Dance with the Devil (Immortal Technique song)
{{short description|Song by Immortal Technique}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Dance with the Devil
| cover =
| type = song
| artist = Immortal Technique
| album = Revolutionary Vol. 1
| released = September 18, 2001
| recorded =
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| length = 9:39
| writer = Felipe Andres Coronel
| producer = 44 Caliber
| misc = {{External music video|type=song|{{YouTube|qggxTtnKTMo|"Dance with the Devil"}}}}
}}
"Dance with the Devil" is a song by American rapper Immortal Technique from his debut studio album Revolutionary Vol. 1 (2001). Produced by 44 Caliber, it revolves around a teenager who becomes a thug and attempts to gain the admiration of other gangsters.
Content
The first part of the song tells the story of a young man named William "Billy" Jacobs. As narrated by Immortal Technique over a piano sample of Where Do I Begin, the theme from the 1970 film Love Story, Billy grew up with no father and a mother who was a recovering drug addict. Over time, he develops an ambition to become a "hustler" out of desire for money and respect. To prove his street credibility, he begins to sell drugs and steal, eventually attempting to join a gang.{{cite web |last1=Findlay |first1=Mitch |title=The Art Of Storytelling, With A Twist |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/285220-the-art-of-storytelling-with-a-twist-news |website=HotNewHipHop |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=May 20, 2020}}{{cite web |title=The Art Of Storytelling: 10 Great Stories Told Through Rap Songs |url=https://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.1917/title.the-art-of-storytelling-10-great-stories-told-through-rap-songs |website=HipHopDX |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=June 29, 2012}}{{cite web |last1=Ettelson |first1=Robbie |title=The 25 Most Violent Rap Songs of All Time |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/05/the-25-most-violent-rap-songs-of-all-time |website=Complex |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=May 15, 2013}} As part of an initiation, Billy engages in the gang's attack and violent rape of an innocent woman, whose shirt is covering her face. Billy pulls back her shirt, only to discover the victim is his mother, which leads him to commit suicide by jumping off the roof where the crime occurred. The gang then kills the woman.{{cite web |last1=Whatley |first1=Jack |title=Behind the Mic: The story behind Immortal Technique song 'Dance with the Devil' |url=https://hiphophero.com/story-behind-immortal-technique-song-dance-with-the-devil/ |website=Hip Hop Hero |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=February 16, 2022}} The story ends with the narrator revealing that he was one of the gang members who participated in the act and is now convinced that the Devil pursues him for it to this day.
The second part of the song is a hidden track featuring a verse from American rapper Diabolic.
=Interpretation=
Immortal Technique has addressed the meaning behind the song as well as questions concerning the truth of the story on many occasions. In a 2004 interview with BrownPride.com, he said:
With "Dance with the Devil" it was a true story that I made myself more of a part of when I wrote the song, it became an urban legend and what's sick is that people thought it was about rape and it was really about how we are killing ourselves and destroying the most valuable resource that the Latino/Black community has, our women."{{cite web |last1=Garcia III |first1=Gerardo |title=Immortal Technique - Revolutionary Vol. 2 |url=https://www.brownpride.com/articles/article.asp?a=194 |website=BrownPride.com |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=2004}}
In a 2012 interview on the YouTube channel Montreality, Technique stated in regard to the song, "The only thing I changed about that story was me being on the roof", and that he actually never raped a woman nor was complicit in the act.{{cite web |title=IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE x MONTREALITY - Interview |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDKcN1QCxHM |website=YouTube |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=March 8, 2012}} In a 2022 podcast interview with Bootleg Kev, Technique again maintained his innocence and said he can take people to the building where the incident happened in Harlem.{{cite web |title=Immortal Technique on "Dance With The Devil" Being a True Story |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMwCXB3k4Z0 |website=YouTube |access-date=22 May 2023 |date=November 8, 2022}}
Technique has also claimed that such crimes similar to those depicted in the song's narrative happen every day in every country and city.{{cite web |title=Immortal Technique - Explaining Dance With the Devil |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbYAC89cd9E |website=YouTube |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=September 25, 2007}}{{cite web |last1=Tardio |first1=Andres |title=Ms. Lauryn Hill, Immortal Technique & Rage Against the Machine Perform at L.A. Rising Festival |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.16241/title.ms-lauryn-hill-immortal-technique-rage-against-the-machine-perform-at-l-a-rising-festival |website=HipHopDX |access-date=22 May 2023 |date=August 1, 2011}}{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Cameron |title=Immortal Technique Teaches Houston A History Lesson |url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/last-night-immortal-technique-at-warehouse-live-11387999 |website=Houston Press |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=November 17, 2019}}
Reception
Complex placed the song at number 10 on their list of "The 25 Most Violent Rap Songs of All Time". The third verse of the song was ranked number four on Highsnobiety
In a 2020 interview with HipHopDX, Immortal Technique said that "Dance with the Devil" has globally become one of his most well-known songs.{{cite web |title=Immortal Technique Explains "Dance With The Devil" Impact On His Career |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-vqcb03Gsg |website=YouTube |access-date=22 May 2023 |date=June 25, 2020}}