Immortal Technique

Released: October 27, 2011

Songwriter: Immortal Technique

Producer: J Dilla

[Hook]
"Rest in Peace"
"Here’s another warrior's song; rep this life to the fullest"
"Rest in Peace"
"Mothafucka, say yo’ prayers!"
"For brothers who died from black-on-black violence"
"Rest in Peace"
"You ain’t payin’ respect when you ‘spose to"
"Rep this life to the fullest"
"Rest in Peace"
"This ain’t for y’all, this a toast to them"
"Rest in Peace"

[Verse 1]
Here's a toast to the dead
If you don't drink, smoke to the head
For the freedom fighters killed by the feds
For those who died hard in the streets, soakin' in red
And died slow asleep in a dream, chokin' in bed
Here's a toast to the dead, for my enemies that are gone
I'm not a coward, so celebratin' that would be wrong
I pray to God that your soul will come back again
So I can see you in the next life and finish it then
A toast to the dead, for criminals burnin' in Hell
I wonder how many presidents are burnin' as well
Emperors, popes, senators, generals
Amputees feel unlucky until they see the vegetables
A toast to the dead, for those who are forgotten
Written out of history by the corrupted and rotten
Black saints whitewashed during La Reconquista
Thousands of Indios Spaniards used to conquer the Incas
Fuck a moment of silence, I need a moment of violence
Like the 19th century Caribbean islands
Long live those who came before that paved the way for me
The warriors and scientists that came before slavery
And if that last lyric was predictable
Take your clairvoyance and apply it to life in the physical
Presumptuous, half-hearted homunculus
Self-destruction is the power without knowin' what the function is

[Hook]

[Verse 2]
Here's a toast to the dead, for all of my fam
I will never let an idea die with a man
My rhymes are like Nazca lines: designed to give a view of this
J Dilla's still alive as long as his music is
A toast to the dead, for rap legends and pioneers
Your legacy won't be forsaken as long as I am here
Knowledge of the past and wisdom of the present
I'll teach and leave in the hands of a worthy lieutenant
A toast to the dead, for children with cancer and AIDS
A cure exists and you probably could have been saved
Sad to see medicine divorce morality
Corporate homewreckers pimpin' up the salary
A toast to the dead, for those that'll die today
The victims and those exonerated by DNA
The only thing worse than givin' freedom to the guilty
Is killin' the innocent and leavin' your soul filthy
Immortal Technique, remember me when I'm gone
I encrypted my lyrics to stay alive in a song
So you'll always keep a piece of my spirit inside
When you struggle to complete what I started before I died
But some of you won't survive the changes the Earth makes
Swallowed by tsunamis, hurricanes, and earthquakes
And that's just the first stage if you cannot reverse ways
And realize that we are one regardless of our birthplace

[Hook]

[Outro]
My last toast to the dead is for the listener
Human being or extraterrestrial visitor
Remember us for more than our primitive ways
When you study us long after the end of our days

Immortal Technique is an American rapper and urban activist of Afro-Peruvian descent. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, NY.

Most of his lyrics are focused on controversial issues in global politics. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely commentary on issues such as class struggle, poverty, religion, government and institutional racism.

Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to retain control over his production, and has stated in his music that record companies, not artists themselves, profit the most from mass production and marketing of music.

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