ICE - T - Gangster Rap - Colours

ICE-T

Nadie, absolutamente nadie a plasmado mejor el mundo de los pandilleros de Los Ángeles (EE.UU) de los años 80 y 90 del siglo pasado con la música que el rapero ICE-T.

Paradójicamente nació en el otro núcleo de la cultura urbana, Nueva York, y se trasladó a L.A de joven después de perder sus padres e ir vivir con sus tíos. Aquí atiende la escuela en el barrio South Central Los Angeles – barrio "cuna" de las bandas juveniles – y se interesa por la vida del ghetto, entra el mundo de los pandilleros y nace su alter ego “Iceberg Slim”. Agraciadamente – aunque comenta que lo odiaba – se enlista en el ejército americano donde la violencia al menos esta controlado, o mejor dicho, supervisado. A salir del ejército comienza su carrera en el rap y el hip hop donde con el tiempo se convierte en super-estrella (músico, actor, activista,etc.) y pionero del “gangsta-rap”. Como se dice, el resto es historia...

Volvamos al tema “Colours”, canción escrito para la película del mismo nombre que ilustra el conflicto real dentro de los barrios marginados del sur de Los Ángeles donde el “territorio” se divide entre los dos principales bandas de delincuentes: los Cribs (color azul) y The Bloods (color Rojo) - esto explica la canción "Colours /Colores". El control del territorio y la venta de estupefacientes lleva a numerosas matanzas entre estos dos grupos rivales que es noticia a diario. South Central y Compton son unos de los sitios más peligrosos de los Estados Unidos, se matan entre ellos simplemente por el color - azul o rojo!

ICE- T capta y ilustra perfectamente todo esto en su tema “Colours”(1992), canción que se convierte en un clásico del hip hop y un himno de las bandas. Aquí pongo el clip y con su letra. Es un tema fuerte, real, triste y desgraciado, pero ilustra que aún queda mucho por hacer para que el sueño americano llegue y sea posible para todos los americanos



I am a nightmare walking, psychopath talking
King of my jungle just a gangster stalking
Living life like a firecracker quick is my fuse
Then dead as a deathpack the colors I choose
Red or Blue, Cuz or Blood, it just don't matter
Suckers dive for your life when my shotgun scatters
We gangs of L.A. will never die - just multiply

You see they hit us then we hit them
Then we hit them and they hit us, man
It's like a war, ya know what I'm sayin'
People don't even understand
They don't even know what they dealing with
You wanna get rid of the gangs it's gonna take a lotta work
But people don't understand the size of this
This is no joke man, this is realYou don't know me, fool
You disown me, cool
I don't need your assistance, social persistence
Any problem I got I just put my fist in
My life is violent but violent is life
Peace is a dream, reality is a knife
My colors, my honour, my colors, my all
With my colors upon me one soldier stands tall
Tell me what have you left me, what have I got
Last night in cold blood my young brother got shot
My home boy got jacked
My mother's on crack
My sister can't work cause her arms show trax
Madness insanity live in profanity
Then some punk claimin' they understandin' me
Give me a break, what world do you live in
Death is my sect, guess my religion

Yo my brother was a gang banger
and all my homeboys bang
I don't know why I do it man, I just do it
I never had much of nuffin man
Look at you man, you've got everything going for yourself
and I ain't got nuffin man, I've got nuffin
I'm living in the ghetto man
just look at me man, look at me
My pants are saggin braided hair
suckers stare but I don't care
my game ain't knowledge my game's fear
I've no remorse so squares beware
But my true mission is just revenge
you ain't in my sect, you ain't my friend
wear the wrong color your life could end
homocides my favorite binge

Listen to me man
no matter whatcha do don't ever join a gang
you don't wanna be in it man,
You're just gonna end up in a mix of dead friends and time in jail Iknow, if
I had a chance like you,
I would never be in a gang man
but I didn't have a chance
You know I wish i didI'll just walk like a giant police defiant
you'll say to stop but I'll say that
I cantmy gangs my family its all that I have
I'm a star, on the walls is my autograph
You don't like it, so you know where you can go
cause the streets are my stage and terror's my show
phsyco-analize tried diognising me wise
It wasn't your brother that brutaly died

But it was mine, so let me define
my territory don't cross the line
Don't try to act crazy
cause shit don't faze me
if you ran like a punk
it wouldn't amaze me
cause my colors death
thou we all want peace
but our war won't end,
till all wars cease.See the wars of the street gangs will always get to me man
But I don't wanna be down with this situation man
but I'm in here, if I had something betta to do I think I'd do it but
rightnow I'm just down here boy
I'm trying to get money cause I'm smart
I'm gunna get paid while I'm out here
I'm gunna get that paper, ya know what I'm saying
If I had a chance like you,maybe I would be in school
but I'm not,
I'm out here living day to day surviving
and I'm willing to die for my colors
Yo'll please stop, cause I want ya all to live.
This is Ice-T, Peace...