"Drop" by The Pharcyde...Looking at one of the best examples of why old school is still cool.

Drop is a CLASSIC.  If you've never heard it, you're in for a treat.  This song flows exquisitely and drips with metaphors and double meaning (get my drip pun? ya, I know it was bad, but whatever...)  The Pharcyde were one of the most talented hip hop acts of the 1990s, and they still don't get the respect they truly deserve.  This song is a gem, with hard hitting lyrics over a beautiful beat produced by my favorite hip hop producer of all time, Jay Dee (AKA J. Dilla). 

Song # 8. "Drop" by The Pharcyde
The Pharcyde - Drop (YouTube)


Verse 1: Bootie Brown

Let me freak the funk,
obsolete is the punk that talk more junk than Sanford sells
I jet propel at a rate that complicate their mental state
as I invade their masquerade
they couldn't fade with a clipper blade
10 years in the trade is not enough, they can't cut it
I let you take a swing, and you bunt it

Bootie begins by saying if you talk shit, you don't mean shit.  His intrusive nature makes people wary, the same people who cant shave their heads with a clipper blade.  These same obsolete people have been in the game for a while, but not long enough as far as Bootie is concerned.  He lets people take metaphorical swings at him and yet they bunt (basically they have chances to rip on him and stay conservative in their criticisms, presumably because Bootie is so good at rhyming). Also, when he references Sanford he (presumably) means the Congressman from South Carolina (Mark Sanford), who is a notorious politician and salesman. 

for an easy out, I leave mc's with doubt
of exceeding, my name is Bootie Brown and I'm proceeding, leading,
they try to follow but they're shallow and hollow
I can see right through them like an empty 40 bottle, of O.E.
they have no key, or no clue

The best way he knows of out rapping another MC is to just best them...make them doubt their ability to exceed the skill of your verse.  Het hen boasts of leading the way while everyone else raps with lyrics as empty as an empty Old English (malt liquor) bottle.  They never change, because they never understand the game.  

to the game at all, now they washed up
hung out to dry
standing looking stupid, wondering why
(why man?)
it was the fame, that they tried to get
now they walking around talkin about represent
and keep it real, but I got to appeal
cause they existing in a fantasy when holding the steel

They (other rappers) don't understand how to cope with a changing (read: evolving) rap game, and so they are stuck on the money, hoes, and guns that initially made hip hop prominent.  But Bootie points out most rappers put up a front where they are defined by these things, but really, theyre just professing the fantasy that the consumer wants to hear.  This is some brilliant lyrical work from Bootie.

Verse 2: Slim Kid 3

rock a bye baby,
listen to your heart beat pumping to a fine
ravine of all things it's a vein of a shrine
all missions impossible are possible, cause I'm
heading for a new sector, three sixty-five, days from now, 
I'll wipe the sweat from my eye

Basically, Slim begins by saying that everything is possible, especially changing a beat, or changing lyrics.  If you work hard, everything will work out.

and each and every true will stick, or fall from the skies, of my cloud nine
from homies all the way to chicks, no matter how fine
controlling is a swollen way to wreck a proud mind
you hold it in your hands and watch a man start crying
tear after tear in the puppet man's hands
every time you take a stance you do the puppet man's dance

Everything that's truth comes forward eventually, especially in his ideal world.  And controlling (or being controlled) is a fast way to destroy the free mind, which is evident when you have control over a person's interests.  When you take a side in that battle for control you are part of the problem (of control), in that we are meant to be free and independent.  

and the worlds at a stand-still
deep in broken mansville, trapped in the moat with an anvil, still
killing yourself, and dogging ya health
you ain't amphibious, so grab a hold of yourself

Everyone gets down (depressed), oftentimes because they are weighed down by their problems/stress, but if you let them get to you, you'll "drown" (and since we are land creatures, that is not a good idea).   Essentially he says 'don't sweat the small stuff, especially the small stuff you CANNOT control'. 

Verse 3: Knumbskull #1

shit is-shit is ill, (but through my will) my flow still will spill
toxic slick to shock sick like electrocute
when I execute, acutely over the rythym
on those that pollute, extra dosages is what I gotta give em
 
He begins using wordplay to boast of his skill on the mic.  Then he claims anyone who pollutes (read: raps poorly, or hates on Pharcyde)  will feel his wrath in the form of "extra dosages" (read: more electricity, which means more hurt for the enemy).


got em mad and tremblin
cause I been up in my lab assemblin
misslies, to bomb the enemy
because they envy me, and the making of my mad currency
currently I think we're in a state of an emergency
 
He has been preparing for metaphorical battle since all the new rappers seem to be about ego and envy.  He hates on the state of rap and its emphasis on possessions and fighting, but at the same time, he is prepared to defend himself at all costs. 


cause niggas done sold they souls, and now they souls is hollow
and I think they can't follow
they can't swallow, the truth because it hurts
this is how I put it down, this is my earth, my turf
the worth of my birth is a billion, and you know what time it is
I'm going to make a million

He believes soulless rappers have taken over the game, selling their musical creativity for money, but for Knumbskull, he has found a balance between creativity and riches, and plans to exploit it. 


Analysis: This song doesn't say a whole lot, but under the surface, it is a call to action, for rappers to step their game up and start acting like artists, not gangsters.  A main recurring theme seems to be: "if we can do it like this, why can't everyone".  Money comes to those with talent, not those who perpetuate stereotypical fantasies.  Also, Jay Dee's beat is FIRE and makes the lyrical content less important.  Simply the way that they rhyme perfectly in time with the snare hits makes this song a classic.  Their timing is perfect.  Also, their deliveries and writing styles are extremely unique, which contributes to the unique style of this song.  The album it is from "Labcabincalifornia", is a hip hop classic.   

Intended Meaning:  Rap has become too commercial, what happened to lyricism, artistry, and the true gangster roots?

Real Moral: Stay real, get paid, and succeed. Aim to get paid by pretending to be real, and fail.  Live and learn from this, rap world.