Produced by DJ RM
Scratches by DJ RM
Additional bass, keys and guitar by Thiago Duar
Arranged by Lou Piensa and Thiago Duar
Lyrics written and performed by Lou Piensa
lyrics
P.O.N.
I remember my first show, mid 90's, maybe 13
On the mic like i had something to say, first 16
Artifacts instrumental, rehearsed for weeks
Had to rep for the whole crew and a couple streets
Stolen land of the Cree and other first nations
Many unfair decreets, even more violation
Prejudice's in your face at the 100th meridian
Spaghetti western opinions about the «Indians»
Metis speaking French, Michif and other tongues
Plus immigration got my generation living amongst
So many cultures and customs
I recall the different faces when I got my first stamp at the customs
Found warmth a country as cold as ice
We repped the Ethnic Alliance with lyrical defiance
We’re from the whole world
High school kids with texts to go
Jamaica, India, Philippines, France and Mexico
Who's next flow, that was the way we spent our lunch breaks
And week-ends we looping them samples and drum breaks
Akai s01, one month rental
No internet, real crate digging for ya mental
Now...we were up on everything,
Staying up all night right obsessively looking for...new ways to meddle with
These tapes and records spread across the floor
Hoping one day success would would let us through the door we stayed
«Positive over negative»
El tiempo pasa, en mis ojos veras lo que la vida me dio
«Positive over negative»
Y le doy gracias a la música, me viste cuando nadie me vio
«Positive over negative»
Son las memorias que tengo yo, que tengo yo
«Positive over negative»
Son las memorias que tengo yo, que tengo yo
At Fourteen, me and my man Cro had a radio show
Biking to the station with a suitcase full of tapes yo
Face to face promotion, based on the way u looked
On the bus, "yo you into hip-hop?'' is all it took
Exchange phone number and exchange ideas
My sense of community in hip hop lies here
We used to have whole crews roll in
40s and blunts in the parking lot, every time a couple cd's stolen
10 MC's, one DJ + a sneaky promoter
How could i keep control, all these cats were much older
But the freestyles were golden and as time was unfolding
These are the memories that I'm forever holding
Me and Hue-b listening to Nas's first single
Calabash records, where the vinyls made our spines tingle
My brother Fidzo spent his summers in Harlem
Working night shifts in Manhattan bagel shops far from stardom
By september he packed 20 mixtapes in his backpack
We were dreamin NYC it's fact that
You know the deal cause you from that era too
Writing rhymes like we're from new york when they thought we were hunting
caribou
From the US, the view is so often distorted
Yet hip hop livin' / really livin' passed the the Northern border
Canadian to me meant being from anywhere
I only knew moving around,had to fit in somewhere
«Positive over negative»
El tiempo pasa, en mis ojos veras lo que la vida me dio
«Positive over negative»
Y le doy gracias a la música, me viste cuando nadie me vio
«Positive over negative»
Son las memorias que tengo yo, que tengo yo
«Positive over negative»
Son las memorias que tengo yo, que tengo yo
Arrived in a jam packed van, brand new page
Vox and I, Montreal chapter, coming of age
First days, stayed with his cousins in RDP
East-End, Give thanks for Haitian Hospitality
Criss-Crossed the city, saw the pretty and the gritty
Lost in the masses downtown my soul felt itty-bitty
My moms joined me, hopin of a new start
A boost of love, a lot sadness filled her bruised heart
Now an Atlantic ocean away me from my pops
Long distance role model, but the phone calls never stopped
Through muddy waters, i was trying to find my path
It hurt to see the pain but I needed some room fast
I moved out again and found a booth to begin
Recording the thoughts that I wrote down
To loosen and vent
Family is family happily things are different today
Through all of that, the love I got is what made me stay
On a positive mission, with no inhibition
Understanding that only I can be at the height of my ambitions
No more excuses that only induces
Negative thoughts and behavior that's destructive and abusive
Stuck to the rhythm, studied language and translation
Complex is the dynamic of a bilingual nation
Beatmaking in my room, slowly building my titles
Talent shows, open mics, opening for my idols
Nothin I could have done without my people in the mix
Nomadics Massive straight to the hoop, never shoot bricks
How many crews can stay united for over 10 years?
Through good and bad times, to all of you, I must say cheers
Shout outs to the fam on every mic I blessed, 1, 2
And that goes for Sayen, Narcy, Static and Hest One too
From local hip hop to global hip hop
We dream up opportunities that had us building, sharing a lot
Slowly became what we envisioned on that hot day
When we politicked on a street corner, sippin' ice latte
Clearing the way now, illuminating the path
The future is the conjugation of present and the past, stay
«Positive over negarive»
«I maintain»
«We’re gonna keep it live all night yall»
«I was told by my peeps play your cards right, spit hard, never look back»
«Positive over negarive»
«I maintain»
«We’re gonna keep it live all night yall»
«you know!»
Son las memorias que tengo yo, que tengo yo
30 tunes from the Tru Thoughts crew (incl. Quantic, Alice, Seshen, etc.) for less than the cost of a bag of fish-n-chips. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 30, 2015
