Make It Bun Dem by Skrillex Lyrics Meaning – Unpacking the Power of Musical Rebellion
Lyrics
Voice of the one, Big Gong-Zilla
Alongside Skrillex
Dem fe know
Who we?
Awoah!
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make them all have fun
A-we a blaze the fire
Make it bun dem
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make some soundboy run
And we will end your week
Just like a Sunday
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make them all have fun
Skrillex a blaze the fire
Make it bun dem
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make some sound boy run
And we will end your week
Just like a Sunday
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
If I nah pose
But if I supposed
Them see we a close
Them wouldn’t suppose it
Killing the flows
We’re sicker than most
Defeating the foes
We weather the most
Never yet falter
Never yet flop
Never yey halt
And never yet stop
Keep up with God
And neva ya drop
All ’em a talk
And all ’em a chat
Skrillex and Gong
The legend lives on
We give dem it hard
We give dem it strong
We give dem it rough
We give it long
We give dem it right
And never yet wrong
Sweeter the victory, the hotter the battle
The bigger the cover the fatter the bottle
The bass haffi rattle, a my tabernacle dis
Rudeboy bass!
Mash up the place!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make them all have fun
A-we ablaze the fire
Make it bun dem
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make some soundboy run
And we will end your week
Just like a Sunday
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make them all have fun
Skrillex ablaze the fire
Make it bun dem
We mash up the place
Turn up the bass
And make some sound boy run
And we will end your week
Just like a Sunday
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Rude boy!
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Rude boy!
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Rude boy!
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run
We’ll pack up and run away, huh?
Rude boy
Rude boy bass
Mash up the place
On the surface, ‘Make It Bun Dem,’ a collaborative thunderbolt from electronic maestro Skrillex and reggae legend Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, is a dance floor destroyer boasting a cataclysmic meld of dubstep and reggae. But behind the seismic drops and rumbling bass lines lie a profound narrative of cultural resilience and resistance.
Delving deep into the lyrical content of ‘Make It Bun Dem,’ one unearths layers of metaphor and a call to arms that transcends the genres it was built upon. The song becomes an anthem not just for a raucous night out, but for an assertion of identity and the unyielding spirit of those who refuse to be silenced.
The Alchemy of Genre Fusion: A New Rebellion Anthem
The partnership between Skrillex and Damian Marley on ‘Make It Bun Dem’ is more than an innovative blending of sonic layers; it symbolizes the unification of cultural musical expressions against a backdrop of historical resistance. Reggae has long been a voice for the marginalized, and dubstep’s roots in the underground scenes echo similar sentiments. Together, they create a hybrid of music that is not only powerful in sound but also in significance.
This fusion encapsulates a modern form of rebellion, where music becomes the shared language of defiance and empowerment. ‘Make It Bun Dem’ takes the historical context of its parent genres and recontextualizes it for a new era—where the bass drop signals a call to action as much as any rally cry.
Deciphering the Rude Boy Ethos: Identity and Assertion
The repeated exhortations of ‘Rude boy!’ throughout the song are a telling cue into the psyche of ‘Make It Bun Dem.’ In Jamaican culture, the term ‘rude boy’ is often associated with the dancehall scene, but also with a rebellious youth culture that stands in the face of socio-political challenges. This resistant stance is woven into the track’s fabric, making every ‘Rude boy!’ utterance a vocalization of dissent.
In this context, the ‘rude boy’ becomes the everyman standing against systemic pressures—an archetype of the defiant, the fighter who will not be moved. By aligning with this identity, the song positions itself within a lineage of music that is intrinsically linked to struggle and survival.
Sweeter the Victory: The Unspoken Allure of the Underdog
One of the track’s most stirring lines, ‘Sweeter the victory, the hotter the battle,’ resonates with timeless truth. The underdog narrative has always found its place in music, encapsulating the satisfaction of triumph against overwhelming odds. This line encapsulates that endurance and indomitable spirit, suggesting that the path to victory is made all the more rewarding by the challenges faced along the way.
In ‘Make It Bun Dem,’ this adage is not only a poetic flourish but also a theme that reflects the combined struggles of displaced cultures and suppressed voices finding strength in unity. The hotter the battle—be it social injustice, cultural appropriation, or simply personal trials—the sweeter the sound of the song’s metaphorical victory.
The Hidden Meaning Behind ‘Mash up the Place’
‘We mash up the place, turn up the bass’—these words, discharged like rhythmic shots, unveil layers of dual meaning. On one hand, they paint a picture of dance floor debauchery and musical mayhem. On the other, they invoke the idea of disrupting the status quo and making one’s presence and power undeniably felt.
‘Mashing up’ becomes an act of creative destruction, a tearing down of existing structures to make way for new forms of expression and existence. ‘Make It Bun Dem’ does not just advocate for a passive listening experience; it demands engagement and transformation both internally and in the external world.
End Your Week Just Like a Sunday: The Pulsating Heartbeat of Optimism
The cyclical nature of the verse ‘And we will end your week just like a Sunday’ brings forth a somewhat optimistic close in contradiction to the aggressive tone throughout the song. It suggests a resetting, a calm after the storm of rebellion, embodying a theme of renewal. Sundays, in a traditional sense, are a time of reflection, rest, and anticipation of what is to come.
Herein lies a subtle message: even as the song champions a vigorous dismantling of the oppressive, it also hints at restoration and reconstruction. ‘Make It Bun Dem,’ perhaps unexpectedly, embeds within its pulsating beats an undercurrent of hope—a belief that better days are ahead once the battle is won.
