INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:
Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second - Starfucker
This beat is not my intellectual property, and I don't permit you to give me any money for the song I made out of it. That said, I hope you enjoy the song.
3Rhythms is an album inspired by and built with sounds from a trip to India, as part of a collaborative multimedia project with Summer HB.
So I had a short conversation with a turtle today.
Almost jogged right past him, but he made sure to stop me.
I almost thought he was trying to tell me a story or something,
But I asked, and he just looked at me, like:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to cut off your rhythm, or like disrupt your whole flow, but I figure while you're living in a manner that reflects what you're doing right now, you might appreciate a second to slow down."
...Just looking at me, like "Slow down!"
Alright, turtle.
Looking around, and then down, and then right back at him,
While trynna kinda figure out exactly what was happening.
I registered that all this turtle could probably see was my shoes,
Which I'm thinking only really represent so much about you.
I'm thinking "Yeah, so what's a little turtle even know?
I'm only really wearing these running shoes out here on the road-
'Cause at the time and the place that he sees me I'm on the go."
I'm like "It's just right now. I'm out here on the go...
That doesn't really tell you anything about my soul.
I'm just on the go right now. Right? It's fine."
So the fact that I'm here pushing at my personal maintenence-
Can't possibly be enlightening him to these acquaintences-
And their weight upon my brain in this perpetual matrix-
That it balances in, wondering if it's glad it exists (or not).
It's not so bad turtle. For all the perfect that I push at-
And wishing for a life that feels purposeful,
I know that my only hope is right here in the moment.
But who are you to tell me that I won't someday own it, turtle?
Huh? Come on. Why you gotta be like that?
You're a hater, turtle. That's what you are.
So maybe tomorrow I'll feel alive right now,
You little bastard. From down there on the ground-
You think it's cool to judge me? Looking at me with all that doubt,
Just because I'm still waiting to be right here now?
And then he turned.
Like, before I even had the opportunity to turn thought into word-
He turned back to the side of the road he'd been headed for-
And left me to decipher what I'd learned.
And I was like "What?
That motherfucker didn't even say anything...??"
That was a turtle.
What am I doing...?
credits
from Secular Monk (Single),
released December 6, 2014
Written, arranged, and performed by Forefeather.
Recorded by Forefeather at BVLC studio.
Instrumental: Rawnald Gregory Erickson The Second - Starfucker
Dedicated to infusing hip-hop with the art and practice of skillful living, Forefeather creates conscious rap music that is danceable, mindfulness-oriented, and celebratory of hip-hop’s lush history.
Zambian rapper and producer Abstract Sekai fuses golden era hip-hop with ambient sound design and a heady cosmic philosophy. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 17, 2023
The 18-year-old Maryland rapper’s newest album combines coming-of-age themes with refreshing, expansive production. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 22, 2022