So it's been a while since I released some new music.  But the wait is over! I hooked up with my fellow LDS hip hop artist Marcanum X on this track.  Marcanum X is one of the illest up and coming MC's in the country.  He already has features with Capadonna from Wu-Tang Clan, Tragedy Khadafi, and many more.  And the craziest part?  He's only 19.

The track we recorded is called "Puppets." In today's age of intense media consumption and the massive amount of time we spend on social websites like Facebook and YouTube, many people are constantly seeking the approval of their friends, peers, and the world in general. When we seek the world's approval of our beliefs and actions, we often let humans we barely know and corporations who simply desire our money to control us and manipulate us. In essence, we are "puppets." Instead of looking to the ever shifting approval of our social network and the world, we should simply be ourselves and seek the approval of our Creator. 

The track is a free download.  Please post it on Facebook and Twitter and share it with the people you know. 

So I have a new song out today.  All my music is free, so this one is no different.  This is a FREE DOWNLOAD! I wrote the lyrics to this track in the months proceeding the Virginia Tech shootings in April of 2007. The debate that came out of this incident turned to the media the shooter was consuming-- full of violence. This was also the same time when radio talk show host Don Imus made derrogatory remarks about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. He was then fired for his comments. The debate surrounding that incident also turned to lyrics in hip hop.

The beat behind this song was made when I got into a really serious fight with my wife at the time. I felt hopeless. I felt discouraged. I felt alone. I felt anger. I felt confusion. So this song is the result of all the chaos in the public discourse, and chaos in my personal life.

"The past preys on last place." Think about that.

So the season is over. The Broncos got embarrassed in their last game against the Patriots. They didn't make it to the super bowl. They didn't make it into the history books. BUT.... something happened during their season. A young, inexperienced, and allegedly untalented quarterback named Tim Tebow came in and utterly changed, not only their season around, but the entire sports industry.  How?  This wasn't supposed to happen. Just ask every sports commentator in America.  Pretty much every sports mind, except for Skip Bayles, was convinced Tebow was going to flop.  So how did this happen? Miracles.

If you follow sports at all, what occurred during the Denver Broncos season once Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback was simply put, miraculous. After watching the highlights of this past season, any casual sports fan would see that what occurred just doesn't happen.  It just doesn't.  Not only did it happen once or twice, it happened over. And over. And over. And over.  It captured the attention of the entire world.  But why?  How? I contend that God had something to do with it.  No, I don't believe God likes Tebow more than any other sports player, but God works upon natural law.

Tim Tebow has structured his life in a way that he relies on God for everything. He integrates his faith in God into every aspect of his life, including his conversations with other players and his play on the field.  How many of us actually do this to the level that Tim Tebow does?  Sure, some of us may pray in our hearts throughout the day, but we don't have the guts to kneel and say a vocal prayer in front of thousands of people watching us.  Tim does.  Sure, some of us may say "God bless" when we're finishing a conversation with someone, but Tim brings up God with others regularly in conversations.  So when most of us would be thinking about the goings on around us, Tim's mind is thinking about God and what God wants to occur in that situation.  This makes his mind more keen on very specific little insights that may come to him as thoughts because he is focussed on God at those times.  Those little insights are what help him throw a pass here, run there, move that way-- all the things that, at the end of a game, helped him and his team win .... just barely.  And he shares those thoughts and feelings with others around him, so they become more aware of it.  And that develops hope for an entire team. Hope that amazing can happen.  That miracles do occur and that they, as a team, can achieve great success... again, and again, and again. So here is the message I think we're supposed to take away from it all.

GOD IS TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING.  IF WE LIVE OUR LIFE IN A WAY WHERE WE SEEK TO GOD'S HIS WILL IN ALL THINGS, ON A CONSTANT BASIS, MIRACLES WILL HAPPEN.   THE WORLD WILL BE CHANGED. CRITICS AND ALL LOGIC WILL BE DEFIED.  OUR ACTIONS WILL INSPIRE OTHERS, AND THE WORLD WILL BECOME A GREATER PLACE.  Now... excuse me while I Tebow cuz that's how we roll!   

What's up y'all! The past few weeks have been madness! Lots of attention from my latest song Tebow Time, which now has 56,700 views and counting. Thanks to all the supporters! And Timmy is still making miracles happen! There have also been quite a few requests to see the lyrics to the song, so here they are after the break!

*UPDATE: The video now has over 112,00 views!*



Chorus

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Now point to the clouds/ and put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ cuz that's how we roll/

Now point to the clouds/ and put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ up in the C-O

Well first and foremost he thanks his lord and savior/ former legend- Florida gator/ His name is Timmy/ he amazes for a living/ boomboomboom/ hash mark winning/ ever since he was drafted/ in the first round/ people like to talk talk talk talk smack/ he's a great rushing quarterback but can't throw a touchdown/ but true fans knew/ he finds a way to win/ you can't get around it/ that's just what he do/ Kyle Orton couldn't survive past week five/ Tim Tebow named the Broncos starter/ then it began/ haters hating/ ESPN constantly debating/ degrading tim/ Merrill Hoge you bout to get served/ take a nice big gulp and swallow your own words/ (appreciate that)
Chorus

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Now point to the clouds/ and put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ cuz that's how we roll/

Now point to the clouds/ and put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ cuz that's how we roll

Week 7 2011/ the Miami Dolphins thought they had the game locked/ with 5:23 left on the game clock/ it was Tebow time/ turn out the lights cuz he was bout to shine/ he was about to find/ the end zone/ 3 different times/ Broncos win! Broncos win!/ miracles happen/ when Tebow's in/ 3 more weeks and 2 more dubs/ then they played the Jets/ and look out cuz/ winning man- that's what he does/ rock solid defense/ set the Broncos up/ for a game winning drive/ and *huh* guess what-- its Tebow time!/ 25 yard TD run/ when all is said and done/ he's 4-1/ and the haters keep hating/ and the critics keep complaining/
Chorus

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Everybody point to the clouds/ now put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ cuz that's how we roll/ uh oh!

Everybody point to the clouds/ now put your knee to the ground/ we bout to Tebow/ that's how we do it in the C-O

Born in the Philipines/ His father said/ Lord give me a son/ I'll name him Timothy/ Hard work beats talent/ when talent doesn't work hard/ Overcoming/ all of the odds/ Hey John Elway- you need to give it up/ there ain't no way you're getting Andrew Luck/ so don't be thinkin/ you can trade Tim at the end of this season/ in a few more years/ he'll be leadin /the Denver Broncos back to the playoffs/ all you sports writers need to quit your day jobs/ Kris Jenkins/ you need to be laid off/ we all tebowin/ and we all be goin/ down on one knee/ thankin the L-O-R-D/ for a great QB/ with passion and drive/ the chosen one he has arrived/ no matter what's going on around him/ he tebowin/ cuz faith in God is what grounds him/ there's no changing him/ people making fun of his faith and devotion/ and his throwing motion/ we don't care if he's running/ we don't care if he's throwing/ at the end of the day--- we all Tebowing!

My "TEBOW TIME" song and video are featured on TebowZone.com now! Check it out here http://www.tebowzone.com/2011/12/tebowing-song-video/

Here is a really interesting article about electronic artist Kaskade in the NY Times. It's interesting to me because he's LDS like me, and he went to BYU, like me. It's also very interesting he felt very out of place at BYU, like me. And he left BYU in part for that reason, like me (I moved to Arizona and went to ASU). Now that I'm back in Utah, I think BYU has changed a bit. There's quite a few electronic and hip hop heads at BYU now.  But because we're both old cats and attended BYU back in the day, urban music was pretty wacky stuff for the folks here in the mountains of Utah back then. It's very interesting because he has survived in a drug-filled industry while still maintaining his morals.  Now that to me is AWESOME.  Myself and other LDS artists like Shawn Phillips have always tried to walk that line of maintaining our values, while at the same time thriving in an urban music culture that promotes behaviors that conflict with our values.  That is just amazing and I give mad props to Kaskade for maintaining his moral standards, regardless of the nay-sayers on both sides of the fence. That's mad inspiring.

Perhaps the most fascinating part is that he attributes his success to the general rise of electronic music, which is in part because of "hip hop fatigue". I have lamented here on my blog before about how "Hip Hop is Boring Me" and "Has the Demise of Hip Hop Actually Arrived" but this is fascinating because it seems to be a nation-wide epidemic. Hip hop is played out. I have talked to several friends in the past month who used to produce or MC and all of them have fallen out of love with hip hop. I dunno what it is-- there's just nothing new that really gets you excited anymore with hip hop.  And it's true with me too. I listen to more electronic music now than hip hop!  What is it?? What's wrong with hip hop??? Anyone?? Anyone?? Bueller?? Bueller??

This track talks about how music, and especially the genre of hip hop, has become such a cesspool of filth through degenerative behavior and language that it becomes barely tolerant. Especially because the filth and negativity is so widely consumed by children and young people. It has a detrimental effect on our society, and the societies of other countries as well, for generations. Somebody has to take a stand and go against the current, and try to re-direct the ship from going over the waterfall. That somebody has to be me and you. Listen and download below. Please share.

So I took a sample from a book on radicalism and applied it to radicalism. Now conservatives have taken the role of being the underdog and the oppressed. But the difference is that history and human nature side with conservatives. Socialism and communism have failed every time, and will continue to fail. They are at direct odds with human nature. Hence the title "Subversion."

Well, after a short-lived website re-design, I've resurrected my blog. I just have too much to say to be silent. Plus frequent blog posts make me look like I'm an active artist doing tons of things (which I'm.... kind of.... not.... sometimes... maybe). So anyways- hope to hear your comments on some of the upcoming posts I have planned! Warning: there will be a lot of political content on here!

My next track I'm putting out is called "Peaceful Destruction" and features Redcloud and Spoken Nerd.  It's a really dope track with a rock sample and TONS of dope metaphors throughout.  I'm going to have a contest to see if you can pick out 4 or more metaphors for names of rock groups, songs, and albums and if you can, you will get a free download of the track.

Well, kinda.  All my music is now only .50 cents per track!  That's right. Every song you purchase right here on the "Music" page of www.arhythmatik.com (or arhythmatik.bandcamp.com) is only .50!  I wanted it to be easy to access good, fresh, positive hip hop, so this I hope this helps.

The time has come! My latest track "Balances" produced by Life Rexall of $martyrs and The Shapeshifters is finally here! Life Rexall is one of my favorite artists. He is one of the few artists who produces and rhymes, like me. I have had this beat from Life Rexall for a while, but it took some time to craft the hook for the song. Lyrically, this track is one of my more descriptive songs about my religious and moral beliefs, but it’s also one of my more aggressive tracks. The beat set the vibe so it ended up being a dope blend of lyrical wisdom without the corniness. When I wrote for it, I actually intended to take the song in an entirely different direction, but the lyrics all kinda just seemed to fall into place and fit naturally. Take a listen and let me know what ya think! Be sure to share this with your friends and spread the word! SUPPORT POSITIVE HIP HOP!