Get all 11 M.C. K~Swift releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Pottery Class Volume 2: Ceramics, No Love, Pottery Class Volume 1: The Clay, Robert Frost, Might As Well Put This Out, Every Day, Keep Your Distance, sKyscrapers, and 3 more.
1. |
F*** This City
02:25
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I don't drink as much as I once did
And nowadays I barely hit a blunt kid
I'm tryna be in touch with my true self
Underneath substances my presence is too stealth
I feel like I be actin' out of character
Lowering my level, tripping, hanging on the banister
I've done too many nights on auto pilot
Bleedin' in the streets when I could've just avoided violence
And plus my cash flow be leakin out
Being broke'll have my mind two steps from tweakin' out
Thinkin' 'bout black gloves, black mask
Black hoodie, black slacks, black gat, black bag shit
Now that's a twisted path for my thoughts to go
I need a new direction, I be speakin' to my oracle
Meditate in darkness til I start to feel my aura glow
Then my inner being sends a message that I ought to know
Man, fuck this city
We done been here for too long we had enough of this city
Even though we love this city
Gotta get the fuck out, we can't trust this city
Man, fuck this city
We done been here for too long we had enough of this city
Even though we love this city
Gotta get the fuck out, we can't trust this city
The spirit of New York died on 9/11
Just to bring it back, I'm hittin' JFK to fly to heaven
I found paradise on Costa Rican shores
While all these little hipsters taking welcome to the ghetto tours
No metaphors, real spit poetry
Most of these scenesters were not bred locally
Hopefully, it changes soon, yeah right, guess again
More and more the native people are a rare specimen
The irony in me not being Iroquois
I gotta listen closer to the spirits for a clearer voice
Try to block the city out but I can hear the noise
Frustrated to the point that leave or stay are nowhere near a choice
That's the pickle that I'm living in
A big sour apple, I can smell the shit it's dripping in
That's why my style's raw like sewage
Juxtaposed against the way I flip the clear water fluid
Man, fuck this city
We done been here for too long we had enough of this city
Even though we love this city
Gotta get the fuck out, we can't trust this city
Man, fuck this city
We done been here for too long we had enough of this city
Even though we love this city
Gotta get the fuck out, we can't trust this city
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2. |
All in the Mix
03:27
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3. |
Then & Now
04:21
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I found myself having an insecure moment
Listening to a dope emcee and seeing an opponent
Feeling as though the shine he was getting should have been mine
This year I'm turning 29, my plan's 11 years behind
I hate second guessing myself, it feels dumb as luck
Stressin over how these other cats is quickly coming up
Knowing I got the talent they got, if not more
Young emcees tellin me that I'm the top 4
As far as they concerned, so I keep pushing til the tables turn
Last thing on my mind is how my rhymes can help a label earn
Is that the cardinal sin?
Alright, I'll try to leave that out for the next article then
Play the super hustler role but man, it's hard to pretend
Cuz money don't drive me, I'm spittin to release the artist within
Starvin again cuz I stupidly spent money
Cooped up in my momma house like, how I'ma turn music to rent money?
Sick of turning hard work to I'ma get bent money
Cuz now I see what that did for me
If I knew then what I know now
Then I'd know when and I'd know how
To make which move and in what way
But then I wouldn't be who I am today
And I feel strong and I feel bright
And I'm doing great so everything's alright
And when I feel down I put on my cape and I fly
Like up, up and away
Yeah
I feel super
Super, super, super, super
I feel super
Super, super, super, super
Super, super, super, super, super
But I don't always feel like the freshest hero
On bad days my confidence drops to less than zero
I keep my head high, chin up with my shoulders back
Chest full of breath, always set to let the flow attack
When it comes to poetry, I feel so relaxed
I'm pretty well known in rap, somebody prob'ly told you that
I'm nice before you even ever heard
How my each and every word, is a fraction of a street affected nerd
With a revolutionary mind and a kind heart
Who loves to work with the youth and produce refined art
And that's worth a lot without any accolades
But sometimes I wish that I could turn the clock back a ways
Or at least set my problems to the side and back away
And not dwell on feelin like that for half the day
Cuz as the time passes I think, think, think, think
If I knew then what I know now
Then I'd know when and I'd know how
To make which move and in what way
But then I wouldn't be who I am today
And I feel strong and I feel bright
And I'm doing great so everything's alright
And when I feel down I put on my cape and I fly
Like up, up and away
Yeah
I feel super
Super, super, super, super
I feel super
Super, super, super, super, super
Super, super, super, super, super
Super
I crash landed on this planet now I'm standing
With a canon for a voice and a healthy understanding
That I'm granted with a chance to make a difference while I'm livin
And the gift is in it lasting much longer than an instant
I could have bought my ticket as an infant, no kidding
Born with yellow jaundice followed by a meningitis sickness
Life is precious so I keep my focus in the right direction
If I make a misstep, I give myself a slight correction
And I keep it moving, right now my mantra is keep improving
So if you wit' me then let's see us do this
All in together, walking like we're taller than weather
And I talk like I'm calling it better
I can see the future peeking through the looking glass at my past
I gotta laugh at some of the things that I'm past
I gotta laugh at some of the things that I've passed
I gotta laugh at some of the things that have passed
If I knew then what I know now
Then I'd know when and I'd know how
To make which move and in what way
But then I wouldn't be who I am today
And I feel strong and I feel bright
And I'm doing great so everything's alright
And when I feel down I put on my cape and I fly
Like up, up and away
Yeah
I feel super
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4. |
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I walk through cold nights in the streets, Timberland booted feet
Headphones with hot beats, runnin' tracks like meets
Transform it 3D when I step to the stage
And set it ablaze with impeccable ways
My movement reflects respect for the greats who paved a path for me
Accordingly, I mark a trail for those who comin' after me
Ghetto life's a challenge, the city requires mastery
Amazing grace saved me when them burners took a blast at me
Love that I'm still living, striving, learning and surviving
Turning coal into diamond, see my darkness shine blinding
Guiding my glide across a wide range of urban environments
I was raised by the bright lights, busy crowds and sirens
This is for my people strugglin' at the bottom
Keepin they head to the sky cuz they know the most high's got'em
Stayin strong through the probems, workin' harder to solve'm
Shout out to all my heads on the rise who ain't forgotten
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
I walk through hot nights on the block, hood vibe in my bop
From my hoodie to my socks you can see I'm Hip-Hop
I be spittin lava rocks from the pit of my gut
It's verbal healing, never venmous stuff
I rock a Pittsburg fitted for Chuck, I know what time it is
It's time to get paid and do the knowledge like economists
It's time to tell the hood it ain't what liars televise it is
We must provide for kids a better vision for their eyelids
We got street dreams, we need divine sight
I'm tryna see 5 continents before 5 mics
So I'm elevating steady getting my mind right
Years ago I would have smoked twenty twenties like hindsight
Looking back at it, I know it's a bit foolish
Looking forward, I only see life improving
With or without big units, I'ma have influence
So I spit the city survival because I been through it
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
I walk through different parts of the globe, fresh kicks for my toes
Every place that I go I be seeing one soul
If it's anything I know, it's united we stand
And so I move to make right what I can
I overstand there are ghettoes all over the world
Some say the world is a ghetto, that's a truth unfurled
I see the universe by every curb
So I believe there is a chance for subpar to always grow to superb
I use my word swerving skills to spill facts when I serve
From classrooms and live shows and back to the curb
I do my best to spit the real, not miraculous words
I back it up by practicing being more active than verbs
I love the ground beneath my feet like the bass of the drum
I love the ghetto dwellers cuz that's the place that I'm from
Some people may not understand the passion held in my chest
Cuz they ain't never took a breath that had the taste of the slums
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
I know what it means to survive
Through hard times we made it alive
No I can't let go of my drive
My life's work is all of my pride
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5. |
I Represent
04:40
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I represent the city
I represent the city
I represent the city
I represent the city
In the city called Yiddy
Pretty lights glimmer over these blocks that are gritty
Fat Joe told you that the jealous ones envy
And the hungry ones be plottin in the cut by the plenty
In my close the thirty years, I have noticed this
The beautiful and the grotesque often both coexist
There's a dame beggin change on the train
Needing ice in her veins but she's such a sweet vocalist
I understand there's no hope in dope
By try to tell that to a 14-year-old wit a golden rope
He still young so maybe he hasn't sold his soul
So I throw him quotes I picked up as my scrolls unfold
If he feel what I'm sayin, he still prob'ly front
Be like, "forget all that my, g" then light a blunt
But when he sittin upstairs bumpin my newest hit
He bound to look back and recognize some of the truth I spit
I represent the city
New York, New York
The walk, the talk
Notorious for settin' it off
I represent the city
Yeah, NYC
Without a passport my accent is my ID
I represent the city
From 212 to 718
Holding it down is what we do
I represent the city
All my life
No matter where I'm at, I gotta rep NY right
I represent the home of the real rap
You on the mic son, show me where your skills at
You kickin nonsense? Nah, I can't feel that
This is where the wack get they stage time killed at
You mess around and get your whole team booed
And the promo CDs you gave out thrown at you
It ain't cuz my city's known for being mad rude
But we got a legacy of influential rap dudes
And women too
So responsibility is bigger, true
That's why K~Swift will never say no dumbness in an interview
Without it being tongue in cheek
I even listen when dummies speak
Cuz often wisdom is simple as: 1-2-3
I learned my lessons in the street as well as in the books
So I'm respected equally by intellectuals and crooks
I'm LES to the death, Brooklyn birthed my flesh
And Q boro's where half my family rests, yes
I represent the city
New York, New York
The walk, the talk
Notorious for settin' it off
I represent the city
Yeah, NYC
Without a passport my accent is my ID
I represent the city
From 212 to 718
Holding it down is what we do
I represent the city
All my life
No matter where I'm at, I gotta rep NY right
Riding on subway lines, I pen the tightest lines
Tryna climb to new plateaus to show my brighter shine
Twenty-four seven, three sixty-five, it's time to grind
Aight I lied, cuz when I party, yo, I'm gotta vibe
I don't live at work, I work at life
If livin passionately kills me then it's worth that price
Because tomorrow ain't promised and I strive for longevity
Strong heavenly thoughts pull me towards destiny
I make it manifest by puttin' movement behind it
Ain't no purpose speculatin' how I'd choose to rewind it
Cuz it's forward ever, never look back unless it makes you smile
I'm lookin' at the Hip Hop throne, I wanna take the crown
That I could be the king e-m-c double e
Been a dream to me ever since the age of three
Of course it's only one city on earth where this is possible
New York metropolis, we made the planet rock for you
New York, New York
The walk, the talk
Notorious for settin' it off
Yeah, NYC
Without a passport my accent is my ID
From 212 to 718
Holding it down is what we do
All my life
No matter where I'm at, I gotta rep NY right
New York, New York
Yeah NYC
New York, New York
Yeah NYC
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6. |
Dime Piece
03:10
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She's a dime, I would give her my last one
Give her my last name if she asked to have a hyphen attached
That way the tykes could match fam when it's time for that
It's not where we at
We don't wanna raise tots in a flat
Can't see that fly like tyin' knots in a flat
That'd be about as high as pots in a bag, you understand?
If not, pass
We've got plans that are co-inclusive
Knowin' that we can know the future if we stay present
She's my day and night, circle and crescent
We're like binary stars revolving around a shared essence
Which reflects each of our lights in combination
Amplified by a quiet conversation
We basin' this truth on the stories that teach lessons of life
Etchin' sketches on the beaches of time
I'm reminded of the hourglass figure of our hearts drawn aligned
In horizontal symmetry though we are side-by-side
We navigate the ebbs and flows of the tides
Watchin' the constellations paint backdrops to the skies
Eyes on the prize awarded to spirits that's intertwined
Close like serpentine vines ever growing as we climb
Holding hands with the divine identified within our inner sides
She lifts me when I'm slippin, her support keeps me energized
She challenges me without makin' me feel criticized
Together we explore the ways that we can truly live alive
Followin' our dreams in a lucid state
Illuminated visions help us clearly see the moves to make
Goin' with the flow on a cruise with fate
What's the destination? Who's to say?
Simultaneously we state that it's you and me
Wherever we at, however we are
As long as we're together then we're never too far away
Never too far away
Never too far away
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7. |
Best of Times
03:56
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8. |
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We was born in a grave, raised by slaves
Taught me misbehave to prove that we are brave
Livin in a prison where you can't see the cage
And you can't see the walls but you movin' through a maze
Goin' round in a circle, dizzy in a daze
Eyes fuzzy from the gunsmoke, mirrors and the haze
So you take another blunt toke, set your mind ablaze
Tryna burn away the pain but the hurt still stays
And it's never gonna fade, it's far from a phase
We're victims of the ways of the times and the age
How we gonna turn fate? We not on the same page
We ain't got enough faith in ourselves to make a chance
We be waitin' on celebrities with fortune and fame
To do somethin' for the hood and that ain't even they aim
It's a real damn shame, we caught up in the game
But I'm tired of playin, I'm gonna agitate the frame
When I look in the sky, it don't be lookin' clear for us
And it ain't never seem like anybody care for us
And in the end, we the only ones there for us
Who gonna listen if somebody say a prayer for us?
Pac made it plain, and I want for you to know
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
We was birthed in the dirt, 5 centuries of work
Still livin' at the bottom not seeing our true worth
As the cream of the crop and the salt of the earth
Meanwhile, children of the slave traders' seein' perks
And we keep'em all paid, we get played like jerks
Who you think made the cotton material in ya shirt?
How you think they got rich? Where they get the cotton first?
I'm feelin' like buyin stock in it before I feel worse
Thoughts rushin' through my mind, my head about to burst
Gotta fight off the idea that people were born cursed
There's devils all around, I can feel'em in the church
So I turn to myself to quench my soul's thirst
Holy water of my tears wash where my fears lurk
Replacin the sad times of the years with a smirk
Take the lessons that I learnt like a lotus through the murk
Like a phoenix through the flames, I'ma rise through the hurt
When I look in the sky, it don't be lookin' clear for us
And it ain't never seem like anybody care for us
And in the end, we the only ones there for us
Who gonna listen if somebody say a prayer for us?
Pac made it plain, and I want for you to know
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
I had dreams of Gil Scott still runnin' from the vulture
But we the only ones still fighting for the culture, true
But our face ain't on top of the poster
It's too much food for thought, and they was givin ulcers
I'm in a drought, cloud blocked by the boulders
I'm doin' a raindance for concrete roses
Rise allow bloom in your petals to reach
I'm Godlike, and God never settles for least
I'm on top even if the ground is weak
I won't sink even if there's water beneath
I take sail, some of my thoughts was like jail
But I gained knowledge of self and post bail
I won't fail, I build heaven inside of my hell
I'll always prevail through the maze
I'm too on key to be caged
They all hate but have no choice but be amazed
When I look in the sky, it don't be lookin' clear for us
And it ain't never seem like anybody care for us
And in the end, we the only ones there for us
Who gonna listen if somebody say a prayer for us?
Pac made it plain, and I want for you to know
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
Just cuz you in the ghetto doesn't mean you can't grow
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9. |
Eye Awake
02:38
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10. |
Higher Level
03:19
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Dead your illuminati theories, I'm a luminary
The corporate world's already ruling this, the truth is scary
The New World Order means the social structure's monetary
The way you livin' shows the dollar is your god already
Fall to your knees and pray
We all are diseased today
Seekin' for much more than we need to stay alive
85% of our lives spent
Chasin' the lies that supplement a tenth of a tenth
I let my high eye vent
Exhalin' at the top of a tent
Tuned to the black pitch
Giving it up like Lent
Reciprocated cuz my energy's lent
To entity's in my vicinity on this alignment
Sensitive to the succubi and symbiotes
Parasytic forces that pretend they aren't sentiate
Buildin' with my queen to calibrate the I intuit
Cuz trustin' your gut is just as productive as bussin' a nut
Possibly moreso
A torch glows inside your torso
Let it be your guiding light shining when your force shows
The children of the heavens all were born with abort codes
To false soul programmin', we slow jammin the taught modes
Of modulation, grind'em to a salt - halt
Remind them of their faults through the jewels that you won't find in any vaults
The laymen say it sound like K be straight up rhymin' when he talk
Sending thoughts off soarin', mind flyin' with the hawks
It's obvious I'm on a higher level
Beyond cloud 9, I'm zonin' on a flyer level
No baggage, no tickets, just another plane
My transmission's automatically another lane
It's obvious I'm on a higher level
Beyond cloud 9, I'm zonin' on a flyer level
No baggage, no tickets, just another plane
My transmission's automatically another lane
I don't believe in nothin' I don't know about
History's no mystery, it's clear what they been holdin' out
Humanity's orgin in reality
Is buried by focusin' on our differences and this is called insanity
Race war is a distraction from the class war
I motivate on Black power first because I'm Black more
That's far beyond any cosmetic consequence
My confidence is based in cosmic consciousness and competence
Unlockin' and applyin higher science
At times I slide resurface and ride tides that bind the leviathan
Quietin' rioutous vibes that might incite a lightning strike
From titanous gods excited towards violence
My mightiness has spared lives and its likenesses
The finest triumph I've come to see resembles enlightenment
I ain't the type to pose pious though righteousness is my guide
I dip and glide like kites on strings when electrified
It's obvious I'm on a higher level
Beyond cloud 9, I'm zonin' on a flyer level
No baggage, no tickets, just another plane
My transmission's automatically another lane
It's obvious I'm on a higher level
Beyond cloud 9, I'm zonin' on a flyer level
No baggage, no tickets, just another plane
My transmission's automatically another lane
This is not spaced out or abstract
It's earth-bound panorama and I'm lookin' past that
Most rap cats live shows should come with laugh tracks
Cuz all they ever bring is punchlines and mad gags
My art seriously deads jokes
What I pump from the heart busses up heads like strokes
You feeling froggish? croak
But don't dare jump over this moat
What I propel, torpedoes your boat
Sink or swim
Challenge me? Think again
Fallacies from out your ink pen
Directly linkin' to your cowardly end
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11. |
Natural Force
08:28
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M.C. K~Swift Brooklyn, New York
M.C. K~Swift (New Rap Order) is a Hip-Hop artist and educator, who has been recording and performing since his teens during the early '90s. A founding member of the progressive Hip-Hop collective, New Rap Order M.C. K~Swift is among both the vanguard and the old guard of True Hip Hop. ... more
M.C. K~Swift recommends:
ManKind: The Fall
by Mankind (SciryL & !LLumiN@TE)
Mankind is ScyriL and illumiNate. The two NRO emcees trade bars with sheer fluidity. M.C. K~Swift is featured on the song "Papa Shongo."
go to albumIf you like M.C. K~Swift, you may also like:
supported by 6 fans who also own “Campaign: Promise”
This whole album is excellent. So hard to choose a favorite track.
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supported by 5 fans who also own “Campaign: Promise”
cus this world leadin music jazz stuff with free hearted love given helpers help creative mary jane freedom & peace lyrics advantage style is fillin me up n refresh my shaky humanism .. u know?
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To Whom it may Concern... (30th anniversary remastered edition)
by Freestyle Fellowship
featured on Bandcamp Radio Oct 18, 2021
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featured on Bandcamp Radio Apr 2, 2019
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There’s prevalent dread throughout billy woods’s new album, a feeling that terror can strike at any moment.
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