Lab Track: Chemical Calisthenics

Blackalicious is a hip-hop duo from Sacramento. In today’s Lab Track, they spin a tongue-twisting, meter-bending rhyme soup about chemistry. Science lovers will rejoice over the way they can pack an entire high school chemistry lecture into a three-minute song. Music geeks will probably try to name all the polyrhythms.

Video and lyrics after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS6YuujSSPY

Chemical Calisthenics
Blackalicious

Neutron, proton, mass effect, lyrical oxidation, yo irrelevant
Mass spectrograph, your electron volt, atomic energy erupting
As I get all open on betacron, gamma rays thermo cracking
Cyclotron and any and every mic
You’re on trans iridium, if you’re always uranium
Molecules, spontaneous combustion, pow

Law of de-fi-nite pro-por-tion, gain-ing weight
I’m every element of brown

Lead, gold, tin, iron, platinum, zinc, when I rap you think
Iodine nitrate activate
Red geranium, the only difference is I transmit sound
Balance was unbalanced then you add a little talent and

Careful, careful with those ingredients
They could explode and blow up if you drop then
And they hit the ground

Let it flow, yo, just let it go, get back

C-O-H-O-2 wine water solution of calcium hydroxide
Slobbin it, C-A-O lime will make bleach powder
Galvanic metal beats stomp out louder
Dried ice, C-0 squared refrigerant
N-O-2 makes you laugh, it’s laughing gas used by the dentists
I nearly added acid glue, I’m like oil of a toil, the king of chemicals
And the G heat gas waved all your mats
Chemical change, ice point, melt all your raps
Atomic weight, hold shocks, when you call
Refillable gas keep going way beyond
Biotch I’m only ill with buzzin, feel the ambiance
A diabetic process oughta calm your ass
After I warm your ass, I’ll give sodium, silicate N-O-2-S-1-O-3, a water glass
Borax flexure full of brimstone sulfur
Boraxic acid, hip-hop preserver
C-O-2 could never put away the fire
Style aroma is scientific; the lyrical fuse would be connected
To teach you chemical calisthenics

The Theory is that all matter is composed of at least three fundamental particles
Protons, electrons, neutrons, Protons charge is positive
By now you’ve guessed electrons are probably negatively charged
Neutrons don’t follow either, neutral, in the middle, only no apologies
Centered, unmoved by yin and yang ideology
Neutron, bomb songs, electron fury
Cosmic musical radio-activity
Different points in joints within infinity
Oxygen and hydrogen alive within all types of energy
Within all types of energy
Within all types of energy
Within all types of energy
Within all types of energy, inside a world, inside a world
Inside a universe, inside of me existing although I can’t see it

Hydrocarbon, nitrogen cycle, ionization
Heavier than electric motor metals that weigh over a ton
This has been a chemist, Blackalicious creation
Clean out your desk, put your papers away cause class in almost done

This is chemistry plus calisthenics
I’m calcium plus potassium, magnesium, newspaper of sodium, sulfate
Your solvent, chloroform, remedy from the norm
Glycerin, purest form Titanium
There is no way out, when this newfy is out
Of all arms vibration, forming in a n*gga
Some bleachin’ to teach ya religious is equal to pieces of meteor
Eager to be here or is it, can see here I know all of all
I’ma pickin’ up pretty little Cindy
I’m more, I’m thinkin of more,
I’m cookin’ a potion!

This has been another installment of Monday Lab Tracks. Send us your musical recommendations through our contact link at the top of the page, and tell us what you think of the song in the comments below!