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The Summer of the Cicadas

by Royal Ruckus

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    This two-CD album release comes in beautiful earth-friendly, plant-based packaging, with artwork by Monique Sarkessian. Comes with immediate download of the album.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Summer of the Cicadas via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $15 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

1.
Chunjay, Verse 1: Just leaning on the bar minding my own (business!) When she kicked up a cyclone At the Brass Tap cask pull box (right!) Just long enough to see she’s my type (see?) Out of nowhere (nowhere!) came a woman I’d date She was slinging out snifters, handing out plates She had a way with words, had a way with pints Had a way with six ounces poured in flights She looked so great in her outerwear And the way she smiled had my mind impaired She rocked that apron like she just dont care New Edition Bobby Brown button as her flair A satin rose, she was so intriguing Every word flowed smooth like she was singing Lisa, Angela, Pamela, Rene Happens all the happy hours round my way Flatline, Bridge: Now I’m aware of what you do Thinkin’ I might take the cue Few more minutes ’til I work the nerve to get the digits! Flatline, Chorus: Hey waitress I’m feeling butterflies every time You ask to take this Order As I practice my lines And this could be bliss We sip on rum and Coke, extra limes Or we could pop Criss I pay for bottle service with dimes Chunjay, Verse 2: Couldn’t get her off my mind couldn’t get her off my brain When I slept I dreamt she was a mental hurricane A little Novocaine to the pain in my heart With every sip, every line, it was a brand new start One night I snuck with art & a wink & a nod I would be the seed and she’d be the pod Made a love note image in sidewalk chalk Right there at the pub at the front of the block Wasn’t trying to stalk just wanted her to see I’m cute, I’m sweet, I’m Chunjamey Mmm…she just called in sick Now my sweet honeybee is a waiter named Rick Felt kinda ick, I was aiming for the dream A little she and me—supreme type team Wouldn’t be a thing if couldn’t scale relations From tipper to gipper, my entire vexation Flatline, Bridge 2: Leaving little notes on cars Writing songs on my guitars Clueless those are useless So my head is stuck among the stars Now I’m aware of how you do Thinking if I took the cue Few more minutes til I work the nerve to text those digits! Chunjay, Verse 3: Shimmy shimmy ya shimmy yeah shimmy yay I brought tacos to the bar on Valentine’s Day Wanted to make her smile, wanted to make her say, “This love looks and sounds just like a screenplay” Quiet on the set! ‘Cause the tacos are here She washed them down with a pint of beer! “These are kinda nice, I am impressed.” I said without thinking: “Let’s be friends and kiss!” At least I’d like to try, like a chance for this Hold your hand, buy beers, like a modern princess Waitress to Ruckette, a few easy steps Not how you good are, it’s how good you wanna prep I fall for all the ladies working at the bars Servers taking orders, counting tips in jars The only problem is it rarely works out Just another guy throwing tips and tipping stouts Flatline, Bridge 3: Think of swiping left or right And thinking I might switch to Sprite Few more minutes til I work the nerve to text those digits! Chunjay, Outro: Gina, Julie, Jordan, Marie I’d like to thank you for the drinks that were free Cassie, Connie, Brittney, Benni How bout we rent a Lamborgini Ashley, Alexis, Erika, Katie I’d like to buy eacha you a brand new Mercedez Robin, Rachel, Holly, Denise Why dont we rock and roll in a Chevy Caprice
2.
Yeah, sippin on this coffee. Thinkin’ bout this girl. Chunjay, Verse 1: Such a dish, she’s delicious, downright nutritious Kinda chick who has a Guinness but’s still down with that fitness Business in the front, she look good in the back Got a mind that attracts an a booty that distracts I’m not talking pirate treasure but I might as well be Captain Jack would scoop her up and take her out to sea The Black Pearl may be cursed but imma take her out to drinks Hug her tight to my chest and tell her what I think Put it on the line, clink a glass of wine It’s a dangerous thing trying to make her all mine Such a pretty face got that sweet soft skin Of course she makes me chase her all the way to the end Dangerous those eyes, dangerous those lips Dangerous the highs when I put my hand up on her hip Tryin a get a grip, got me actin reckless It all started with some tacos out in Austin, Texas Ahh, man. I don’t know where this is goin’. But, geez, Taco Deli was great. So much fun. Flatline, Chorus: She’s dangerous, been heavy on my mind She’s dangerous, made my heart go blind Rhymed words and phrases With flirts and praises She’s dangerous status undefined Chunjay, Verse 2: Round number 2, @JustJamey steppin through She got me living dangerous in that heart pursuit She could be a maneater, leave me spit and chewed But imma ride this one out and hope it continues What’s next on the menu like my name was Pete Rockin Holding hands in the park without an eye on the clockin Maneuvers in the dark like orchestrated shockin Dangerous embrace like, knockin, knockin Imma rock her world like she been rocking me Relaxation on my brain, it’s electricity Take it back to 93 like phife and q-tip Gotta get a grip she holds a knife and a whip Sippin on a brew with the girl and my crew Is this the real deal or will she and I be through Tension in the chemistry, tryina not be restless It all started with a girl, out in Austin, Texas Yeah, it’s like, we go a whole day. The day goes by so fast. Pretty soon it’s dark, walkin’ through the park… I don’t wanna go home. Verse 3: Flatline: Talking bout her… Chunjay: yo I took her out Connections on my mind for the whole dang route Crew bringing the ruckus Flatline: no doubt no doubt Chunjay: She be straight up sumptuous, a dangerous shout Flatline: She’s deadly man, she could rip your world apart Chunjay: The beauty is there but there’s a beast in her heart The way she looks away it’s like a calculated game The struggle on her lips just to tell me thangs Coy and cocky, goes back and forth The joy and the rocky, she knows true north Am I just a chess piece, a pawn in her strategy? Move me around to make a kill by her majesty… Ignore my boys’ warnings and fall to her gravity Keep me coming back oblivious to tragedy Diggin’ every minute not just goin down a checklist It all started with this dish out in Austin, Texas It’s like I should be nervous, but I just feel good. The whole thing feels good. I just want more. Give me more!
3.
Chunjay, Verse 1: Απόψε φόρα τα καλά σου (Greek: “I’m wearing my best”) You can wear that dress and I’ll don this new suit “Shoot they look so cute” we gonna turn them heads around We gonna boogie on the dance floor to that Royal Ruckus sound Squats down to the ground cause we move it like Orange Theory Cicadas Cover Draft advertisementWe connecting through our movements when our voices can’t carry You can bury my body, sometime but not tonight Cause I’m looking to boogie til the morning flicks up light Kicks and flips and vodka club with lime I’ll show some tips and tricks you’re my partner in crime For those sweet eyes, I would die I could do this every night for a whole lifetime Flatline, Chorus 1: One hand up and get in the zone Two hands high, open eyes, set the tone Microphone check checkah gonna shake a hip bone Be a melody, a love like I never known Flatline, Verse 2: I’m getting all the signals right, but the brights are on Kept the spirits light, ran the marathon We walked the whole lake, took all afternoon Thought we felt bridges shake, thought we sang a tune Getting lost in that moment, stars shine a little brighter When ya flick it like a lighter, tapping like a type writer Your love is like a fighter gonna give it all its got And words are getting longer gonna lose my train of thought We grow like a garden, we pear (pair) like a tree Love is the pardon, we’re buzzed like a bee Like a bribe to the warden, like I’ve been set free Now it’s just you and me…just you and me Chunjay & Flatline, Chorus 2: Never known a love like this Never grown so close to bliss Never thrown my self in’is Now I found home in a kiss
4.
Coconuts 03:25
Verse 1: Chunjay: I’m not a dope rapper, I play one on CD Been writing booty lyrics since 1993 If I date myself I’d like some wine and cheese Candlelight dinner, invite this young lady Flatline: I’m a dapper catch you can call me mahi mahi I’ll run the seamen’s boat, just you try to stop me Chunjay: Ever since I met her, I had this frame of mind My mental is a goner with these pictures in rewind Like VHS at Blockbuster won’t you be so kind Two by two into the ark we will populate and bind Flatline: All the different shades all the different ways All the different grays in a fuego kinda blaze I feel the fire’s power think I got a little burned A tiny little spark from those lips as they upturn Chunjay: Up up and away, I’m Sooperman* Chunjay I’m flying in the sky, high on this new bae [*Chunjay’s original rapper name in junior high] Chorus 1: Co-co-co-co-co-co-co-coconuts Co-co-co-co-co-co-co-coconuts Flatline, Chorus 2: I’m into this new girl she’s funny and she’s chill Don’t make a lot of money, she don’t got a lot of bills Like the nape and her necklace I’d like to caress this Simple sexy cute she got no need to impress this Chunjay, Chorus 3: I’m into this new girl she’s funny and she’s chill Listens to my raps digs the choruses and fills I’m sending Ruckus rhythms right down her block Me be to she what key be to lock Verse 2: Flatline: Summer of cicadas we went down to sandy beaches We were making all the noise we were soaking up sun reaches Ethical fajitas in Chipotle’s dining room Six bucks won my heart with salsa number two Chunjay: Guacamole’s extra, not everything is cheaper Liking her online, Instagram a creeper We went to Grouch & Eligh, watched them tear it up Vodka and a lime and club soda in her cup We walked across the tracks squeezed the juices out of life We made minute maid out of twists and of the strife Flatline: My girl is all the bestest, laughs and all the restest Took her out for tacos, out in Austin, Texas This girl has got me crazy, the chemistry amazing Coconuts and vodka, liquor don’t phase me Chunjay: Better living through chemistry I call it love tazing Cupid and his arrows got us seriously love dazing Verse 3: Chunjay: That was the Co-co-chorus hookah lounging over there We spent all of our time, drinking Buddha beer They say that time is money so I closed out my account And gave it all to her in large unmarked amounts Flatline: White envelopes for lovers, don’t forget to lick the stamp Plant your feet facing forward toward your lovers little camp Chunjay: Make like a tree and get your coconuts for free Eat the meaty flesh drink the milk upon your knees Flatline: The bird gets the worm but the squirrel gets dees nuts It’s not what you’re thinking it’s just my puns all get the butt Chunjay: Punny you should say but my girl don’t even play She’s not that kinda girl got me using my long game Strong to the finich I make her garlic spinach I read up on the labels she likes to know what’s in it I cook her grass-fed steaks put some meat upon her ribs Flatline: Maybe you’ll make babies and put kids up in them cribs
5.
Flatline, Chorus: We are the music makers, we make up the scene We’re not the imitators, we rap Ruckus kings We don’t heed those haters, instead we run things We are the innovators and the dreamers of dreams Chunjay, Verse 1: 1998 was when we started the deal Three high school kids with a dream that was real We wanted to have fun and push positive music We wanted to run things the way that we choose it Deathless ditty, we build up the city We wanted to rock mics and date girls who were pretty A touch of techno and a bit of ska Eclectic is the best description of all We made some friends made connects and such Rocked Vegas and Hawaii and got bad haircuts Grits, Pigeon John & Spoken Nerd Sackcloth, the Duke & my main man Dirt Just four years and a handful of members We were bout to go national the end of November It was a good ride but it died before long And before I hang my hat I’m gonna drop this song Chunjay, Verse 2: Ocean blue sea breakers by the ball takers Never gave a bit about fighting all the fakers One man with a dream can conquer a crown And two rappers with a beat can take a kingdom down Or your record can flop at the store You can hustle for cash and you can still be poor You can make lots of jokes and ride tour busses You can upset the folks with your Royal Ruckus Look, everything is built on the past of the earth Each age is dying and each dream’s a birth A breath of inspiration in each generation I’m glad we walked this way and avoided stagnation DMC, Beasties, Soup the Chemist We all get a second then we have to be finished We rode this ride and my only regret Is we took this long to make a record perfect Chunjay, Verse 3: I drop these rhymes for my personal use I never cup the mic that’s hip-hop abuse Life after death or death after life A maze we didn’t choose but we might choose which knife Some choose right but others choose demise I don’t know a whole lot but I’m banking on a prize Or at least a Lord have mercy love of God don’t hurt me The music sings a song that I just need surgery We do what we can and so we make this record Like Peter Paul & Mary got years together Imma let you finish dudes lowered the bar Let’s turn that around and raise the rap beat charts No vision amazing no house they are raising The only way forward is heavy trail blazing Every singer sings and then he stops Every rapper writes and then he drops
6.
Chunjay, Verse 1: I make love to your soul intertwine with you Complete and whole make one from two Who knew we could have such fun And we could cry those tears we could go on runs Stupid intense I love every inch I gave you my heart I’m not on that fence Spare no expense, 100 and change It seems so strange just happened one day I’ve dreamed such thangs but they crumble like dirt This love’s here to stay, so intense it hurts Can’t see it ever changing how things are now Moments press into next an eternal Tao Girl we got a good thing goin…and… I… don’t… know… how! Flatline, Chorus: Girl we got a good thing goin’ I’m singing loudly down the street we rollin’ Shouting from the top from the hills to the ocean Together our days and our nights in slow motion Flatline, Verse 2: I don’t wanna stage a rom com but I’m Cheering like some pom poms United in our vision But I’m dressed up like a bad prom Date save the wait This Prince looking for his Kate Duchess Royal dress and oil Olives piled up on my plate Girl a good thing’s goin on A bright adventure, a golden dawn A pop of champagne, a pint of beer Cheers, a good thing to hold so dear Chunjay and Flatline, Chorus 2: Hey! You and me girl Hey! We in our world Hey! Things are so fresh Hey! With that sweet caress
7.
Chunjay, Verse 1: When you walked into my life you walked into my soul It’s like Cupid used a knife and he cut down to the bone I knew my heart was home I didn’t watch the throne In a single night this guy was simply overthrown The only thing I knew, is you were 22 But your frame made me insane had you on interview I can’t explain, I was done, some kinda voodoo Call me Napoleon you are my Waterloo Taylor Swiftin we were twinnin Greater hearts desire I was spinnin We chased the days at night, never did we fight We tasted great together we were winnin (right?) That was livin hugs were givin Studied body & your soul like religion It’s long division, precise incision I can’t even define or christen Made you my mission my ambition Then one night hearts took flight locked our lips then Pressed against them, with some friction Kissing turned to fear of what was written Indecision in description I hit ignition and you killed the engine Too late I’m smitten, hand in mitten You’re a vampire and I got bitten Chunjay, Verse 2: When you walked into my soul you took a place inside my heart You filled in the gaps from my healed up wounds and scars In a single day you engaged my innermost parts You upstaged any others, like rock stars smash guitars Grabbed my car, hit the bars, collected fairy dust in jars I can’t explain but I’d say we weren’t being very smart But the pheromones in the air were way off of the charts It revealed my love and we had a false start You were my best friend and I loved you Everything I said was all true A flicker of light in my heart ignite I stared into your eyes and I saw you invite We drank cold brew since our debut Smoked hookah and played games until 2 In the morning shooting pool, call it miscue Juggalos don’t get magnets but we do Gave you a tissue an arm to lean on Kissed your forehead and told you to stand strong If you’d review all the things we’d do I think that you would find we were so in tune But like deja vu, you withdrew Turned my world upside down i bid you adieu Gave ya over to God so I could bloom Find some shelter from the hell of your monsoon Chunjay, Outro: She wounded by love, polluted by love Diluted her love, and confuted my love
8.
Flatline, Chorus 1: He’s four on the floor He’s stuck in the door He’s asking for trouble Just by asking for more No more saying goodbyes No more asking her why No more leaving a love note Making songs in the sky Believe it, it’s through Believe it, it’s true Chunjay, Verse 1: You and me girl like second grade crushes Cue a whirl and strike, got me doing crunches Playing games for fun, packing picnic lunches Pullin no punches just drinks at the Tip Fooling no one, we joined at the hip Slip your hand into mine an I kiss your lips Grip an flip, throw ya over my shoulder PBR at the bar gotta have it colder I’m a little older, and I’m a little bolder Sold you my heart, or I gave it for free Gold from the start, laid under the tree Played on the beach and swam in the sea I’d stay by your side if you stay by mine But you seem confused by your own design Flatline, Chorus 2: There still might be time Time’s enough with a dime Dime’s a penny with you Penny’s wishes come true And then it takes a turn Turning over and over and over and over and decline Chunjay, Verse 2: Now four on the floor, love note on your door My heart’s in your hands, I’m asking for more Memorized your body I want to explore Lewis and Clark on the next expedition Forget all the others, multiply by addition Jets on full throttle, love is the prescription I was your conscription, didn’t you know it? “Isn’t it the best?” that’s you I quoted I’ve been demoted but I’d like to reload it Beiber saying sorry, Taylor saying stay All you had to do was… all we did was play Friends got the feels? maybe someday Laughter and squeals got me thinking something faster Touch your face with my lips… then you close the chapter Flatline, Chorus 3: Believe it, it’s through Believe it, it’s true Turning over and over and over and decline
9.
Chunjay, Verse 1: I wrote this song in my car it goes boom like that Got me drivin off the road like Tounces the Cat One hand on my phone and one hand on the wheel I can’t recommend that Hellen Keller type a deal 1, 2, 1, 2 my mic checks don’t bounce That’s Clever with an A*, don’t you mispronounce My rhymes cut like a cleaver give a dam like a beaver Used to go by Sooperman, you can call me Chris Reever Pop hip-hop my rhymes are carbonated Been digging beats myself since the slaves emancipated Seeking justice for the poor like Robin of Locksley Grab a mic with shaky hands like Michael J. Foxly Fools they wanna box me for being so fresh Never claimed to be a savior I’m not David Koresh I’m not down with ATF we can chill at my house Grill up some steaks, roast a batch of buttered Brussels sprouts [*Chunjay’s name comes from the Korean word for “clever.” He was previously Cleva-MC, and people often pronounced it “Cleava.”] Chunjay, Verse 2: I broke up with my girl she didn’t like my cologne Now I’m giving it a whirl at being alone I’m far too tough to die like Joey Ramone I don’t mean to pry but have you seen the Flintstones? Cause I’ll be your Barney if you’ll be my Betty Blonde cave dude who is hardy and steady I get kinda sweaty when I’m down at the gym Cussing burpees make my frown go down to my chin Kanye and Kim—yo how do they work? I’m guessing it’s all Twitter, fire, air and dirt I have too many shirts separated by color It’s not a racist program I swear on my mother I like to put butter right into my coffee Got me feeling bulletproof while your butt is feeling groggy Rocky steps like Stallone, Philly used to be home But cheesesteaks made me chubby, now I’m tryin a get toned Chunjay, Verse 3: Hip-hop, got turned into hip pop I don’t really care as long as the beat drops I never call the cops except when I’m scared 9-1-1 is a punchline except when compared To the excellent care they give to white people Got a Glock, two fists, and the sweetest boy beagles Singles, paralegals, plus cute nurses I’ll date a woman in scrubs if I meet her in the churches Got these primal urges so I’m eating Paleo Barefoot running in Orlando and going to shows I met this single rose on a Wednesday at a service I like to hold her hand but my beard just makes her nervous Wrote home to mom that I found my special purpose Call me Jimmy the Jerk I think I’m joining the circus Scratch my surface? you should probably say you’re sorry Leave a tip for the deejay it’s his tunes that rock the party
10.
Resolution 03:57
Flatline, Chorus: Show me the needs of a brother Sowed are the seeds of another light Stuck in the thoughts of the other If we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down alright Chunjay, Verse 1: Woke up this morning bright light come through my window Had a sinking feeling that I am in a limbo On my own in regret, wonder where my friends go Stuckin between lonely and what it is my friends know Always tryina be better, change up all the things Writing letters to myself about pulling on life’s strings Grow here grow there, pull myself up by my straps A few beers with the homies an’ I’m back up in the traps Gettin into flaps with friends, throw at them the wrath Asking God for scraps knowing I didn’t do the math I’ll never find my way without companions and a map Resolved: find & be a true friend on the path Chunjay, Verse 2: This girl she is my best friend she’s made quite the impression Became a quick companion and scooped up my affections Not a thing beats our connection, my number one selection Don’t see her imperfections only see my predilections But my heart she keep on messin with every little step in Always second guessin touch her hand I want the rest an’ She says she still likes me but advances get rejection Can we make an exception a little indiscretion She says that’s too confusing, my ego gets a bruising Love is oozing out my pores, I got a bad infection Change up my direction be her friend by election Darling—my hands hold not a weapon Now she’s in a depression and crying on my shoulder Of course I’m gonna hold her, give her a kind reception But the very act of that moves heat like a convection Resolved: pray for resurrection Chunjay, Verse 3: Cities getting crazy passing laws that are so shady Against the men and ladies who don’t have a home If the streets are where you roam police are gettin cagey Homeless hate laws meanta proteck anta save me Save from what? from a man who needs a meal From a woman who’s broke with homeless boys and girls Call em human pigeons ignore their poor conditions Hope they’ll go away soon to indoor rescue missions Undefiled religion cares for widows and orphans Poor men, homeless, those without a fortune Portions in the soup line economic disproportions Theonomic intervention, seeing Christ in contortions Look past the distortions see an icon in his face Homeless and hungry, God bless, show some grace Starting in this place imma show some kindness Resolved: never turn an eye of blindness
11.
Flatline: We did it right we never slept at night Our bodies set with the sun Our summers melt into one Chunjay: we some bearded dudes, with carefree attitudes chillin at the beach and kicking off our shoes rocking those flip-flops relaxing with the homies mocking wack hip-hop, together feelin lonely? we some lone gunmen we on that next tip making fun of Mike cause he’s talkin bout some U.S. ship sleep deprived, never stopped nor arrived we’re all some broken people but we tryin to survive we’ll be up in this place until the whole thing closes Axyl Rose is Flava Flav he’s just in Guns ‘n’ Roses barefoot skateboards, true blonde long-boards lying on the sand and hearing all the chords cicadas making songs, everything belongs peel the freckles from our shoulders and push it along thought of things I shoulda said, said things I shouldn’t say I miss the hell out of that girl but it’s gonna be okay Flatline: Time is counted down The waves should break before we drown Last call, I laugh, you fall Summer’s endless nights We found ourselves beneath the lights Last call, I laugh, you fall Flatline, Bridge: What if the winter loses friends? There’s a lot I have to think about here right now When would we say this is the end? There’s a lot I have to think about there right now
12.
Verse 1: Chunjay: I’ve got something to say so I’m just gonna say it been cutting back exchanges with this girl this time I mean it she quits then she’s in then she’s in a tail spin and I’m done spinning out I’m sick of all the wailing failing forward into success, my eyes are on the prize onward and upward til Christ says arise and the whole world gets reprise, he wipes all the cries duck fat fries got me changin subject an the rhyme in my mid-thirties and I just reached my prime when I make a whole turkey always prep it with a brine Flatline: word up to grandma for working hard in the kitchen making things nice while kids were tumblin and bitchin Chunjay: listen little chump I don’t bother with no breakfast always playing with that fasting and seeking new perspectives like Samson in this piece Flatline: And I be slamming keys Chunjay: Orthodox enough that you’d think that I’m from Greece Chorus: Chunjay: I got something to say but its not what you’d expect Flatline: You make ridiculous claims, at least last time that I checked Chunjay: I’m not Kenny Lamar, not Jay-Z or Em Both: Royal Ruckus coming back atcha, your moment of Zen Chunjay: I got something to say but its not what you’d expect Flatline: You make ridiculous claims, at least last time that I checked Chunjay: I’m not Kanye West, not Dre or Rakim Both: Royal Ruckus coming back atcha, your moment of Zen Verse 2: Chunjay: I had a pet squirrel for a second I’m not kidding shared it with my best girl but ended up quitting released em both into the wild with well wishes and a smile priest said work on me awhile but she makes me such a Grecophile grew a beard for a year cause Mike and I were bored Flatline: girls both praised and sneered and a few had hoped to score Chunjay: remember Mandy Moore? Flatline: I hear she’s free again we could open for her tour but someone’d have to phone it in Chunjay: bless her with a beer, restart my rap career and make a chick flick starring Mr. Belvedere Flatline: Charles in Charge at 7:30, Full House at 8 o’clock Chunjay: I know it’s hard to swallow but I’m still Jimmy from the block used to have a little, now I save once in a while dudes asking how can you afford your rock n roll lifestyle? mostly poor budgeting, Dave Ramsey books on credit Flatline: should probably spend more time reading money tips on Reddit Verse 3: Chunjay: yo microphone check one two… Flatline: what is this? piece of the nice guy rapper pie stimulus? Chunjay: Knowdaverbs had the syllabus, homie was my friend cruisin round in his jalopy needed a heater and a tint Flatline: I miss KJ-5 and T-Bone who would pretend to remember our names, but it didn’t offend Chunjay: penned all the raps but never lived to up the dream don’t really give a crap Flatline: joke’s on you for listening! Chunjay: East Bakersfield, [G-Rhymez!] land of the cap peel raised in a six bed house and scared of Oildale my mom once lived in Compton so that makes me half street Flatline: You coulda been Ice Cube but instead you grew up sweet Chunjay: my liver’s paying dearly for life’s magic activities I quit eating sugar so I never get a cavity Flatline: on tour with Cure and Billy Idol tribute bands Chunjay: Pigeon John wont text me back, he’s rapping in Thailand
13.
Maddy Montes, Chorus: Is there time enough, is time too fast? Time enough to make it last? Another chance to say that we should stay We’ll have time another day Time enough, is time too fast? Time enough to make it last? Another chance to say that we should stay But we’ll have time another day Verse 1: Flatline: I can’t say with confidence I’ve never been here before It’s familiar, not like I’ve never slept on the floor The door is always open golden minutes getting stolen And prying existential observations never spoken Kids will always ask when will they get to be old I rolled out of my bed already bought, already sold I’d ask my neighbor if he needed help with the climb… If I indulge in all my vices will there ever be time? Chunjay: One foot in front another, one climb beside a brother Longing for my mother but it’s been a few long summers Runners sprinting through life, not stopping for the breeze Leaves crunching under foot and cicadas in the trees Freeze the moment if I can but instead I’m on a plan Drifting through this life with my eyes on the second hand Life isn’t what we planned but every moment is a chance To make it right, live in the light, and have another dance Chunjay, Verse 2: (sigh) It was a late afternoon one mid-September We were bout to walk the aisle an’ light a fire from the embers I remember the flowers and that beautiful dress I remember the showers and the hopefulness But it died…faster than the fire was stoked We cried, and we lied, and our hearts were broke Hope dashed on the rocks, caught a few more knocks Took a road trip to clear out my mind and my clocks Broke the locks of the bond, love died with the con Three years of more tweaking and we were still on But barely squeaking by is not the way to live It’s a miracle that we found a pathway to forgive But like nectar in a sieve we never got a harvest Ran fresh out of time ’cause time couldn’t be harnessed Our time is on loan and our time has gone bust But it’s through, it’s done, no more time for us Bonafide, Verse 3: Time waits for no one I kinda wish it did Still tempted by my adolescent ways as a kid All grown seeds sown stunted growth under lid Of a fitted new era old terror war within (Time for us…) It’s been a long road, a lot of game told, a lot of truth sold A lot of plated gold But it never turned green So I rock it like science Till the end meet means (Time for us…) Meaning that I’m a prisoner of war in battle daily Cheating death till the Lord come back To settle score, exercising all authority Lack, never no more, my cup spill on the floor (Time for us…) Cause life is a gift and every moment got a purpose Every challenge brings balance for defining who you spose to be Seeking first the kingdom cause the promise never said there’d be… (Time for you and me…)
14.
Making Nice 03:58
Flatline: why do you want me why do you want me to be it’s better when we just sit back and see you want me why do you want me to be it’s better when we just sit back and see Chunjay: I can be what you want me to be Anything but me, if you want me to see I’ll try to see what is wrong with me Making nice making marks making mends, believe Got off track, taking things back I’ll color in the lines and I’ll bend the hacks Fill in, refine what we lack lack lack But we never settled out our reflection cracks Flatline: so set off we’re making mends with the ends I’m better and so are most of our friends I’m better and so are most of our friends I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself Chunjay: I swear to you I’m better than before I fear you think we’ve already settled the score But there’s more to this mess than the stress and the chore Can’t ignore this test, I know what a pyre is for Running back, burning back, it all falls off Choking down reality til the chains fall off Broken old me trying not to call it off Token old me longs for all that wasn’t off Flatline: why do you want me why do you want me to be it’s better when we just sit back and see you want me why do you want me to be it’s better when we just sit back and see I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself Chunjay: Doesn’t matter how many times we go back to the beginning Doesn’t matter how much we repeat another inning Clocks tick time, time is never ending Seasons cycle in our mind, a garden needs tending Our friends are better now it’s written on their faces Pain and joy and frowns turn into frontal spaces Mends with the ends within my frantic paces Minds burn and bend, setting off to new places Flatline: so set off we’re making mends with the ends I’m better and so are most of our friends I’m better and so are most of our friends I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself
15.
Chunjay, Verse 1: Coulda swore I saw you at Whole Foods yesterday Brown hair and eyes you had that smile on your face The one I’ve seen in place like a thousand other times Except on this occasion, your smile wasn’t mine I dipped into an aisle didn’t want to catch your eye I didn’t want to ask why an I didn’t wanna lie And I didn’t want to hear you talk about some other dude Not trying to be rude but it was you who walked away I gave you my heart you know I’d give it back again The Summer of Cicadas was the summer of my Zen And it was a funeral hymn one of the hardest things I’ve done The death of our love when we’d only just begun I know I wasn’t dumb we were on the same page We were lovers we were friends, we weren’t actors on a stage Imma try to act my age and stand on solid ground Can’t make any promises… but I’ll be around Pigeon John, Chorus: Whenever… I’ll be around round round I’ll be around Whenever… You know down down down You know down Whenever… yeah… I coulda swore I saw you just the other day Whenever… I’ll be around round round round I’ll be around Whenever… I’ll be around… Chunjay, Verse 2: Coulda swore I saw you driving by the church If it wasn’t “Salt” I can tell you it still hurt I was in the shirt you know what I’m talking bout I wish that you could see my growth I think that you’d be proud I guess I owe a lot to you for stirring up my soul Bursting up my bubble now I’m learning to be whole Learning to be me, learning to be free I may be yearning for your touch I’m making peace with this debris I may look a little funny with these ashes on my face I may be a little hungry from the splashes and the chase Thought it was a race at first, fought you and embraced the curse Brought you in my world til you stopped and hit reverse …taking care of business Got a lotta love for you as God as my witness Forgiveness is yours and you know that I’m down We can make it better… I’ll be around Chunjay, Verse 3: Coulda swore I saw you down at the brewery No, I know I saw you cause you hugged me in a hurry Wave an a side hug, you were on your iPhone Cicadas be noisy bugs, diamonds turned to rhinestones From in-zone to friend zone don’t really know how Feelin kinda silly when I put my hand to the plow Push through the mess, trying not to stress out Spending all my time second guessing all your doubts I spent too many days thinking what you thinking on I went into a phase I was drinking too much drink and on I don’t really see what I’m spending all my time for At some point you became a pretty little eye sore I guess that time is now, I’m really sick and tired I gave you 100 but everything backfired Loved every ounce of you—my efforts have been drowned I wish you all the best… but I can’t be around Pigeon John, Outro: I’ll be down for you, you’ll be down for me
16.
Chunjay, Verse 1: It all began in the west, now I live in the east I’ve sealed the son to my chest to the day that I’m deceased Each one, teach one, prepare for the feast Got my gun and a vest and last rites from a priest That’ll be the day, that’ll be the day I die The pressure is on to say those last goodbyes ‘Cause you and I fool we got the same destination But our use of the tools affects its consummation Gotta get off the couch, an’ get my life moving Not a grinch or a grouch, that’s a lifetime of losing Grim Reaper is a creeper we all got an appointment To lay back become sleepers and swallow the ointment ‘Til that final day I’ll be holding nothing back All the way to the front all the way to the attack I might make a mess but go home an’ get clean Never acquiesce until I turn in my lien Flatline, Chorus: Throw your hands to the sky when you ask, “Why?” Every man’s born as one, and as one he dies Into the wind and then you’re gone The pressure is on, the pressure is on Spoken Nerd, Verse 2: All this time you would have questioned my allegiance Like leaving indecent legions in need of a seedling You were the anti-hero, equipt with low ceilings That leave us both feeling under pressure with no breathing We keep dreaming, but we’re up against sleep demons Who keep creeping, the lone gunman with a piece pleading My tea steeping, these feet defeat treason I seek with deep reason, my Jesus piece gleaming I leave my people keeping the salt of the earth seasoning The feeble attempts weaken We need to feed the healing We need to keep kneading ‘Cause love is like a rod that I’m reeling Somebody’s sloppily leaving Pop Rockadopolis sweeten I spend a lot of these evenings On some sort of lottery dealings Where they charge me for being an antithesis of appeasement But I’m not trying to please them…or seize them Max.One, Verse 3: First day of school I played it cool, friends I made a few Hated a couple people too but can’t stay in a bubble true So I avoided cliques like a dolphin in a stew (blink) Witnessing the birth of my first child In awe of my wife and this tiny girl’s smile (blink) Four more babies still no more ladies Standing firm in my convictions [Chunjay: You’re such a good Christian!] (blink) First child is with child… man, this is wild Just a few bars back I saw her first smile Now she’s out there in the dark world unprepared for the coming miles (blink) Being proud I never cheated on her’s like being proud I never beat her Really? those are my accomplishments? Sounds like basic common sense! Instead I regret the time spent traveling all over Should have been finding time to hold her, comfort her and rub her head (blink) A widower, alone, hurt, grown & insecure Never more unsure wondering why she had to go didn’t she know The time away would be made up for once we’d gone gray… And bald, wearing Depends, wrinkly, et cetera…
17.
Chunjay, Chorus: Pull out the match book and grab the gas can Change your outlook this is your last stand Rearrange the thangs this ain’t no sleight of hand Burn it to the ground is next on the plan Chunjay, Verse 1: Seriously, Harry, we gotta burn this all down Way too many things that need to meet the ground Heaven scrapes the pavement like the homie ManChild Don’t care if I’m reviled, blessed be the one in exile Call me Athanasius, it’s me against the world Not hittin that temptation and I’m coming unfurled Was whining bout a girl now I’m just walking away There is a silver lining, I’m sure I’ll see the day Are you Yoko Ono? ’cause you broke up the band Got me drinking like a hobo eatin fish out of a can So I trust you’ll understand when I light up the whole area Pushin for purity like beer in Bavaria I made some poor choices and I’m burning ’em all up Can’t let that mess define me so it’s more like a tune-up Confess it, got divine peace, sort of a clean-up Burn the whole thing down before a big build-up Krum, Verse 2: Pull the match book on how the past look And all the feelings that I never let show They told me move on to write a new song And burn it down, but it’s hard to let go Livin in these memories on a loop playin everyday Everything that happened was prolly my fault anyway The mirror’s full of fingers pointin all that I felt Forgive and forget—the problem is forgiving yourself Scrollin thru the pictures on my phone like a prison The trash can beggin to eat ’em and start livin My pride is in control and I been playin it cool Plus every time I pulled my lighter out it ran outta fuel Joey the Jerk, Verse 3: Yo! Far from an arsonist, feel the heat as we start to bust Leading the fleet like Optimus Prime time like mysogynists On BET, we three emcees who’ve seen between the lines With enemies on both sides so let the fire shine Brightly burnin’ down the town and if I get a little charred Let me come back more resourceful like an evolved Charizard Ashes to ashes with batches of bad matches The flash is fantastic like burning battery acid Spectacular magic can happen when you burn the bad that’s trapped in I ain’t talking bout rappin Talking supernatural action when we burn it down… Joey the Jerk! On the microphone! Killin’ emcees, like I been doin, for the last 375 years! Alright!
18.
Chunjay, Verse 1: Since day one I been Ruckusin’ it up Making grandma proud by not cussin on the cut A lot of things have changed in the world of Royal Ruckus Some relationships estranged and new friends have come among us Still down with MPWalker, we text all the time Imma be his friend ’til the day that he Flatlines Or if I’m going first he’ll hoist me in the hearse And I’ll pray for him from heaven ’til sadness is reversed Still eating bratwurst, still drinking Irish stout Still writin silly rhymes, still wrestling with doubts Still believing in Christ, still livin this life Still walking in faith with my eyes on the prize Still into girls, I’m now into beards Hash tag no homo, no offense meant to queers I misused a few years now I’m redeeming the days Serving food to the homeless soaking up sun rays From Cali to South Florida, what up Bakersfield? Still proud of my town, still run in those hills Still calling my dad, still cool with my brothers Much love to my sister, my nieces and mother Still working with kids, still shaping tomorrow Still finding reasons to laugh—even in sorrow What else can I say? I’m a steadfast kinda guy Back in the rap game and not about to say goodbye… Still! Jeremiah Dirt, Verse 2: Ay yo, the devil tried to choke me but I’m still breathin’ This world throws hard blows, I’m still bobbin’ n weavin’ Still believing, snakes is still deceivin’ But I’m still stopping serpents, givin’ demons a beatin’ I’m still decreasing, while God increasing The revelations from Heaven are still releasing Upon the people that will still receive them So stop sleeping on righteousness for no right reason I’m still keeping the rhymes red hot Pause the track, you still feel the aftershocks Because the epicenter still don’t get no writers block The Heaven sent to ya, still with Christ cypha unstopped I’m still sinning and I’m still forgiven And I’m still concerned with the way that I’m livin’ So I’m still searchin’ Scripture for a way up that hill Still instilling my soul Biblical, until time stand still Absent Minded, Verse 3: I put the ashes of my sister into Oceanside harbor Moved to Tennessee where we buried my daughter Life’s torture only makes my heart softer for this culture If their goal’s to see me hopeless better try harder Because there’s still light where the Cross is Kill us off and we’re still coming back with Jesus and swords on white horses Still go right where the lost is With the Aveo in San Diego, making these songs hit Still on tour after 12 years doing it 8 years married still in love like a newlywed 15 years with a busted lung still using it Healed, re-sutured getting stupid in studios with an axe to grind Against the masterminds keeping asinine mantras in the back of your mind and blind to the facts I’m trying to crack some spines like cat o’ nines, still Absent Minded And I count carbs these days, still eat these white-bread busters…
19.
Chunjay, Verse 1: Got you on my mind but I really probably shouldn’t Spent too much time on you like a good student Studying for a test like our life would be the best The reality is that life with you would be a stress It hurts me to say and I think that you are great But cute shorts and fun drinks aren’t a lifetime exchange Thinking things will change, definition of insanity A gateway to embrace some kind of deep apathy I chose chastity—you woulda let me hit it I wish that we could kiss and I will not forget it when we did I love you kid and that’s the truth But you a mixed up girl, I gotta lay new roots So I wish you all the best and I pray that you are blessed Need to say these things can’t leave them unexpressed Hope you figure out all the things you need to do I love you with my whole heart but I’m letting go of you Chunjay, Chorus: (Hey!) She’s on my mind and she’s on my heart (Hey!) These things remind me why we’re apart The good things were way up off the charts But I’m no longer blind so I must depart Chunjay, Verse 2: I wrote that “A Las Chicas” and I had the best intentions But I was a young kid relationships have dimensions Beyond just loving God it takes more than simple faith Add works to the plate and kindness to what you pray I tried never to stray, honored God with my body Application of the teaching on occasion kinda spotty Yielded messed up situations broken up by some hottie But you, my dear, are leagues beyond everybody I never met another girl who impacted me like that Your time I enrolled and asked if perhaps I could get a chance, just to be your shining star I was whining for a glance to be back up on your radar You should know the truth I never met a soul like you I never been so broken up by getting knocked out of the queue Hope you figure out all the things you need to do I love you with my whole heart but im letting go of you Chunjay, Verse 3: We had a conversation ’bout us on that Sunday night Amazing your explanations wrecked me without a fight “That’s what I want too, that’s what I wanna do” Reading old love letters and pledging to be true Tried to walk away cried out to be estranged But I bought your complaints and your pledge that things would change Have a strange way of changin’ doing more of the same Blame shifting over texts I saw right through your game You see it’s quite easy no need for a co-coaster Loved you freely and deeply, relax I came closer Wrap my arms around your body and my heart around your soul Disposition embodied one consistently enrolled No need for stop and go, no need for ebb and flow We should drop the show, love shouldn’t take that kind of toll Hope you figure out all the things you need to do I love you with my whole heart but im letting go of you
20.
Willonious, Intro: Yo, this is Young Dick. Talkin’ bout Boca girls! Chunjay, Verse 1: I broke my iPhone so I went down to the mall To the Apple Store that other stuff is not my call I saw this full grown doll, introduced myself and all Morgan was her name, lovely tan and tall Spit some game, flirted, then I got the digits Fell head over heels outside Abercrombie Fitches Came down with the itches now my left eye twitches Doctor said I have a fever for the Boca… (SHH…) Girls—they are a very special type But the crop tops and the cutoffs are something that I like Those shorts! Those thighs! Now I take out Boca girls like every other night Take her out to Rocco’s, she says she don’t like nachos Margaritas with the salt and big ole plate of tacos See two Boca girls I dated sitting at the bar I should prob’ly find a different place off the Boca radar Chunjay, Chorus: Boca girls breaking hearts, then they break your wallet Shopping at the mall, Gucci bag she bought it (Boca girls!) Drinking Frappuccinos parties at casinos Black out drunk, toast the floor with all the dudes that she knows (Boca girls!) Willonious, Verse 2: Ridin’ on Glades I’m in the Escapade You know I’m getting paid, your boy been on a wave Saw a young babe, I said, “Hey, how are you?” She had a pretty little smile, her chest say FAU I’m like, d***, baby, I’m really tryina know ya I’m really tryina show ya all the finer things Take you to Town Center, buy all the bling bling Mmm… even wedding rings Tryin’ get married like right now! Take ya to the the Funky Buddha smoke some hookah and vibe out At Mizner Park after dark, we can talk about you And what we do, yeah Boca boo, Boca boo… Chunjay, Verse 3: I got this call from my homie will, aka Young Dick He said he’s on this chick Said he’s got this Boca boo who goes to FAU With a booty of a magnitude obscures his view I said me too, yo I got this girl She rock my world she like a perfect pearl She down at that college, gainin’ knowledge She make me feel great like I still got that ballage Set up a surprise meet up in Mizner Park Thought our two Boca boos might friendship spark We grabbed a brew at the Yard House where a friend was working Had no idea a surprise was lurking Ordered up pricey beers (cheers!) I saw a vision of a woman hot and fierce Will exclaimed with a grin, “her ring worth a fortune!” And much to my chagrin it was lovely Morgan… Chunjay, Bridge: Can’t tell if I’m a hipster, can’t tell if I’m a jock Can’t tell if I should golf or hit up the skate shop Don’t know if I am hip-hop, yeah probably not But to the girls of Boca will I ever have a shot?
21.
Uncle Dan: Aye, yo yo. We’re just doing this Boys II Men style, just no cussing, right? Chunjay: Kicking down the doors we the crew bringing the Ruckus Got that moral compass so I’m advocating justice For the loveless and the loved, rich and poor the weak and toughest We alone but we’re together and together we some rough necks Spoken Nerd: I’m less five-o, more type O-Negative I’m DIY eating homemade potato chips 8 bit simplish. Quit the quick label it’s Dripping on my riches like tip toes on a drainage ditch You’re drenched with the fix Click, click The mouse on my computer is the new pistol whip Attempted merger My belief is firmer than my grip On minced meat because the dream is murder Chunjay: I got that skin in the game not just talking fussing theory Others bull with the claims and act so cussing cheery Getting beery at the pub with my crew and all the rest Watchin footy with a stout, hit up South by Southwest [White people stuff about peeing and making kombucha] Flatline, Chorus: We are the lone gunmen, you should duck at the click We’ll throw them bar stools, fisticuffs, mics, or a brick Solidarity and clarity when opposition strikes This is a lethal composition so I’m passin the mic Uncle Dan: I’m a noobie, ain’t no shame, this is my first official verse But as a rookie in this game, man, I’ve never been served I said, “Chun, let’s have some fun, but let’s get it done right” He said, “Dan, just make a plan, don’t bring a mic to a pun fight” Chunjay: Been writing raps since ’92, you better recognize So I made a batch of songs with trend setter kinda guys Blue skies be telling lies, letters are in disguise I’ll be riding fledgling waves until the day of my demise Max.One: I literally believe that Adam and Eve were the first to be To breathe to believe and be deceived Call me simple-minded But there’s nothing simple inside it I complicate the most basic statement Rearrange it, then erase Solo: I’m okay But with brethren: I’m blazing [Chunjay figures out when he started writing raps] Flatline, Chorus: We are the lone gunmen, you should duck at the click We’ll throw them bar stools, fisticuffs, mics, or a brick Solidarity and clarity when opposition strikes This is a lethal composition so I’m passin the mic Uncle Dan: There’s not a lot I won’t do for my brothers in arms There’s not a thing I won’t brew to do our livers some harm Sometimes the strength is in the few while many alarm The higher ups in the pews watching over the farm Chunjay: I be that living paradox, I bless and I throw rocks Eternal member in this mess but I’m counting down the clocks I rocked suburb malls, the underground and into the boondocks Freshest sound you found around, plus I’m ancient Orthodox Kalvin Koolidge: Too Kool to Kal, international I rage on stage then take a bow I’m from the Ville, don’t test my skill Oh, you think I won’t, best believe I will I gotta mean streak, a machine freak Like a teen beat, I’m keeping knees weak I can go all night, I can go all day Only go one way, where you at, Chunjay? Chunjay: Rough necks on the mic & we shaking suckas down Fools be catching wreck, we walking off with their crowns Royal Ruckus rock it right and we did it with the clowns? Hip-hop, kids, and puppies brought that music to your towns Uncle Dan: I’ve run the rat race and I’ve walked on my hands Watched Chun eat tortillas while I hiked the Badlands While you’re strolling on the trail daydreaming that you’re slick My hustle’ll close the gap like my name was Scott Jurek Uncle Dan and Chunjay: Wait dude, who the heck is Scott Jurek? Scott Jurek, man, he won the Western States 100 seven consecutive years. You told me to rap about what I know! Ughh. Dude, what? So tacos are hip-hop but running stats aren’t? Do you have any idea how hard it was to rhyme “Scott Jurek”? Whatever man. (Laughs)
22.
Yoda: Hey, yo man, this is Yoda One, bringing it way back, this is Royal Ruckus! I was down with this crew! We used to do stuff, when the music was real, the music was live. Bringing it back, yo. Chunjay, show ’em who’s alive, get it, boy! Chunjay, Verse 1: Up jump the boogie on the b-side rock Looky like a wookie with my beard Juice like 2Pac It’s me against the clock I’m not waiting any longer Feel like several lifetimes, each one I’m getting stronger Just turned 36, I feel like twenty-five Been swinging kettlebells reading funny fails on Chive Power snatches with barbells got me feeling like a god Happy hour romances got me feeling kinda odd Yeah that’s the joint, yeah that’s the jam Got my beats and rhymes on point I’m not flunking the exam I’m digging eggs and ham for cholesterol and fat High saturated content, I’m a low carb diplomat Take it back to the nineties: hip-hop was rightly done I feel like my dad, complaining, “Rap is not music, Son!” Yoda: Eh, yo, man, that might have been too much! That might have been too much! Hey, yo, who’s next on the lineup? Ooooh, it’s my boy Flat, they call him Flatline for a reason, because he kills beats! We used to sit back in the garage, just hanging out, listening to this… Yo, Flat, man, show ’em what you made of, son, tell ’em what you got! Flatline, Verse 2: I got wrapped up in this crew in 1998 The Yamaha PSR 520 was great Sequencing beats on the PC desktop Stated up late, my escape became making hip-hop Summer Jams over there, house parties over here Hello Nasty on CD blew open my little ears Can’t believe where it took me, made a home in Tennessee Played shows ’round the country and bless’d the fam’ly tree Tweedle dee, tweedle dum, rock the mics and the drums Talent shows, how it goes, happy just to get some crumbs I can’t work without some pressure but I always deliver I plant my roots in Texas now and try to earn a little silver We Ruckus’d Royal rightly under Bakersfield’s sun While Chunjay’s dad was complaining,”Rap is not music, Son!” Yoda: Man, I don’t even know what to say anymore. Man, that was just too much, too much. Yo, we gotta bring him back one more time, ’cause this is his crown, this is his whole moment. Hey, yo man, Chunjay, show ’em what you got, bring back that 1990-no-daddy-like-sound! Uh! (Yeah!) Chunjay, Verse 3: I got a mani-pedi from an Asian girl named Betty Said my name is Chunjay, I don’t eat no spaghetti Felt a bit unsteady when I skipped any meals So I dropped the carbs, upped the fat and dialed in the deal Why be a sugar burner? burn fat like a beast But I like to sip on IPAs when chowing down a feast Throw down the gauntlet on this rap thing that we do Mike and I thought Ruckus deserved a fresh reboot Don’t dispute I’m not the best, but I’m learning every day I studied a tape of Eminem and Dr. Dre Hip-hop hooray, way beyond today’s wack rhymers I guess I’m on the verge of earning “cranky old rap timer” Take it back to the nineties! hip-hop was rightly done I feel like my dad, complaining, “Rap is not music, Son!” Yoda: Hey, yo man, that’s it. The only thing I can say is, yo, just drop the mic, you done like James Brown, buddy. 1990-sumpin’, that was when we was in it, we out boy.
23.
kidDEAD, Verse 1: What does this feelin’ mean I’m chained and walked to the guillotine Been a week or so And every time I walk out the door I’m tryin’ to escape your face But I text you back and say “okay” Anything you want from me you can have it I’m bleedin’ and starving and need a bad habit So I can forget about everything that happened I’m seein’ the pattern The pieces are scattered This sick love just feels so savage So painful and so tragic But we still seem to want it back And this week is wrong And I don’t feel like a person Just an emotional slave I might be broke to the core But I want that feelin more and more So I can know that I’m alive Cause when you’re gone I feel I’ve died And I don’t believe we go to the sky There is no heaven for a heartbroken rapper Just more high maintenance disasters And hard roads to the casket Lonely crowds and misguided passion That leaves you so sad you’re laughing Chorus: All those memories You got from me All those broken dreams You got from me All those fancy clothes You got from me You brought me to my knees with possibly All those new friends You got from me The feeling when it ends You got from me The smile you pretend You got from me Yet love is not free And neither are we! Chunjay, Verse 2: I thought I would hate my life away from you Even if free from all your fetters And debtors One day I found my trash can full of gifts I gave you And all our letters That knit sweater beside banana peels and lint From my efficiency dryer Prior I’d burn the whole trash can up But I’ve got too much respect for fire Higher We could use a funeral pyre But I’d probably stage my own execution I got too much to live for To remove myself from the gene pool of evolution Here is a solution Maybe quit treating me like I need to go back to school Is that cool? Got me wondering how someone so lovely and fair Could be so painfully cruel I guess that’s the way this goes down Love can be the worst best thing ever Never Or the best worst thing, dag, whatever What we had was simply not wo….rking… Turning, bursting… At the seams with kindness Falling into misguided actions, passions Catching landings, packing all the trappings So sad you’re laughing…
24.
Chorus (Vocal Sample): “Run, run, lost boy,” they say to me, “Away from all of reality.” Cookbook, Verse 1: Yo, right before 2005 my father up and died Never knew what’s up inside, said he was cool but he musta lied Mustered up the strength because “I must survive,” muscles aching, so much pain I see inside my mother’s eyes Mother why? Why did he die? Why did he leave us? Ain’t we some good believers? We always put our faith in Jesus He heals diseases, man, I take it back He took a wonderful life and made it wack, fade to black In my father’s house we stayin at, we facin lack She start to disrespect my mother, I ain’t taking that, take it back We made a pact but girl I’m gonna break it I do what’s best for Jason, she started doing some investigation You turned my friends against me, you had my father’s blessing He even lent you money, man I’m bout to learn a lesson And I’m gonna have to learn it on my own, I’m all alone My daddy’s gone, and my family’s torn, 2005 and I felt the scorn Eligh, Verse 2: We fought about it one evening late Then I brushed it aside, like nothing Debate within my brain, between the Grains of sand… Time will pass, and she’ll forgive, and I’ll forget, its nothing big, nothing to Be concerned about, love is bigger Than the both of us, I doubt it will Linger past the fight But nights and days passed, and she’s depressed I broke the plain of trust and now it’s dead Inside her chest, I can’t resuscitate the heart The part is played I slayed us both By letting too much time pass Laziness, and avoidance killed the dove And filled the void with doubt, and now It rots…the consequence of Abandonment, speak up, or lose her That’s accurate… Eligh, Bridge: Me and you can work this out If you can find inside Me and you can work this out Don’t forget, or abandon me… Chunjay, Verse 3: My dad left this world at age 37 Didn’t expect to leave a lifetime of questions Thought I got my lessons, they’ve all come in sessions I make my confessions, each one is getting deeper Tried to be a teacher looking for a leader Siblings my seniors, mom the cheerleader Mom got remarried, Mark tried to carry The burden left behind from the father we buried No way to understand the weight of a missing man Or calculate missed time on a second hand No chance to plan, no way to say goodbye A lifetime of why and an occasional cry Too many goodbyes in this life add up Dips and ties things end abrupt My soul erupts with a proper corrective I’m trying to bring myself a fresh perspective
25.
Chunjay, Verse 1: It’s that deep space that dark space that pain It’s that place where you find the comfort in rain It’s that pace where your joy fails to maintain And escapes you devise only nudge toward regain How does it feel to be real with your spit How does it feel to be really legit How does it feel to be chill when you’re hit And life doesn’t give you a break for a bit I’ve had a taste, I’ve tried a few times I’ve eaten in haste and I’ve bitten the rind Disgraced displaced, and plain run out of time Some things I’ve faced gave birth to these rhymes How does it feel to run wild and free How does it feel to be a child and three How does it feel to be styled a freak And when you’re reviled does it change what you seek Chunjay, Verse 2: Another transition so it’s time to clock out Uncomfortable positions bring up your old doubts Life is intermissions, there’s no use for a pout Nighttime emissions no respect to your drought It feels like hell but I must keep going Some bid farewell but I can’t start showing Gotta keep my face glowing, an’ inside start growing Pushing through this spell to that realm past all knowing Feel it in your gut, feel it in your chest Feel it in the cuts that created all the stress How’s it feel? It feels no good How’s it feel? I feel misunderstood Unrest expressed when I last confessed Lay it out for my priest about how we transgressed I’d like to get this over I’d like to get myself dressed Together we’re alone until they lay us to rest Chunjay, Verse 3: I woke up that morning, she was still in my head Broke up two days before, I was glued to my bed Playing tapes over and over of things we both said And I return to all the places where she and I tread Finding traces of our memories cute faces and her energy Carved spaces in breweries muse of the century Remember nearly every single text and love note Questions perplexed at sweet things she wrote How’s it feel? it’s unpleasantly reality How’s it feel? like my present personality Is about to crack I want a jumping trains knapsack Reviewed a year of texts like it was an almanac Just want a comeback to fix up all the things Plot to exchange the pain for the joy her face brings Hope springs eternal but it’s more like a funeral My heart is in this song it’s my audio rap journal
26.
Jeremiah Dirt, Verse 1: We-a drown punks in the flows with no raft or rowboat Uplift the saint with encouragement embedded in the high notes Over the drum break, we got what it takes So we record the lyrics and let the bass carry it away Carry it by soundwaves into your brain plate Let your central nervous process it down to your heartwaves That’s how hip-hop should really be sent and received But some of y’all snakes come to bend and deceieve But I keep enigmas coming like wind in trees And Royal Ruckus keep the engine running like antifreeze No guarantees you’ll escape these infectious emcees Who rhyme like chemical warfare, communicable disease Holy Hercules, look at these beasts Droppin’ heat lyrics onto hot tracks like fries in grease Hip-hop has become dull from y’all smokin blunts We come to sharpen the angles, and devils confront Jermiah Dirt and Chunjay, Chorus: When the soundwaves play, y’all get hype When the beat drop, the time is right For hip-hop to spread its light This is healing music to make everything alright! Chunjay, Verse 2: I graduated high school in 1998 That was the same year my girlfriend finished up the first grade Got a girl in my bed and one in the war Got a girl that I’m in love with but she’s on the tennis court Serving other dudes with style, text me on the side Messing up with nudes, thinking of her smile with a sigh Just gettin by sometimes, then strivin to thrive Other rappers derive, I’m cutting mangoes with a knife Got the ripest avocados, El Pollo on Alvarado Los Angeles, Annapolis, rockin shows in Colorado On insta adding hotties like salsa with serrano Collecting likes from the ladies every time I post a taco Nacho average emcees, you fools smothered in cheese Allergic to wack rappers, radio makes me sneeze You need Rosetta Stone to understand rappers like Drake Ha! maybe level one for simplicity’s sake These rappers on some Kim Kardashian stuff... Chunjay, Outro: Yo its Dirt and Chunjay make the sound waves play California in the house he reps the San Diego bay And I still rep San Jaoquin trying to right all my wrongs Just a little example how to write a rap song How to write a rap? start with a boom and a bap Try to find the words that rhyme and make the people clap Have a special nick name, make the beat and rhyme strong Just a little explanation how to write a rap song
27.
Chunjay, Chorus: I got my mistakes I don’t know about you I have one set of eyes and my own point of view I hold onto integrity now that I see There’s only one person, can take this from me I got my mistakes I don’t know about you I have one set of eyes and my own point of view I hold onto integrity now that its clear The only one can take it from me, is in the mirror Chunjay, Verse 1: A lot of things I am and a lot of things I’m not A lot of things I planned out never carried out the plot Never smacked a woman, never been an abuser Never used smack or meth never been a drug pusher Never hired a hooker never been an accuser I’ve written dope raps but was a wack beat producer Never cussed in my songs but I cuss every day Never been an agnostic but I struggle to pray Not one to play, but I’ve been divorced A couple failed relationships but marriage endorsed I’m a mixed bag of things, successfully broken A failure and a champion, always in motion I live by the ocean, once jumped off a cliff Taken back words spoken, I can’t roll a spliff I have my integrity and I have my mistakes But of those two things, they’re each mine to make Jeremiah Dirt, Verse 2: I was arrested, convicted, thrown in jail But remained free, my soul prevailed God visits the prisons with his face unveiled Throws the Gospel into hard hearts like molotov cocktails I never knew Christ’s love like that Even though I consider myself a believer from way back My intelligence reigns supreme But never seems smart enough to evade Devil schemes I read the Word like it’s God’s freestyle But never remember the verses while in the world’s Wild Style I’m alive but never not dying Seeking the Truth but never far away from lying I’m holy, set apart While never seeming to stop stumbling in the dark As my misgivings always running amok I’m not many things but one I am is never giving up! Manchild, Verse 3: Never never would I ever pen a letter to the ledger With a less than better effort like whatever man it’s clever Never sipped a drop of water after trekking cross the desert Check the method this is pleasure pain connected on the record Never…Never would I mother may I ask permission Man I’m on a mission you can keep the terms and the conditions Never counted costs I ain’t a statistician Never called my style free anytime I’m pad and penning Sometimes I lack the vision never see it all Trouble climbing on me never see the need to keep it off Never held the notion life is easy ya’ll Never knew the loudest voice around was mine and he can talk Never mind the never mind and checkered past Saw it slip away and never figured we could get it back Never would I claim to know the point to you and yours now Never say never, are you sure now?
28.
Chorus: Jacked up on these girls got me kinda messed up Packed up in the hills and trying to find what’s next but I’m stacked up on the thrills so I’m joining the perplexed club Cracked up from these girls and it got my mind so stressed up Chunjay, Verse 1: So I’ve been seeing this girl, let’s call her Sally Cicada Cause she’s bugging, got my brain vibrating like a theta Not just something that I made up, strug city for real Chugging beers with pills simply trying to chill Losing lots of sleep always tossing and turning Boozing it cheap, and then always returning Melatonin for days, in my dreams it’s a haze Need to boost that serotonin giving her my love gaze She’s so beautiful from her smile down to her cuticles Hotter than a crucible! and downright delusional Always crying, trying to get me to hear The second that I care she just straight disappears I start losing weight, and talking like a pirate I could probably write a book called The Grief Dude Diet It’d really be a riot with all these anecdotes That’s it, I quit! just one last love note! Chunjay, Verse 2: Back out on the scene so I got a dating app Got a knack for conversation but swiping like a maniac Confirmation it’s a match she looks like quite a catch Two drinks in—and she’s already attached? No thanks no how looking for a fire escape Not hitting home plate on the very first date Always trying to wait but this beard draws them in It’s like a lady’s tractor beam, I’m guessing it’s Darwinian I met this South Carolinian out in my parking lot Wasn’t weird cause we’re neighbors figured it was worth a shot Introduced myself to her and my homeboy monastic Got the digits sent a text, feeling fantastic Then I saw some guy with her the very next week Shoulda put a ring, dude, cause Chunjay is unique Firing texts back and forth, made her LOL And then she super dropped my texts on the carousel Chunjay, Verse 3: Figured I’d try dating someone closer to my home So i started daily texting this client on her phone Invited her to the pub but she was way too busy Soon she joined the club of girls making jamey dizzy Started going to the brewery an talking to bartenders Girls without ring jewelry were obvious contenders This slender girl named Julie started messing with my mind Then Benni oh so cooly did reconnaissance to find If she was interested, it turned out that she wasn’t “She has a boyfriend, she thinks you’re great but she doesn’t Want to sent a message like she has that Jamey interest” Maybe I’d have better luck with crafty girls on Pinterest I knew this blonde kid and she went and done grew up I took her out to hang, we got that red wine solo cup My homie j-Qwess thought that we might hook up Then she insta-posted ultrasounds from her last checkup (doh!)
29.
Jermiah Bonds, Verse 1: it took a lot to get here, a lot of long nights striving to survive and writing with dull lights it’s like a long flight, the destination is hard, just warning ya thinking how did I get here when I was just in California it’s especially hard to afford this life of wanderlust or moving, ripped from your roots, proving it’s hard to trust this life that starts from dust, wishing on stars for love thinking we’re too far from dusk to spend tonight here From Waikiki, to Tennessee, to the Isle of Capri You’ve got to agree that it’s awesome seeing the seven seas But hey, enough of me, coffee or tea? It’s from Hawaii tell me how you’re doing, with jubilee, idiosyncracy It’s hard to keep in touch, an email here, a text there searching for the next air-line ticket fare sorry, I gotta go, up early to catch the redeye cause I have shows in Dubai, Shanghai and Versailles Chunjay, Verse 2: (hey!) i was born in California in the golden state I stayed for a couple decades and I loved to skate played around with hip-hop lived in a big house put loved ones in the ground when they took life’s bow you never know how until it comes to you I moved to Tennessee when I was only 22 made some mistakes, grew up a whole lot friends filled up my soul when life had knocked me to the ground, and then this teacher got taught biggest pain of my life changed up my whole thought got me Orthodox, on the beaches of Hawaii can’t let roadblocks get me cryin out “why me?” hit the east coast chased my dreams to Philly put my flip-flops on the shelf that place was too chilly really meant only the best but I didn’t do great the whole event got me growin but I still dropped the plate cleared the slate in that sunny state called Pascua Florida reevaluatin things, changing up the formula all of these departures have taught me many things more lessons ahead, more than ever I am listening Kalvin Koolidge, Verse 3: Life gets strange when things get rearranged People change, the song remains the same In the back of my brain I hear you saying That you and me, we would never break the chain So much older, not much wiser Still on my grind, still got that fire Still out in Nashville, still a little crazy Still tryna figure out how Jesus gonna save me From town to city, gutter to high sidity It goes so quickly, and sometimes it really hits me I’m left behind with mine, a sign nobody gets me I’m droppin’ dimes in my prime and I’ll be just fine So many people, things, and places Spaces in between, the things I seen, I know what grace is So I be seeing you when I be seeing you my friend We’ll grab a brew or two and then we do it all again
30.
David Mathewes: Remember when I rode to the mountains saying I’m sick of lookin at this plain Mile after mile of nothin at all and every day is more of the same Only brings more of the same Lord don’t let me lose my way again or forget where I stake my claim and when the rooster crows in the morning Please give me more of the same O Lord Just a little more of the same Chunjay: life is hard but it’s good even when not living the way we should put that axe to wood like St. Boniface cut Thor’s oak at the base superfluous ridiculous, the things I miss distracted from delight cause I missed some kiss what is this? it’s not what I planned but I wouldn’t trade my life for five hundred grand i’m grateful to think that there is no shame to simply ask the Lord for more of the same David Mathewes: Unpin your hair in the kitchen as pretty as a picture in a picture frame Look at the fields and the plowing to do and think, please give me more of the same, O Lord Please give me more of the same I got a cough I can’t seem to shake and a colt I can’t seem to tame laying down praying don’t take me yet, Lord please give me more of the same Lord just a little more of the same Chunjay: it’s that hard work you didn’t know was joy it’s that sleepless night from that baby boy it’s that needless attention you did just cause it’s that thoughtful mention gave her a buzz that mournful retention of what was great it’s that peaceful forgiveness that once was hate it’s embracing ordinary days, ways of life it’s facing challenges, takin it in stride it’s knowing you were wronged but not making a claim it’s embracing grace, and asking for the same David Mathewes: By and by when we meet at the throne singin praises to your Holy name Forever after bathed in the light singin please give me more of the same, O Lord please give me more of the same Lord don’t let me lose my way again or forget where I stake my claim and when the sun climbs over the fence please give me more of the same O Lord Please give me more of the same

about

The Summer of the Cicadas is a two-part concept album by Mike and Jamey of Royal Ruckus, releasing January 2017 on Invisible Library Records.

The Summer of the Cicadas

Flatline and Chunjay: Act I—The Life Cycle of Periodic Cicadas
Chunjay and Friends: Act II—Rebirth: The Lone Gunmen

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released February 10, 2017

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Royal Ruckus Bakersfield

Royal Ruckus is fresh to death. Originally from Bakersfield, California, Flatline and Chunjay are now representing Austin, Texas and South Florida, respectively.

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