Turning Hollow by Iain Robinson They only swallow if it makes them feel less hollow... Spine tingle / when you mingle where my mind is at / pop that Pringle cap back on / I saturate with some healthy fat(ness) / so much salty goodness for those who truly do sweat it / don’t ask who gets beheaded / just duck and hope for some luck / headed / forward only ever, backward homie never / got that grip on holding my belief in better weather / said I run with it / till I done with it / if it done with me, son let it be / if the beat’ll work word wisdom speak / Mother Mary don’t need to comfort me / who come for me? Best be prepared / I’m not one that the scripture scares / my middle finger flares / yeah / bow low down with your compliance / my defiance based in science / end of days I blaze a way through [ooh] / so much for that distance / we susceptible to most viruses / coz the mask it slips slips slips / see it sliding into them DM lists / caption this: photo opportunity / who wanna stop consuming me? / so I filter only selfie feed- me-see-more / when me be eye to eye / see I respond with no reply / switch flip step like no comply / if I can tell that I’m losing you guy / I / better be lifting the level up / what’s going down? Why they looking up? / this way that way that’s what’s up / who hold a cup? Who fill it up?... Turning in turn... In turn we’re only turning to what makes us feel we’re turning too...

We Fly By Iain Robinson Rat-a-tat-tat-it / I’m back at it / my rapid rap habit got me fiddling fools like “ooh you screwy rabbit” / chewing that carrot / so my vision is on point / telescopic optics lock this sight beyond pop hits / can’t won’t don’t stop / it’s the one putting poetry first: prophets over profits / fact: not a Mack, I’m a cat in a backpack / my kicks phat, jeans baggy sag and a snap-back / and all that means is geez louise / I’m steadily headed for the longevity / legendary status marker tagging your memory / put permanent imprint into every instant / they insist on instant gratification / stretch sensation / for the most motivation / life calibration / revelation written and spitting from elevation / the beat’ll be the part of me open me like an artery / extension of the heart of me / balancing like dichotomy / hard to be anything but the captain of my odyssey / oddly enough not what you want but what you aughtta see/ out of this world but only when I view infinity / from where I’m sat back and settled in my sanity / at least a little bit more than bordering / blood boiling but orderly / what I aughtta be... I’m a little bit young to be a veteran of anything Feeling stung but not contented with the medicine Skip the rungs / I wanna float to where the heaven is Feather my kicks / follow my clicks / in the mix Most precocious but supposed to be so pardon me Overdosing’s just a way to meet the quota see Mostly chilled but still we deal with the anxiety Dye that we cast / pin to the mast / colour see we fly Take it to a level incredible / when I perch on a pedestal / all the medals they’re modelling bear a weight that’s unmeasurable / skill is intelligible / unless you’re illiterate / intelligence inhibited by pixelated images / your vision is limited / keep the intellect infinite / in the pen / evident / when it’s all out of ink / don’t blink / just begin to spit / split your lip with quick codes and cryptic flip modes and fitness / most men are mystics / when they’re confronted with real-time statistics / real rhyme ballistics / break down the border wall / all of y’all feeling a life that’s more affordable / capital cable got us plugged into pain killers / my people recognize these raps as gap fillers / patch in this playbook / strategy upload / they’re tracking the timeline? I’m switching to ghost mode / the shadow knows the right light to fight for / living the life / the type to go fly a kite for / up to the atmosphere / up where the air is clear / oh let’s go... I’m a little bit young to be a veteran of anything...

Surreal For Real By Iain Robinson Well the wrong amount of poison, truth be told, it can kill you / But the right amount of poison, let’s be honest, it can build you... I’m a smart guy, I’ve got a hunch / never go hungry when I’m always out to lunch / temporarily not in command of your mental faculties / who waves the wand? / in reality the fallacy is thinking that the plan will be the fantasy / following the maddest dream / the baddest scheme / gonna add a couple digits to the income stream / come in from the cold then in come me with that “oops” upside the head / stalking while they’re sleep walking / talking point: said I spoke to provoke / you wanna hit snooze or you wanna hit woke / spoke that word / track that swerve / make flat that curve / defer fake news to facts / it’s all blurred / some suit tie while I suite aces / my sleeve drip thick trickster status / ooh / the jester jinx the king / who wanna swing scepter / flip the card / swing / pack power when I open my gambit where they wonder if the eagle has actually landed / Flat Earth Church left their brains abandoned / they wanna fall pray man / let them have it... It’s so, so so so surreal, so, so real for real... Well the wrong amount of poison, truth be told, it can kill you / But the right amount of poison, let’s be honest, it can build you... Me I’m gonna upskill / beat the chill / a bit of something bitter / better swallow that pill / reality botes? I’m gonna bit back / I’ll be cracking the case when I be chewing the fat / won’t let no code take a hold of me / so I sip a cold bowl of the poison see / build up the system to resist them see / this Tiger Style not Tiger King / no Joe Exotic / no soul robotic / somewhere in the middle of free and despotic / you buy it you break it you hook up another one / I’m on some crafted longevity son / Star Trek phaser set to stun / Jordie La Forge enhance my vision / Lt Warf strong I Klingon / I run with Data son... It’s so, so so so surreal, so, so real for real...

Surpass By Iain Robinson ‘Ey Yo! Shout Out! Y’heard? Word, y’heard? Word. Y’heard? Word. Yes, Yes Y’all! Call, I will respond like your favorite echo’s favorite echo. Two tables turn so I phone a mic like “which side are you on?...and on and on and on...”, “Which side of the track you on?” I wonder. Choose A Side to wander till I’m B Side myself and ponder a set list of all those beats and trails. I mix trails like telling my talk which way it has to walk. The pulse of each path blends into rhythms that I stalk with a single step on loop. Dial down the dilute and we’ll concentrate some truth. Crossing faded channels of syncopated selections, breaking in imperfections, fixing broken time together like together remembering a part of the future... Was it something I said or was it something that was scripted? / on some playing your part’s the only way you could get with it / see we breaking apart / tryna finda piece to puzzle / see we’re flying apart / keep it together but the struggle is real / how we all feel the need to grow steel / straight from the furnace that burn us / but see we peel back a couple layers within / flay us some skin / thinking “hmm, some extra muscle just’ll help with the hustle” / I’m all bones and fragments / fossilized and stqagnant / with no soul in hand but somehow stand and manage to be lining the lives I’ve lived with some significance / even if the meaning of my mission is ignorance / in bliss / long kiss good morning / storms form the fortress my sunrise is storming / war - pestilence - famine - death / i’m just horsing around so quite sweating my breath and just breathe...with me...now... Inhale...hold...control...count...surpass...surmount... Meditate - Move - Testify

Containment Kids By Iain Robinson The kids can’t be contained... Hey yo let’s go / lemme go / let me go / LEGO the whole world / brick by brick / any chop wanna stop? Man’ll brick that prick / nah I’m just kidding / or am I? / I swear on the sabbath like a rogue freaking rabbi / I’m crafty / my mind is all codes and chemicals / I’m crafting block by block / the mob general / run from a slob / the blob / beyond physical / all sorts of bars I flow through like “goooweeoooweeooo” / who you / stranger danger / never knew you so screw you / some nuts like you bolted / left the vicinity / scram / bust out the cage coz I can / metaphysician / make a plan like a farmer / sow seed / see seed succeed / yeah I’m down for my breed coz I bred them bredren / now don’t be the rule that I’m bent on bending / don’t be the fool that I’m through defending / school you through my tool for sending / signals so radical / back from sabbatical / Blue Gene / dealing with dads so pragmatical / cooking for the kids with one hand while writing out these raps that’ll rise while the world collapse... The kids can’t be contained... Basically we travelling terrible territory / with the television telling a helluva hellish story / got the population rocking and shocking / gottem locked down / drop the stock down / put the clock down / into the unknown / time is frozen now / who got the keys to fit the locks please / not ye copper and brass / the ebony and ivory / wanna flip it from a minor to a major key / with my juvenile mind screaming “set me free” / wanna bomb the streets with spray cans and breakdance / scratching the wax while the rap sustains mans / incredible appetite for doing the right thing / the devil fell on angel wings (think about it) / vocal chords raw coz I have to roar / every time my head beats a thick brick wall / stall before I fall and call up the troops / one hundred percent proof hot blooded youth / stare down the face of doom with a bap and a boom and a banner saying “gimme room”... The kids can’t be contained...

Custom Eyes By Iain Robinson Tell me something like: They don’t know / ‘bout those stitches in my custom clothes / bleach that denim first and then compose / can’t just any kid rock clothes like those... Call me a plumber / coz I’m concerned with your [drip drip drip] / kids set to get wet / coz they don’t know about the [slip slip slip] / see we’re all on a search for sockets to connect / so we wet to detect whatever shocks next / stick you little finger in the plug point boy / all we want is energy so lick it and enjoy... Rock and Roll! How you gonna tell the ou / that he got no soul? When he’s all / let go control? / they don’t know Whole lot to be gained from some unconstrained stakes claimed in the earth of his mental plane / territory uncharted / hot blooded / warm hearted / with horizon eyes / let’s get the show started... Call me a plumber / coz I’m concerned with your [drip drip drip] / kids set to get wet / coz they don’t know about the [slip slip slip] / see we’re all on a search for sockets to connect / so we wet to detect whatever shocks next / stick you little finger in the plug point boy / all we want is energy so lick it and enjoy... They don’t know / ‘bout those stitches in my custom clothes / bleach that denim first and then compose / can’t just any kid rock clothes like those... Intelligence knows / subordinate flows / is rappers relegated to back rows / frontline figure / coal face clinger / slap me on the back when I push past the winner / shift the whole goal direction / back to the start of the race on some reflection / I got no fucks left to give / I used them all up trying to smile and still live / (now I’m) all dried up in the smile department / confused / wonder where the heart went / not to mention the mind / but that’s got an easy answer / the mind’s distracted by some cheap pole dancer / mind don’t know when they poll the answer / but the clock don’t stop so I try enhance the / message for the mind body soul to dance a single step while I double time rhyme... See...they instigated hate in the way that they’re implicated in selling out something greater than chemically concentrated degraded and clearly faded so polluted so diluted deluded but no excusing abusing the music movement with that syndicated saccharine sugary plastic packaging made to be replicated through marketed manufacturing lacking originality slacking on authenticity gassing the whole vicinity filling me up with villainy drilling my muscle memory slinging my tongue telling the young ones to hold on strong to the sides...while I drive...only customized rides...see the world...through these custom eyes... [They don’t know / ‘bout those stitches in my custom clothes / bleach that denim first and then compose / can’t just any kid rock clothes like those...]

Swing State Let’s get it... What state are you in? I’m in that state that swing! Want a piece of the pie? What pie? That pie up in that sky! Arright let’s get it / let’s go one for one / you bring the bullet / i’ll bring the gun ‘ you throw the bullet and hope it hit while I lean back and watch the pistol whip / “Now watch me flip script / now watch me slay slay” / Errbody wanna talk like TED do / got a whole lotta audience to get to / got a whole pile of facts to get through / if that don’t work, watch me, I got alternative truth / the whole globe taking political strain / look left look right look left again / now are you left; center or are you right? Like are you left of left or like right of right? / try reason with the right but you got nothing left / took a look at hard left but it didn’t look right / FUCK THAT / I been trained to refrain from just that / I got a life to live / Start with my peoples, with my family and kids / Then I make a bigger circle, let a couple figures in / They don’t wanna let you play unless you’re playing to win / So I’ll be the referee and send these fools to the bin / Let’s get it... There’s a whole lotta ground in the middle that I hold / when they wanna go high go low They wanna throw shade on the way I bring heat / when they wanna go hot go cold Old World Empire / New World Order / don’t wanna choose, just cancel, that’s all What state are you in? I’m in that state that swing! Want a piece of the pie? What pie? That pie up in that sky! [pick a shot lick a shot take a shot]

Die Honest By Iain Robinson My provoking got you open...provoking...pro king...pro...got them hoping / i’m just joking / watch you smoking? / it’s just a token... My provoking got you open / see they choking while they’re quoting / all these noose lines / made for loose minds / hang ‘em low / pants sagging sky rise / project poetry / city scenery / stepping street level / skip the sewer stream / posse reign supreme / meet up on the scene / keep the shadow clean when we spot light / rock a spot right / exit stage left / kick a hole speaker / hold a jam / def / keep your game tight / battle big boots / kick in shell toe / three stripe type / what the swish know / what the bold label / with no gold cable / we still wired right / for the shark bite / shock a sucker fish in the lime light / see a sucker slip / while we slap grip / let the finger click / middle digit lift / when they screw lip / with they’re hand sign and they’re gang mind / we Solo Pro homie, what kind? / we here long time / going strong fine / walk a fine line / let the line rhyme / see the sweat shine / coz he’s on time / tryna social climb / off the grape vine / California dream / like he Hollywood / but he never move when he never should / see the strategy be longevity / writ in history / legendarily...place...your bets... See those twin towers? They’re but ghosts / coz they’re here in spirit while we coast / “it had to happen” / so said every captain / staring up from those sinking boats / going deep now / gotta wonder how / to hold a heavy chain while he hold a crown / something gotta give in our lifetime / no more fucking paying for a lifeline / put a mask on just to save mine / had to block my ears or I’ll go blind / just another prick upon your pinterest / while my every mountain’s freaking Everest... Tryna realize no lies / tryna drop that disguise... Stick to the remix homie, don’t play...

Are We There Yet By Iain Robinson Fast track / cats will flashback to going nowhere slowly / don’t need app to stay calm / need mostly ghostly / spirits I can sip on / slip on the cruise music / automatic gears provide drive so use it / push a pedal bike up top until the hill stop / free wheel control we roll with sisyphus rock / me I see the son fall / Icarus is grounded / the ship still sailing over water that he drowned in / carry on cousin / I’m a slow rolling truth seeker / pleased to meet ye / could I reach ye / teach ye how to freely speak / a whole lot of nothing more than too-much-to-mention / steady rapping / mind mapping / multiple directions / I work the angles, heart and device / mangling the manacles with the dry ice / hold the cold heat: Shure / like the mic is / only as potent as the mind behind is / think: could I would I should I answer the call when the clarion’ carrying a few dollars more / do I gotta pay the piper if I’m blowing my own horn / pipes fall silent / the rats are at war / always had the best intentions / just wanted to go viral with my virus protections... Are we there yet? When we gonna get there? Forget that formal function / leave my form to function / feel formless standing stuck at some junction / my natural state of mind’s how I mind the state trying to mine a big stake in my soul / not a vampire / me I like to slay instead / so how the system got me feeling like the walking dead? / see the popstar the same as the politician / both of them been publicized packaged and played in that position / how we gonna trust anything out those mouths / when every lyric every line is probably ghost written / I don’t know what’s going on half the time / but the other half of time I keep in mind / I’m just another tick within the big tick-tock / tryna make the most of every stage I clock / tryna beat the boss / take us all up another level / are we there yet? Where the ruler’s sitting with the rebel?

Black Friday By Iain Robinson Hey yo, cover me! I’m going in. Gonna crawl forward to the new normal. Cover me! I’m going all the way...crawling forward to the new normal...with the rest of the kids...”kids can’t be contained”... They pay less for way more Weigh more with less pay They more or less pay their way To same play different day / ay ay ay... We trapped ourselves in these typical lives Thought we were wise We told our children lies about some future prize We were never sure about anything more than how we didn’t want to be poor So we chained ourselves to riches that kept us safe on the shore Staring out at the depths when the storm said no See the storm came slow Now we’re sailing out alone Before we even know how to row And the most radical amongst us is an infant Laughing with the rain / singing song at every instant Hasn’t learned to fear the way that fear leaves an imprint Crying out loud is the purest human instinct They pay less for way more Weigh more with less pay They more or less pay their way To same play different day / ay ay ay...

Icarus On Us By Iain Robinson And so it came to be That man, seemingly once so supreme in his simian overlordship of all before him got laid low, to prostrate before his physical state Reality he mistook: his visions, his mistake As the stakes? The stakes were raised, rising like the tides of warming waters, melting borders as the planet shifted and struggled / While man insisted on persisting in praise of his products while production steadily slowed and was halted what man exalted was the ends through any manufactured means / and the means in streams became rivers of riches The roadway to resources paved in sutures and stitches / scars are the key element in positive polishing whatever’s negative... Man made fashion out of fortunes, Push through the planetary proportions and protections, plastic surgical reflections of what wealth is, To limit the earth, while maximizing Mars Coz moon missions minimize in time when man finds he’s only always ever been seeking the sun in one form or some other... My own supply Got me so high See me so juiced off of what we’ve produced Slap on that wax Feathers fail me not How close can I get with this one shot I’ve got? Made a mask from a t-shirt today / so the world is faced with what the t- shirt say / and the t-shirt say “face it, you’re wasted, coz you concentrated on a fashion statement” / shall I fashion statements / tryna break the cages / when my brain engages man made contagions / like there’s no containment if the soul is ancient / but the present prison got my vision tainted / portrait I painted see me crowned and robed / on a throne / smart phone set to selfie mode / so I’m never really known that I’m all alone / all the rest of the kids are snapping clones of their own / who’s really home if they’re all airborne / never been grounded with the flyest forms / lept straight from the launchpad / future fueled / to be fooled by the tech that we’ve tooled... My own supply Got me so high See me so juiced off of what we’ve produced Slap on that wax Feathers fail me not How close can I get with this one shot I’ve got?

Not Entertained By Iain Robinson It’s been a pleasure spending this time with you. I feel that we’ve got to know one another, much much better. Slow roast the Holy Ghost that haunts the Tabernacle / heat test that Readers Digest / subjected to angry tackle / red carded for irreverence / exit the game like “see you later” / on my way off the pitch drop kick’s the spectator / I Cantona / verse down to comfortable catch phrase but I’m much better with a fresh head of hot steam and a bed of razor blades / slice the skin off the avatar / who believe they bleed blue / see who truly do / more royalty in most rodents then what most kings and queens will do / opponents end up headed for stocks or where they’ll end with head on blocks but the revolution never stops / tables turn / eternal planet rocks / to spin within an infinity is why these human constellations quest / questioning my status / how I step through / choose which movements best / gravity’s a drag / but I’m down with it like pants sag / we’re built for it / get with it / check the physic when I throw back / locate that tenement / permanent under firmament / if you’re burning it, better be earning it / if you’re teaching it, better be learning it what’s the truth of your concern with it? / to consolidate your cash flow? / on that fashionable international type intangible strictly social pull / like like like like like / are they not entertained? Are they not entertained? / are they not entertained, right? So they jump in the frame, right? Throw themselves to the lions, right? Some sacrifice fine, right? Circus clown we crown him king while he crack whip and skip the ring / are they not entertained? He got away again / Are they not entertained when those flags go up in flames [hey] / when that reflection blast through the looking glass [pane] / alice lands back on her ass where the pavement pimps tarmac the grass / hands up high at the back of the class / tryna get a bathroom pass / tryna get through to The Roots of my Black Thought / tipping point / things fall apart / get caught up in the nicest nets / dopamine narcotic threads / knit together with holy hooks / swiss cheese read these holy books / thrown dirty looks but my vision clear [yeah] / we complicated / choosing through to many channels / we compensated / losing touch with other mammals / dominated / animal instinct never faded / just updated / consciousness we consecrated / with a goal to be solely holy on any platform that’ll hold me / yo / I tread while you tube / together we tire the road out / tear open the temple / yo Da Vinci get that code out / no doubt / you don’t speak? You’re only ever herded / you pack the wool while I pat the wolf / go tell them where you heard it / we contracted more contact less viruses than a spine will fit in a lifetime / my systems nervous with what’s been attached to my lifeline / lose contact with the vessel see we float in the open ocean / how we hold on the golden hope in whatever prize in the eyes is glowing / believe that the heat is teaming / see me I believe it’s smoking / feel that burn feel that burn feel that burn feel that burn / give it horns / the devil got some detailed forms / but I’ll be Hi-Dee- Hi-Dee-Hoing potholes up in his lawn...