I'm thoroughly enjoying B Dolan's sophomore album Fallen house, sunken city and have had it on repeat play all evening. A particular fave cut at the moment is “The Reptilian Agenda.” It's one of those David Icke-parrotting, pseudo-semiotic-scholarship conspiracy-theory raps concerned with them there shapeshifting lizard folk who run everything. I do however need to take issue with one of the song's lyrics, namely -
"the snake in a double helix the Greek symbol for medicine"
RONG! RONG! RONG! RONG!
"the snake in a double helix," intertwined round a winged-staff is a caduceus. The caduceus is the symbol of Hermes, Greek God of messengers, merchants, travellers and thieves. Hermes is the Olympian go-between/liaison-officer, communicating with mortals on behalf of the Gods. He and his caduceus have nothing, nada, nought to do with medicine nor the medical world. The Caduceus was incorporated into the Roman mythology of Mercury (a god with similar non-scientific professional remits as his Greek predecessor). It's got about as much of a mystical connection with the double-helix structure of DNA as does a Cadbury's Curlywurly
.
"the Greek symbol for medicine" - well at least the popular (Americanised) emblem of doctors and nurses and healers in general is the staff of Asclepius: a single serpent wrapped round a rod. Asclepius: is the demigod offspring of Apollo and mortal princess Coronis. The serpent-stick thingomy commemorates the story where an imprisoned Asclepius whacks one snake into pieces but then a magical second snake comes to his cell baring restorative herbs that resurrect the dead snake and bestow Asclepius with a miraculous power of healing.
You rappers (especially you pretentious know-it-all lyrical fellas) need to derive less of your knowledge base from wikipedia and more of your facts from books or teachers or parents or other responsible adults. At least Google what you read on Wikipedia to see if such “facts” are corroborated by more reliable texts.
Now, I like DJ Muggs & Sick Jacken's "Reptile Renaissance" and I like Alias & B Dolan's "Reptilian Agenda." But which David-Icke-cribbing rap song is best.... There's only one way to find out:
FIGHT!
What do you think of Beast1333's whole take on that side of things? And don't you just wish Canibus would disappear for 6 months and come back with an hour long song about it ;)
ReplyDeleteI just wish Canibus would go away, period. He's a tedious, one-dimensional Rakim wannabe who's entire career has been predicated on the myth of him being unjustly sidelined/slept-on/exploited/dissed/unappreciated/etc, etc etc zzzzzzz. He's boring. As for Beast1333, well that sub-AIM name is enough to make me want to avoid him/her/it like the proverbial plague. I'm assuming he/she/it's one of all-too-many shitty rappers who, like Canibus (+ all these "revolutionary" cunspiracy theory rappers) fancies himself as a bit of a semiologist or Classicist? Thx 4 reading (glad somebody checked my blog). More to come soon....
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