The Clash: Overpowered by Funk!

... So I went digging again and found the Clash's Combat Rock LP that was pressed back in 1982...I got heat from the "real punks" in my highschool for liking the LP but as it turns out, over time, "Combat" was hella tight. It held tight tunes like "Straight to Hell", "Overpowered by Funk," "Atomic Tan," "Red Angel Dragnet" and "Ghetto Defendant," (which had that 'starved in Necropolis' poem by none other than Allen Ginsberg)...oh yeah, "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" was on it too...I listened to this LP in total tonight and it was so nice I had to play the whole shebang thrice...good sounds are good sounds, son...I got some press tickets to go see Joe Strummer play in L.A. a coupla years back and I nixxed because I knew that I'd get to see the Mesceleros some other time and, well I think you know what happened...never got to see him play live. Bummer, yo...one should never hesitate at the moment of truth...

I've ranted and raved on this thing about how black music has been appropriated by white musicians but I can honestly say that one of the first places that I ever heard hip-hop on vinyl was on a Clash LP. Combat Rock, to be precise. It was an outro freestyle on "Overpowered by Funk" featuring a NYC graffiti artist named Futura 2000 (who was also white). The only reason I even knew who Futura was and made the connection was because I used to tag myself and he was one of the artists I looked up to because he rocked wild with the Krylon cans and blew up subway trains with some phat ass pieces back in the day...in the spirit of the LP that I'm blasting right now, I'd like to post the lyrics to that joint with Futura's rap, one of the first I'd ever heard on a slice of vinyl -- next to Run D.M.C's -- so I thought I should give my propers to "the only band that mattered"...well, at least one of my top five...press play and check the flow...Laters....

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If you ain't reggae for it...Funk out!
No-one knocking at your door? Funk out!

Overpowered by funk? Funk out!
Combatative, repetitive.
Don't life just funk you out?

Asanine, stupifying.
Can the clone line dry you out?

Part of the swarming mass? Funk out!
Slugged by a new increase? Funk out!

Scared of the human bomb? Funk out!
Overpowered by funk? Funk out!

Buy dog food. Rogue elephants.
Tarzan on a ticker tape...Ooooh!

Breakfast, cereals?
You know you can't escape...

Overpowered by funk.
Don't you love our Western ways?
Car crashed by funk?
Don't you love our Western ways?

Benny Goodman, trial by jury.
A phone box-full of books...is her name in there?

Dust the cards at sunrise.
No-one gets off the hooks.

Car crashed...

Food for the hungry millions? Funk out!
Home for the floating people? Funk out!

Overdrunk on...Power!

(2000's rap:)
This is a message from Futura: don’t prophesize the future.
I liven up the culture. Because I’m deadly as a vulture.
I paint on civilization. I have this realization.
It’s environmentally wack. So presenting my attack.
And I’ll brighten up your shack. I’m down by law -And that’s a fact...

Just give me a wall. Any building, dull or tall.
I spray clandestine night subway. I cover red purple on top of grey, hey.
No slashing 'cause it ain’t the way.
The T.A. (Transit Authority) blew 40 mil they say.
We thew down by night - and they scrubbed it off by day.
Ok tourists freeze the frame, the ticket's here for the graffiti train.F
unk Power...over and out...Funk, funk, funk...

Hah!

...Work out...

Note: this whole LP is tight and I highly recommend it...Green Day wishes they could write music this good...and they ain't bad...double lates...