04. Iron Galaxy – Cannibal Ox (2001)
Underground group Cannibal Ox begin their 2001 LP The Cold Vein with rap’s marquee epic, “Iron Galaxy.” The sprawling, six-minute cut reads like a manifesto against impoverished society’s greatest offenders: hunger, violence, neglect. “Iron Galaxy” paints an icy portrait of New York City, making it an intricate gauntlet one must survive. Of course, the willing participants who perpetuate the ills don’t get a pass. If all that density sounds like it would be boring, that’s where the track really shines. Catchy as can be, Cannibal Ox weaved one of the quintessential underground works.
notable lyrics:
And if there’s crack in a basement,
Crack heads stand adjacent
Anger displacement
Two step arangements
You were a still born baby
Mother didn’t want you, but you were still born
Boy meets world, of course his pops is gone
What you figga?
That chalky outline on the ground is a father figure?
So he steps to the next stencil, that’s a hustler
Infested with money and diamond cluster
Lets talk in laymen terms
Rotten apples and big worms
Early birds and poachers
New York is evil at it’s core, so those who have more than them
Prepare to be vic-tims