Stripe 2 EP

Stripe 1

Tracklisting

Click on the track to view the lyrics

  • 1 / Inner City
    Verse 1

    Mic check, one, two, nowhere to run to
    Hell's frozen over, pigs fly, swine flu
    You already know what we do
    Brand new for you, hot off the barbecue

    From my cerebral cortex to my princes and paupers
    Fresh rainwater for the sons and daughters
    Life is lost whether murder or manslaughter
    Water round here don't taste like what it ought ta

    My dear, there's a few things we should get clear
    It's obvious what's going on round here
    Deprivation leads to toughness
    Necessary roughness to survive the darkness

    Shell shocked and poverty-stricken
    Too many issues to bother politicking
    No competition, how could they be driven
    Young men, they're bound to lose, now that's a given

    Chorus

    Inner city life
    Inner city pressure

    Verse 2

    I bet you didn't expect an Ewe tribesman
    To come forth with such lyrical vibes man
    Don't fret we've got what you need
    So fresh, funky rhymes, satisfaction guaranteed

    Live, from the city of Leeds
    Things ain't always what it seems in this music scene
    The supreme team grand-scheming to redeem
    By any means, we're gonna live this dream

    With tight rhythms make them stiff necked fools tap
    And jive and bop their heads till their neck snap
    Quantise the head nods till they whiplash
    Tiger Shadow with another b-b-b-bash

    All types of stunts, eating soup with chopsticks
    Not allowed round here, the pony with one trick
    I don't bother with that gun-toting rhetoric
    You shouldn't be allowed weapons bigger than your...toothpick

    Stick up people it's the Ice Age now
    Cold hearts, too high, stay down
    It's kinda hard to keep from going under
    It's too cold to sit out on the verandah

    Two tribes go to war
    It's all Big Brother like 1984
    CCTV snooping on citizens galore
    This kind of stuff is hard to ignore, y'all

    Chorus

    Inner city life
    Inner city pressure

  • 2 / Gambit
    Verse 1

    This right here is my gambit
    I'm just gonna go all out, Van Damme it
    I offer an antidote to mainstream hip hop
    The same old that dominates the airwaves non-stop

    Don't get it twisted man I love gangsta rap
    As much as the next fan, Tarantino on wax
    Like a good gangster movie helps to kickback, relax
    But these days that rap sounds wack

    No need for CD's it's all on MP3
    Click on http and it's all for free
    Waste of time making a mixtape C60
    I'd rather play me some Seasick Steve

    Verse 2

    Halt! Who goes there?
    You know we don't really believe in ghosts here
    Who he? Komla MC
    I come with fresh versatility and individuality

    It's not all good in the hood
    Rap about fatherhood, or doing something good
    Like Robin Hood, driftwood, in your neck of the woods
    So you should, best way to prove your manhood

    What we have is the determination of the salmon,
    Ayigbe spirit and the strength of a ram, Capricorn
    I'm cut from a different cloth, man I'm Ghana-born
    And I don't think it's cool to be a vagabond

    Of course you are free to choose what you glorify
    The code that you live by
    And if it all fails and you have to resort to crime
    Live and let die, you do the crime, you do the time

    Verse 3

    Don't believe the hypotenuse
    It's like the daily dose of misery on the news
    Don't confuse the defendant with the accused
    Too much booze, drug abuse, man they've got nothing to lose

    They wash their dirty linen in public, launderette
    Girls rush in head first, Marie Antoinette
    Today's ladies, silhouettes of suffragettes
    Use proper contraception, not Vatican Roulette

    People and computers catching viruses
    I write my verses, hooks and choruses
    Using dictionaries and thesauruses
    Stampede like a herd of rhinoceroses

    I do my thing, no bling, except the wedding ring
    Bringing my message in rhymes I don't sing
    I do my thing, no bling, except the wedding ring
    I don't sing

  • 3 / Good Times
    Verse 1

    This one diε it be cool vibes
    Something to celebrate the good times, oh my
    The music dey online, make you go buy
    Feel this one in my waters as I flow, kai

    So many lyrics this one it be chew and pour
    What they dey call snitching, we dey call am lapour
    The game dey play like cricket, we dey call am chaskele
    What the boys dey play, the girls dey play ampe

    Since the last time I grab the mic
    Wey I nail my raps with my kind pidgin rhymes
    I no hear nobody dey do the same kind style
    Over wicked riddims like the way we shine

    Know your roots Kunta Kinte
    Brothers and sisters everybody wear Kente
    You and what army can harm me
    Scratch that, US Army can harm we

    Verse 2

    They say everything dey happen for the best
    But for the truly wicked there is no rest
    I no dey see the reason why you put on a vest
    I guess you need it to survive in the Wild Wild West

    Round here we no dey drink sizzurp
    While we are at it, brotherman pull your trousers up
    We dey move in silence but we no be bad boys
    It be easier to think without so much noise

    Not hanging out with infidels sipping Zinfandel
    Not rolling deep with large crews lots of decibels
    Hotel, motel, not a hope in hell
    Better off using your passive aggressive to rebel

    Anyway all work and no play, you know what they say
    Play by all means play, but you know say
    Your words dey ricochet, so chale
    Watch what you say okay

    Verse 3

    When I mix my Ghanaian vocal cords
    With Jim Tycho and him sharp musical swords
    We dey come up with something to applaud
    We go take the competition wipe the floorboards

    This be my therapy
    I bring you pidgin rhymes in 3-D
    This one tough, it dey like wele
    Hot and spicy like roadside kelewele, hey

    I no be thug, I no be backpacker
    My brother I dey rap, smooth operator
    How the hell him be the hottest rapper
    When he no dey fit put simple rhymes together

    If you like it, holla on the dog and bone
    And if you don't get it you ain't supposed to, you know
    Sharpening my skills to make I and I pro
    Not a long way to go though, mofo!

Credits

Stripe 2 EP was recorded in March 2010 at Cottage Road Studios in Leeds and was released on the 28th June 2010.

Produced by Jim Tycho & Matt Peel
Mixed & Mastered by Matt Peel

Guitars, Bass, Synths, Accordion, Mandolin, Stylophone - Jim Tycho
Vocals & Drum Programming - Komla MC

Additional Drum Programming by Matt Peel
Cello orchestration by Jim Tycho, Andy Hawkins, Matt Peel & Emilia
Cello on Inner City courtesy of Emilia
Jen SX1000 synth playing on Gambit courtesy of Matt Peel

All Lyrics written by Komla MC
All Music written by Jim Tycho

God is in the TV (4/5)

"this is another great little collection of tunes, but their ability has never been in question, they've established themselves as consummate performers"

Tasty Fanzine (8/10)

"Another release in Tiger Shadows continuing experimentation in styles and approaches to recording sees 'Stripe 2' follow up its predecessor in an equally accomplished manner. Give this EP a listen and you'll be impressed at just how polished an effort this is." - Read full review

Leeds Music Scene (3.5/5)

"One of the most exciting and original acts knocking around Leeds at the moment... As Tiger Shadow say themselves in 'Gambit,' they are the antidote to mainstream hip hop; taking one of the most commercialised genres and making it feel meaningful and relevant to the everyday music fan. Tiger Shadow are a band to reaffirm your faith in hip hop" - Read full review