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Chiming with the wave of scandals that have rocked the UK in recent weeks, from Hancock’s Whatsapp messages to Boris’ botched honours list, despite being written at the height of the Covid outbreak the themes at play in “Greed” couldn’t be more apposite to the here and now…

An anti-capitalist tirade that also touches on the innumerable Government scandals and crack-pot conspiracies we were subjected to during the pandemic; this latest cut from the alias of Billy Rowan is a blend of ambitious hip-hop infused stylistics with darkly satirical lyrics. Drifting on a bed of ska-infused basslines, reggae-fied rhythms, and bursts of bright brassy sections, you’ll find some of Rowan’s most arch and politically damning lyrics to date. Listen out for some Spitting Image-esque Boris Johnson impersonations too.

Speaking about “Greed”, Rowan says:

“During Covid I wrote "Greed", in response both to the Government's abysmal and borderline corrupt handling of the pandemic, and to the collective insanity that took over my social feeds when half the world discovered conspiracy theories for the first time…. I've also tried to experiment with new sounds and genres, taking my songwriting and producing in new directions. This is pretty evident in "Greed", which is probably my favourite track on the new album, purely because of the sheer dirtiness of the drop after the chorus! It's a really lazy swung hip hop track about covid, conspiracies and corruption, but still with that acoustic reggae flavour that makes it recognisably my style.”

lyrics

My friends are saying I sold out to Bill gates
Well I guess his bank transfer must have got delayed
Cos I still paid my bills late
And no matter how much love I throw at it the Internet still hates
So fuck the Internet I’m going home to bake cakes
Or masturbate
I’ve not decided yet I’m on the fence still
Trying to make good use of all this time now that my tour’s been cancelled
Pinned all my hopes on 2021 but when all’s said and done they’ll turn around and tell me music’s not essential

But don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the dangers
Of travelling round the country getting paid to spit on strangers
I just miss the old days when going viral meant you got plays
and the only thing contagious was the bass that made us famous
It’s outrageous
When you look at New Zealand or Japan
and then hear Boris banging on about his world beating plan
The only field we’re winning in
Is Covid deaths per million
And voting in a furry turd
masquerading as a man

Chorus
How many times
Do we listen to them
Spouting these bare faced lies
No no no no
Before we rise
And decide that enough is enough no more
No no no no
They promise you that greed is the answer
But I’m telling you that greed is the cancer
You need to operate as soon as you can sir
Cos the patient is dying

*Phone rings*
Baaa…. prime minister speaking
Good afternoon sir, I’m calling from the department of health
You’ve recently tested positive for a misallocation of wealth
It’s seems you’ve handed the money to a friend of friend
And now we’re trying to track and trace where the all those billions went
If you could just take a moment to answer a few questions for me
I’ve tried speaking to my MP but she just seems to ignore me
What I’m trying to figure out is whether you simply messed up or whether you are in fact just hopelessly corrupt



Boris:
Na na na
Now hold on there a minute
Ah ah ah
I think that’s not exactly fair is it?
I mean.. I think that greed
Is our best plan
And that’s why I’ve been as greedy as I possibly can
Corrupt? Me?? Well that’s a point of view
I mean.. I was merely returning some favours to my chums from school
It’s a simple case of you scratch my back
And ah ah ah I’ll give you a government contract

How many times
Do we listen to them
Spouting these bare faced lies
No no no no
Before we rise
And decide that enough is enough no more
No no no no
They promise you that greed is the answer
But I’m telling you that greed is the cancer
You need to operate as soon as you can sir
Cos the patient is dying

Now just in case you’re still confused
I’d like to clarify my views a bit
I’ll probably get abuse for it
but maybe you’ll make use of it
I don’t know
Covid’s not a hoax though
Videos on YouTube are best viewed for pranks and jokes so
don’t go too deep down that rabbit hole until you’ve vetted it
I’ve been there done that bought the T-shirt then regretted it
A voice that’s soothing overlays dramatic music but don’t be fooled
That shit will rot your brain like ketamine
And it’s unsettling I know, so no I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t question everything, in fact the opposite
I’m simply wishing we could extend that scepticism to some of the shit we read on Facebook cos let’s face it there’s a lot of it
We sift through lies searching for allies, choose sides
and watch society divide and polarise itself again
But your enemy’s enemy’s
Not necessarily gonna be giving you anything
Better than what you’ve been getting already
From some of these so called friends
So

How many times
Do we listen to them
Spouting these bare faced lies
No no no no
Before we rise
And decide that enough is enough no more
No no no no
They promise you that greed is the answer
But I’m telling you that greed is the cancer
You need to operate as soon as you can sir
Cos the patient is dying

credits

released March 17, 2023

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The Undercover Hippy Bristol

The Undercover Hippy is actually UK based singer-songwriter Billy Rowan. After 7 years spent DJ’ing and MC’ing on the Drum & Bass circuit, Billy ditched the decks for a guitar and started out as a solo act in 2007. He now plays with a 5 piece band, bringing together, keys, drums, bass, congas and backing vocals to create a high energy, interactive and highly entertaining live show. ... more

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