We love what we do. We've learned that no matter how talented you are, you may never be as popular as the dude/woman with the gimmick and the cookie cutter aesthetic. We've also learned that there's nothing wrong with being compensated for your cultural labor. Recording, producing physical work, touring, etc., all incur expenses. A lot of times, folks are oblivious to this reality, and feel like the artist, especially the "conscious" artist should be presenting this work to the world with no expectation of compensation. Also, if the artist cannot be sustained, the art he/she is producing must eventually slow to a trickle and/or stop. This begs the question, "What exactly does 'For the Love' mean?" The song strives to provide an answer to that question.
-TU
lyrics
For the Love
**For the luh luh luh luh luh luh luh LOVE**
Verse I
I’ll take out your best MC for my grand finale
And put New Orleans on the map like I’m Rand McNally
The intent to affect change, that’s what I’m rhyming with
People say keep doing it, but never put a dime in it
I’m tryna manage this green like I was Danny Ainge
With rhymes I gave you 2 cents, I’m tryna make change
Penny for my thoughts? Fine, but before
you give me that be sure to add 999 more
And buy the album! It’s kinda hard touring when
You accumulating debt like Brother Randall Robinson
I need a guarantee, not really making a fuss
Just want it up front like whites on a segregated bus
And thus, it’s for the love, but now I got children
And Love’ll make a fool of you like Denise Williams
Pro-choice lyrics, poor quality aborted
To make sure good music gets listener supported
Chorus:
Went from, city to city and state to state
It all started out with us just digging in the crates
Didn’t know full time B-boy was the fate
It’s for the people, but compensation would be great (It’s for the LOOOOVE)
(Luh luh luh luh luh…)
Love of rhymes, love of the beat
Love of the scratching, Love of the streets
Love of new creation with original flavor
And Love of reaping fruits of you cultural labor (It’s for the LOOOOVE)
Verse II
If you in it for the cash, then end that shit fast
It’s hard to make g’s like 3 year olds in penmanship class
With your wax and disc, prepare for the bumps and bruises
DJ cliques act bxtch with their picks and chooses
And they the ones who ain’t deserving my tunes
They get no service like poor people in emergency rooms
Hear my rhymes, they be like, “Damn dawg you outta chill”
I speak my mind, diss the Vatican like Lauryn Hill
It’s sorta ill sometimes who descends on the floor
Ain’t necessarily the people you intended it for
Depending on tours, internationally exported
For who support it, one reason that it gets recorded
Reason 2, recoup and hopefully stack some dough
And last but not least, challenging the status quo
With your best plantation rapper run a dead heat
But independent like a Mama when the Daddy deadbeat
Chorus
Verse III
Let me tell you, I been in love with this
Before the label politics, distributors + publicists
(It’s) kinda frustrating cuz, the things I do for the love
Should be like Tiger Woods’ wife, an make you run from the club
To, organically provide what the listener wants
With gimmicks, falsehood, or publicity stunts
For you to listen I implore, and refuse to be ignored
Truth Universal, you know what I do it for
credits
from Invent the Future,
released October 8, 2013
Witten by T. Ujasiri
Produced by P.U.D.G.E. for 2 22 PM Music (ASCAP)
Cuts by P.U.D.G.E.
God damn, this is such a masterful hip hop album on so many levels. When you break it all down, it's what you love about the genre - beats and rhymes. Ron Deuce
Conversational bars and dark, murky production define the excellent new record from New Orleans rappers NOFACESMOOV. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 7, 2022
