// Tracklist

1. Prologue

   The following is a dramatic interpretation of documented events.

   The warez scene was real. The raids were real. The convictions were real.

   But you’re about to hear it from the inside, through the voices of the people who lived it.

   These perspectives are dramatized. The words are drawn from court documents, published interviews, and public record.

   Not transcripts. Interpretation.

   This is how the scene remembers itself.

2. Pre

   Three AM, the retail version just dropped Protection scheme they think can’t be stopped Armadillo, SafeDisc, whatever they got I’ve seen harder locks on a parking lot Hex editor open, debugger running hot Tracing the calls till I find the spot One byte flipped and the whole thing cracks Pre it to the topsites, cover my tracks

   First to pre, first to pre Beat the world and do it for free First to pre, first to pre Hall of fame’s the only fee My handle in the N.F.O. That’s all I need, that’s all I know First to pre, first to pre This is how legends get made

   Just hit upload, we got the pre tonight Fairlight missed it, RAZOR wasn’t tight We won this race, watch the credits unfold My group’s name in ASCII, worth more than gold We don’t do this for cash, never have, never will It’s the puzzle, the chase, the technical skill When protection falls flat and your crack is the one That’s the moment right there, that’s why it’s done

   First to pre, first to pre Beat the world and do it for free First to pre, first to pre Hall of fame’s the only fee My handle in the N.F.O. That’s all I need, that’s all I know First to pre, first to pre This is how legends get made

   They call us criminals, they call us thieves But they don’t understand what a cracker believes It’s not about the software, it’s not about the take It’s proving I’m the best for my own damn sake Every protection is a puzzle to solve Every release is a chance to evolve My real name don’t matter, nobody knows Just the handle that I chose

   Supplier got the disc from the warehouse floor Courier’s waiting, ready to pour Across the topsites, fastest one wins And tonight that honor begins with my sins Key-gen music playing while I work the code One more check and we’re ready to load N.F.O. written, the credits are set First to pre - you ain’t seen nothing yet

   First to pre… Beat the world… Just a name in the N.F.O… That’s all we ever wanted.

3. NFO

   Eighty columns wide, that’s my canvas tonight Forward slashes and pipes creating the light Every character placed with purpose and care Building logos in a medium nobody knows is there They’ll never hang this in a gallery hall But in the scene my art stands ten feet tall When you open the N.F.O. and see the design That’s my signature, that’s my sign

   N.F.O., written in the code Every line a story never told ASCII dreams in monospace font This is all I ever really want Art in text that the world won’t see But the scene knows what it means to me N.F.O., my identity Hidden beauty, setting me free

   Superior Art Creations taught me the way Acid Productions, Ice - the legends who paved Now I’m drawing with characters, painting with text Every group needs a logo, and mine is the best Block characters stacking, building the name When RAZOR drops a release, my art’s in the frame Takes me hours to per-fect every line But when it renders right, man, it’s divine

   N.F.O., written in the code Every line a story never told ASCII dreams in monospace font This is all I ever really want Art in text that the world won’t see But the scene knows what it means to me N.F.O., my identity Hidden beauty, setting me free

   Greets to the groups who came before Credits rolling like we’re settling scores Release notes telling what we cracked In a format that keeps our history intact When the feds raid and take the servers down These files scattered across every town My art survives in a thousand copies spread Long after the scene is dead

   Some people paint, some people sculpt I make beauty from a text result The scene might be underground and hidden away But my logos live forever, archived today Defacto2 keeping the history alive Every N.F.O. a piece of the hive You might not know my name or face But my art defined this secret place

   Open the file… See the art… N.F.O…. That’s my heart.

4. TopsiteE

   T-3 line running to my basement floor Hundred gigs of storage, always room for more Every major group got an account with me First to pre means first the scene will see I’m the gatekeeper, I decide who’s in Background check before the race begins One wrong invite and the whole thing falls FBI kicks down my fucking walls

   Topsite running, twenty-four seven Underground kingdom, pirate’s heaven Power and paranoia, hand in hand One wrong move and I’ll be banned From freedom, from the life I know Topsite running, watch the data flow I’m the king of a kingdom that could burn Any day the feds might take their turn

   Couriers racing for the credits I control Leech ratio matters, that’s how we roll Upload ten gigs before you take a byte Keep the servers fed through every night Private channels, encrypted everything But every new connection makes me think Is this one real or is this one a plant Wearing a wire, federal confidant

   Topsite running, twenty-four seven Underground kingdom, pirate’s heaven Power and paranoia, hand in hand One wrong move and I’ll be banned From freedom, from the life I know Topsite running, watch the data flow I’m the king of a kingdom that could burn Any day the feds might take their turn

   They busted LOST, they busted BAR Every siteop wondering who’s next in this war In handcuffs, hard drives confiscated All that power instantly negated But I can’t stop, addiction too deep Running this site in my fucking sleep The scene needs infrastructure to survive And I’m the one keeping it alive

   Level one access for the elite crews Level two for the ones still paying dues Nobody gets root except for me That’s how a topsite stays debris-free But paranoia’s creeping, can’t deny Every new user might be FBI Running a kingdom in the dark of night Praying that I don’t see flashing lights

   Topsite running… Data flowing… Never knowing… When they’re coming.

5. CourierE

   Release just dropped on the Amsterdam node Grabbing the files, switching to upload mode Rotterdam, Dallas, Singapore next Racing the packets, breaking the hex FXP running, no time to wait Every second counts, can’t be late Leaderboard showing I’m number two Push it harder, break on through

   Courier life, I live for the race Data flying through digital space Credits stacking, ratio climbing high Moving releases till the day I die Fastest hands in the scene tonight Every transfer another fight Courier life, born to compete Making sure the drops are complete

   Pre-time hit at two AM Eastern Now every courier’s system’s tweakin' Bandwidth maxed, connections hot Fighting for every upload slot Made the spread to twelve sites clean Fastest time anybody’s seen Credits flowing, status growing Top of the board and I’m still going

   Courier life, I live for the race Data flying through digital space Credits stacking, ratio climbing high Moving releases till the day I die Fastest hands in the scene tonight Every transfer another fight Courier life, born to compete Making sure the drops are complete

   They don’t understand why we do this shit No money, no fame outside the pit But when your name tops the courier chart That’s the glory pumping through your heart Anonymous to the whole damn world But in the scene my flag’s unfurled Racing data like it’s Formula One Won’t stop running till the scene is done

   Nineteen sites in under an hour That’s the kind of courier power That gets you access to the elite The private channels where the legends meet Started from the bottom, proving myself Now my ratio’s off the fucking shelf Upload to download, twenty to one Best in the game, second to none

   Racing… Always racing… Data never stops… Neither do I.

6. The RulesE

   Sit down kid, let me tell you how it works The rules of the scene, the perks and the quirks First thing first - we don’t do this for money That shit’s for lamers, that shit ain’t funny The moment you sell, you’re out of the game Blacklisted, nuked, we’ll destroy your name We do this for glory, we do it for skill The only currency here is the thrill

   These are the rules, we live by the code No profit, no payment, that’s not how we roll We do this just for fun, that’s what we say Scene standards keeping the lamers away Honor among thieves, if that’s what we are The rules are the reason we made it this far Break them and you’re done, that’s how it goes These are the rules everybody knows

   Release standards matter, you can’t drop trash Bad crack, bad rip, your rep turns to ash Nukers watching every single pre One mistake and your release won’t be Listed on the sites, it’ll be marked as bad NUKED: bad crack - saddest words you’ve had Proper comes after to fix what you broke Scene policing scene - that’s not a joke

   These are the rules, we live by the code No profit, no payment, that’s not how we roll We do this just for fun, that’s what we say Scene standards keeping the lamers away Honor among thieves, if that’s what we are The rules are the reason we made it this far Break them and you’re done, that’s how it goes These are the rules everybody knows

   Outside they call us criminals and worse But we got ethics, yeah we got a verse That says the craft matters more than the cash In a world where everything’s bought, that’s brash We built something pure in the underground A meritocracy where skill gets crowned The rules ain’t written by lawyers in suits They’re written by us - these are our roots

   Don’t dupe releases, check before you pre Someone already dropped it? Let it be Don’t leak to P2P, that’s not our way We’re not the masses, we don’t play that play Keep the scene elite, keep the access tight Vet every member, do your due diligence right The rules protect us from the feds and the fools The scene survives because we follow the rules

   We do this just for FUN… Just for FUN… That’s all we ever claimed. That’s all we ever wanted. The rules kept us alive.

7. ShatnetE

   Welcome to Shatnet, glad you could connect Elite topsite, nothing to suspect T1 lines running, storage for days Just another node in the scene’s maze Except every packet’s getting logged Every username, every password dogged FBI field office monitoring the feed Planting the garden, scattering the seed

   We built the trap and y’all walked in Shatnet running, let the games begin Two years patient, watching every move Hundred thousand files, we got something to prove Scene thought they were hidden, scene thought they were smart We became the scene, played the fucking part Shatnet running, operation’s hot You never know who’s logging what you got

   Rogue Warriorz think they’re elite Trading warez, thinking they’re discreet But every file that crosses my server Brings them closer to what they deserve Background checks? Yeah, I passed them all Fake credentials, standing tall They invited us into their inner ring Now we’re documenting everything

   We built the trap and y’all walked in Shatnet running, let the games begin Two years patient, watching every move Hundred thousand files, we got something to prove Scene thought they were hidden, scene thought they were smart We became the scene, played the fucking part Shatnet running, operation’s hot You never know who’s logging what you got

   They talk about honor, they talk about code But honor don’t matter when you’re on my node Two hundred people thinking they’re anonymous Meanwhile I’m building cases ominous Every pre, every race, every credit earned Just more evidence, another page turned The scene polices itself? That’s cute But the FBI’s the one in pursuit

   December coming, warrants getting signed All those handles about to get defined Real names, real addresses, real lives About to learn how the law arrives You built a kingdom in the dark, I feel that But I’ve been inside your kingdom running Shatnet Two years as a siteop, two years as a ghost Now let me show you who’s running this host

   Shatnet FTP… Welcome to the scene… Welcome to surveillance… Everything you do… We see.

8. Bandido

   They call me Bandido, running DOD DrinkOrDie worldwide and they can’t touch me Sitting in Australia, other side of the map American laws can’t close this gap What I do ain’t illegal where I’m at Chew on that, FBI, chew on that fact Co-leader of the biggest crew in the game And you’ll never even know my real name

   Never be caught, that’s what I said Running the scene from my own bed Twelve thousand miles from American courts They can write reports, file reports But I’m untouchable down under, mate Extradition? That’s not my fate Never be caught, remember those words The most famous last statement ever heard

   Nineteen ninety-nine, interview on record Told them all exactly where I’m headed Nowhere near a cell, nowhere near the feds Scene’s gonna thrive while they chase their threads We move the releases, we set the pace DrinkOrDie putting crackers in their place From Sydney I coordinate the whole damn thing Anonymous emperor, invisible king

   Never be caught, that’s what I said Running the scene from my own bed Twelve thousand miles from American courts They can write reports, file reports But I’m untouchable down under, mate Extradition? That’s not my fate Never be caught, remember those words The most famous last statement ever heard

   What I don’t know is they’re already inside Shatnet logging every single ride What I don’t know is December’s coming fast These days of freedom are never gonna last But right now I’m the king and the king don’t bow Right now I’m untouchable and that’s all I know The arrogance of distance, the pride of the game In two years everything’s gonna change

   Let them try to reach across the ocean Let them file their warrants and their motions Australian law says I did nothing wrong That’s the shield that’s kept me standing strong The scene needs leadership, I provide No reason for Bandido to hide Running operations in broad daylight ‘Cause American law got no reach, no bite

   Never be caught… That’s what I said… Nineteen ninety-nine… Famous last words.

9. bigrar

   Call me big-rar, MIT credentials Systems administrator, job’s essential By day I’m keeping campus networks running By night the same skills, different cunning I didn’t join DOD for the software free I joined because of what the tech could be Building networks spanning continents wide That’s the rush, that’s the ride

   I joined for the tech, not the piracy Making systems talk was the high for me Thirty-three months for loving machines For building the networks behind the scenes They don’t care why, they just care what Another conviction, another cut I joined for the tech, that’s all I knew Now I’m doing time for what I loved to do

   FTP infrastructure fascinated me How data moves with such fluidity The scene had problems I could solve Technical challenges that made me evolve Never sold a single piece of software Never made a dollar, I was just there For the architecture, for the design For the beautiful networks intertwined

   I joined for the tech, not the piracy Making systems talk was the high for me Thirty-three months for loving machines For building the networks behind the scenes They don’t care why, they just care what Another conviction, another cut I joined for the tech, that’s all I knew Now I’m doing time for what I loved to do

   MIT gave me keys to the kingdom Thought the scene was just another system Same skills, different application Didn’t think about the legal implication Just networks, just data, just flow The consequences I didn’t know Now I’m sitting in a federal cell For building infrastructure a little too well

   Slashdot asked me why I did it I told them straight, I never hid it “I love to make computers work together” That’s the truth, now and forever The law don’t care about your motivation Just your participation Thirty-three months to contemplate How the thing you love sealed your fate

   I joined for the tech… Just loved making systems run… MIT to federal prison… For the networks I’d built.

10. Buccaneer

    December eleventh, two thousand and one Six AM knocking, nowhere to run FBI badges through the peephole glass Everything I built just turned to ash Fifty-eight searches, six countries deep The whole scene waking from a permanent sleep IRC channels dropping one by one Operation Buccaneer has begun

    Buccaneer, buccaneer The day we all learned the meaning of fear Simultaneous across the globe Every server, every node MIT raided, Duke went down Purdue, UCLA, spreading around Buccaneer, buccaneer The end of an era starts right here

    They knew everything, every handle, every name Two years of surveillance, playing our game Bandwidth, Shatnet, they were inside All that paranoia justified Hard drives in evidence bags going out the door Twenty years of archives, gone forevermore DrinkOrDie dying in the morning light The biggest crew brought down overnight

    Buccaneer, buccaneer The day we all learned the meaning of fear Simultaneous across the globe Every server, every node MIT raided, Duke went down Purdue, UCLA, spreading around Buccaneer, buccaneer The end of an era starts right here

    In London they’re kicking doors at noon In Sydney Bandido’s learning his tune Wasn’t so untouchable after all Even Australia’s gonna make the call Seventeen convictions coming down the line U.S. attorneys with plenty of time The scene that policed itself so well Couldn’t police against the feds from hell

    They raided the sites, they raided the schools University servers used as scene tools Students in handcuffs, careers destroyed Every legal safeguard they deployed Means nothing when conspiracy’s the charge Federal net cast wide and large One morning and a decade disappears Welcome to the reign of Buccaneer’s fears

    December eleventh… The day the scene learned… Nobody’s untouchable… Nobody’s anonymous… Not anymore.

11. Federal

    Rise for the judge, case number announced Every word in here’s about to be pronounced On my future, on my life, on everything I had NET Act violation, felony, that’s bad Nineteen ninety-seven, Congress closed the loop Non-commercial infringement, now it’s federal soup Doesn’t matter that I never made a dime File count and value determine the time

    Federal charges, federal court Federal time in a federal fort Five years maximum for sharing files Conspiracy charges stretching miles Everything the group did, that’s on me That’s how federal conspiracy works, you see Federal record follows for life Cut my future like a federal knife

    Ten copyrighted works in a hundred-eighty days Worth more than five grand, that’s how it plays Felony territory, welcome to the show Every release I touched is a count, you know The lawyer says take the plea, fight is pointless Government’s batting a thousand, joints is Guaranteed if I go to trial and lose Acceptance of responsibility, that’s the ruse

    Federal charges, federal court Federal time in a federal fort Five years maximum for sharing files Conspiracy charges stretching miles Everything the group did, that’s on me That’s how federal conspiracy works, you see Federal record follows for life Cut my future like a federal knife

    I was twenty-three, thought it was a game Anonymous handle, thought I’d dodge the blame Now I’m sitting here in a suit my mom bought Learning what a federal sentence’s got Restitution I can never pay Background check gonna haunt me every day Every job application, that little box “Have you been convicted?” - life on the rocks

    Allocution time, gotta show remorse Tell the judge I’m sorry, stay the course Downward departure if I help them out Name some names, tell them what it’s all about Cooperation’s how you cut the time Turn on your friends to minimize the crime Some of us talked, some refused to bend Either way we’re all headed for the pen

    Federal… Just a word until it’s yours… Conspiracy… Responsible for everything… This was never a game.

12. Extradition

    Never be caught - I remember saying that Now I’m three years deep in bureaucratic combat Not prison exactly, but I can’t go home Australian detention, fighting this alone What I did wasn’t criminal on my own soil But America wants blood for my digital toil First ever extradition for IP crime That’s my legacy, that’s my time

    Three years fighting what I can’t escape Extradition turning my life to tape Others plead guilty, accept their fate Walk free while I’m stuck in this endless wait First in history, what an honor to hold Bandido’s story, finally told Three years in limbo for what I said “Never be caught” - now I’m the living dead

    My lawyers argue what I did ain’t a crime Under Australian law, I served no time But treaties don’t care about local exemption America’s reach has no redemption They want to make an example out of me First IP extradition in history Three years longer than I would have served If I’d just plead guilty like I deserved

    Three years fighting what I can’t escape Extradition turning my life to tape Others plead guilty, accept their fate Walk free while I’m stuck in this endless wait First in history, what an honor to hold Bandido’s story, finally told Three years in limbo for what I said “Never be caught” - now I’m the living dead

    Tresco did thirty-three months and he’s out Sankus cooperated, eighteen, no doubt I’m still sitting here year after year Fighting a battle that’s already clear I’m going to lose, everybody knows America always gets what America chose But pride kept me fighting when I should have quit Now I’m the precedent, the one that got hit

    Two thousand seven, they finally win Shipped across the ocean for my digital sin Fifty-one months is the sentence they gave But three years of that I’d already paid In Australian limbo, not free, not jailed The first extradition, the one that sailed Never be caught - the joke’s on me I caught myself fighting to not be free

    Never be caught… Three years fighting… First ever IP extradition… I made history. Just not the kind I wanted.

13. Still Running

    Twenty years later and I’m checking the boards New crews still racing, settling scores SKIDROW still cracking, RELOADED too The scene survived everything we went through But the people who built it, where are they now Federal records, trying to figure out how To explain to employers what the gap in the resume means When you spent your twenties building pirate dreams

    Still running, the scene’s still alive New generation learning to thrive But we paid the price for the foundation laid Felonies and futures, that’s the trade we made Still running, races never stop New couriers climbing to the top The culture lives forever, that’s the truth But forever’s built on the bones of our youth

    Tresco got out, tried to start again Bigrar’s a footnote, a cautionary pen Bandido served his time, deported home First IP extradition, him alone The scene don’t remember individuals long Just the releases, just the songs Just the NFOs archived somewhere deep While the people who made them can barely sleep

    Still running, the scene’s still alive New generation learning to thrive But we paid the price for the foundation laid Felonies and futures, that’s the trade we made Still running, races never stop New couriers climbing to the top The culture lives forever, that’s the truth But forever’s built on the bones of our youth

    Defacto2 keeping all the history NFOs preserved for eternity But the humans behind the handles fade Just another brick in the scene we made You can download our cracktros any day Watch the ASCII art scroll and play The key-gen music still loops on Long after the people who made it are gone

    Was it worth it? Depends who you ask Some wear the felony like a mask Badge of honor, we were part of something real Underground culture with an underground feel Others just broken, can’t escape the past The moment that hobby became a crime that lasts The scene will outlive us all, that’s clear But right now we’re just ghosts of Buccaneer

    Still running… Always running… The scene never dies… We just did.