LEARIC:
What would a verse be without someone to hear it?
Without a listener to analyze every lyric
Who would you be making it for?
What would a beat be if it didn't cause someone to break on the floor?
As a sophomore, knew every word to Kick in the Door
Now I'm an MC straight spittin' it raw without a flaw
If a cat memorized what had come out my jaw
And he kicked it like it's something that he thought up before
Why should I criticize what he bites if he got inspired by what I write?
That's all right, glad to give him something
Take it and run, he's making it fun
What I say helped him become something over the drum
The support that we get from the heads that be checking us
Is what keeps us continuing with a forward momentum
And I'm referring to the people globally who listen when we're speaking poetry
Without you, there's no MC's

Pro:
Why the hell I stay awake paintin' words to breaks?
I burn my days / dazed / trying to turn the page
stay searchin each surface for the perfect phrase
to birth a crazed / gaze / from a wordless face
Man, why rehearse ways to emerge on stage
for that 30 minute scrutiny with nerves ablaze?
the inner workings of my person / dispersed in ways
some either love it or they hate still my worth's appraised
Yea I do it, buy some new music and cruise to it
find a favorite track / loop it / and write a review to it
I'm a student / search for inspiration to consume with
and teach on the side to perpetuate the movement //
You can't phase us / that's the illusion --->
but we strive for improvement / so booin' is soothin'
I found a notebook to write  the truth in ||
without you listenin'  i wouldn't even do this.

Pro:
i drive myself crazy, always thinking, and well lately
i can't seem find a life raft / to help save me /
i sit in safety / in the area that helped raise me
supposed to be here, so I can chase dreams ///
Instead, I go to work cause it pays me
at my desk restless / watching time wasting /
As every second pass / I lose second chance
so I bought myself a watch with no second hands -->
sit in solitude with critical thoughts /
It's miserable / to realize the kid in you's lost -->
the little day to day shit that pisses you off -->
taken / over your body like a physical force ///
I tried meditation / but the silenced sirened
suicidal thoughts and now my head is racin -->
I clean once a week but now and then forget the basement -->
so i'm downstairs trapped with the mess I'm makin
gaspin for respiration / panic in isolation
hyperventilating fighting for each breath I take in
human nature is amazing faced with expiration
my chest is breaking sole searching for explanations 
'Brian' - hold up / my girl just showed up /
noticed the the mess around me said / 'lets throw away this old stuff'
I said 'go nuts' / and together we packed up trash bags and tossed'em for long months
Years later, my mind's free and sober
far from Froze up, everything's kosher
attitude laissez faire, like, like 'so what?'
All day peaceful and that's that... i'm grown up

P E A C E of Mind
peace of mind's all i want to find when i start writing
P E A C E of Mind
peace of mind's all i want to find so i stop hiding


LEARIC:
I'm feeling tense, I wanna let my mind roam around
I've been home a while, feeling like an only child
My family's ten minutes away but I ain't goin' out
I've been gettin' way too blunted but yo I'm older now
Gotta control myself, save up every cent to
Ensure I'm not a rent check away from a homeless shelter
My spending habits are worse than the music of Lenny Kravitz
I'm also selfless, down to my last penny, you can have it
I could use some magic 'cause on the news it's tragic
My Dad just lost his job, and yo that dude's a maverick
We're in a time of crisis
Where poverty's widespread like China's rice is
I wanna roll a nice spliff
But that would go against everything that I'm planning for
I love my girl, last thing I wanna see is a slamming door
This life is serious, our choices affect lives
Although a sense of humor keeps you balanced at stress time
I read books to gain perspective and stay effective
You learn just as much from life, ayo I stand corrected
We keep this band protected 'cause if it gets infected
That prevents us from ever releasing another record
And that'd be wasting my father and mother's efforts
Not to mention my older brother, answering all my questions
Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman's left the building
Sent into a tailspin, but he ain't forget his children
That's my final motto
For those who feel like their mind's as hollow as a wino's bottle
Here's a line to follow
Will power and self-control will help your soul
And regain that peace of mind that you thought you'd lost years ago

Pro:
This is The Aztext third album, you might remember
they dropped The Sacred Document in '07 November,
that record was cool, but this record is better
the beats bang and some concepts are clever
this groups got heart and has shown mad promise
as they've grown from a novice to a notable artist
but to be totally honest, even though they sound polished
there's some flaws to they bars, and some whole in their project
vermont's got no scene, except the mountains thats green
so how the hell you gonna tell me it could breed real MCs
and to believe there are problems in suburbia? please!
I guess it's hard to chose between Denny's and Friendly's ||  
As far as flow, all of the Learic's are Pro
it's obvious as kids they listened the classics on cassettes
grabbed tips, and ran with it as fast as they could
developed styles that I love with an image that's .... good?

LEARIC: Though I do think they're dope and this new record has hope
I have to say this group has room for growth
For example, these days who's even checkin' you?
The few fans you do have that respect your crew?
Question two: How much props are The Aztext due?
The rest of that thought I'll save for the next review
They did themselves a favor collabin' with Craig G
Maybe he taught the AZT a thing or three
Let's see, they graduated past the sophomore jinx
But ask what any out-of-state hip-hop store thinks
Actually these guys could really stir up some crowds (How?)
If the title of their next single was Syrup & Cows (wow)
I can't take rappers from states with low crime rates
This is so even though Learic & Pro rhyme great
I'll give it a 9...8...nah, 7.6
9 1/2 for skills but a 6 for living in the sticks

INTERVIEW VERSE:

Interviewer: So what's it like being a rap group from Vermont?
LEARIC: Same as anywhere else, is that the answer you want?
'Cause I thought hip-hop was about perspective
If it's not, tell me and we can change directives

Interviewer: Fair enough, I guess you probably hear that a lot
Let's talk beats.  How'd you link with the producers you got?
LEARIC: I'll field this.  We've known E-Train & TouchPhonics
Since we were little Essex Hornets with no rap personas
And XPL?  Well, his beats speak for themselves
So when he hit us through e-mail, we was ready to build
PRO: And I've known Dub for at least a decade
And always been hype off the beats that he made

Interviewer: OK, that's it for beats, but what about collabos?  
Any insight into how you grabbed those?
LEARIC: Well, Memms, he's been down since It's True
An easy choice, you've heard his voice, wouldn't you pick him, too?
With Wombaticus Rex, we'll always connect
'Cause there's a shared intellect and a mutual respect
PRO: And Skilltester Stabbone goes back to '06
When Jupiter laced us with that No Love shit
And Craig G? All props go to Nastee
He asked Craig to hook it up and they boys so that's peace

Interviewer: Is it true you haven't done a show in a year?
PRO: Actually we did two last month.  Were you there?

Interviewer: As for out-of-state shows, you doing any of those?
LEARIC: That question's really connected to our cash flow
No budget to speak of, but if it pays
We'd drive for days to grace the stage of any damn place

Interviewer: That's it for my questions.  You got any for me?
LEARIC: No, questions are overrated, it's all on the CD

my thoughts
my dreams
of this music, i'm'a keep on makin' it til
i've lost
my means
of makin' music, still music, got me caught in between

Learic:
I used to wanna be the best MC in the universe
Rule the earth, never uttering a foolish verse
At school I worked during study hall, searching through the words
On the page, trying to make it sick like it knew the nurse
Then I got a little older and I realized
Music is a powerful thing and can change people's lives
That's why I look into the eyes of the audience
And wonder what they're thinking when they're watching our performances
Enormous bliss is what I find when I rhyme
It's my pipeline to the source of where life's derived
I used to get frustrated and brushed aside
Now my style's updated and customized
I must've tried a dozen times to touch the sky
Then I discovered you just have to adjust your mind
That must be why it all looks so clear
But one thing never changes, yo the hook goes here

my thoughts
my dreams
of this music, i'm'a keep on makin' it til
i've lost
my means
of makin' music, still music, got me caught in between


I was raised on the Beatles, Egles and Dylan
drum kits, pianos, (record player) needles and spinnin
a headphone fiend, ego driven
determined to learn what made people listen
like when my dad played his guitar, soon as a room was full
of friends and family who sang something beautiful
in unison, breathing, far from their cubicles
Even at 10 years old, I felt what it could do to souls
My life began writing as a musical
emotions had melodies, similar to movie scores
I wrote'em down, threw'em in a loose leaf drawer
Used those bars, to wash away my looney thoughts
I'd carry a cassette per persona
get angry with onyx, depressed with nirvana
from schoolyard battles to sets with Bambattaa  
i knew i had to do this from the way that i was brought up cause...

Lyrics:
Won't forget you
i'm a chase you
i'm a catch you
i'm a kill you

I remember the day i first heard your name
*12 years old | no way could I interpret pain
on the scale you were delivering | killing, deliberate
the tears on my mom's face had my spine shiverin   (* at 12, my aunt was diagnosed with Breast Cancer)
a stone cold killer of the serial type
those who escape || are forced to live with fear in their life
or so you say | before you disapear in the night
i was young but fully understood my wrong and my right
as I grew - I saw a few who dodged your wrath
tempted fate in broad day trying to find your ass
sent smoke signals for years, i'm here, come and get me!
detective on the case, but kept comin up empty
eventually, i knew i had to change my tactic
played by the rules and got played as i became an addict
but after tragic | loses, some people lost it
vigalanty style - mob shit - with burning torches

HOOK

*My cousin's an assasin who was sent upstate  (*my cousin is a doctor, who has researched cancer)
u-sed his time to train, develop strength
was told if he can lay low and graduate
plenty others were prepared to collaborate
and now his days are spend layed up in the lab
face in a Mac | historically tracing you back
diggin' in crates for old breaks, chasin the facts
a science --> like double entendre - phrases in tracks
loosing patience - he had to displace of some rats
its only practice | for the day you attack
see it's something like Dexter, both of y'all killers
only | one's a hero, the other's a villain
no pattern to location, race, religion
parents || children | men or women
you're a murderer | i pray that you're no longer living
a vivid vision that i live with forgive my sinnin'

HOOK
Bridge:
Dear God put an end to this violence
if you lost someone
take a moment of silence
Dear God put an end to this violence
HUSHHHHH
For a moment of silence
Dear God put an end to this violence
don't make me take a moment of silence
Dear God put and end to this violence
don't make more take a moment of silence

the pain is deep cause the pain is real
i'm not afraid to be faced with the way i feel
so many lives can be changed / in the span of phone call
i know all involved will make it and hold tall
but for now, the present is rain clouds
mixed with faint smiles, when memories break out
I caught a laugh thinking back on reunion's
off beat clapping, dancing, moving
people showing strength that i can't imagine
myself having | but i'm working everyday with a burning passion
 so if i meet you in an ally, i'll just stand there laughin
knowing that deep inside we all   trained assassin
one of us has got to die, i guess its you or me
and when you go i guarantee they'll be no eulogy
just a party in the streets and family hugs and kisses
answered bedside prayers | and lover's wishes