Phish Food (Audio Lyric Poem Rap Bars)

Intro:

On May 15, 2025, Uncle Ben sits at the North Wing of the U.S. Capitol at United States Senate. His whole head read as he hears the shaky voice of RFK Jr.

“Cutting cost for taxi payers, and, we intend to do more. A lot more—“

Uncle Ben stands up. Enough is enough. Its time to man the fuck up. He begins pointing his finger down as he casts these words.

“Congress pays for bombs that kill kids in Gaza. And it pays for it by kicking poor kids off Medicaid.” Police officers grab Uncle Ben by the arm and proceeds to push him out of the room.

Then a man with a gavel who has a microphone talks over Uncle Ben. Trying to silence him.

“Members of the audience of reminder, disruptions will not be permitted, while the committee conducts its business.”

Cohen’s voice fades out as he yells …¹

Phish Food (Lyrics):

… They talk that/

Capital hill, dirty green cream/

Triple beam bombardment kills. Villainous/

Vanilla beans being grilled it’s/

Ironic how this fowl plays from a, Ben-Day/²

JF, K being sniffed out by anosmic/³

Cohen sniffed out the fee fi faux men/⁴

Angela from Maryland had to handle him/⁵

Somebody give him the talking points he playing the mandolin/⁶

I’m tired of these cats playing fake Sicilian/

Mussolini a dictator escaped with millions/

I’d rather play grand scheme/

No Anansi. See if they lock me I rather/⁷

Be Gramsci. Love how the UK/

Talk ‘bout da man’s speech; Ancestor was/

Comanche. I studied the Tao to/

Command qi so I move with the force like?/

Boyega. and now Miguel got the shop, the/⁸

Bodega. Italian ices for pseudo/

Mobsters. We only sell Phish Food/

Cause we still eatin’ off of that Muskie Fish Fry/

Outro:

A reporter asks Ben Cohen as his hands behind him.

“Ben why are you being arrested?”

“Congress kills more kids in Gaza by buying booms. And pays for it by kicking kids off Medicare in the US.”

Liner Notes:

Inspired by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and his protest on May 15, 2025 during which lead to his arrest, I decided to reinterpret the classic track, “Ice Cream” by Raekwan. I started writing this verse on the da of the event and new automatically that I had to use that “Ice Cream” beat. I wrote about 6 bars and then put it down. I really wanted to complete this on the day of just to put it out, but, I couldn’t. I started losing hope around the idea but on Monday, May 26, 2025, Memorial day during my son’s nap, I pend up and recorded this 20 bar verse. In traditional rap fashion, I got some brand marketing bars to promote Phish Food Ice Cream. You know, the Wu love the kids, and so does Uncle Ben. Also, shoutout to Senator Angela Alsobrooks from Maryland for exposing RFK Jr. I end this track by alluding to the famous Ben and Jerry Phish Food ice cream flavor, but, it is a reference to another verse I penned, “Muskie Fish Fry,” which is part of a serialized post-backpack alternative rap narrative I’ve been piecing together. Check out “ “On The Doc” where I deal with the passing of MF DOOM.

Vocals performed by and now Miguel.

Lyrics poem written by and now Miguel.

Track mix and mastered by Hear No Evil (and now Miguel).

Instrumental is from the originally from Raekwon’s “Ice Cream” off of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995).

Dear reader-listener,

I took a quick break to deliver this track to you. Please listen and read. Then listen again. Share with a friend. Lets keep things moving by crafting to continue conversation around progression and well being.

Thank you for engaging with my work. It takes capital and time to complete this EP independently. Please consider supporting my work by visiting my store, or treating me to a cup of tea.

With love,

and now Miguel

1. “Ben & Jerry’s cofounder arrested at US Senate after protesting war in Gaza” Aljazeera article by John Power, here. I took some liberties here.

2. Ben-Day, a dot-based printing technique, specifically the Ben Day process, which was developed by Benjamin Henry Day Jr. to create shades and tones by using patterns of dots on paper, used in color comic books in the 1950s and '60s to create effects of shading and secondary colors inexpensively. Coincidentally, The Minutemen in A. Moores’ The Watchmen was created in 1939 and disbanded in 1949, just as the Golden Age of the fiction of the superhero was being captured though Ben-Day paintings. The same concept Moore was trying to unsettle. See my “On The Doc” verse.

3. RFK Jr. is a fake comic book JFK.

4. Tapping into you muzzle faculties here. Fun fact, Ben Cohen has partial loss of smell, known as anosmia—way before COVID. Also, playing off of Jack and the Beanstalk here and also naming said impostor as a fake man, and fee, can also refer to DOGE as Ben Cohen speaks about cuts to public service to fund war.

5. Watch Angela Alsobrooks questioning RFK during the Senate committee for health, education, labor and pension see clip here. Also, check out my ode to Black Women, “A Star.”

6. Sinners (2025). The vampires. The songs they appropriate. As an example: We’ve seen the current administration crying about reverse racism.

7. I said what I said. But there is a retelling of a Common song, “Sun God,” that I am working on that will unpack what I mean by No Anansi.

8. This past month I got to watch, Number One on the Call Sheet (2025), I got to say, the Women held it down. Much more heart centered than the Men’s version. Anywho, I really liked John Boyega’s bits and though he did a great job in The Women King (2022).