LEARN TO TALK

Growin’ up a half American / Canadian kid
I never knew home sweet home / it’s just the way that it is
Thinking in French / speakin’ English / and playin’ with kids
Who did the opposite / didn’t know what they were sayin’ and shit
I’d spit a rhyme and hear / "vous etes hot en crises"
I could reminisce forever son / but not on this
Movin’ from MTL to VT / was anything but easy
From drinking to the Green Mountain State / where the Trees be
Instead of hangin’ with sleezy / cats who would tease me
I took the bus every weekend / cause my city could please me
Maybe I owe Grey hound / for the tracks I lay down
Cause I came back / with too much excitement to stay down
Once I knew my way ’round (Vermont)/ like, the side streets too
I met up with my crew / called 5 3 2
They were my dawgs but left me lonely when it came down to rhyming
But I met Subliminal Messages in due timin’
Learic kept me on my grind like an assignment
While Framework displayed / how I could bring my style in
Before I knew it vibin’ / was all that I was tryin’
Went from CRA-Z to Prolific / to Pro, with no Brian
I Never knew myself  / just kept on multiplyin
But all of us were climbin’ / up the same rock ledge
To move crowds / stay poundin’ / and rock heads
I’ve always known / that stress couldn’t stop this
From stutterin’ to polished / luke warm to blazin’
I came a long way in both talent and location
You better recognize all my determination
So I’ll see you at the top / cause I’m done being patient

"Our Kingdom" feat. Mac Lethal

PRO
I sit atop a mountain of old classics / it’s so tragic
Most have turned ghosts / through political caskets
I inhabit, a world who’s habits savagely slash
Any passion you have, in half, and ask for it back
In the form of a track / or any talent you have
Being managed by Prozac to hold back your sad
Ridalyn for happy / making (emotional) inches of valleys
They listen and harass me / send prescriptions in to catch me
I’m cache / on a mountain, sitting so high 
Big L with red eye sight just strolled by
I Watch MTV as camouflage, 
And make my way to the surface / with Nike’s and Bandanas on
Another tag along / with a catchy dance and battle song
Hoping my influence soon catches on
Grab a magic wand / tell the zombies, ’turn and pass my passage on’
’til my voice becomes a hand / moving plastic Pawns
now that my castles strong / due to moderns sorcery
I hand unique thoughts to all those who supported me
Some left disgusted / when their taste changed enormously
Other’s started yelling for a war against conformity
I led the charge / by writing verses honestly, 
"I watch cartoons. You’re gun shit ain’t a part of me"
which inspired other individual artistry
and I was crowned king, for killing mediocrity
it’s us, the kings.


Learic:
I’m just an earthling but ever since that birth thing
The words I bring have got fans thirsting for this verse king
First ring of the bell put these kids in a spell
Do it well like LL or that dude who had a Story to Tell
Battles get gory as hell, vendors with glory to sell
Beneath the surface, that’s where all the rawest warriors dwell
There’s more to explore at the core of my shell
Got you feelin’ like Cinderell at a quarter to twelve
(Pray tell) What would compel you to gamble with loaded dice?
Leave your whole camp in shambles by planting explosive mics
Clear the rubble, this troublesome trio does harm
Three Fugitives blame it all on a man with one arm
Towerin’ over a crowd in a courtyard
This poor bard performs for bored guards who work hard to absorb art
My best concepts stay hidden like report cards with all F’s
Take a wrong step and end up where the doors are
Be on the lookout for three written verses 
That pose more of a threat than Egyptian curses
The slot machine reads three sixes, you need stitches
They can’t believe I’m still here like Keith Richards
A little dose of old school might save ya
Aztext and Mac Leth, the latest Kool-Aid flavor
Add Dub and E-Train and we reign supreme
An amazing team accurate as laser beams
You could say it’s us, the kings

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...

Craig G
i remember the Fresh Fest, 1984
12 years old, Run DMC was on tour
Shell toe Adidas, fresh leather blazer
right on the brink of hip hop goin' major
Decipher the data before the game was hot potata'
tougher then a midget tryin' to block a Raida
look Whoodini dropped the freaks came out at night
my older brother was trying to bag every chick in his sight
if you couldn't handle the mic, you'd exit stage right
or hear a chorus of boos through the course of the night
the dude that bought his ticket, maybe forced you to fight
the game is microwave now, it's lost the sight
of perfection, everyone, move in the same direction
let The Aztext and Craig G offer reflection
to a time long ago, when hip hop means somethin'
before the tales of fake drug dealin' and gun bussin'

take a second,  grab the clock and rewind
and reminisce when hip hop took control of your mind
a different place, stage, moment in time
yo Pro,| what your favorite moment in rhyme?

Pro:
thinking back… on Masta Ace rippin' a track
written' down every lyric, so i could spit it back
rewindin' tapes, not realizing that the greats
would soon be gone as the game became color blind with fakes
A Starter jacket, Reebok pumps on the feet
House of Pain done explained out to Jump to a beat
Pun was the one talkin' guns in the street
Jay had dreams to bring funds to new peaks
I strategized on how to write a verse down
while Learic freestyled to murder cats in the first round
a young Canadian with dreams of Yankee Stadium
alongside KRS ONE rockin' the break with him
or lace a gem with Method Man upon a record
Nas comin' Illmatic as a needles injection
fast forward to the present, got me working' with a legend
practice paid off and the momentum is spreading'

take a second,  grab the clock and rewind
and reminisce when hip hop took control of your mind
a different place, stage, moment in time
yo Learic,| what your favorite moment in rhyme?

Learic:
I recall taking rhymes in the head like they were Tylenol
Knew every word to Microphone Fiend, I don't know why it all turned to dust
Juice soundtrack, You're a Customer
Wish E still produced for P to serve all these busters for eternity
Cats not worthy of the term MC
Rakim was my newscaster, fuck Ron Burgundy
Rest in peace to Cronkite, Grand Puba coined the slang in '93
Group Home, Livin' Proof, Primo's beats
That's the dimension into which I delve
At twelve, memorized Mama Said Knock You Out, not Rock the Bells
That's a little early for me, like Too Short be
First tape I ever rocked was the first Naughty
Treach's flow was unquestionable
It'd wreck your skull no matter the decibel
Where did Large Professor go?
Turn on the radio, you won't hear the truest shit
Time travel with us to when this was a movement, kid

Learic:

This all came as a result of careful crafting
Even though some thoughts might have been scrawled across a paper napkin
It's all part of the process
The structure's quite simple but you thought it was complex
They're yellin' to us 'Hey! Aztext, you're on next'
Take a moment to focus and get myself in check
'Cause if you don't come correct with your dialect
They'll hang you by your neck with it
Sign your death certificate
That's your own potential, can you get a whiff of it?
At the least, I hope to release something significant
When I'm deceased they'll say 'Jeez, he was different'
Our name'll live on if there's still people listening
'Cause the soundscape changes everyday
And it's hard to stay original with catch phrases in your way
It's just the language you choose to use to explain your views
Who knows, it could change somebody's mood
So don't get used to us being away
'Cause it'll be a cold day in hell when we got nothing to say, OK?

chorus:

I never rest, i live everyday to make it count
    Give me a pen and the pad to break it down
    So break it down yo, break it down
    Break it down, down, down...

SS:

Outhere the crysis hits like that PC game,
 my mom's like you gotta fight gettin it easy's lame, /
I quit smoking, now there's no more pot to blame,
 I ain't packing but i need to get a shot at fame, /
Man, I wish you'd see this city,
 not even the sun shines, I don't need this fitted,/
 I just need the spirit to guide me on my path,
give me a beat I kill it, get rid of all the wrath/
 - inside me, i got my brothers here, beside me,
 we know life is hard but we tryinna take it lightly,/
 Like take everyday for the good things that it brings,
 and lighten up like my jack when it rings, Yup!/
 Tomorrow I'll be a better man, i promise,
 I'll rubb off the dirt and shine like diamonds/
 But until then I got this day to make it count/
 Give me a pen and the pad to break it down...

chorus:

I never rest, i live everyday to make it count
    Give me a pen and the pad to break it down
    So break it down yo, break it down
    Break it down, down, down...

Pro:

i woke up with a fever of 102
still i'm sitting here documenting one for the crew
what the fuck i'm a do, not muscle it through?
and waste the precious seconds from the sun to the moon?
no time for brian to be guzzling booze
like them younger kids do with no summer curfews
'cause you can blame it on the Henny, when you struggle with truth
the only trouble is, the trouble is... the trouble is you
I never have to wonder if the trouble is me
cause i work myself to death trying to hustle this speech
and if we never gain a step and stay tucked underneath
it won't matter, i gave it all i could muster to bleed
why i do it? cause while i'm bumping a beat
it can take me anywhere that i'm wanting to be
and right now, that's right here, fever a 103
vindicated. no one can stop me... not even me.

Here is a track we did for our Swiss homies, the Soulslicers.  They blessed us with this ill ass beat, and we're real happy with the way the song came out!  Check out their album, Boost Da Soul available now on iTunes.


Lyrics:
Hook:

we don't press press it onto vynol none
cause they ain't trying to hear that vynol no more
all cassette sales are final, cds they ain't buyin' those
better put your iTunes up
they say we're living in the future now
but WE ain't living in the future, 'oh noo'
call it living in the past, we'll press it onto wax
so that you can scratch it up

Learic:

Hungry listeners, we give 'em profound quotables
Right at their fingertips, it's digital downloadable
Crowds keep comin' back for more of this like Oliver Twist
Disinterest don't exist at our performances
I'm that creature that forages for its food
Choose to learn from our reviews and use it to try to improve
Music is my way of speaking right what's in my heartbeat
The reason you could find old verses underneath my car seat
It's treason that your'e preachin' if you're thinkin' you could weaken
The foundation we've been formin'
We're here to stay like global warming
So pay attention like you're toe-to-toe with Foreman
My main intention's to cure the entire globe of boredom
It's my calling so to speak, in the garden growin' beats
Mine to keep like no receipt, a show you should go and see
I got no degree and still I'm tellin' you my viewpoint
I hope you agree we blessed the hell out of this new joint

Hook: 
we don't press press it onto vynol none
cause they ain't trying to hear that vynol no more
all cassette sales are final, cds they ain't buyin' those
better put your iTunes up
they say we're living in the future now
but WE ain't living in the future, 'oh noo'
call it living in the past, we'll press it onto wax
so that you can scratch it up!

Pro:

there's a million and one ways to say i'm better then you 
and a million dudes search for a million two
but if they stopped || and thought bout what they really should do
we'd still have rappers, only a million few  
i'm not old school, i'm tired .. of fakers and liars
no backpack, but music should create and inspire
so don't say that you're flyer, and hand me a flier
write fire and we’ll listen. It’s simple, try it…
too many gimmicks up and quit in a minute  
biggest self critic so it’s air tight when I finish
pushing the limits of what fits in a sentence
so you diction detective's are like this shit is impressive
look, I’m not a savior when I’m kickin the flavor
but I do bring it back like hittin’ hips wit a pager
so if you respect the classics, start spinning my disc
and I shouldn’t even have to ask if you’re feeling that shit!