Dance With the Devil

Before you go ahead, please note that the above content warning might not be adequate for the song I’ll be talking about here, so if you tend to get upset quickly when it comes to dark stories or songs, I don’t recommend that you go ahead.

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Today I’ll be briefly introducing you to a song called “Dance with the Devil” by the rapper Immortal Technique. I’ll be sharing a link to the lyrics, and a YouTube video of the song performance below.

Most people wouldn’t have heard of this rapper as he remained independent throughout his career, and even released albums on his own. He is known within the underground rap and hip-hop scene, but most people who like rap today probably won’t know him.

He often raps about controversial and political topics in his songs, and in fact, he had two albums called “Revolutionary Vol.1” and “Revolutionary Vol.2” which gives you an idea of the type of songs he makes. One of his songs in Revolutionary Vol.1, “Dance with the Devil”, is perhaps the most controversial song he ever made, because of the story the song tells.

Dance with the Devil is talking about a fictional (presumably) character who is a young man living in the projects in New York. He didn’t have much of a family life so he, like many others like him, set his eyes on the streets and the life it can lead him to. He was drawn by the only life that could potentially make him rich and give him a ‘good life’. The song depicts his journey through this life and it masterfully tells the tale of his process from starting out in this life, to where this life led him to.

His whole life was a ‘Dance with the Devil’, and the song is a very powerful reminder that this life, and dancing with the devil, can lead to very dark places.

The rapping on this song was relatively simple, with no fancy fast paced rapping or anything of the sort, it was simply telling a story. The beat on this song coupled with Immortal Technique’s rapping, voice and emotion delivers a masterpiece of storytelling that draws you into its world, whether you want it to or not. When listening to this song, you can’t help but envision each and every aspect of this character’s life.

Immortal Technique takes us through each aspect of this character’s life; from the beginning when he wished to be like those he sees making money on the streets, to the eventual dark outcome that wish took him to. The character was an analogue to the young men who lived in these neighbourhoods and how their lives can turn very quickly in that environment. While the story might be fictional, some version of it does reflect real life experiences of people living in these environments, in fact, I know some people who had actually been swayed by the potential of an easy life (like the character did) and how it led them down a dark road.

I will not talk about the lyrics of the song, as it needs to be experienced individually. I just wanted to highlight the powerful storytelling in this song, and the powerful messaged behind it, which Immortal Technique finishes off with: don’t dance with the devil, because it might last forever. Once we dip our toes in the wrong, its a slippery slope from there.

Also, a powerful line in the chorus of the song I wanted to highlight:

Devils used to be God's angels that fell from the top

There's no diversity because we're burnin' in the melting pot

Please see the song below to understand the context of that line above:

Lyrics: Dance with the Devil