The musical stylings of Hannibal Hayes, better known as Bitter Roots Recordings executive producer, founder, and MC Lecture, have always possessed an unmistakable energy and intensity to them. Those lucky enough to see one of his live performances are unquestionably familiar with the distinctive interplay between multiple genres from hip hop rhythms to orchestral flourishes, with Lecture himself navigating the stage as a musical trapeze artist. In that sense, his first single on Bitter Roots Recordings, "Muse," will be familiar to live audiences with a delicately plucked 10-note melody serving as introduction to one of his most memorable compositions.

Look just below the surface, however, and much has changed about this fan-favorite track. "Muse" authoritatively marks the beginning of a new saga in Hayes's vocal abilities, utilizing melody in his whispered delivery to draw in the listener through the song's quieter moments before unveiling his technical rhythmic chops on the songs fortissimo chorus. It's a level of crescendoing drama the song's chamber orchestra instrumentation follows in lockstep, with bombastic cymbal crashes cutting through distorted synthesizers and operatic reverbs and delays. And through it all, Hayes weaves a lyrical narrative of Dickensonian proportions, embracing trepidation as a means to fuel ambition. The ongoing success of Bitter Roots Recording is but one fruit of that labor, and "Muse" serves as a celebration of Lecture's ascendance from the flying trapeze to none other than the Ringmaster himself.

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I’m the man with the plan,

Kid on a mish;

Shunned from land that built with my fists.

Numb in the gums from the filth that I swish,

Encumbered by puns till they spill from my lips.

Loved are the ones with incredible gifts,

While the dumb still succumb 7 rungs from bliss;

_ I’ve become something short of a myth,

Unborn of my burdens the more that I riff.

I - used to be just like you,

A rube of a dude with a real tight crew;

Lucid and loose when I used to produce,

With my head in the clouds and my heart in the booth.

Kid was comin up quick makin all the right moves,

Till the day I fell in with a few snide fools;

_ Betrayed with nothin to loose,

Nowadays never know what I just might do.

Life sheds light upon this madness that I can’t contain,

Every time I fight, I lose sight and find;

It’s agony – to see the tragedy left in your eyes.

You hear that kid from the zoo yeah,

He don’t make elevator music;

Stricken by rage – back in the lab he goes at it for days,

Likely stab any brat in the face if they get in his way while these memories are fully consuming him.

I be that dude – I be that, I be that dude,

Look it I’m full of the shit;

_ Used to feel like I was king,

Now I’m beggin for scraps yet I'm still in control of this shit.

These peasants that come for the crown,

Can’t imagine the weight – break their necks just from holdin this shit;

_ While I’m out here moldin this shit – [all my life]

I’mma lounge on my throne while I switch my style up.

Making moves ‘bout a mile up,

_ Lecture brings the juice in the booth - get em riled up;

Watch your mouth when you chat with a higher up,

Or we gon jack that smile up.

[Hey]

Sacre [Bleu] -------- pronounce correctly

We can be [Modest]

We can be [Cruel]

Just bein [Honest]

You should be [Too]

Staking my claim,

And I’m taking everything!

Confined by passion I turn mad but still I can’t complain,

Sorrows left behind – may alter fate;

You see its destiny – To free the masterpiece kept in my mind.

As life sheds light upon this madness that I can’t contain,

My only fear is losing sight of you;

It's agony, feeding on tragedy left in your eyes.