| "Cigarettes" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Song by Fort Minor | |
| from the album The Rising Tied | |
| Recorded: | 2005 |
| Released: | November 22, 2005 |
| Format: | Digital, CD, Vinyl |
| Length: | 3:40 |
| Live debut: | February 24, 2006 |
| Last performed: | September 8, 2015 |
| Writer: | Mike Shinoda |
| Producer: | Mike Shinoda |
| Label: | Machine Shop Recordings, Warner Bros. Records |
| The Rising Tied tracklist | |
| |
"Cigarettes" is the ninth track on The Rising Tied by Fort Minor. The song is described as a long metaphor for the way Hip Hop music and culture is mass marketed. It is Jay-Z's (the executive producer) favorite song on the album.[1]
Background
In late 2006, Clear Channel Music posted the entire The Rising Tied album complete with commentaries from Mike Shinoda before each song.[2] On "Cigarettes", he said, "This next song, ‘Cigarettes’, uhm, was one of the first demos, that I did for Fort Minor. I remember I was in the bus on a Linkin Park tour, and I was throwing together a beat, you know, just for fun. I didn’t have any intention of making a record, and, uhm, this song ‘Cigarettes’ kinda came together. I remember playing it for friends and this… you know, this was one of the songs, that everyone said: “You know, maybe you should put out a whole album?”. Eventually, you know, one thing led to another and I’m making a whole Fort Minor record and I, uh, I played this for Jay-Z, and he said it was just one of his favorite songs on the record. Probably his favorite lyrics on the record. And I asked him: “Do you think it’s weird, that me, you know, people see me as a person coming from Linkin Park, which is a rock band, is it weird to have a song like this, which is obviously a kind of commentary on where the hip-hop is at right now?” Being, that we kind of know each other a little bit, he knows, uhm, I was raised on hip-hop, and that’s just the backbone of my musical, you know, background, or experience and he said, you know: “If you love hip-hop the way that I know you do, then you’re allowed to be critical of it – if it freaks people out, then let it be... let it do that to people.” I don’t dislike the gangster thing, I just felt like I could do the record without it."
"Cigarettes" was the last song recorded for the album.[3]
The song was started from writing the verses first.[4]
On the Making of The Rising Tied DVD when he was helping Mike and Brad pick songs for the album, Jay-Z said it was his favorite song and specifically he loved the lyrics, "cigarettes say they're safe / rappers claim they really bang." Mike explained that he added live strings and a live choir on the song.
When asked how his creative process was different for Linkin Park versus Fort Minor, Mike said, "There are things that you can do in certain types of music that you can't do in others. I have a song on the record called "Cigarettes" that talks about the similarity between the tobacco industry and the rap music industry. You get sold a product full of lies, but you don't really care, because it's more about playing a role, maybe a little escapism. I could never write a song like that on a Linkin Park record, but an album like this is the ideal home for it."[5]
Versions
Note: Only the date of the very first release of each version is listed.
| Title | Album | Length | Recorded | Released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | The Rising Tied | 3:40 | 2005 | November 22, 2005 |
|
| Cigarettes | The Rising Tied (Non-PA Version) | 3:40 | 2005 | November 22, 2005 |
|
| Cigarettes | Instrumental Album: The Rising Tied | 3:42 | 2005 |
|
Live
"Cigarettes" was first played live during Fort Minor's Asian Tour in 2006, though it was only the first verse of the song rapped a cappella by Mike. It wasn't until Mike brought Fort Minor back from hiatus in 2015 that "Cigarettes" was played in full, albeit in a remixed fashion. The remix featured a slightly new beat and an entirely different ending, with Mike yelling through a vocoder.
The first appearance of "Cigarettes" in Mike's solo show was as an acapella, with him rapping the first verse and chorus before "Remember The Name" in Moscow. He performed the 2015 remix at the very next show in Stockholm during the soundcheck as a request, and officially added it into the set in Wien. The song was then rotated in and out of the set, but was one of the rarest songs Mike would play on tour.
In June 2020 when a fan asked Mike to release this live version of the song, Mike said, "Thanks. I try to make it something special. I just feel like some things are special for those occasions, I feel like it's nice to keep some things..." before his answer cut off.[6]
Variations
Fort Minor
Last Updated: May 3, 2020
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative | Verse 1 Acapella | February 24, 2006 | April 22, 2006 |
| Alternative | 2015 Remix | June 29, 2015 | September 8, 2015 |
Mike Shinoda
Last Updated: May 3, 2020
| Type | Description | First Played | Last Played |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative | Verse 1 and Chorus Acapella | September 1, 2018 | September 1, 2018 |
| Alternative | 2015 Remix | September 3, 2018 | March 21, 2019 |
Personnel
Lyrics
Yeah..go ahead and uh, cue those special effects..(haha)
Yeah..
Man I love this rap game,
Mainly 'cause its cool to add a little,
Spice to the life you've been through,
Everyone exaggerates a tiny little bit,
Make that shit sound more gangster than it really is,
You cant appear weak, man, we wanna hear street,
We wanna hear you spit your thug over this here beat,
Don't take it as sarcastic, I can't get enough,
I'm telling you,
You can call my bluff, if it's not rough,
Then I really don't need it,
I'm not even ashamed,
I got too much reality thats filling up my brain,
So sell me on the product, I'm addicted to the game,
Suck it up like a cigarette, light it up man...
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool!
Let me tell you something that I realized tonight,
My hip hop radio's like Marlboro Light,
They're both selling stories,
And they sound about the same,
Cigarettes say their safe,
Rappers claim they really bang,
We dont care if it's true, when we lay the money down,
We don't believe the words,
We just love the way they sound,
They're acting like we're idiots, they're lying to our face,
Maybe we are idiots, we buy it anyway,
I'm runnin out to get the next rapper's CD, just,
Suckin up the guns, drugs, and misogyny,
The same way that I suck up all the stories when I breathe,
That little bit of death supposedly cancer-free,
And everything they say's got the truth twisted up but,
Twisted up's what I want man,
I can't get enough,
'Cause even though we know it's all just a big bluff,
We just light another up, what,
We don't give a fuck!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool!
Man, listen to my words, listen for awhile,
Lip Service radio, dont touch the dial,
If you're in the car, turn up the track, man,
Give your whole neighborhood some second hand rap, hey,
Matter of a fact, listen for awhile,
Lip Service radio, dont touch the dial,
If you're in the car man turn up the track, and,
Give the whole neighborhood some second hand rap!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Oh, for real, but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I wanna feel fucking cool!
Yeah..go ahead and uh, cue those special effects..(haha)
Yeah..
Man I love this rap game,
Mainly 'cause its cool to add a little,
Spice to the life you've been through,
Everyone exaggerates a tiny little bit,
Make your record sound more gangster than it really is,
You cant appear weak, man, we wanna hear street,
We wanna hear you spit your thug over this here beat,
Don't take it as sarcastic, I can't get enough,
I'm telling you,
You can call my bluff, if it's not rough,
Then I really don't need it,
I'm not even ashamed,
I got too much reality that's filling up my brain,
So sell me on the product, I'm addicted to the game,
Suck it up like a cigarette, light it up man...
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I just wanna feel cool!
Let me tell you something that I realized tonight,
My hip hop radio's like Marlboro Light,
They're both selling stories,
And they sound about the same,
Cigarettes say they're safe,
Rappers claim they really bang,
We don't care if it's true, when we lay the money down,
We don't believe the words,
We just love the way they sound,
They're acting like we're idiots, they're lying to our face,
Maybe we are idiots, we buy it anyway,
I'm runnin' out to get the next rapper's CD, just,
Suckin' up the guns, drugs, and misogyny,
The same way that I suck up all the stories when I breathe,
That little bit of death supposedly cancer-free,
And everything they say's got the truth twisted up but,
Twisted up's what I want man,
I can't get enough,
'Cause even though we know it's all just a big bluff,
We just light another up, what,
We don't give a what!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I just wanna feel cool!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I just wanna feel cool!
Man, listen to my words, listen for awhile,
Lip Service radio, don't touch the dial,
If you're in the car, turn up the track, man,
Give your whole neighborhood some second hand rap, hey,
Matter of a fact, listen for awhile,
Lip Service radio, don't touch the dial,
If you're in the car man turn up the track, and,
Give the whole neighborhood some second hand rap!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I just wanna feel cool!
Its just like a cigarette, its something that I do,
Oh, for real, but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette, nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth, I just wanna feel cool!
External Links
References
- ↑ Breakdown FM: Mike Shinoda & Fort Minor Step Into the Hip Hop Arena | Hip-Hop and Politics, December 1, 2005
- ↑ Mike Walks Us Through 'The Rising Tied' | LP Association Forums, October 27, 2006
- ↑ Empathy Promotion - Fort Minor Interview, November 25, 2005
- ↑ Чат с Майком Шинодой. Обсуждение на LiveInternet - Российский Сервис Онлайн-Дневников, December 16, 2005
- ↑ LP Association - Mike Shinoda Interview with HipHopSite.com, October 25, 2005
- ↑ LPLive: Mike Q&A Summary 6/19/2020, June 19, 2020