ReMix:EarthBound "Da Black Market" 4:52

By Navi, The Crakaz

Arranging the music of one song...

"Bazaar"

Primary Game: EarthBound (Nintendo , 1994, SNES), music by Hirokazu Tanaka, Hiroshi Kanazu, Keiichi Suzuki, Toshiyuki Ueno

Posted 2005-11-02, evaluated by djpretzel


Look, if you don't like rap, sure, you might not like this... but man, you'll be missing out. Also, we're looking into a system for highlighting mixes with "explicit" lyrics, but until it's in effect, it's worth noting that the F-bomb's dropped more than a couple times here. Again, if that offends your sensibilities, steer clear, but it's your loss in my opinion, as this is one of the most innovative, schizoid, and creative Earthbound mixes, rap mixes, or just plain mixes period you're gonna hear in '05. D-Lux, Flik, Joe Cam, and Mythril Nazgul pass the mic on a truly crazy set of virtuoso rhymes on top of Mr. Nazgul's best arrangement yet, a classic take on Scaraba. I was privy to several WIPs of this mix, but tonight was my first time hearing the very final version, and it lives up to the copious promise of its forebears. Another track from the Bound Together Earthbound project, in my mind this track gains instant status alongside other fine mixes that have proven that rap/hip-hop can work just as well as any other genre for game mixes. I remember insisting that Navid keep the quadruplets, which I feel really define the source material, and I'm glad he's done that, turning them into a musical chorus that favors scratching and all manner of fx to rapping and offering a natural transition point between segments. The rapping is too varied and elaborate to really cover on any sort of play-by-play basis, but with Myth's bird-flu and old-skool Star Trek referencing, a gangsta-grrl cameo from pixietricks, Flik's beautifully maniacal rant-rapping circa 3'13" (omfg shamisen-intro'd!!), and the strong over-arching leitmotif of ass being kicked, there should be no doubts there. Layered drums, quirky run-down-demented-circus melody, obese bass, balanced production, and lots of attention paid to doubling, panning, call-and-answer, and other tricks to enhance the vocals. Great work from all involved - not something I would have expected was possible or probable, and serves as an excellent compliment to Shadow's instrumental, guitar-driven take on the theme from back in 2003. I've seen some folk saying that rap/hip-hop doesn't jive with the Earthbound universe, that it's either anachronistic or simply inappropriate, but based on this mix, I couldn't disagree more; to me, this collaboration embraces the same eccentricity, instability, and freedom that the game itself and certainly Keiichi Suzuki's score do. Excellent.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 15 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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OA
on 2010-09-01 17:57:14

I'm not sure about all of the rhymes here, but overall really funny.

Flik once again steals the show.

Oh, you crazy crackaz, I can't quit you.

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quoda
on 2010-07-26 19:06:45

Man, how have I not posted about this mix yet...

This is absolutely brilliant. I could roll down the street singing along with this all day. It's a brilliantly funny tribute to a brilliantly funny game.

There are so many awesome lines in this... Flik's part at the end is uproariously, crazily funny. It so feels like the overanalysis some nerdy gamer would make after playing Earthbound. Seriously. Excellent mix all around.

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Polo
on 2009-09-10 05:27:46

A warm organ-like lead starts us off, joined by liberally syncopated synths, several of which sound like roboticized voices (breaths, shouts, mumbles, coughs, etc.). There's at least one unique synth/instrument per section: myf gets a wind instrument (although it appears at the tail end of joe_cam's part), D-Lux gets a whistly synth, and Flik gets acoustic strings. Throughout, there's a magical chime panned left playing (mostly) whole notes, staying subtle but steady. That whirly "losing consciousness" sound effect from the game makes for a slick transition to the start of the rapping.

Ness is confident, sadistic, and egocentric. He's well-versed in world travel as heard in the shout-outs to many places in the game. "So grab your yo-yo and gun, we'll have a little fun" is grin-worthy anticipation. "Throw him to the curb, stomp the little bitch's face, make the fat piggy cry, yeah, put him in his place" - that's definitely a sentiment shared by every Earthbound player.

I imagine Paula shedding "her" wig and dress and revealing herself as Mr. T. mother2_mrt.gif myf's lyrics open up portals to new worlds left and right. "Now they can't stop us cuz we movin' too fast; 'Nuff sand in the eyes, turn the desert to glass" seems to allude to Ness's Skip Sandwich consumption earlier. Intentional or not, it fits, since this is a remix of the Scaraba marketplace. A crunchy splatter pops up in time for the Starcraft reference, and maniacal laughter at the end compliments the insanity that just passed.

Also, fun story: back when I drew OCR faces in '05-'06, myf requested I draw him as well, so using this mix as a base, I literally interpreted his first line (and Jill's). myf dubbed it awesome.

The "robo voice" synths return in time for the chorus, backing up the soft+sad quadruplets. It's like they're belting out their own brand of lyrics.

Poo is intensely focused, packing a "critical SMASH (smash)" behind his collected tone of voice. Highlights include the mention of toothpaste (Colgate Hippie is crescent fresh) and a reference to his popularity with the ladies. The trailing chime fadeout adds another bit of mysticism to the fighter's aura.

In a wild contrast, Jeff is speedy and over-analytical to the point where he confuses himself with his own long-winded conjectures. Measuring the cartridge instead of playing it is a LOL decision that shows his ultra-cautious side. (I imagine Jeff working through the night to fix the broken EB cartridge.) Also, the playful "blip-bloop"-ing during his chemical analysis is killer.

The empty space after Flik's role makes the listener wonder whether the previous chaos happened or not. Then after a second and third dose of the chorus, the whole thing kinda winds down, gating and lowering its notes like a broken record.

Sick, twisted, and contagious. I love it. :-D

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D-Lux
on 2008-12-24 00:48:30

Whoever made this needs some credit. I laughed my ass off.

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Qylvaran
on 2008-12-23 00:26:16

Posting as another rap hater who likes this. I don't like the second bit, though. For one, it's rather non-sequitir (and not in the good way that most of Earthbound is). For another, it seems like exactly what all gangsta rappers do to show off their massive egos ("Look at me, I'm an awesome rapper! My last album went platinum because I'm such an awesome rapper. All the other rappers are less awesome than me." except rhyming).

Lastly (and also leastly), "intensive purposes" makes my inner pedant cry. Otherwise, I like Flik's style and am curious as to where I can find things in a similar style.

pi out of 22/7

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Platonist
on 2008-10-26 11:00:58

genius ... simply genius

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MisterBiggler
on 2008-10-26 09:55:54

The track is well done, quality-wise. Sounds good too, I liked it, but the delivery of the lyrics was a bit odd in some places. The 3rd person was great though. Overall, cool stuff.

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goombapatrol
on 2008-10-26 01:47:07

didn't really like it, but i'm not into rap that much anyways.

great remix, nevertheless.

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Jaybell
on 2008-07-08 23:07:42

this never gets old, honestly

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watertraveller
on 2008-04-27 16:29:54

I'm really enjoying this song-- it's one of those occasional rap songs that I find actually listenable.

But I kept listening to it and not really understanding what Myth's part had to do with anything. That whole verse seemed irrelevant to the game, while also seeming like the kind of thing that could be in the game, and I keep wondering whether I'm missing a reference to something or if it's actually just random (or an in-joke or somesuch).

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SomeCrazyGuy
on 2007-06-19 09:15:58

...I'm conflicted...

I hate rap,

But I love this.

So... Does that mean that all I know and hate about rap is wrong?

Or maybe this supercedes rap, and is, in fact, a genre all its own?

The only thing I can think to call this strange new brand of music,

Which undeniably has some features of rap, but is likeable by me:

Rapé.

Ah, this is rapé to my ears!... Strange, I have a lingering feeling that this new genre name is wrong in some way... Either way, I can't wait to be "Rapé'd" by this gang some time soon! (Meh, I'll probably figure it out later)

===

Earthbound; Da Black Market (By: ...Four people, I'm too lazy to type them down, but they rock.)

95% ~~~ A (As if you care)

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SwordBreaker
on 2007-04-28 01:27:11

Nice work. I especially LOVE that last "rant-rap" part. Hilarious stuff.

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HoboKa
on 2007-04-28 00:53:43

This remix is definately a unique one - it actually makes rap *gasp* sound good :P. You guys should make another 1 (or inform me of another 1 that does exist :D)

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Nauht
on 2007-04-27 14:30:37

I was playing some OCRemix songs on random and I this song caught my attention because the first "set" of beats (or syllables?) sounds quite similar to the rap rhyme to Korn's "All in the Family" up to 1:00.

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joe_cam
on 2007-01-21 20:45:32

Thank you to everybody for all the kind words over the past many pages.

To the-almighty-tallest who is looking for Bound Together, here be the link

http://www.wushuplaya.com/boundtogether

Tons of musical hotness for j00.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
EarthBound (Nintendo , 1994, SNES)
Music by Hirokazu Tanaka,Hiroshi Kanazu,Keiichi Suzuki,Toshiyuki Ueno
Songs:
"Bazaar"

Tags (8)


Genre:
Hip Hop
Mood:
Goofy
Instrumentation:
Vocals: Female,Vocals: Male,Vocals: Rapping
Additional:
Lyrics > Lyrics: Explicit
Lyrics > Lyrics: Original
Origin > Collaboration

File Information


Name:
EarthBound_Da_Black_Market_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
7,120,160 bytes
MD5:
6e71d93689b67cdd6b81601df9afd40b
Bitrate:
192Kbps
Duration:
4:52

Joe Cam:

Swing, batta batta, take a bat to the face
Motha fucka, ya sucka, I'll beat ya like no other
From Onett to Threed, doin' what I need
To save the day and keep Giygas at bay

Skip Sandwich Deluxe, speed up my feet
Get through Scaraba before I die of heat
To a dungeon man, the brick road Mazedude
Happy Happy Town (Mustin: "What the fuck?") It's all blue

Summers and Winters, Twoson and Fourside
Chill with Andonuts or the Runaway Five
I've got my posse in tow, Paula, Jeff, and Poo
Pokey watch out 'cause we're comin for you

So grab your yo-yo and gun, we'll have a little fun
Bottle rocket in your face, yea, you know I fuckin' won
Throw him to the curb, stomp that little bitch's face
Make the fat piggy cry, yea, I put him in his place

So I'll save the day, and the world from devastation
United for peace across the EarthBound nation
So back up, and shut up, and bow at our feet
Ness is takin' care of business 'cause I'm fuckin' leet

Mythril Nazgul:

(pixietricks: "How you livin', big Myth?")
I'm having trouble with my Tribbles
Shit smells so foul you could call it double dribble
In fact, make it a triple. Got beef? We call it mutton
Moving through the vents, a-three 'n Charley Dutton

I'm a strapp'd bomb, verbal blitz, vocation
I am patient with my rhyme, scope snipes like agents
A rap vacation, a rhyme culmination
Putting words on the page like bird flu to Asians

Hit hard like crack rock, they call me the shock doc
I'm stocking like pet shops, on one of them red jobs
Sign Poland to Papa, smuggle like bed frames
Two pounds of cole slaw, delivered in red veins

They call me Hank on the root, big man on a mission,
Can't fuck with the truth, like balm on ya fission
Go two rounds get splashed on ya dome like baseballs
An' facefalls to the ground, corned like Maize walls

Now they can't stop us 'cause we moving too fast
'Nuff sand in the eyes, turn the desert to glass
Hit 'em, [BOW], it's a nuclear bomb detected
Infected, with the rhyme meat, rejected

D-Lux:

Your fourth and final ally, master of the PSI,
Pokey's causin' trouble and now he's gonna die
I come from Dalam, where the samurai hail
I've gotta make my master proud, and prove that I won't fail

These demons are attacking cause I'm no defensive dude
HP's rollin' down to zero .. but wait I got the food
Health's back again, Prince is back on top
OMG, critical SMASH, baddies just got rocked

That hippie's got a toothbrush and a tube of Colgate
He'll blind you with those whites, Ness, you better look away
I'll slice 'n dice with my Sword of Kings, till the fat lady sings
Starstorm in yo' face ("Woah, where'd you get that?") Mu Training

Runnin' through the cities with people talkin' witty,
From the Dunes that are Dusty down to ol' Saturn Valley
Pickin' up presents and stealin' monsters money
That's how I gotta roll if I wanna keep my honeys
Yeah, that's all you get. Fuck you.

Flik:

Whoa, hey, EarthBound, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!
Apparently it's a three dimensional plastic case with a modern
day circuit board mounted inside, with the sole intensive purpose of entertaining a modern day audience of years ago but not limited to today.

Duhh, but I've never played this game! Sounds lame, but it's true. And this unfortunate lack of game playing I can not undo.
The cartridge is downstairs you dumb fuck, go play it I say!
I don't want to, mommy, games make my wee wee tingle, OK?

Curiosity killed the cat, and cats are fat. So I measured the dimensions of the cartridge itself and have come to this stunning conclusion:
Five point five, by three point five, by one point something, but that something means nothing.

A chemical analysis proves nothing of hypothesis of which I thought up in the shower while I read Nintendo Power.
WHAT?!
So I lied. But the fact remains that this game is made of grey plastic.
...OR SO I THINK.

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Published 2005-10-31
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