Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

About Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

"Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song by the American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was originally featured on their 1988 album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, before being released as a single in 1989. The song tells the story of a conscientious objector who makes a prison escape. It is built on a high-pitched piano sample from the 1969 Isaac Hayes song "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" from the album Hot Buttered Soul. The vocals are done mostly by lead rapper Chuck D, with sidekick Flavor Flav appearing in between verses, seemingly speaking to Chuck over the phone. Flavor went to another room and did actually call the studio to achieve this effect. In 1995, English trip hop musician Tricky released a cover version entitled "Black Steel", with Martina Topley-Bird performing the vocals backed by the techno-rock band FTV. more »

Year:

1988

6:23

302 Views

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I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me given' a damn, I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute
It occurred to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out, but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun, to be another one
Public enemy servin' time, they drew the line y'all
To criticize me some crime, never the less
They could not understand that I'm a Black man
And I could never be a veteran
On the strength, the situation's unreal
I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel

They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin'
Tellin' you what happened the same time they're throwin'
Four of us packed in a cell like slaves, oh well
The same motherfucker got us livin' is his hell
You have to realize, what its a form of slavery
Organized under a swarm of devils
Straight up, word 'em up on the level
The reasons are several, most of them federal
Here is my plan anyway and I say
I got gusto, but only some I can trust, yo
Some do a bid from one to ten
And I never did, and plus I never been
I'm on a tier where no tears should ever fall
Cell block and locked, I never clock it y'all
'Cause time and time again time
They got me servin' to those and to them
I'm not a citizen
But ever when I catch a see-O
Sleepin' on the job, my plan is on go-ahead
On the strength, I'ma tell you the deal
I got nothin' to lose
'Cause I'm goin' for the steel

You know I caught a C-O
Fallin' asleep on death row
I grabbed his gun, then he did what I said so
And everyman's got served
Along with the time they served
Decency was deserved
To understand my demands
I gave a warnin', I wanted the governor, y'all
And plus the warden to know
That I was innocent,
Because I'm militant
Posing a threat, you bet it's fuckin' up the government
My plan said I had to get out and break north
Just like with Oliver's neck
I had to get off, my boys had the feds in check
They couldn't do nothin'
We had a force to instigate a prison riot
This is what it takes for peace
So I just took the piece
Black for Black inside time to cut the leash
Freedom to get out, to the ghetto, no sell out
6 see-Os we got we ought to put their head out
But I'll give 'em a chance, 'cause I'm civilized
As for the rest of the world, they can't realize
A cell is hell, I'm a rebel so I rebel
Between bars, got me thinkin' like an animal
Got a woman C-O to call me a copter
She tried to get away, and I popped her
Twice, right
Now who want to get nice?
I had six C-O's, now it's 5 to go
And I'm serious, call me delirious
But I'm still a captive
I gotta rap this
Time to break as time grows intense
I got the steel in my right hand
Now I'm lookin' for the fence

I ventured into the courtyard
Followed by fifty two brothers
Bruised, battered, and scarred but hard
Goin' out with a bang
Ready to bang out
But power from the sky
And from the tower shots rang out
A high number of dose, yes
And some came close
Figure I trigger my steel
Stand and hold my post
This is what I mean, an anti-n*gger machine
If I come out alive and then they won't, come clean
And then I threw up my steel bullets, flew up
Blew up, who shot
What, who, the bazooka was who
And to my rescue, it was the S1Ws
Secured my getaway, so I just got away
The joint broke, from the black smoke
Then they saw it was rougher that the average bluffer
'Cause the steel was black, the attitude exact
Now the chase is on tellin' you to c'mon
53 brothers on the run, and we are gone

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Public Enemy

Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord (DJ who replaced Terminator X in 1999), and Music Director Khari Wynn. Formed in Long Island, New York, in 1982, Public Enemy is known for their politically charged lyrics and criticism of the American media, with an active interest in the frustrations and concerns of the African American community. more »

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