Dedicated

Dedicated
SongLinkin Park
from the album LP Underground 2.0
Recorded:	1999
Released:	November 18, 2002
Last performed:	August 3, 2002
Writer:	Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Chester Bennington
Producer:	Mike Shinoda
Label:	Machine Shop Recordings
LP Underground 2.0 tracklist
A.06 With You (Live) Pts.Of.Athrty (Crystal Method Remix) Dedicated (Demo 1999) High Voltage (Live) My December

Background

"Dedicated" was a song recorded in 1999. It was released on the LP Underground 2.0 CD in November 2002, after Mike used verses from the song on a freestyle at the Wake Up Show in August that year.

A sample of "Dedicated" was used on "It's Goin' Down".

In an April 7, 2010 LPU chat, Mike said that he wrote the entire song himself.

Versions

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

Title	Album	Length	Recorded	Released	Notes
Dedicated (Demo 1999)	LP Underground 2.0 Songs From The Underground A Decade Underground Compilation Hybrid Theory (20th Anniversary Edition)	3:11	1999	November 18, 2002

Live

It is unknown if "Dedicated" was ever performed in full live, but it is unlikely. However, Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson, along with Rakaa Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, made an appearance at KMEL 106.1's Wake Up Show on August 03, 2002, where Mike and Rakaa did two freestyles each. Mike's first freestyle consisted of both verses from "Dedicated" (unreleased at the time) while the second consisted of a verse he had written "years ago", before they got a contract, according to a post he did on the Fort Minor forums in 2005. Mike elaborated in that thread that there's a difference between radio/cd freestyling and street freestyling. Radio freestyling often includes pre-written lyrics with some random stuff off the top of your head thrown in. Street freestyling is pure improvisation.

In summer 2009, Mike made a post in his blog asking for suggestions from fans on what he should rap over "Points Of Authority" on Linkin Park's tour to promote "New Divide". "Dedicated" and "Step Up" were the two he picked from the replies to do. The first verse of "Dedicated" was used over the intro of "Points Of Authority" on August 13, 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan. This is the only known time any form of this song was used during a Linkin Park show.

On Mike Shinoda's 2018 Post Traumatic Tour, fans who won Meet & Greets at the first few shows of the tour were allowed to watch the soundcheck. Sometimes at soundchecks, Mike took requests for songs. On October 13, 2018 at New York City's Pier 7 show, Mike took a request to play "Dedicated" from a fan, who handed him lyrics to the song after Mike looked up the track himself on his own phone to remember what it sounded like. Mike showed Matt how to play the piano part, and had Dan improvise drums over it. In all, he did the first verse and chorus of the track. Mike said, "They keep requesting this really random Linkin Park, like it's not an album deep cut, like not even an album cut, it's a fan club release from a demo in '99. You guys know what I'm talking about? Yeah, "High Voltage" was one of them, but "Dedicated", these were the two everybody was like, "Do that! Do this song!" How does the music on "Dedicated" even go? Yeah cool, it's like 15 years old, "Can you do that one?" I haven't listened to that song in forever. I'm going to have to go on YouTube because I don't even have it on my phone."

Personnel

Linkin Park

• Chester Bennington: Vocals
• Rob Bourdon: Drums
• Brad Delson: Guitars
• Joseph Hahn: Records, Sampling
• Phoenix: Bass
• Mike Shinoda: Emcee, Vocals, Sampling

Production

• Produced by Mike Shinoda

Lyrics

Album Version

I have a dream of a scene between the green hills
Clouds pull away and the sunlight's revealed
People don't talk about keeping it real
It's understood that they actually will
And intoxicated and stimulated emcees
Staring in the trees, paranoid, are gone in the breeze
Watch them flee, hip-hop heads
Take a walk with me and what you'll see
Is a land where the sand's made up of crushed up wax
And the sky beyond you is krylon blue
And everybody speaks in a dialect of rhyme
And emcees have left materialism behind them
Meanwhile I just grip my mic
And hope me and my team make it through alright
Because say what you will, and say what you might
But don't ignore who it's for at the end of the night

Because this is dedicated to the kids
Dedicated to wherever music lives
Dedicated to those tired of the same ol' same
And dedicated to the people advancin' the game
What's real is the kids who know that something's wrong
What's real is the kids who think they don't belong
What's real is the kids who have nowhere to run
Who are hiding in the shadows waiting for the sun

I've seen a lot of shit, I've talked to a bum
Out on sunset strip, he asked me, "How would you feel
If everybody acted like you didn't exist
You'd lose your grip, probably eventually flip."
So let it be known, the only reason that we do this
Is so you can pick it up and just bang your head to it
While emcees fight to see who can be the commonest
We float overhead like a space odyssey monolith
Over seeing the game,
Over being part of the same ol' thing
It's all gonna change in a hurricane of darkness and pain
And acidic rain and promises that you won't do it again
Meanwhile I just grip my mic
And hope me and my team make it through alright
Because say what you will, and say what you might
But don't ignore who it's for at the end of the night
 
Because this is dedicated to the kids
Dedicated to wherever music lives
Dedicated to those tired of the same ol' same
And dedicated to the people advancin' the game
What's real is the kids who know that something's wrong
What's real is the kids who think they don't belong
What's real is the kids who have nowhere to run
Who are hiding in the shadows waiting for the sun
Pulling me close, the shadow is warm inside
This is where I feel at home, this is my place to hide
Pulling me close, the shadow is warm inside
This is where I feel at home, this is my place to hide
 
This is dedicated to the kids
Dedicated to wherever music lives
Dedicated to those tired of the same ol' same
And dedicated to the people advancin' the game
What's real is the kids who know that something's wrong
What's real is the kids who think they don't belong
What's real is the kids who have nowhere to run
Who are hiding in the shadows waiting for the sun
This is dedicated to the kids
Dedicated to wherever music lives
Dedicated to those tired of the same ol' same
And dedicated to the people advancin' the game
What's real, everybody who doesn't feel safe
What's real, everybody who knows they're out of place
What's real, anybody with have nowhere to run
Who hides in the shadows waiting for the sun

Wake Up Show Freestyle

Yo, I have a dream
Yo, yo
I have a dream of a scene between the green hills
Clouds pull away and the sunlight's revealed
People don't talk about keeping it real
It's understood that they actually will
And intoxicated and stimulated emcees
Slurring in the trees, paranoid, are gone in the breeze
Watch them flee, hip-hop heads
Take a walk with me and what you'll see
Is a land where the sand's made up of crushed up wax
And the sky beyond you is krylon blue
And everybody speaks in a dialect of rhyme
Emcees have left materialism behind them
Meanwhile I just grip my mic
And hope me and my crew make it through alright
Because say what you will, and say what you might
But don't ignore who it's for at the end of the night

Yo, I've seen a lot of sh-, I've talked to a bum
Out on sunset strip, he asked me, "How would you feel
If everybody acted like you didn't exist
You'd lose your grip, you probably eventually flip."
So let it be known, the only reason that we do this
Is so you can pick it up and just bang your head to it
While emcees fight to see who can be the commonest
We float overhead like a space odyssey monolith
Over seeing the game,
Over being part of the same ol' thing
It's all gonna change in a hurricane of darkness and pain
Acidic rain and promises you won't do it again
Meanwhile I just grip this mic
At the Wake Up Show
Doing it with Rakaa all night
You're ready to spit that
Go ahead and spit that
Spit that

Me and Rakka haven't begun to hit you yet
when i get you open / your insides will make you wet
you bet / hostile when i'm rapping to you
got you asking God how he let this happen to you
bringing on the fat lady / and the fat man too
and shoot em both out of a cannon over Kathmandu
if ya sleepin / i'm knocking out the sandman too
i'll beat the yellow out of you until you're black and blue
laugh at you / and any MC who wants to scuffle
turn a Challenger emcee into Challenger space shuttle
got Emcees so mixed-up, their bones are pulling muscles
And their bladders are leaking out and down their leg into a puddle
what's that / laying you flat survival tatic-ly
you wanna battle me you better start thinkin practicly
line after line casually rapping this rapidly
and ending this / you never get a chance to bust back at me

External Links

• Dedicated (1999 Demo): YouTube