyrics, i assume only he really knows what the point or meaning is.
Alexis Muñoz
they are the best actually...
domi Berni
one of best group Abstract hiphop of 21century
Pantelis Daskalakis
well well done..
DoctorSess
@pnevz the best art is when everyone can interpret it their own way...the best art has no right or wrong way to look at it, it inspires you and speaks to you personally. now enough of that... i dont even know what this shit is but it's dope!