Fiends: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:55, 20 February 2024

"Fiends" is the fourteenth track on Urban Network Magazine's 1998 hip-hop compilation Rapology 14. It was produced by Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn^[1] and performed by Xero featuring additional vocals by 007.

Background

On August 25, 1998, Xero entered the Paramount Recording Studios (Studio C) to record a demo produced by Darryl Swan. Soon after, "Fiends" was released on Rapology 14.^[2] By that point, the band had been playing under the name Xero 818,^[3] but the song is still credited to Xero on the CD.

Rapology was a series of promotional / industry-only hip-hop compilation CDs issued by Urban Network Magazine^[4] from 1992 to 2001. Lee Cadena, Rap Editor at Urban Network and creator of the Rapology series, started an artist management and development company in 1998 called LCM which worked with Xero.^[5] At the time, Joe Hahn was working for the magazine as Cadena's assistant^[6]^[7] and used to write reviews for them.^[8] Xero contributed to Rapology 14 with an original track named "Fiends" and Mike Shinoda also created artwork for the album.

The tracklist reads "Xero F/007 Fiends CD Rap Up". Chris Barnett, Styles Of Beyond's manager, was best friends with Mike Shinoda^[9] and used to go by the names Emcee 007 and Chris 007. In the lyrics, he is referred to as "Cash Double-Oh". His verse from Styles Of Beyond's "Spies Like Us" is sampled during the intro and outro of the song. The sampled vocals "always prevail, the human third rail" and "exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails" are both by Chris. He never joined the band on stage to perform the song, but was in the audience for every Xero show.^[10]

Back in the day, Mike Shinoda rapped with Styles Of Beyond members using the name Junkyard Scientific,^[11] hence the "Junkyard Scientific, Styles, haha" lyric. This is one of three known songs in which the project is mentioned, the other ones being "Fuse" and "Closing".

In the lyrics, Mike mentions "frequently me and Mark transform like DMC", giving a shoutout to the Xero lead singer Mark Wakefield (and making a reference to Run DMC). While Mike does the backing vocals and dubs in the verses, Mark is featured on the chorus doing backing vocals ("believe this / for the fiends / this is the sound / in the mist"). The line "like BDP on PCP" refers to legendary hip-hop group Boogie Down Productions.

A version of the song was also present on a Xero demo CD dating from November 17, 1998. Tracks included on the CD were: "Rhinestone", "Esaul", "Pictureboard", "Fiends", "Stick N Move", "Carousel", "Slip", and "Step Up."^[2]

Versions

Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Fiends CD Rap Up	Rapology 14	3:15	1998	1998	Features vocals by 007. Samples Styles Of Beyond's "Spies Like Us" (feat. Emcee 007).

Personnel

Xero is:

Mike Shinoda
Mark Wakefield
Brad Delson
Rob Bourdon
Dave Farrell
Joe Hahn

Production

Executive producer: Lee "The Crusher" Cadena
Mastering: Stu Jacobs, Mr. Master
Manufacturing: Disctronics

Artwork

Art direction: Mike Shinoda and Meilani MacDonald
Illustrations: Mike Shinoda
Graphic design: Mike Shinoda and Lance Whitfield
Concept: Lee Cadena and Mike Shinoda
Imaging Center Manager: Alden Keith Stubblefield

Lyrics

Album Version

(Always prevail, the human third rail)
Yo, yo, yo, Xero
(Exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Junkyard Scientific, Styles, haha
(Always prevail, the human third rail)
Yo, I thought you knew, I thought, ha, uh
(Exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
I tell ya, ha, uh

It's like a royal flush, a rush when I bust verbally
Plus crush Earth's crust and enemy emcees to dust, with one touch
Stonehenge rhyme riddle a mystery
With Earth-rattle reckoning, rewriting your history
With blistery flesh, meshed with a mess of a civil unrest on wax
Test pressed, scratched with finesse and next
Blessed with extra-terrestrial techs and programmed for the organs above your necks
Undressing hip hop and making it over again
This is the end, ill men you'll never defend
From the deep end we watch trends and then we see rock
And devise plans, strand them in the penalty box
To mentally stop brains of virtual train wrecks
Dissect the picture to the words turned up by the text
What's next? Heat seeking treats meet your sect
When you spit a thousand words and haven't painted a stroke yet

Believe this, I'm only in it for the fiends
And mean every single sentence that I scream
It's just the sound as the breakbeat kicks
That's got us all dancing in the mist
Believe this, I'm only in it for the fiends
And mean every single sentence that I scream
It's just the sound as the breakbeat kicks
That's got us all dancing in the mist

With your incomphrehensible bullet-hole ventilators
Stainless steel metal invincible diamond and platinum-plated
Psychologically fabricated facade godsent and hellbent
Are mentally not making any sense to me
Eventually you tempted me to put you on the chopping block
As a sacrifice to hip-hop when I knock you off
A razor blade and pop and lock the axe in
Put your head in a basket as an example for those who pass it
Medievally approaching these festivities
Jump around frequently when you see me, like BDP on PCP
Frequently me and Mark transform like DMC
To soundwaves of song set in every frequency

(Always prevail, the human third rail)
Endlessly worthless, crying out your curses
(Exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Playing all these games and turning this into a circus
(Always prevail, the human third rail)
Witless, worthless, crying out your curses
(Exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Playing all these games...

Believe this, I'm only in it for the fiends
And mean every single sentence that I scream
It's just the sound as the breakbeat kicks
That's got us all dancing in the mist
Believe this, I'm only in it for the fiends
And mean every single sentence that I scream
It's just the sound as the breakbeat kicks
That's got us all dancing in the mist

(Always prevail, the human third rail, I exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
One two, one, one, yeah, one two
(Always prevail, the human third rail, I exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Ha, ha, ha, Cash Double-Oh, Xero, 818, you know? That's how we do
(Always prevail, the human third rail, I exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Xero, 818, you know? That's how we do
(Always prevail, the human third rail, I exhale the smoke from Molotov cocktails)
Yeah, check it out, y'all, check it out, Cash Double-Oh
Tell your grandparents, tell your brother and sister, tell everybody, ha
One two, ha, ha, one two, ha, one two
Just like that
Yo, can you hear me?