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"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise.

The phrase "the Man is keeping me down" is commonly used to describe oppression. The phrase "stick it to the Man" encourages resistance to authority, and essentially means "fight back" or "resist", either openly or via sabotage.^[1]

History[link]

The earliest recorded use^{[citation needed]} of the term "the Man" in the American sense dates back to a letter written by a young Alexander Hamilton in September 1772, when he was 15. In a letter to his father James Hamilton, published in the Royal Dutch-American Gazette, he described the response of the Dutch governor of St. Croix to a hurricane that raked that island on August 31, 1772. "Our General has issued several very salutary and humane regulations and both in his publick and private measures, has shewn himself the Man." ^{[2][dubious – discuss]} In the Southern U.S. states, the phrase came to be applied to any man or any group in a position of authority, or to authority in the abstract. From about the 1950s the phrase was also an underworld code word for police, the warden of a prison or other law enforcement or penal authorities.

It was also used as a term for a drug dealer in the 1950s and 1960s and can be seen in such media as Curtis Mayfield's "No Thing On Me", William Burroughs's novel Naked Lunch, and in the Velvet Underground song "I'm Waiting for the Man", in which Lou Reed sings about going to Uptown Manhattan, specifically Lexington Avenue and 125th Street, to buy heroin.

The use of this term was expanded to counterculture groups and their battles against authority, such as the Yippies, which, according to a May 19, 1969 article in U.S. News and World Report, had the "avowed aim ... to destroy 'The Man', their term for the present system of government". The term eventually found its way into humorous usage, such as in a December 1979 motorcycle ad from the magazine Easyriders which featured the tagline, "California residents: Add 6% sales tax for The Man."

In present day, the phrase has been popularized in commercials and cinema, featuring particularly prominently as a recurring motif in the 2003 film School of Rock.^[3][4][5][6]

Use as praise[link]

The term has also been used as an approbation or form of praise. This may refer to the recipient's status as the leader or authority within a particular context, or it might be assumed to be a shortened form of a phrase like "He is the man (who is in charge)." One example of this usage dates to 1879 when Otto von Bismarck commented, referring to Benjamin Disraeli's pre-eminent position at the Congress of Berlin, "The old Jew, he is the man."^{[7][dubious – discuss]}

In more modern usage, it can be a superlative compliment ("you da man!") indicating that the subject is currently standing out amongst his peers even though they have no special designation or rank, such as a basketball player who is performing better than the other players on the court. It can also be used as a genuine compliment with an implied, slightly exaggerated or sarcastic tone, usually indicating that the person has indeed impressed the speaker but by doing something relatively trivial.

See also[link]

• Absentee landlord
• Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
• New World Order (conspiracy theory)
• Ruling class
• The Establishment
• Power elite
• Corrections officer
• YTMND

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Lighter, J.E. (Ed.). (1997). Random House Dictionary of American Slang. New York: Random House.

Days Away was a five piece progressive rock band based in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, formed in 1998.

Biography[link]

Days Away formed in 1998 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. When first formed, the group consisted of Keith Goodwin (vocals/guitar), Matt Austin (guitar), Matt Haines (drums), and Chris Frangicetto (bass). Eventually the band decided to move to California and signed with We the People Records, where they released The Feel Of It EP in 2002. A year later, Tim Arnold joined the band playing keyboards for a short while. Soon after, Arnold moved to drums and the band released the 'L.S.D.' EP. Bryan Gulla then joined on keyboard. The group toured heavily behind its EPs and received significant exposure on the internet, resulting in their signing with Fueled By Ramen.^[1] Their debut album, Mapping An Invisible World, was released in May 2005 on Fueled by Ramen Records. On December 18, 2006 the band announced that they are no longer on the Fueled By Ramen roster,^[2] but promised that new Days Away material will be released in the near future. In early 2008, an announcement was made that Days Away had disbanded. Keith Goodwin and Tim Arnold shortly thereafter announced they were working on a new project, Good Old War, with Daniel Schwartz.

Goodwin has made guest vocal appearances on the song 'Left Coast Envy' by The Starting Line and on Lover, the Lord Has Left Us..., the second album by The Sound of Animals Fighting. Bassist Chris Frangicetto's older brother is Colin Frangicetto, guitarist for Circa Survive.

Line-up[link]

Members[link]

• Tim Arnold - Drums
• Chris Frangicetto - Bass
• Keith Goodwin - Vocals/Guitar
• Bryan Gulla - Keyboards
• Jake Weiss - Guitar

Former members[link]

• Matt Haines - Drums
• Greg Itzen - Rhythm Guitar
• Matt Austin - Lead Guitar
• Matt Robnett - Rhythm Guitar

Discography[link]

• The Feel of It EP (2002)
• L.S.D.E.P. (2003)
• E.S.P.E.P. (2005)
• Mapping an Invisible World (2005)
• Ear Candy for the Headphone Trippers (2007)

Other Songs[link]

• "To Ramona" from Listen to Bob Dylan: A Tribute
• "Honesty"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site
• Days Away on Myspace

This article on a United States rock music band is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Looptroop Rockers
Looptroop Rockers performing in 2006
Background information
Origin	Västerås, Sweden
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1991–present
Labels	David Vs Goliath Burning Heart Records Bad Taste Records
Website	Official website
Members
Promoe Supreme Embee Cos.M.I.C

Looptroop Rockers is a hip hop group from Västerås, Sweden. The members are rappers Promoe (Mårten Edh), Supreme (Mathias Lundh-Isen), DJ/Producer Embee (Magnus Bergkvist) and CosM.I.C (Tommy Isacsson). In February 2007 CosM.I.C, who had been a member of the group since the beginning in 1993, decided to focus on designing and maintaining looptrooprockers.com and not to be an active member of the group. He however rejoined the group in 2010 as Promoe announced at a concert in Helsinki on May 19, it was officially announced on their website ^[1] on May 21. On their fourth album, Good Things, the group changed its name from Looptroop to Looptroop Rockers, a name they've used unofficially for some years prior to the change.

Biography[link]

Looptroop was formed in 1991 by Promoe and Embee. The two had met while attending school in Västerås and were still in their teens at the time of the group's inception. Cos.M.I.C joined shortly thereafter and in 1993 the group independently released their cassette-only debut EP Superstars, which was followed in 1995 by Threesicksteez. By the time they released their third cassette, From The Wax Cabinet (1996), long-time associate and frequent collaborator Supreme had become a permanent member of the group. It was in the pre-DVSG time when Promoe and Cos.M.I.C were also part of a group of graffiti writers called the "BIF" (Babylon Is Falling) crew in Västerås.

In 1998, Looptroop started their own record label, David Vs. Goliath (commonly referred to as DVSG), and with distribution handled by the Swedish punkrock label Burning Heart Records they released their full-length debut album Modern Day City Symphony in 2000. The album managed to sell reasonably well despite limited media exposure and spawned the underground hit single "Long Arm of the Law," which took a critical stance towards the Swedish police force and has since become one of Looptroop's signature songs.

In 2001, Promoe became the first member of the group to launch a solo career, with his debut solo album, Government Music. In 2002 Looptroop released their second album The Struggle Continues.

Embee's solo album Tellings From Solitaria was released in 2004 and featured contributions from several notable Swedish artists, including José González, Timbuktu and Daniel Lemma. The album was critically acclaimed and won a Swedish grammy award for best hiphop/soul in 2004.

Their third full-length studio album, Fort Europa, was released in 2005. On the track "Fort Europa," the group takes a particularly critical tone towards their country's immigration policy. In the video, an image of a TV screen reading "Welcome SWE" is smashed by a golf club as the beat drops. In the first verse, Promoe compares immigration policy to the Berlin Wall.^[2]

On February 9, 2007 Cos.M.I.C announced that he was leaving the group indefinitely. He stated that there had been no falling-out between him and the rest of the group and mentioned that the group's busy schedule, which prevented him from spending time with his family, prompted this decision. Cos.M.I.C then contributed to two songs on the group's 2008 album "Good Things". After Cos.M.I.C left the group, they have also officially changed the group name from Looptroop to Looptroop Rockers!

Looptroop Rockers released their fourth album Good Things on 23 April 2008. Cos.M.I.C is featured on one of the tracks on the album. 2008 was also the year that DVSG was celebrating its 10th anniversary. Looptroop Rockers worked with artists like Rakaa Iriscience of the Dilated Peoples, Cunninglynguists, Timbuktu and Adam Tensta for this album.

On 21 May 2010 Looptroop Rockers announced on their website ^[3] that they were working on a new album. Promoe said it to be slated for a February 2011 release at a gig in Helsinki on May 19. On the same occasion it was announced that Cos.M.I.C. rejoined the group as a full member working on the new album.

In March 2011, the group released their fifth album "Professional Dreamers".

Discography[link]

Looptroop[link]

Main Albums

• Superstars (1993)
• Threesicksteez (1995)
• From the Waxcabinet (1996)
• Punx Not Dead (1998)
• Modern Day City Symphony (2000)
• The Struggle Continues (2002)
• Fort Europa (2005)
• Good Things (2008)
• Professional Dreamers (2011)

Singles

• Fort Europa/Looptroop Radio (2005)
• Naive /w Timbuktu (2008)
• Professional Dreamers (2011)

12" vinyl

• Ambush in the night (1999)
• Long arm of the law (2000)
• Fly Away (2002)
• Looptroopland (2002)
• Don't Hate The Player (2003)
• Fort Europa.(2005)
• The Building" (2008)

EP's

• From the Wax Cabinet EP (1996)
• Fuck A Record Deal (Looptroop/Headtag) (1996)
• Unsigned Hype (1997)
• From beyond K-line (With Kashal Tee & Dj Erase) (1998)
• Heads or Tails EP (1998)
• Schlook From Birth (1998)
• Sedlighetsroteln (2000)
• TBA (2011)

Solo Albums and Side Projects[link]

Promoe

• Off the Record (single) b/w It's Promoe/Poor Lonesome Homeboy (1999)
• Government Music (2001)
• The Long Distance Runner (2004)
• White Man's Burden (2006)
• Standard Bearer (2007)
• Kråksången (2009)
• Bondfångeri (2009)
• Never Follow [EP] (2010)

Embee

• From The Way Beyond Mixtape (1998)
• Embeetious Art EP (2000)
• Tellings From Solitaria (2004)
• Mash Hits (2006)
• The Mellow Turning Moment (2010)

The Casual Brothers (Embee and Cos.M.I.C)

• The Casual Brothers (2001)
• Customer's Choice (2003)

See also[link]

• Swedish hip hop
• Hip hop music

References[link]

1. ^ website
2. ^ YouTube - looptroop - fort europa
3. ^ website

External links[link]

• Official website
• Looptroop Rockers On Reapet Album:Professional Dreamers 2011
• [1]