Benz and a Backpack

At this point Das Racist is a household name on the internet, and with very good reason. For those unacquainted with the Brooklyn-based trio, the group consists of emcees Victor Vazquez (on the left in the above picture), Himanshu Suri (center), and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (on the right, better known as Dap). They dropped two mixtapes in 2010: Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man, both available for free download. Some dismiss them as highed-up jokers, but their astonishing breadth of cultural and musical knowledge coupled with a (typically veiled, but substantial) ability on the mic puts them in a class all their own.

On “Nutmeg,” Victor and Himanshu go in over the Ghostface track of the same name (off Supreme Clientele). It’s unquestionably an homage to Ghostdini– hyper-referential, weed- and food-centric, and at one point Vazquez even contorts his voice into a constrained, high-pitched rasp, eerily reminiscent of Pretty Toney. For all the naysayers, while Das Racist might not fill Ghost’s big shoes on the cut, take note of the technical skill with which they write and deliver their rhymes:

Das Racist – Nutmeg by BenzAndABackpack

Das -Racist – Nutmeg (Lyrics)
First Verse, Hima:
Queens Boulevard, Kierkegaard, hustle hard,
hustle bustle OMG, on my guard, oh my god,
Vic came back with three pizzas, give one to
Dap, his stomach under-crowded, proud kid, young
Samaritan, fuck a George Harrison, embarrassing,
sitars no comparison, looking garish, hit it
out the park, Roger Maris, plus Shea Stadium,
Flushing, Corona, chop shop pop rocks,
My Sharona, kid coboloba (?),
hold up, slow up, blow up, pull-o, ver, get
smart again, it’s a cardigan, play the race card
again, and again, and again, drinks at Bennigan’s,
where’s Ralph Waldo, Ellison, person of
color, yall can’t see me? Shoot at you actors like a
DP, Erna Anastos, aspestos
apartments, smarter in a starter jacket, custom
compartments, illuminati, in my mind soul and
my body, pause, young Bobby, Digital
hobby, physical, that’s amazing, that’s amazing
that’s amazing.

That’s amazing, that’s racist, that’s
fake shit, that’s space shit, that’s vacant,
that’s complacent, that’s plague shit, that’s offensive,
that’s Tet Offensive, that’s defenseless,
that’s holiday, Doc Holiday, keep the doc
away, sitting by the dock of the bay on yay,
Kanye imma letchu finish, Helsinki, blinky
blink, stinky stink, stanky stank,
Frank-n-Dank, feelin hot yo, watchin Rosanna
Scotto, Liz Cho, shotty by the rim, I Sue
Simmons, Mr. G, Mr. Me, Mr. Me
Too, who care who Muslim who Hebrew,
he cool, he wack, back street, street back,
alley cat, rally that, Taliban, alley man,
minivan, van, hans, hands,
hold hands across America, Jesus on the
cross paid the cost to see the boss, scalpers got the
money no Rick Ross, big boss, man
PaRappa the Rappa, in Nappa Valley, valley man,
mountain man, fountain pen, count it man, borders
crossed, or its all to Mars, or do you have a
country tomorrow, order yours, don’t go chasin water
falls, Hazmat, suit, Nasdaq,
suit, pass that zoot, blast that
truth, booth, teens found slain,
bang bang bang bang
unfounded truth, brown kid, yuke,
brown kid, shoot, the township, youth,
yeaaaaah. shoot shoot, the township, youth,
shoot shoot the township, youth.

2nd Verse, Victor:
That’s amazing, blunt in your mouth, tarred
silly feather Sally Struthers, Gilmore Girls, smothers
brothers at The Fillmore, hand me the capo,
cup under my Snapple is staples, four flavored,
kettle corn heavy metal porno flick chicks with
tatoos, rollin up spliffs with Bambus,
damn dude, whole load o’ Head and Shoulder shampoo,
my Dominican friend finna stab you,
ask two questions, one: who da kid, two: who da
kid, both times the answer stay Kool A-
D, ayo, who is this though, the kid ran the
fuck out the door and never came back til’ three weeks
later in the same black t shirt stay yacked
til his teeth hurt, coughing up blood like nah,
nah don’t worry bout it, roll up in a silver Hyun
dai and scurry up out it, niced out, no
riced out, drop like a, with a tail fin,
boo in the back looking like a young Sarah Pa
lin, but yo pass the Craisins, a young
couple o’ guys in the castle stay blazin,
watching Tavis Smiley, writing emails to
Richard Grabel, White Owl kaKeek (?) cayuse,
Sprite on the table, seven channels no cable,
EMI hollerin hoping to get the publishing, go
up like NASDAQ, don’t even remember if I’m
BMI or ASCAP, man if I’m past that,
I think I’m passed that, no I’m not passed rap, well
maybe I’m passed rap, finna be passed that,
finna be a mathe-magician now, hocus po-
cus, with the dope sick Vanna White with no tits, and
a banana light cream soda coca cola,
ringtone, ringtone, Motorola,
Sammy Sosa skin cream, Michael Jackson
disease.

Third Verse Part I, Victor:
Thirty-one inch inseam, attracting mac and cheese,
lampin’ in Jeruse, with the Maccabees, chicks from
Bard College, cash to pay, Illmatic, on Broadway,
pass the yayo magic, static, under twenty seven
in zenith (?) believe it, cheeses, Cheese Puffs,
Cheese Doodles, Cup o’ Noodles, Slim Jims, Quarter Waters,
quarters, corners dodecahedrons, demons,
basting (?) virgin orchids with their semen, sunflower
seeds, Van Gogh Gogh Gogh, go in, Go-Go
Gadget, Gogan, Rodin, Ronin, Conan
cocaine, Rogaine, woodgrains, fertilizer,
phantom tollbooth hold you…

Third Verse Part II, Hima:
…street me, street
heat, beat beat, eat beats, beats street wild stopp-
ed while light up my life, Fruit Loops, Kicks,
raps that’s kid, tested, mother approved, rude
Rubik’s Cube, Uncle Sam don’t want you Him-
anshu, heems, schemes, creams, screams,
screens, queens, beam, means
justify ends, tens, Benz, cockblock my
friends, Bends, Pablo Honey,
money, brown bunny, Doug Funnie, dummy (?),
crummy, dummy, dumb me, green, yeah
Hindu kush in my blood, push comes to shove,
shove back, love back, thug rap, shrug
rap, bug rap

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