Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Lyrics!: Gappy Ranks

As an artist there are so many different things you can do to kind of 'distract' your listeners for better or for worse. Be it your delivery, the company you keep or literally thousands of other bits and pieces, you can always get the crowd to look in the direction that you want them to - and sometimes when you don't want them to. I don't quite know what it is about this guy, but he NEVER seems to get a real credit for being exactly what he is: One of the most lyrically talented artists in Reggae music today. Maybe it's the persona, maybe it's the deliver or is it something else? Regardless, I thought that I'd help things along just a little. Here are ten completely and totally random instances of wordy wizardry from the UK's finest - Gappy Ranks. 

Gappy Ranks
 -'Heavy Load'-
"Mount Zion I don't feel so high no more
And the rivers weh mi feel don't feel so deep
And mi carry dis - 
Heavy Load
Heavy Load
Jah Jah guide mi when mi touch di street 

So if you got a dream and you got a vision
And you living in di scheme, wid di dutty politician
There's knowledge inna book, you've gotta have some ambition
Nuff still ah look, but dem no know di definition
You've got to believe, don't give up for a second
You know what I mean
Just tell mi what I reckon
Nuff ghetto youths waan kick ball like Beckham
From New York, to Kingston, to Austin, to Peckham"

-'Why'- 
"Most High keep mi far from wrong
Mi no fear di bear, di eagle or di dragon
Mi nah jump pon babylon bandwagon
Every ghetto youth haffi reach Mount Zion
Mi name a mi name and mi nah change
Everyday it hard and di world get strange
Nah sell out mi soul and mi nah go exchange
Mi nah sell out nobody fi go drive out di range"

-'Coulda Runaway' w/Delly Ranx-
"I was born as a Ranks
Grow up as a Ranks
Lak di great Delly Ranks
So mi haffi give thanks
Mi ah shine lak a star, dem si mi from a distance
When badmind ah chat mi, mi no response" 

-'Maddest Ting'-
"Every community supposed to have an herbalist
To supply di people dem wid all strain of cannabis
You can ask di doctors and di nurses and di scientists
Herbs neva kill nobody yet, I hope you hear dis - Video
Put it pon di board an watch mi chop it up
Next thing mi put it inna rizzla an mi wrap it up
Mek di serious sellers a road dem know wi have it up
Even if a quarter, if a half or if ounce you haffa bag it up

Which herbalist have di maddest ting a road?
Mi waan fi know cah mi chalice haffi load
Which herbalist have di maddest ting ah sell?
Real high grade wid a high grade smell

As mi wake up a juss one of di first thing mi does
Go fi light up di herbs and get di morning buzz
Weed buss inna mi head and announce mi righteous
High grade mek mi feel marvelous
And mi no waan no white powder, mi no waan no needle
Weed weh seh, so a good over evil
Mi no waan no friend from no cokehead people
High grade alone mek mi fly like eagle"

-'Nah Ready Fi Die'-
"May he rest in peace to di ones dem weh gone already
Some die naturally, some no ordinary
You si yah friend?
Him ah drink an drive.
Tek out di keys from di car already
Badmind ah work a juss ah wait fi yuh give it up
One life you have, juss live it up
Nuff a dem seh crime pay
But same way, crime tek yah life away

Mi waan fi live till mi gray and old
Mi nah ready fi die right now
Mi nah ready fi die right now"

-'Stinkin Rich'-
"Cah mi si mi parents suffah, wid mi and mi sibling
Go to bed widout no suppah, not even a dumpling
Used to have whole heap a dream wid di money counting
Used to think about today and what tomorrow will bring
Searching-
Biggup all di ghetto youths weh hustlin
If you into 9-5 unuh just, keep working
Mi waan money inna bank, everyday turning
Cash card inna wallet, money stack up and a pon it

Mi haffi stinkin rich this year
Paper money or copper kind, mi no care
Haffi mek di money any time, anywhere
Mi no tek check, but mi mek check clear"

-'Life Goes On'-
Dem seh di good die young
Then if di good die young, then mi time soon come
Mi juss ah live and have fun
Mi juss ah hustle up di money till di money caan dun
It's so hard to think bout afta
Even through laughter-
And disaster"

-'I Was There'-
"I was there with the people, Japanese people
Who nah lose dem life, lose house and lose vehicle
Everybody calm, everybody equal
Nobody nuh fight, nobody nuh move evil
Dats why mi shed a tear, a million tears
Si di people weh die that day
Because I seen it and I know it
Mi ah remember till mi old and grey" 

-'Ragga Ragga'-
"Mi luv fi si when Bounty vs Beenie
Mi luv fi si when Shabba gone wid di Grammy
Mi luv fi si when Supercat clash Ninja
Mi luv music, a coulda Gaza or Gully
Mi luv fi hear Bass Odyssey and Stonelove
Mi luv fi hear Killamanjaro and Addies
Mi luv fi hear Bob Marley, Dennis Brown,  Sugar Minot, Gregory Isaacs, Alton Ellis
Biggup di Ranks dem -
Cutty! Delly and Louie!
Mi dun biggup Shabba Ranks already
Biggup Capleton weh bun dung dreddie
Biggup Mr. Wacky, him start Weddy Weddy
Who have the energy?
Somebody seh Ele
Luv fi si Sean Paul and Shaggy pon tele
Crowd start fi cheer when dem announce  Kalonji
Fans all around from all town and country
Mi luv how di Killa bring Vybz Kartel
Busy!
And Mavado start well
Step pon di stage, di whole place start shell
Alright, mek mi talk bout Gargamel
Biggup every banton -
Buju Banton, Mega Banton
Wayne Wonder, Sanchez and Lukie D fi sing di anthem
Singing Melody and Tony Curtis sing di harmony
Hail up Alborosie, Gentleman from outta Germany
My name is Gappy Ranks, I come from England, have you heard of me?"

-'Peace & Joy'-
No food fi di poor and di hungry
Shootout pon di boundary
Clothes dutty and mi caah go a laundry
If mi get a white shirt, dat a luxury
Big boss have you any work in di factory?
Cah mi caah buy flour, saltfish and ackee
Time pass till all mi hair get natty, mi no waan tun inna no John Gotti
So mi juss-
Hold up mi head high
High to di sky
Yuh caan stop a man weh a try
Mi nah stoop fi di M-O-N-E-Y
Cah mi doh want a piece of di babylon pie
Jah Jah know it's a ocean of tears I cry-
Fi di youth dem weh missin and di ones dat die
I si how dem bring drugs and boom bye bye
So mi nah stop bun dem till di day I die!
It's like dem waan mi kill mi bredrin fi loaf of bread
But I shall not live on bread alone
Mi nah sell out mi bredda dem fi loaf of bread
Dem waan mi dead, dem waan di John Crow fly ova head
Tell dem my heart still beats lak di Afrikan Drum
Just words and power from an Afrikan son
You doh have to rich to be happy
Mi si smiles pon poor people face and dem don't even have it

I'm searching for peace and joy
Food and water mi seh fi every girl and boy
I'm fighting fi equal rights, Jah Jah light shine bright
Keep mi through di darkest night
Mi waan fi mek di world feel love
Every ghetto youth haffi fly inna di sky like a dove
Cuz no one man is an island
So mi two foot ah stand pon dry land"

I bet you can't guess who this is

1 comment:

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0s6cAwlync&feature=g-user-u

    ReplyDelete