Un bon son brut pour les truands [English translation]

[produced by Akhenathon]

[Intro - Scratch]

"A music not made for a hundred people but for millions."

"Marseille and its production"

"A music not made for a hundred people but for millions."

[Verse 1 - Shurik'N Chang Ti]

I ride down my mountain on my horse.

Out of my retreat, as a Yamabushi1 monk I unfold

My bundle with cool composure in the purest tradition.

My self control is complete, like a ninja in action.

Nature and nurture merge with each other.

Some men are watching me, I plant in their heads a deep confusion.

Probe my mind and you will lose yours.

Don't wake the dragon, the beast is more famished than a pack of dogs.

Bred on drum bass, on clap, things that snap

No lousy melody, or it'll be a massacre.

Furtive shadows split the night like shurikens2

My bokken3 gleams, the seagull style swoops on its prey

Master Kano4, of the Li Po5 pen style, drunk with Tao6

Drunken style7, pow, one more in the boxing pad.

This calligraphed text is dedicated to our rat pack.

A good raw sound for the baddies.

[chorus - Freeman, Akhenaton, Shurik'N Chang-Ti]x2

(You know what ?)

Don't drop the mike, it's sticky

IAM brings down the house with thundering lyrics

(You know what ?)

Attack with stinky jackal's fat

A good raw sound for the baddies.

[Verse 2 - Freeman]

The one who fucks with my sound, your hash, dirty cops.

Here we welcome them with Predator Kicks

Steady or I'll make you vanish like a Twix, as wild as the Knicks

Manimal8 comes back with his clique,

Always the same ones : the six warriors of Apocalypse9

Look to the horizon, our banner is hoisted

IAM I am and remain, a puzzle

Bet on me, boy

Those who deny my sound

Will end up with a head butt in the wall

The nature of the elements urges me to track down swines

The impure becomes pure by mastering writing

Engraved on your mixtapes, a coat of arms from the dark side

And a good raw sound for the baddies inside.

Today, matured, my life is founded on melodies

The crossing-outs on my pages have forged my spirit

Aware that my vocation will serve the expression of my School, son

The School of the Silver Microphone.10

My subconscious guides me, the infinite limpid power

Look what a good one can do when you play the outlaw

Listen to the last Freeman of the 108 Dragons clan.11

[chorus]x2

[Verse 3 - Akhenaton]

Hola, amigo, I'm turning up with a pack of bastards

And many more scumbags to fuck gringos' profits up.

A good raw sound, drop your music, it stinks.

Cerveza in the mitt, realize : it's me, Sentenza.12

I hope you're fast, kid, or your beat will flop.

If you've come to kill me, don't tell me your life, man.

Cause I'm wary of everything and underestimate nothing.

Even the worse of fleabags has a guardian angel.

Sitting at the table, mouth full, guzzling down a plate of beans

Pocket 2,3 dollars, fulfill contracts on rednecks.

Rascals enjoy this sound, it's not due to nothing

It's like Pal, commercialized only for dogs

100% suck up, disregard the gossip

Blondie13, don't die, drop the stash where your hid the loot

Cowboy in ballet shoes, don't fart in the realm of stinkers

This beat is designed only for sweaty brow scoundrels.

[chorus]x2

[outro]

"A music not made for a hundred people but for millions."

1. A class of warrior monks in feudal Japan who lived as hermits in the mountain 2. Ninja Stars and other concealed throwing blades3. Japanese Wooden Sword4. Could be a nod to Jigoro Kano, founder of the Martial Art Judo, or the Mortal Kombat character5. Important Chinese Poet a of the Tang Dynasty, 8th century 6. Chinese doctrine. Can be loosely translated as "The Way" or "The flow of the Universe"7. Style of Kung Fu characterized by unpredictable movements reminiscent of a drunk person8. American TV series of the 80s where the protagonist can shape shift into any animal at will9. IAM counted 6 members at that time10. The fictional Hip Hop/Kung Fu School the album is named after and from which all I AM members are supposed to hail from and represent 11. Reference to "Crying Freeman", a manga where the main character is an assassin for a Chinese mafia organisation called the 108 Dragons. Freeman is also the stage name of Malek Brahimi, the performer of this verse 12. The "Bad" character in the movie "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" played by Lee Van Cleef 13. The "Good" character in the movie "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" played by Clint Eastwood

• Artist:IAM
• Album:L'École du micro d'argent