Get all 11 Karim Rushdy releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Build Up The Unity (feat. CCC, José Maria Fierro, R Mixy), Something Missing (feat. Karim Rushdy), Paradox Chapter One, Paradox Chapter Two, The Vibe, Reach Out, That's Hope ft. Paolo Escobar, Wide Awake, and 3 more.
1. |
Train of Thought (intro)
01:07
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Welcome to my train of thought, are you ready to go?
You better buckle in tight because sometimes we can float
I know you’re worried about the turbulence
But let me ease your worries with the truth that’s hidden
Deep within our minds under disturbances
Every person in the world is one
And all religions in the world are one
Every God receiving prayers is one
So how’d the people of the world become?
The turning pages of a failed story
That separate my mind from my heart, I'm sorry
These desperate times can’t be right for me
I’ve been walkin fine lines defined before me
It’s hard to think about
all the things inside your heart that you can’t live without
A lot of poison in this world, so let this music help you rinse it out
Or simply clear it up,
It’s hard to think about the pain without tearin’ up
So I say face and embrace till the fear is love
I think the truth is always there but needs connections like a pair of dots
And what if most problems in this world were like a paradox?
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2. |
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Chorus
all these men busy busy building monuments
and when it crash down they rebuild quickly with confidence
but me i sit back and laugh ha ha ha at all of them
cause i know if you try to be God you will fall again
hey! every monument will fall again
hey! every monument will fall again
Verse 1, Karim Rushdy
preposterous and fraudulent hypocrisy
the fall of men - is honestly a hollow like cacophony
it’s audibly present in its defending of idolatry
the decline of the civilized mind was a prophecy
but now it's our plain sight day and night for all to see
this is not normal all these murders are anomalies
tell me why we fight the phytochemical in broccoli?
the need to be unhealthy and selfish has the monopoly! it’s robbery!
they're trying to make my soul not a part of me
then separate my body from my mind and start harvesting
these idols are not vital to my fathering
so i will never sacrifice my life like an offering
the paradox is boggling dissolving our biology
it's bothering the balance and evolving like a comedy
hmm let's see, if i destroy my own psychology
then i will fit the mold OK that makes sense logically
i guess i'll just melt away and live my life unconsciously
and as long as i'm not fond of me then you can just take all of me
Verse 2, Bigg Zee
if a 9 is packed with 11 would you think we’d stop terror?
or maybe that’s the explanation for all of our errors,
now I’m not saying at all that we shouldn’t stay protected
but when passing a law try making them fairer,
a barrier between us , you think building a wall will create another genius
or the next slim jesus ,fake wack take back
these bigots can’t believe this,
murderers and rapists the same ones that serve subpoenas,
best believe that don’t wanna see that,
I’m sick of all these kids saying that they squeeze gats,
I mean do what you want to , but is that watchu gonna do think about whatchu lose,
i hope you like jail shoes sorry for the bad news,you think i don’t know?
trust I hang with bad dudes , I just learned there’s more to life then packing 22s ,
I’ve seen the rise and fall of many different crews ,
some stick together while others pick and choose,
but that’s just the life of the used and abused, the used and abused,
but that’s just the life of the used and abused,
the used and abused, gotta be careful it can happen to you too
all these men busy busy building monuments,
life is a burger and they built it with no condiments,
confusion no solution like i I just came back from oculus,
do I believe a word they say? nah man not a bit
Verse 3, José María Fierro
As I see the monuments we're constantly erecting
And worshipping the false gods that mankind is selecting
I realize that living in the conscious is the best thing
And so I'm all about the action never resting
It's tempting to wanna live your life and stay the course
And never really question anything, get by with no remorse
But eventually you'll have to, by chance or by force
So start the demolition, there is one true source
That's God, so realize the things you're being told
“Like love is only on the surface, all that glitters is gold”
Are only constructs of conduct that you're being sold
And to be honest man I'm sick of it cuz it's getting old
Because the moment we give in is the moment we fall asleep
And that's the moment when conformity will slowly start to creep
And make it difficult for anyone to really go and keep
A level head and better yet you will exist skin deep
So wake up!
Don't take up physical arms
We gotta join arms then, doing minimal harm
And march forth to the site of the monuments that matter and
We gotta take em down and shatter them
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3. |
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Intro, Raya Noire:
Redemption X3
Verse 1, Karim Rushdy
we took a decorated marksman and somehow we named him harmless
now he's separating hearts with very fake catharsis
he's selling faded bargains from unregulated markets
then takes his daily harvest to invest in failing margins
that swell the lazy darkness on the backs of crazy hardship
how can we heal wounds with the same weapons that we sharpen?
we've let the children be the targets so the villains and the sharks win
there is no overnight redemption that will barge in
this is a dialectical juxtaposition:
I felt pity for a man from Congo with dust in his vision
holding a handful of conflict minerals
used to create the foreign camera that captured his picture with lovely precision
what a catastrophic conundrum that all of us live in
I’ve seen active people NOT move with solid visions
this is modern business and then some
there is no overnight redemption
Chorus, Raya Noire
Redemption X 3
Redemption will come when we breathe for it
Redemption will come when we reach for it
Verse 2, Karim Rushdy
and now we see the path illumined
breaking away from our past left in plastic ruins
fabricated dreams of fake joy based on cash influence
can't survive these actions built on everlasting true-ness
I see a nation building peace because they feel they have to do it
redemption is like breathing clean air when for years you've been trapped in fluid
gasping through it acting foolish trying to
mask the music of this massive movement
so many heads turn as if nothing is wrong
as another death live streams on a video phone
I kinda get the feeling how we're living is wrong
and if you're feeling what i’m feeling never leave it alone
another white kill black
and a black kill brown
then a brown kill white
it’s a murderous infection
ain’t no way that we can let it be
we gotta let the spirit be revived with that ultimate redemption
Bridge
Reach for it, breathe for it, live for it, die for it
Verse 3, José María Fierro
I look at the world and my mind is amazed
As we disregard Him who is the Ancient of Days
Yeah I’m searching and searching and what do we crave?
Redemption, we seek to be saved
The world is ablaze
We’re stuck in a maze
And the only way out is to break out, we’re stuck in our ways
When the tangible things are the things that we praise
We’re living our life as a slave
We gotta reach and breathe and live and die and get to the “why?”
And give it up to the One Almighty who resides in the sky
And move away from all the people who will try to divide
My mind is mine and imma try to find an eye for the blind
It’s now time for mankind to have an intervention
And recognize the people that we failed to mention
You can try to define in your mind your intention
And find that it's time for redemption
Last Chorus:
redemption will come if we live for it
redemption will come if we die for it
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4. |
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Chorus
can you tell me who decides if it's fair or not
so many bomb blasts that the air is hot
more Innocents killed and I'm barely shocked
distracted again by the problem and the paradox.
i've been having visions where i'm scared to talk
cause i'm frozen in the moment gettin’ buried by the gwop
this is just the problem and the paradox.
the problem and the paradox
Verse 1, Karim Rushdy
i have religious visions that are scientific
where only godless business can define division
like the divine physicians who find suspicion to the signs they've given
even the gifted minds are blindly rifted
behind the veil of fake joy that is time specific
while living life confined to describing riches
but we are the richness cause
if God was a painter that could only paint perfect pictures then we're the final image
because our angels and demons are intertwined with precision
like a vine that's swingin
so still some powerless people pervert the lives of children
as if their crimes are hidden
it's a paradoxical issue and these are just the signs and symptoms
of tribal wisdom that we take and make subscribe to villains
but a world where we are one is the finest vision
Chorus
Verse 2, Karim Rushdy
consumption robots who stay trapped for long
they're trying to separate the people into allopathic vagabonds
that's like trying to sing peace in a battle song
but we are not robots we are organic bonds
materialism is the commonplace phenomenon
like a weak man perpetuating lies of packin’ brawn
or a farmer finding cattle gone at at the crack of dawn in Saskatchewan
the soul is a thread that were hangin on
if there's an elephant in the room then it's a mastodon from Babylon
so when you find yourself buying truth remind yourself it's just a lie that was packaged
wrong
Chorus
Verse 3, José María Fierro
Trapped inside the prison of my rarest thoughts
Tryna break out but the gate is locked
Looking things over two times, two times like a pair of clocks
Lost inside the findings of my mind, in the paradox
At this point I'm unraveling my thoughts
Cuz I'm only moving slowly to the moment that I sought
The key that lets me break free of the paradox
And the problems in the paradox
It's clear to see we need a little help
But it's hard when the power is believed to be the wealth
But the power lies with us when we see that we can help
But people seeking freedom in themselves
And are really free if we fail to see the disparity that's happening while we're living and enjoying the amenities
Of a posh life being lost right in a world where we will do anything for a Klondike
A bomb. Light flashes.
And slowly life flashes.
And another life passes.
It's hard to find gladness.
My mind’s full of madness.
When did we regress from a man to a savage?
The fact is
We're going walking, traveling down the path of no return
And yeah it's steady tryna change up all the things that we have learned
The moral lines we have are blurred
And it's a cause to be concerned
I look around and to be honest, all I really see is hurt.
But there is no light without darkness
We have to feel pain just in order to know what is harmless
Humanity's tarnished we're left with the carcass
The time to rebuild it has started
For years we've been fighting for the gold
Giving worth to a thing that's metallic and cold
Gotta use your inner sight against blindness of the whole
And realize that all the power's in the kindness of the soul
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5. |
JUMP Feat. Bigg Zee
02:17
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Verse 1, Karim Rushdy
I take a moment just to analyze the gibberish/
there’s too much bitterness makin’ spirits illiterate/
we need an orchestra of little kid lyricists/
singing where the critics live to amplify their viciousness/
everybody just think about what your vision is/
and take a moment for your mind, let it clear the mist/
...alright that's enough
Chorus
now everybody JUMP JUMP JUMP
you know you wanna JUMP JUMP JUMP
everybody JUMP JUMP JUMP
you know you wanna JUMP JUMP JUMP
Verse 2, Karim Rushdy
now can you hit the ground slow
cause this is on the downlo
there’s people who rely on us fearing that we can win
and make cash on the fact that we end up just giving in
so if you wanna fight back
Chorus
Verse 3, Bigg Zee, Karim Rushdy
if you’re thinking that it’s finished then it isn’t
cause it’s never gonna end so defend and befriend your vision
cause there’s people that will hate it for the sake to make you livid
so don’t fake it for these bigots and just take to the limit
the history of misery was hidden so officially
so how can we believe in fake visions so invisibly
just like the feeling where you switch the beat - it gets to me
uplifted lyrics spiritually to set my brothers and sisters free
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6. |
Glowing Hearts
02:43
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Verse 1
Why do they distract minds with this lame entertainment?
It’s lookin’ like enslavement arrangements.
Raised to consume and make payments
The whole alphabet must glorify the A-list
While sacred blood still spills on indigenous imprints
The oil wells overflow with visions of business
these wounds are never cauterized when they're followed by dollar signs
dollar signs that colonized these lands already lived in
Chorus
Verse 2
I heard slavery was abolished
But the slave techniques got polished
Cause now everybody's enslaved
Spending empty days with no knowledge
The masters make more massive gains
captive chains were stashed away
And sly words spoken openly to mask the pain
And facts remain. Most trapped today.
So don’t blame yourself
tryna get to a spiritual place
But you're movin’ at a tragic pace
Cause they hide crimes inside the minds eye where it’s hard to find behind that plastic face
Move past the hate and maybe you can see where the magic breaks
Unveiling truth is like removing illusions and hearing the rarest song that mainstream hasn’t played.
Chorus
Verse 3
They say pump that garbage give me that profit
Push that poison in the farm
They said it's harmless
Pump that garbage give that profit
Push that pain till they're brainless and scarred
I say give me that righteous. Give me that light that's
Ray's for days raise the sun till it's nightless
I say let us live equal
The atheist, the domes, and the steeples
All beautiful people
Let everybody stand strong
For the innocent children that’s getting bombed on
ain't no instant remedy from tyranny it's clear to see
The fabric society is torn apart
So this goes out to every neighbourhood working that's sharing glowing hearts
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7. |
Work & Play
02:51
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i wake up early, like 5 in the morning
i feel like i can fly this morning
but my wings aren’t alive this morning
damn i hope i don’t die this morning
...and all i feel is more pain
i’ve been working non-stop 54 days
from dusk till dawn with no breaks and almost no pay
my parents were poor but at least they lived their own way
the other eight people in my room
will feel the same way as they’re wakin’ up soon
there’s no play in this Chinese toy factory
but to keep the cost down, the boss said that’s how it has to be
Chorus
so i work, work, work
so that they can play play play
and then i just work work work
i’m workin all day day day
Verse 2
i wake up early, like 5 in the morning
i feel like i can fly this morning
but my wings aren’t alive this morning
damn i hope i don’t die this morning
i look at my depressed wife and she’s asleep
so i sneak outta bed, try not to ruffle satin sheets
i take a 5 minute shower, make a 2 minute shake
not a minute left for coffee cause i’m 7 minutes late
so i’m driving on the way as i’m hopin and i pray
that i’m not driven by the pain or the pay
the truth is that i’m trapped
i wanna spend more time with my kids
but i’m buried in debt - that’s just the way it is
Chorus
Outro
Unreliable deniable like bad facts
I heard that hate was strong but love is so past that
Ayyy this is the last trap
I called my ego and said you can take this mask back
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8. |
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Chorus
Temptations of the flesh - taking all of your breath
Makin heavy your steps
While blindly following death
But elevated lyrics
Leave you nurtured when you're hear it
These are stirrings of the spirit
Verse 1
A captivated courtroom
watches in dismay
A young boy holds a gun to the defendant’s face
Braaap bap bap bap he hears his homies say:
Hit em hard Niki Nine - that's his street name
Frozen. He's holding his stolen cold 22 his feet shake like they won the 'I'm about to kill someone' sweepstakes
For Pete's sake !
Niki nine's been 17 years old for only 3 days
His birthday was yet again a replay
Tears on his weak face
Flashbacks to mom and dad dying on his sweet 16 day
They left to pick up cake and treat trays
But instead they went to meet fate
Cops at the door like 'the world can be a mean place'
We had a suspect in a hi speed chase that's wanted for murder of the first degree in three states
And in his attempt to be exempt from his heinous crimes
He ran a red light driving crazy fast
At the same intersection where your parents simply turned left
His choice to try and escape his past
Left no future for your parents cause now they're just burned flesh
I know you've heard enough but it's worse yet
The man who killed your parents is still alive - he survived
The date is set for 12 months and 3 days from today - he's on trial
Chorus
Verse 2
Whatchu waiting for Niki nine?
There's no time.
Shoot him now and get that vengeance for your parents’ death
Plus he's killed others on purpose he deserves to take his last breath
Now this is Niki nine's defining moment
He's been waiting patiently like the summer solstice
But now he made it and he's standing here in this position
Staring at a soulless man he reflects on his decision
vengeance was the goal and now it's only one bullet away
But he can hear his mother's lullaby her voice his pulling him away
Then as clear as day he can hear his father say:
If you pull the trigger then you become the killer
We raised you to bring substance to this world not become the filler
Niki nine cries like never before
As the crowd holds their breath to see if he'll settle the score
Chorus
Verse 3
My real name is Nicholas
every other news flash is murder, it’s ridiculous
but i got this hole in my heart and no one's fixin it
i should shoot this man cause he’s the one that started diggin it
all want is one more chance to see my parents laugh
but if i took your life, even that wouldn’t bring them back
it’s only in this moment that I realize these blatant facts
you took away their future, but my parents had an amazing past
to the judge and the jury, i’m happy that you witnessed this
so now you visualize how clear my vision is
i will dedicate the rest of my life from this very moment
to any child that’s ever had their parents stolen.
and this gun in my hand will be the last one i ever hold
and this story where i’m the victim is the last one i ever told
what i drank last night, mark my words, that was my last drink
because it’s true freedom right now that i’m grasping.
i submit my revenge and i’ll pray for this man
he took my parents lives while driving drunk - i think i understand
without the sun we would never exist,
but if we got too close then we simply couldn’t live
so what i propose is this
God made a perfect world cause we're all connected
so now everyone i meet will understand that they’re respected
because i am them, they are me and we are one
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9. |
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Chorus, Yosi Mesbah:
So if you wanna fly with the seasons then go
I’ll be here diggin trying to make seeds grow
And if you wanna leave you should leave, but you should know
I always got time if you’re coming back home
Woah-oh-oh-oh
Verse 1, Karim Rushdy:
I took a sip, and then another, of that sweet juice
then i tripped, yah a slipped into a bleak noose
And as I dangled in the cold air
There was no love that I could hold there - my bitter sweet truth
all i wanted was for once to make a new way
it’s like i couldn't love the nest until i flew away
but as i stepped into the dark world
my selfish dreams became my doomsday - this is my crusade.
caught in a rainstorm i couldn't see beyond it's drops
eyes closed. time froze to find my calmest thoughts
Then I remembered mom and pops
With their honest talks ... sayin never say that all is lost
Chorus
Verse 2, Karim Rushdy
full circle like a planet
i went from hero to bandit
i was a hero to my family why'd I leave what i was handed?
how did bad habits become that savage?
uhn? man it's hard for me think about
all the pain that i inflicted out
just cause i felt like i was missing out
but i was missed even when hate spewed from my livid mouth
hard times equals hard choices
so how did good times become evil voices?
in my head telling me that i should live joyless, till i did poison
I always had this love just never voiced it
Chorus
Verse 3, Paolo Escobar:
We used to walk with one hand on a tool when paranoia set
Chiraq from the days my youth I always had a strap
Never a day you caught me slippin was drippin with ammunition
Outfitted with tre 8s nines and loaded gats
Fat stacks in a stash box below the racks
Slung rocks at L stops to ensure the roll was fat
Homie you know me as that soul singin smooth cat
Past in the past but it ain't too far behind me jack
I'm still nervous what could bubble to surface
So I follow Baha'u'llah and dedicated my life to service
With knowledge of how my music could directly affect the youth
Instead of spittin out gun bars I decided to take the path of truth
In a time when divine thought is unthinkable
The boat is sinking and content is looking pitiful
Bleak is how the future looks
Speaks volumes on spiritual
Peaks are what they lookin for
seeking something more meaningful
Beats are nothing more than just platforms for speaking on
Something more important than cash guns and getting some
Beats are nothing more than just platforms for speaking on
Something more important than cash guns and getting some
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Karim Rushdy Stratford, Ontario
I draw the inspiration for my rap songs from my life experiences and from the Holy Writings of the Baha'i Faith. I have a blend of many cultures in my blood, and I've lived in many different countries. This has taught me patience and to always listen.
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