Ascension is the second track and the third single on Gorillaz' 2017 album "Humanz". It was released on March 23, 2017. The song features rap verses by Vince Staples, talking mostly about social inequality and racism.
Music Video[]
Gorillaz - Ascension (Official Audio)
The song starts immediately with Vince rapping the first verse, scrolling through a cloudy neighborhood. The beat comes up with a siren in the distance, foreshadowing that something might happen. This is very similar to the siren heard throughout “El Mañana”. As the camera is scrolling through the neighborhood that is somewhat abandoned, the siren stops. Immediately, a meteor shower rains down on the neighborhood seemingly unaffecting anything below.
The meteor shower flashes back to the way it was after the first verse is sung, the camera is scrolling through the neighbor hood faster than normal when the second verse plays. As it is scrolling, another meteor shower comes which goes away faster than the first shower. 2-D then sings, as it's advancing through the neighbor hood and then the third meteor shower comes and ends briefly.
As the final verse plays, the spirit house from "Saturnz Barz" is shown and the camera stops. The final meteor shower comes over the house, still not affecting the house at all then the music video ends.
Lyrics[]
[Vince Staples]
You are now tuned into the tomb of Jehova
Play my tunes loud enough to shake the room, what's the hold up?
Heard the world is ending soon I assumed that they told ya
They tryna dinosaur us so now it's time to go up
[Vince Staples & The Humanz Choir]
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
[Vince Staples]
The roof is on fire
She wet like Barbra Streisand
Police everywhere
It's like a n***a killed a white man
I just wanna find a baby mama 'fore the night end
So don't be coming 'round Vince
On that batter ram shit
On that 911 shit
Need a misses brown as Missy
I can have some fun with
Them slave bones make Grace Jones
Don't stop, bitch, stay focused
They hated on us since days of Moses
Let my people go crazy
Them stars falling, don't chase 'em
[Vince Staples & The Humanz]
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
[2-D]
Attack on Iraq
It's on a line
Typing it fast
Then it's slipping my mind
Oh, when I'm drunk
I'm spirited back
I fall in a fire then I save myself
Then I get advantage
'Cause the feeling's so raw
In these times of sedition
Well, nothing is dull
And I'm moving into stillness
And recalling it all
And I’m a lover, just a lover, just a lover, just a lover, just a-
[Vince Staples & The Humanz]
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
[Vince Staples]
All these liberated women sitting in my lap
I'm finna catch a body like I got a gun and badge
I'm finna turn Obama to my partner 'fore he dash
Pull up to the pad, wipe my ass with the flag
I'm just playing, baby, this the land of the free
Where you can get a Glock and a gram for the cheap
Where you can live your dreams long as you don't look like me
Be a puppet on a string, hanging from a fucking tree
(Aghh!)
[Vince Staples & The Humanz]
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Drop that ass 'fore it crash (higher)
The sky's falling, baby
Falling, baby
Falling (higher)
Trivia[]
- Ascension means “to rise to an important position / a higher level.”
- Ascension can be heard at the beginning of the "Saturnz Barz" music video.
- In the video they censored Obamas name, assumingely for legal reasons.