Scenario: You're lazy, but willing to try new things. One of your friends is a hip hop geek who tells you about an up and coming underground rapper, and encourages you to purchase his new CD. So after three weeks you buy it for just over $10, take it back to your apartment, put it in your computer's disc drive, and let it run out. This rapper is a little different than what you've seen on MTV recently. This guy's really violent. He lets you know he wants to rape your mom really bad. He says you've got puppet idiots in government office. He curses off Pepsi, Fox News, major record labels, your mom some more. He goes through the list again to make sure he's got everyone. He weaves in stories about the Knights Templar, details how cocaine enters the US, Auschwitz, Condoleezza Rice, classism vs. racism, Montezuma, and the manipulation of religion. His beats aren't even creative. They don't evolve, and no whistles, hardly a women wooing in the background. He's yelling at all the rappers who rap about ice and pimping. He wants to rape their mom too. He threatens if nobody signs his albums he'll bootleg them on the streets and hustle his own records. This guy's opinionated and mad. Who the fuck is this guy? You check the CD case again. On it, you find his cell phone number.

Most of my Latino and Black people who are struggling to get food, clothes, and shelter in the hood
are so concerned with that, that philosophizing about freedom and socialist democracy is usually
unfortunately beyond their rationale.

In the early 1980's, Immortal Technique (hereafter IT) was born in Southern America inside of a military hospital, and before aging long enough to understand the current civil war conflicts of his native Peru, was brought to Northern America. Harlem, to be exact. It wasn't much of a move for most people; trading a 3rd world birthplace for a 1st world ghetto. IT grew up like a typical human in the projects. As he grew he fled from Harlem schooling, cops, did drugs, broke the law, most likely joined a gang or two, sold dope, possibly other drugs, and finished high school, soon after becoming accepted to a state university. Then he got himself arrested for Aggravated Assault, impounded for a year or so, and was released into a world that wouldn't hire him.

Where did all the real motherfuckers go in the game
Bring back the break dancers and graffiti writers with fame

Before being thrown away in jail, all through IT's (now hereafter referred to as Tech) life he was enthralled by the still classical underground culture of hip hop that could be found in Harlem, should one look deep enough. Before he was thrown away for his own fuck ups, he learned to love people like Che Guevara, Malcolm X, DJ Herc, and Karl Marx. From Tech's incarceration, inside the walls he would know for the next (approximately) two years of his life, he began to write, fight, battle, and harden his resolution of being a revolutionary. When he was finally let go, he returned to Harlem unable to locate a job because of his jail rep. Tech began to tour around and win rap battles and contests. Eventually he lied about his time to get a job, and worked as a receptionist for emails. He went back to school and majored in Political Science.

And he felt strong standing along with his new brothers
Cocked the gat to her head, and pulled back the shirt cover
But what he saw made him start to cringe and stutter
'Cause he was starring into the eyes of his own mother
She looked back at him and cried, because he had forsaken her
She cried more painfully, than when they were raping her
His whole world stopped, he couldn't even contemplate
His corruption had successfully changed his fate

Eventually, born of the lyrics he would write in prison about his time, life, and education in the streets, Tech would complete his first album and sell it independently. Revolutionary vol. 1 was released underground three days after September 11, 2001. Had it been in the mainstream, without a doubt the backlash of releasing such a real-life, controversial album of this proportion would have turned him into a public enemy. His lyrics were raw, mostly non-comedic about everything from who he hated, the governments he hated, racism, the problems with capitalism, a call for unity of his people, and revolution against the United States. Tracks were titled "Creation and Destruction," and "The Prophecy". Somehow, the underground community received him well, despite many clubs and companies who knew about him attempting to keep him away because of his Marxist ideals and slurs against corporations. At some point during or before this time, Tech (hereafter referred to as Immortal Technique) signed up with the indie Viper Records and became vice president.

In a hundred years from now
Everyone who's living on this planet will be dead
So it's inconsequential really
All the shit that you talk
All the bullshit that you stand for
It's more important what, what your ready to build
What you're ready to pass down to your children
What you're ready to create

Meanwhile, we have the Immortal Technique we know now. So far he has released an additional EP and then an album (Revolutionry vol. 2). He's just as controversial as ever, and his popularity is growing. Inside his second album (unconfirmed for the first), you can find his cell phone number. His claim for this, is he considers his albums a media for his ideas, not a platform for arguing against other rappers and people who would talk shit. He challenges his peers to use their art as a medium for expression, a final product, not as a means to fight among themselves and produce battle tracks against each other. He feels if someone would like to talk, argue or altercate with him, that they do it personally, and not on a disc you sell for $14.99. You can also look at the number as something you can use to personally contact the man you just paid money to listen rap.

You're listening to Immortal Technique, and this is Revolutionary Vol. 2
From death row, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal

With words and a spirit akin to Saul Williams and Mr. Lif, nearly peer in technique to Aesop Rock and MF Doom, Immortal Technique has found himself respected by many as he struggles with great heart for the cause he fights for, for better or worse. Like any artist, there is a lot to be debated in what he has to say. Immortal Technique is not the most politically correct rapper around, and he is not always without holes in his facts. Unless you do your own research, becoming a fan of his may mean becoming mislead in a number of subjects you should be reading about and researching for yourself (in the context of the latter-most quote, I personally suggest reading a few E2 pipes about Mumia, and going beyond)... of course, you could say worse about many other musicians, writers, poets, and authors out there. Ultimately, Immortal Technique has gone on record to say what he wishes his records do most is provoke listeners to go out and educate themselves, and become involved in what they believe, not just a scenester.

How dare you niggers criticize the way that I spit
You coffee shop revolutionary son of a bitch

Stepping away from the obvious banter of underground hip-hop's friction with mainstream Eminems and Snoop Doggs, Immortal Technique does work to help support the causes he fights for outside of rapping on his albums. Viper Records, the company he is VP of, is an avid supporter of prison reform. The company performs shows in prison theatres around the world to help entertain and educate those who serve hard time. Currently, He's working on his 3rd album.

Discography (- EP):
Hard linked tracks are especially recommended

Revolutionary Vol. 1

  1. Creation & Destruction
  2. Dominant Species
  3. Positive Balance
  4. Getaway
  5. Beef & Broccoli - monologue
  6. No Me Importa
  7. Top of the Food Chain Remix
  8. Poverty of Philosophy - monologue
  9. Revolutionary
  10. Spend Some Time Remix
  11. Dance With the Devil
  12. Prophecy
  13. Understand Why
  14. No Mercy
  15. Illest - Jean Grae
  16. Speak Your Mind

Revolutionary Vol. 2

  1. Revolutionary Intro
  2. Point of No Return
  3. Peruvian Cocaine
  4. Harlem Streets
  5. Obnoxious
  6. Message & The Money - monologue
  7. Industrial Revolution
  8. Crossing the Boundary
  9. Sierra Maestrap
  10. 4th Branch
  11. Internally Bleeding
  12. Homeland and Hip Hop - monologue by Mumia
  13. Cause of Death
  14. Freedom of Speech
  15. Leaving the Past
  16. Truth's Razors
  17. You Never Know - feat. Jean Graep
  18. One

Additional information:

  • Immortal Technique attended Penn State University before being thrown out for the criminal charges that landed him jail time. When he went back to school after leaving, he did not finish his major of Political Science before committing all his time to music. I can not confirm if he went back to Penn State or if it was another school
  • Specifically, the Aggravated Assault charge arose when he and a friend were convicted for beating a white male on campus (the white guy was hospitalized from the "fight"). Immortal's co-defendant betrayed him in the case and revealed evidence helping to convict him. Technique did not return the favor, but instead got a new lawyer, who was able to lower the 3-5 sentence to 1-2 years with a work-release option.
  • Tech has opened shows for The Beatnuts, RUN DMC, BlackThought, Bootcamp, Jeru, Wu-Tang Clan, D12, Afu-ra, Deadprez, TonyTouch, Nice & Smooth, Anti-pop consortium, J5, and Blackalicious, and won battles at Braggin Rites, Rocksteady, and DaCypha. He's notorious in the NYC and surrounding area in terms of freestyle and vicious flow.
  • In fact, Revolutionary vol. 1 marked his first distancing from popular rappers and titles in quest of his own terms of hip-hop, and political free speech.
  • Most likely, he does not want to rape your mom.

Sources:
http://www.true-skool.org/artists.php?contid=00143
http://thaformula.com/immortal_technique_-_uncle_howie_day_2.htm
http://www.viperrecords.com/imtech/bio.shtml
http://www.immortal-technique.com/

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