We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
    Purchasable with gift card

      name your price

     

about

Vagabond Maurice
[夢]
No Mud
Prod. By Brad Kemp

The Art of Happiness
The essence of our practice can be described as transforming suffering into happiness. It’s not a complicated practice, but requires us to cultivate mindfulness, concentration, and insight. It requires first of all that we come home to ourselves, that we make peace with our suffering, treating it tenderly, and looking deeply at the roots of our pain. It requires that we let go of useless, unnecessary sufferings, release the second arrow, and take a closer look at our idea of happiness. Finally, it requires that we nourish happiness daily, with acknowledgment, understanding, and compassion for ourselves and for those around us. We offer these practices to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to the larger community.

This is the art of suffering and the art of happiness.

With each breath, we ease suffering and generate joy.
With each step, the flower of insight blooms.

lyrics

[Verse]
Syllable sensei,
Running through your dojo like Netero /
Wielding the syntax off the tips of my knuckles / I’m busy, /
Breaking the sound barrier to move the cosmos /
And planetary bodies while bodying instrumentals, I’m / God, /
Body in a God Gundam, that’s Domon Kasshu spitting Haikus /
While, posed up like Kamina, my Kamikaze got you /
Dancing in a mausoleum /
Colosseum splitting them adversaries in defeat /
I spit that, Last Poet / Cadence on that, Black Magic /
Swanton to the Bomb, drop jewels up in the calm /
Forgetting your accolades when I’m steady grooving souls /
In a city where, Black bodies hold, philosopher stones /
Vagabond’s the Oroku Saki, Muten Roshi /
Urameshi spitting spirits over them caster shells /
Dwelling on that Leyline /
Alkahestry, shifting your history /
Bringing that inner peace, or you’ll leave in /
Pieces, solar systems in my thesis /
Thesis counting solar system requiems /
Dreaming on an astral plane, slick thought in fragments /
Word smith, Ozymandias cater the /
Blast radius, radiant sword tongue gleam /
Under the moonlight, kenjutsu in my insight /
Foresight too complex for their metaphors /
Morphogenesis in shapes past your concepts /
Exodus enlightenment peace sounds eclectic /
Mercenary of Astral Clocktowers, I’m watching /
Those who watch the watchmen, bury guards in vinyl /
Press my ashes in hymns, from now till infinity, it’s /
Five point palm, your heart's gone, the method /
Ten point program, outline the aesthetics /
Eight Trigrams, decipher the dianetics /
With sixty-four, strikes, I leave foes just breathless /
So what's growth to your inner vision? /
Outer wisdom counting on your proper prosper /
Prosper glorious, your garden bloom through monsoons /
A lotus reaching, from the mud to the, moon /
Out of tune, out of reach, I seek things you can't see /
A nameless king, wielding lightning in the right dreams, penning /
Soul frequencies in the right key, unlock /
Barriers of mind and spirit, I am the Griot /
Orbiting celestial being, I am the Abbot who /
Speaks in Morse code, I'm traveling Moors Gold /
Babbling Bushido, while holding my soul's glow /
No longer seeking key holes to see the world /
A locksmith seeking cosmos to see the whole /
Universal spectrum in my pen's serum /
Disintegrate my circle for a tighter cypher /
Ouroboros tongue, speaking for the sun /
Speaker of the stars, coming undun /
Unravel my weights like, Rock Lee /
Tread lightly through nebula / the sage bleeds/
Knowledge through the scholar who seek divine prophet /
See through the sea of false prophets, I part it/
Split dynasties in half, the last Jedi/
See through your mind tricks when I speak the truth /
An Alkahest who exists within the shift of paradigms /
I climb, through astral charts, to shine /
And smack the color blind, in hues, of rhythm and blues /
Pursue, the rose aura / Dual wield psalms, like arms / My /
Arms, like Guanyin / Hundred-type, ascending /
In combat, my alms, be, Samurai Jack, just /
Jacking for beats, I study ancient techniques /
From on, the mountain’s peak, an isolated beast, like /
Trainer Red, command flames, with Charizard /
Collapse chakras, hold fires like Avatar /
Roku / Carefree like, Goku /
Chapter Black Saga, defeat likes, of Shinobu /
Successor of the Fist of the North Star /
I’ll shatter your whole frame, to maintain the golden status of /
The Dragon Hermit / Dragon of the Midwest /
Dragon Quarter lyricist, infernos in my penmanship, like /
Makoto Shishio, secret swords, I blaze souls /
Makoto, third strike, split heaven and insight /
I move, with the density of a nimbus cloud /
Somersaulting snap kicks, leave you unconscious /
My poetry’s deep, leave them drowning, in the flow /
My poetry’s deep, leave them drowning, in the flow /
My poetry’s deep, leave them drowning, in the flow /
My poetry’s deep, seek crowns /
While cutting down rapper's with a guillotine leg drop /
Figure four to the leg lock, figure eights, I figured my rhymes /
Equivalent to Goku's potential left crews fragile /
Like Glass Menagerie, actual artifacts, sniper shots /
from the Almanac, brotha, it's crunch time/
Pit of Lazarus, half hazardous, heaven sent/
Half evanescent, Freakzoid, pair of noise /
Mind, mobilizing like the Megazord /
Plasma sword, beam saber equipped to the hilt /
That's one cut and one kill /
Slicker rhythms when I breeze through and bless the system /
Systematically Static Shocking the stereo systems /
Have them listen through the whispers of these metaphors /
Sharpen my syllables on the skulls of my opponents, God /
I be that / Sleeping Dragon of the Terra Godz, going live /
Flying high, rocking them scars, from my knuckles to the sky
ONSOL attacking the scene from the blind side /
Scheming on these demons, moving through the universe /
Half a bar from Vagabond, slaughter your whole catalog /
Sweeping metaphors to a four-four signature /
Power level tearing scouters asunder /
Wonder, how I walk with skies, like Ankin, my /
Etymology’s slaying frequencies, /
Hitokiri getting groovy on the astral plane / wildin',
Out on nebula, to unlock my chakra /
I'm piecing realities, on the breath of my synergy /
I Conjure, limitless, spells /
I drown, lyricist, well /
A black, miracle, dwells /
Beyond, infinite, cells /
I broke free, to see, the whole tapestry /
Two verses ain’t enough for my poetry /
Twin dragon dragging chariots from heaven /
I’m warring with puppeteers /
Cut strings, like Zaheer /
I peer, Byakugan / Explode, like Bakugo /
A legend who, unfolds / on the Dead Emcee Scrolls / I’m /
Unraveling time and space, travel through minds, I chase /
Babylon, and, Pure Lands / Diary of /
A Black Buddha writing sutras on these instrumentals /
A Black Boy, found, naps in the pen and pencils /
A Black Man / Crack, Tooth, Smile / Shattering the /
Dichotomy, of the industry, they said that /
“Lyrics are dead,” while I bench press that motherfucker /
Atlas Shrugged, with the multi-verse up on my shoulders /
Crack boulders with the /
One Inch Punch / Or, like /
Ip Man / Surrounded by, ten men / I hold /
The martial prowess of Demon Back, Yujiro /
Iron Finger Roaring Demons Wailing in my Fist /
Berserker Guts, swing, bastard sword in Eclipse /
Akuma ready with that Shun / Go / Ku / Satsu /
Tokido holding that E / VO / lution focus /
Im/ pact / from air, like / Initial Lotus / I /
Keep, the rhyme, timeless / Stylin’, like Rakim /
Pumping up the volume / Transmute, break beats / to /
Diasporic / Drum woven path / clad /
In dragon scale / ash bristle crown / Praise /
Sun warrior, Sun Tzu in the tactics / Wait /
Nara covenant, Shikamaru the strategy / Fate /
Found reason, under a moonlit kingdom to /
Knight me in stardust, I manifest /
Seeds that I’ve sown through Buddha text, I resurrect /
Epitaph of Twilight, Midna in my subtext /
Linking all my wisdom to halt, the cataclysm /
Speaker for the Dead, who writes, through solar systems /
Raphael Saadiq, my Neo-Soul in Blues /
Raphael the hues, the mic, handled like Sais /
Maharaja Maurice, penetrating the streets /
Pouring 40s on boulevard, an ancient ritual /
I mobilize my Gundam to bloom /
I’m Domon Kasshu shocking heaven under the moon /
My burning finger reaching past the sky line /
Outlaw, to the Leyline / Unboxed thought /
Untethered from the earth /
Weightless with the verse / Tao /
Pai Pai / Mercenary / Wise from the Monastery /
Heavy tongue unravel the /
Context before hopping into combat /
My content, indents a, cerebral cortex /
I vortex twin text, give’em, rigo mortis /
More complex than, I don’t know, Rick & Morty /
I’m more complex than the eye, of Agamotto /
A Master of Mystic Arts, the mystics of my heart /
Is Alchemy in the spark, of a dying stars, I halt comets /
Tectonic shifting Toph / Vibrating on a higher /
Plane of existence, my thoughts lift / Juggernaut
Through ceilings and quench flames of Phoenix /
Foot dive to victory / Rage quit when I enter, like /
Ta – Ma – Negi / Sensei /
Successor to the Iron Fist here /
So make – way /
Flight through Snake Way /
Gate / Less / Door / Ways /
Search/ing / for / space /
For my mind to take root, so /
What’s knowledge in an open cipher?
Patient penning stories of a lone Ronin /
Love melancholy, write past tense /
In my last, life time /
I probably played the keys, or was a /
Child soldier with a Cheshire smile /
Reminiscing of, the day, that war became peace /
Found my inner peace, with robes, a canvas of orange /
Aura pouring teachings from the Pure Lands / Soaring /
To abodes of celestial modes /
Soundtracked, by Modal Souls /
In light, I behold /
The shadow of self doubt /
Castaway the fear, to view the truth, clear /
Recalling memories, of my Avatar Cycle /
Black genetics got me speaking with my ancestors /
Revolution got me fighting for Utopia /
Black skin is not, synonymous with sin / But,
Nigga’s dying for less /
I mean, my Negus is blessed /
Baoding balls for stress /
Documenting the era as best as we can /
Last thirty-eight, reflecting on an Obelisk /
A humble Arhat dwelling in, wellsprings /
Etheric body calling me, from an astral dream /
Sancta Sanctorum scribing sacred folds, in the space /
Iconography depicting dragons in my hiero /
Glyphs / I /
Glimpse / through /
Arrays of /
Flowers on /
Silk Road /
Transmission, on a mission for the wheel of Dharma /
Cosmic order balance karma in, each step /
Kama sutra align / virtuous and grace /
Curtain calls, for all clowns /
Keep my record spinning when my / soul’s in passing /
No Dragon Balls are needed for the refrain /
Maintain my ideals, despite all the pain /
So what’s a coffin with a scratched ceiling? /
Bloodied knuckles crack / glass / Tempered breathing /
I’m climbing through the dirt to reach my aspirations /
Affirmations counting mantras in my altitude /
Preserve, interludes, studying the groove /
Merchant of the Mask, display all your faces /
Read Trigrams, to know, all my placements /
Facets, of self love, elevating your palate /
Introspective rhetoric, dive deep to open /
Chakras / Break Fallacies / And your ignorance /
A cold vocalist, whose, floating in the warmth of Jazz/
Unraveling the sea, of my ocean’s being /
Unravel clarity of Elysian /
I’m Blacker than the middle of a dying star /
Shine like treasures of a dynasty /
Adorned in, knowledge of self / And
Wrapped in the fabric of moon beams /
Don’t let their actions, phase my goodness /
I found righteousness, in, common sense, so /
Any utterance unaimed / will be disclaimed /
That’s countless / Rappers /
Slain /
Any utterance unaimed / will be disclaimed /
That’s countless / Rappers /
Slain

credits

from A Garden at the End of the World [LP], released October 28, 2018
Rhymes by Vagabond Maurice
Produced by Brad Kemp
Additional Vocals by hyesoo
Quote/Passage from “No Mud, No Lotus” by Thich Nhat Hanh
Recorded/Mix & Mastered at Second Bedroom Studio

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Pluto Black Minneapolis, Minnesota

Musician | Poet | Dragon

contact / help

Contact Pluto Black

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Pluto Black, you may also like: