🔑 Yalllaaaaa
There are few better ways to spend an afternoon than with a friend, a joint, and some music.
I first met my friend Mike O’Hehir around a bonfire at our mutual friend’s weed farm. We connected instantly on our love of music and travel. I told him about my time in Kathmandu, when I started to bring reggae vibes into “The Blue Giant”. Mike’s band Coyote Island makes psychedelic indie folk – that reggae flavor is always hiding just under the surface! I think we both knew we would connect on a musical level.
Mike wasn’t a huge hip-hop listener (although he does appreciate the greats!) and for maybe one minute he wondered how to lay down a musical base that would work with me rapping. Since then, we have jammed at parties and home studio hangs countless times and he has pulled me on stage with Coyote Island.
“Mandal” worked so well with Mike and his band, because the original version had a very laid-back attitude and the melodic Afrobeat/drill vibe easily transformed to something closer to reggae. In the video below, we performed it together with nothing but an acoustic guitar and some foot stomping at the Mayo Street Arts International Open Mic in Portland, Maine:
That video was taken shortly after we had created the special version of “Mandal” in Coyote Studio together. You can see how easily the music flowed in this video of us tracking the vocals:
When we were invited to open for Zion Train at Portland House of Music back in August, the magic increased even more. Duncan Hardy’s qanun and Mavy’s electric violin brought it to a whole other level. Watch this rough version of the show recording. (Keep an eye out for the full concert video with remastered audio coming soon!)
Lyrics & Translation
ضارب فيكن مندل… فيكن ما بندل… لاحقين دنب دندل دندل دندل دندل دندل ضارب فيكن مندل… فيكن ما بندل… لاحقين دنب دندل دندل دندل دندل دندل جوهر فالصو، رصاص خلبي كله مفكرلي حاله نبي و نبي wannabe علقتو بـ لسان الحلبي، تحملو غضبي بالمخفي بالقفى كل شي بصير مشكلتي اني بالي كتير طويل شخصيات مكسورة باسبور واحد كل صفحة صورة تدفق فجر ماسورة ملوك مأثورة بحررن من قصوره كنت معن دايماً بـ ضهرن سندن بياعين مواقف أضرب من بلدن "ضد القمع" ماشيين لي فيها ماراثون بالواقع خاضعين للجلدن كلن فرد لون ما بتلاقيني بيناتن قوس قوزح، "United Colors Of Benetton" مالي عـ طرفن ولا مع قرفن عودن طري، صخبي قرفن شلفن! شلفن! فضوها سيرة، سدو النيرة كل ديك عـ مزبلته صياح أنا ماشي بـ عكس الرياح عامل بلدية… بلدية! بلمكن كلكلن بـ زبالتي بحبسكن عميقي البلوعة ما في طلعه برى شطفنا الدرج، معلش غير مرة بجق عـ كيفي عـ سلم موسيقي ما بهمني ازعاجكن يا صديقي خليكن انتو "رابرز" عالغيمة بغير طقس، بخفيكن بـ يوم وليلة أرض جووووو! لحالي بعمل جو… بـ يوم وليلة، بـ يوم و ليلة! ضارب فيكن مندل… فيكن ما بندل… لاحقين دنب دندل دندل دندل دندل دندل ضارب فيكن مندل… فيكن ما بندل… لاحقين دنب دندل دندل دندل دندل دندل مهدنا طريق، فتحنا الباب لحقو دنب، من قص دناب مهدنا طريق، فتحنا الباب لحقو دنب، من قص دناب يابا يابا و فتحنا الباب يابا يابا من قص دناب يابا يابا و فتحنا الباب يابا يابا من قص دناب ضارب فيكن مندل... فيكن ما بندل ضارب فيكن مندل... فيكن ما بندل
Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere You’re following a dangling tail Dangling… dangling... dangling… dangling Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere You’re following a dangling tail Dangling… dangling... dangling… dangling Fake essence, fake bullets Each one thinks of themselves as prophets Once a prophet was a wannabe You’re on my Aleppo tongue, so try to handle my anger Everything is possible when you are hidden, my problem is that I’m so patient Broken personalities, they’re like one passport with a different picture on each page My flow burst the pipes, aphoristic kings Wisdom, I liberate them of their castles I was with them always got their back I was reliable Their hypocritical attitudes worse than their country They’re running like a marathon against suppression But in reality they bow down to the one who whips them They’re all the same color, you never find me between them I’m like a rainbow they’re like “United Colors of Benetton” I’m not on their side, and not with their revolting actions They’re soft, so my hardcore level broke them in half Threw them away! Threw them away! Change the subject or you better shut your mouths Every cock crows on his own garbage And I’m running against the wind I’m like a street cleaner I’ll collect all of you then throw you and lock you in my trash The deep rappers in the sewage don’t come out We just washed the steps, maybe another time I make a mess on a musical scale as I wish I don’t care about your noise or about bothering you You stay cloud rappers I change the weather and make you disappear in a day and a night Earth to the atmosphere, I create a mood by myself In a day and a night, day and night! Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere You’re following a dangling tail Dangling… dangling... dangling… dangling Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere You’re following a dangling tail Dangling… dangling... dangling… dangling We paved the road, we opened the door Keep following a tail, we cut tails Yaba! Yaba! We opened the door Yaba! Yaba! We cut tails Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere Fortune teller, I predicted your behavior You’re not leading me anywhere
Want to hear the finished song?
Buy it on Bandcamp to listen instantly!
Or watch the livestream premiere from Tuesday, September 13, 2022:
