Developers, The Rap (Featuring Steve Ballmer, Naturally)

One upon a time, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer interrupted a speech at a developer’s conference with a chant that would set the Internet ablaze. “Developers, developers, developers, developers” was quickly put on the web and just as quickly mixed, remixed, and placed on the mantle of pure Internet gold. But to the best of my knowledge, no one has ever crafted an actual song around it.

Until now.

Mobile developer Cory Smith shot us an email today pointing us to a song he wrote and recorded. “I’m contrasting developing music and developing software in a hardcore rap kinda way, pretty entertaining,” he notes in his post. “The Steve Ballmer sample is the icing on the cake,” he notes in his message to us. Indeed.

Listen to the song below. It’s awesome. And below that, find Smith’s lyrics.

If Microsoft is smart, they’ll use this to kick of Ballmer’s next speech much like Apple used an awesome song we posted to kick off the Antennagate presser. After all, the talk is that Microsoft is putting a heavy focus back on developers. The song is perfect.

I’m a developer
in many senses of the word
cause I make these applications
but I also use these verbs
to make this music
I construct it line by line
just like when I’m coding
another software design
in both cases
its about design patterns
anyone can get the job done
its the execution that matters
I have many interests
sometimes they conflict
my creativity can usually be a benefit
but sometimes it keeps me
far too busy
but I can’t complain
because my life is hardly gritty
so I think i’ll sit back
and pen myself another ditty
why is it that Linus Torvalds
the only one that Gits me
did you get that reference I was using
or is the thought of source source control too confusing
may just lay myself down a Team Foundation
so I can test the objects of my creation

Chorus (Steve Ballmer)
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers

not a fan of jewelry
except for Ruby on Rails
I can use my skills
to increase my online sales
capitalize on the popularity of Facebook
or grill up some beats
so they declare me a great cook
never really been a big fan of insects
so I track down bugs
remove them when in test
make sure they never get pushed to production
but sometimes deadlines decide they get rushed in
I’m the same way
when it comes to my songs
perfection is the goal whenever the mic is on
I don’t want a bad verse to slip in the mix
cause it could look really bad
for Cory or smixx
only a fan of your behaviour
if its driven development
theres no sense of
adding features for the hell of it
complexity is irrelevant
whether its with music or software
your users have stories so you should be telling them

Chorus (Steve Ballmer)
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers
Developers Developers Developers Developers

seeing my creations
on others devices
after years of concentration
is nothing but priceless
whether its with software
or a song just like this
I put myself out there
so go on and hype this
Running 3 external monitors
off of my macbook
currently reviewer on a Windows Phone Pact book
now I got Steve Ballmer
and he’s bombing on this tracks hook
of course my QA’s on me
cause this app just crashed look
when I write my raps
never use a marker
constantly refactor
like I’m using Resharper
doing ad hoc deploys
and I’m always deliverin’
and I made that choice
regardless of dividends
creating all this noise
in some form
until the bitter end
stating with with my voice
theres no norm
that I can fit within
haven’t been sleeping
but using lots of REST
pass the mic back to who rocked it best