1. |
A Time Like This
02:58
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It happened last night but I’m shook this mornin’
A Zimmerman wanna-be almost Trayvoned me
The rage and sadness, I’m afraid my blackness
Though beautiful might put me in a grave wit’ maggots
But maybe that’s the only way I rest in peace
Gotta hide from the internet and TV screens
‘Cause I’m gettin’ overwhelmed with the way we bleed
And the hate that radiates straight from DC
I been through enough and I’m ready to quit
I don’t wanna explain my pain to no prick
No mic no stage I’m ready to stay hid
But when I go to run away the fire gets lit
Deep within my skeleton I’m yellin’ at the heavens
I am not a prophet why you givin’ me these visions
Wounds is still healin’ I ain’t ready for the mission
But none of my excuses extinguishes the conviction
Maybe all the agony that couldn’t destroy me
prepared me for the battle that is set before me
Maybe there’s a reason I’m young Black and pissed
Maybe that’s exactly what we need in a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time
Maybe there’s a reason I was made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time
Maybe there’s a reason I was made…
We sprayed dat champagne Obama in ‘08
Progress is never permanent workin’ to maintain
A brotha in the office but they murdered Trayvon Martin
Sandra Bland and Eric Garner
We got out on the corner
Marchin’ and protestin’ like Washington 63
Or Donald Trump’s America 2017
Man this here is discouragin’
I’m in need of some nourishment
‘Cause my faith isn’t flourishin’
Maybe this is a test
Maybe I fear Goliath but David’s a better bet
Maybe I be forgettin’ the Spirit of God lives
inside of this carcass with power to resurrect
Maybe I’m Queen Esther
May I never forget
I live and die with my people
I was made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time
Maybe there’s a reason I was made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time like this
Made for a time
Maybe there’s a reason I was made for a time like this
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2. |
Too Much?
03:53
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Forever feel like we on a treadmill
Sweatin’ buckets runnin’ hard but stuck in the same spot
My God we been faithful in squalor and grief
Such a miracle our people’s stubborn hope and belief
They murder us in the street
They murder us in the pew
We show you the way of Jesus
Forgivin’ you Dylan Roofs
But still so many treat us like a stereotype
Y’all don’t wanna see the truth
It could cost you ya life
Or maybe just your position
A stain on your reputation
A smidget of inconvenience
But really only your privilege
It’s like they so afraid of power equality
But we don’t want revenge, we only wanna be free
Ain’t tryin’ to rape your daughters or throw your sons into prison
Don’t want your babies trapped in the ghetto and malnutritioned
Don’t want you to feel ugly for bein’ a different color
And neither do we want it for our sistas and our brothas
No we ain’t never marched for diamonds
And never would demand your love
Just the air to breathe
The space to be
Equality, is that too much?
No we ain’t never marched for diamonds
And never would demand your love
Just the air to breathe
The space to be
Equality, is that too much to want
Is that too much to want?
Is that too much to want?
Is that too much
that too much
Is that too much to want?
They call us lazy now
Just like the massa back in the day
And promise fewer beatings if we cower and obey
Ain’t tryin’ to get promoted from field to house slave
I wanna get out wit’ Moses on dat underground train
Done lost my way if I rise to the top of an exploitive
system unjust and corrupt
I seen what American Dreamin’ do to ya soul
Don’t let me be sedated by the power and the gold
Too many revolutionaries make a little dough
Then forget all of the people they was advocatin’ fo’
I’m livin’ in the kingdom where meek run the show
Great clean the feet of the weak and the po’
I swear we never wanted what you think we comin’ fo’
We see it isn’t workin’ so we take another road
No we ain’t never marched for diamonds
And never would demand your love
Just the air to breathe
The space to be
Equality, is that too much?
No we ain’t never marched for diamonds
And never would demand your love
Just the air to breathe
The space to be
Equality, is that too much to want
Is that too much to want?
Is that too much to want?
Is that too much
that too much
Is that too much to want?
To be silent in an age of corruption
Is to be violent towards those the system is stacked against
To be silent in an age of corruption is to be violent against myself
Which is somethin’ I will not do
I will be disruptive
I am not too loud
I am not too angry
I am not too Black
I don’t want too much
I am not too much
I am not too much
I am not too much
My people be feisty
Don’t tell us to ask nicely
Only demandin’ what belongs to us rightly
Many Whites be frontin’ like they want peace
But they just want us quiet when we murdered by police
What if we handled beef like our commander in chief
Droppin’ Tomahawk missiles on LAPD
Sent some revolutionaries to invade DC
Kill a corrupt King with his entire regime
Then counted all their babies as civilian casualties
Tell their widows that we did it in the name of peace
You only make war wit’ big bombs and guns
If you livin’ by the sword you gon’ die by one
You don’t gotta get deployed if you POC
Everybody from the hood got PTSD
Every color folk ever been the sole
representative in a classroom
At a church, at our binesses
We know how to flip a warzone to a feast
How to inhale hate
exhale with peace
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3. |
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By the end of this verse
You gon’ need antiseptic
These words slice nerves
Hope you know that it’s bless-ed
Be the wounds of friends over enemy kisses
Can’t schmooze and front after all these offenses
I been educatin’ with inspirational truth
But times like this I spit straight rebukes
Religious hypocrites white american pastors
Spoke of integrity, purity when they blasted
President Bill Clinton Back in 90 and 8
But support a chauvinistic prideful bigot today
I wonder what they would say if Donald J. was a Democrat
Moral compass point to where the power and the money at
Whitewashed tombs only fools could ignore
How the very same Lord that you claim to adore
Reserved the harsh words for people just like you
Who quoted all the scripture but was blind to the truth
Travelin’ overseas and you proselytize
Just to raise up mini me-s twice as evil inside
Tokenizin’ the prophets like Dr. Martin the King
When your fathers were the mockers tellin’ him not to dream
You evil brood of vipers shed the blood of the righteous
You should fear the wrath of God but you talkin’ bout ISIS
The house of prayer should be inviting to every nation
But you filled it with thieves
Time to turn these tables
I’m sorry if this come as a surprise
I was never here to give you what you like
I was never here to tickle your ears
And make you feel all kinda warm fuzzy inside
I pray I never do this for applause
And neither do I try to piss ‘em off
I’m committed to the truth
If they love it or they boo
I don’t pay no mind I answer to the Lord
Messiah tried to warn us on God
Said they blind even though they got eyes
‘Cause they threw him a parade
then a couple more days
they was cryin’ for him to be crucified
Guarantee we gonna see a lot of hate
if we followin’ the leader of The Way
And we prolly see it most
from the very same folks who say
Glory Hallelujah all day
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well ‘cause the truth I’m gon’ tell
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well Oh well
[PROPAGANDA’S VERSE]
Gotta remember who you answer to
Who you write the anthems to
Who you raise ya hands to
Who dat Propaganda dude
Who be curing cancer
Who carry the answers
Who can unlock the dancers
Who be givin’ stanzas
Came to scorch the ground and make vegetation spring
I ain’t scared of hate mail
The conqueror sings
I ain’t made of paper mâché
I fortified my brain
I ain’t scared of pain
I understand my lane
Gadfly
Agitator
Underrated
Under radar
Under miner
Underling
Under the anointing
I ‘ont check my DMs I answer to a deity
Ain’t worried ‘bout no per diem
Call it like I see ‘em
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well ‘cause the truth I’m gon’ tell
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well Oh well
Separation of the Church and state is written
in our laws with the freedom of religion
Plus you claim that our nation has biblical foundations
Fascinating, let me ask you somethin’ Christian
If you think a Muslim is your enemy
and your Savior say to love your enemies
then you ain’t got no excuse and I really am confused
why you wanna ban Islamic Refugees
If the Bible say you s’pose to love your neighbor
And to be hospitable even to strangers
tell me why most of your friends go the very same skin
you don’t even know the people you afraid of
The crazy thing about it all to me
Jesus was a middle-eastern refugee
Mama Africa embraced him
but America so racist
baby Jesus woulda been a casualty, Oh well
Woah Micah woah
Woah Micah woah
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so bold
Laugh Micah laugh
Laugh Micah laugh
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so mad
Chill Micah chill
Chill Micah chill
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so real
Rap Micah rap
But not about that
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so BLACK
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4. |
Top of The Food Chain
02:17
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Top of the food chain
american white male
walks into a concert
Unleashes the hell
brewing inside his ruinous
mind body and soul
Got bodies hittin the floor
Pandemonium broke
Under investigation
Seemingly unprovoked
No religious affiliation
rhyme reason or motive
Everybody cryin’ and wonderin
how and why
But if we keepin’ it real it’s happening all the time
Top of the food chain
american white male
walks into a Church, theatre,
school, mall, or crowd
In the name of nothin’ he
unleashes the hell brewing
inside his privilege pride and prejudice
Media call him crazy
but really it’s curious
Mental illness exists everywhere on the globe
But only in America is every 24
hours another mass shooting
Now we havin’ mass
Light a candle
Thoughts and prayers
But God is not gassed
Prayin’ but hold fast
to gun rights and cash
You made off the goose
who lays golden gats
Glorified war and self-defense myths
A culture of violence
A cycle of death
But nothin’s gone change if the tickets still sell
‘Cause everybody loves an Al Capone tale,
From Hollywood films to these military planes
flying over the field at an NFL game
Murder is a patriot as red white and blue
Apple pie all American
and lucrative too
Big stick politics
What you gon’ do
Top of the food chain
and the only way to stay is to have
a bigger gun and be unafraid to spray
Trickle down from the white house
To the mind of an everyday American
with murder in his eye
Paranoid when you be the king of the hill
Do they kill because they crazy
or crazy because they kill
Top of the food chain
american white male
gas gained the whole world
and lost his own POOOOWWWWWW
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5. |
Just War Theory
04:29
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Live by the sword
Die by the sword
Say you want peace
But forever make war
Freedom ain’t free
Better aim for the core
But freedom ain’t freedom
If you killin’ the poor (2x)
Would you die for what you believed at 18?
Do you trust your teenage perception of complexities
Of self
Of God
Of Good and evil
Right and wrong
Truth
Love
Global Economy
Foreign Relations
Just War Theory
Did you even know what those terms meant back then?
Armed forces recruits youth to fight wars of cowardly men
Three years too young to be trusted with a margarita
but Uncle Sam handin’ teenagers guns
Children deployed to front lines
at the command of a commander in chief
they were too young to vote for
Killin’ poor folk they do not know
over conflicts they do not understand
And when they die
we thank them for their service
Drape patriotism over their casket
and claim they sacrificed for freedom’s sake
I for one am not grateful
I grieve for the loss of life
But they ain’t die for my freedom
If you die for America, you die for a nation
that still treats me sub-human
Fallen soldiers are victims, not heroes
Victims of a government that sends their young and poor to early graves
All because old men are stuck in their ways
Willing to sacrifice other people’s lives to
maintain power and privilege
Running to war as a first resort
Not creative enough to dream up other forms of conflict resolution
Unless of course THEY are the terrorists
The White knights lynching the innocent
Police brutalizing the citizens
Then they prefer peaceful protest
Then they believe nonviolent resistance to evil is effective
Sometimes I wonder if these wars were domestic
Would they think twice about bombing enemy lairs in residential areas
in Beverly Hills, in Time Square?
If civilian casualties were their own wives and children would they
be eager to wage warfare?
Would they get better at diplomacy?
Learn how to compromise?
De-escalate tensions?
Learn to fight fire with water
War with peace
Stop spending billions on defense
And pour resource into foreign aid
education and disaster relief
Make friends out of would-be enemies
Fight evil with poetry
Appoint Rappers as foreign ambassadors
‘Cause hip hop already united the atlas
Middle-eastern kids bumpin’ Chance and Kendrick
There is another way
No disrespect to vets with post-traumatic stress
or soldiers who lost their life
But no one is a hero just ‘cause they fight
I am not grateful your service
I don’t know what you did on tour
Even aside from possible war crimes
I’m not sure if I believe in this war
But I am grateful you made it back alive
I do pray you find peace for your war-torn mind
I do pray you put down your weapon and realize
You can fight for freedom without killing for it
You can die for freedom without killing for it
That’s the only kind of freedom worth fighting for
Worth dying for
Worth living for
But if you live by the sword…
Live by the sword
Die by the sword
Say you want peace
But forever make war
Freedom ain’t free
Better aim for the core
But freedom ain’t freedom
If you killin’ the poor (3x)
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6. |
Ally Anthem
03:14
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For hip hop heads who don’t wanna be black
Who love black people more than they love rap
For all the real friends who grieve for Black lives
‘steada diggin’ up dirt and tryin’ to justify
For all the white folks with the ears to hear
who don’t make black pain all about your guilt
Don’t make black rage all about your fear
Who never stay quiet when verdicts is unfair
Who join us in the fire stead’a stayin’ in the clear
‘Cause they know they ain’t free till we all get there
This the ally anthem
Rule number one
Make sure this track is not your favorite song
Gratitude to activists of every hue
Especially if you woke without havin’ a black boo
Ya do it ‘cause it’s right
And ya do it ‘cause it’s true
And ya do it ‘cause you love Fresh Prince and soul food
Ya do it ‘cause you think that my people is beautiful
So glad you do, y’all pretty fly too
Wit’ our boots to the ground
Fist in the air
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
Wit’ our boots to the ground
Fist in the air
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
For Daddys wit’ all daughters
Who ain’t wishin’ for sons
For sons brothers and fathers
Who love who they come from
For lovers of strong women
Who never intimidated
But celebrating their ladies
Like my baby the greatest!
For the male womanist
Killin’ their inner chauvinist
Never lookin’ for credit
For doin’ what should be obvious
Gender equality ain’t a noble belief
It’s basic humanity
Be glad that you ain’t a beast
Unafraid to release
emotion because you see
compassion and sympathy
is strength, don’t be weak
No man is free if just men are free
We fight for her rights but she take the lead
Wit’ our boots to the ground
Fist in the air
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
Wit’ our boots to the ground
Fist in the air
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
We ain’t gon’ stop ‘till we all get there
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7. |
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Educatin’ my mind
Keep my tongue on a leash
Disciplinin’ my passion to listen before I speak
It’s been hot for a minute and I been feelin’ the heat
Trying to speak with love but patience is growin’ weak
Evil is growin’ strong
And every word is a bomb
And even when I be careful the haters be sayin’
WRONG
OK, I guess we fightin’
I was tryin’ to be civil but you comin’ at me crooked
I’m about to keep it rizzle
Won’t make it any better but it’s gonna feel great
when I flex my intellect and put your stupid on display
Oh Laaawd I need to pray
Venom in my poetry
Death and life is in the tongue
Oratin’ a killin’ spree
I’m heavy with the speech
Always been my greatest skill
I’m heavy with the speech
Always my Achilles heel
I’m ready for the beef
I’ll roast all ya bull
But the wise stay quiet in the presence of a fool
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out, just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do, don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
I don’t believe my actions
speak louder than my words
With hand-crafted diction entire sentence is a verb
In other words, our words are actions too
Will you speak the truth or react and spew
Gotta choose when to stay quiet and swallow your pride
When to yell like a fool that the roof is on fire
Best believe there’s a time when you gotta do both
Don’t argue with disbelievers who deny the smoke
Betta ring the alarm for the ones who don’t know
I’ma scream out the truth till I got a sore throat
Hold my tongue when we win
Jesus don’t let me gloat
‘Cause my God get no pleasure in the death of a fool
Let ‘em talk
The foolish run they mouth all night all noon all day
Let ‘em talk
Be wise and tune them out just close your eyes and pray
Let ‘em talk
Be slow to speak and when you do don’t be afraid
Let ‘em talk
The simple truth will cut through hate like razor blade
Like razor blade
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8. |
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I get around this rock
Mad homies on the block
In a whole lotta cities I know
Got fam in Youngstown
Many friends up in Bend
And I fell in love with Chicago
But when I’m on this road
And I spit these poems
And they wanna know a little ‘bout me
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
Minutes from da coast
Never go to the sand
If you isn’t from my home
Then you won’t understand
Meet a Long Beach grown
I don’t care what you do
Only thing I wanna know
Where you went to high school?
I’m a scholar and a champ, green and golden I bleed
Classroom lookin’ like a coalition of peace
Black, White, Cambodian, Polynesian, and Brown
All tight like a fist that be fightin’ the power
Sup foo, aye cuz, dudes ladies and bros
Hands high for the city, dubs up for the coast
I’m Kappernickin’ the flag but Cali until I croak
No matter how far I go Long Beach on my dome
I get around this rock
Mad homies on the block
In a whole lotta cities I know
Got fam in Youngstown
Many friends up in Bend
And I fell in love with Chicago
But when I’m on this road
And I spit these poems
And they wanna know a little ‘bout me
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be (My home be the city by the sea)
Be the City of Long Beach (My home be the LB, LBC)
Cousin I’m glad that gangsta rap died
Bad for ya mind but ya boy can’t lie
The G Funk ride
Whenever I hear ‘em play Snoop, Dre
Warren, Nate I’m ready to regulate
on my enemies though I never load clips
If you raised in the beach you an honorary Crip
What makes a young church boy
wanna dip to songs about indo
sippin on gin
Really one word I just wanted respect
Black since birth I was born wit’ a hex
Thug or thug-not they treated me like a threat
So I might as well strut wit’ my little bird chest
Feelin’ like a King when I saw how they feared me
Swagger so clean even privilege envies
Tables got turned now White kids they yearn
to have what we got but this is our burden
Our stories finally gettin’ heard
From the ghettos of America to the ends of the earth
Whole world wishin’ they was Black like us
But it ain’t dope to live po’ and oppressed
Oh no my people don’t be pimpin’ your pain
Romanticizing the madness to make you some change
If you reppin’ for your hood hope you rappin’ for change
Do not gentrify, transform hearts and brains
I get around this rock
Mad homies on the block
In a whole lotta cities I know
Got fam in Youngstown
Many friends up in Bend
And I fell in love with Chicago
But when I’m on this road
And I spit these poems
And they wanna know a little ‘bout me
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be (My home be the city by the sea)
Be the City of Long Beach (My home be the LBC)
My home be (My home be the city by the sea)
Be the City of Long Beach (My home be the LB, LBC)
Ronnie B from the LBC
Class of Nineteen Seventy Three
I know you
You know me
Hey I’m still the same but one thing has changed
I now proclaim Jesus name
I used roll on my Schwinn after dark
Meet the fellas up at King Park
Ride the bridge to the westide
‘Cause it all was Long Beach pride
Met up at the P,O,L,Y
All green and gold inside
I used to hang out with D Dub
Kenny, Kelly and J Dub,
Sed, Lee, and Ricky G
Junior Lee, Anthony, Louie, and Big D
All representing the LBC
I get around this rock
Mad homies on the block
In a whole lotta cities I know
Got fam in Youngstown
Many friends up in Bend
And I fell in love with Chicago
But when I’m on this road
And I spit these poems
And they wanna know a little ‘bout me
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be
Be the City of Long Beach
My home be (My home be the city by the sea)
Be the City of Long Beach (My home be the LBC)
My home be (My home be the city by the sea)
Be the City of Long Beach (My home be the LB, LBC)
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9. |
Kissed (Ft. Lucee)
04:09
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(Lucee’s Verse)
My mother wants the best for me
I know she’s so sincere
But somewhere in our history
Her wisdom bowed down to fear
She taught me only fall in love with
beauty that was fair
My seeds will grow in ground
my roots could never bear
Fear sunk deep into my soul
And I’ll face the fire
Turn my love to gold
I’ll teach my child to love
I’ll teach my child to love herself
I’ll teach my child to love
Since we’re kissed by the sun (2x)
If I get blessed wit’ a dark daughter
Bet that she’ll never be afraid of water
Hair not pressed so nuthin’ to mess up
Fro so fresh everybody wanna touch
No princess, no Cinderella
We gon’ read about Assata Shakur and Coretta
Civil disobedience, peaceful protest
Before she gets slapped wit’ alternative facts
Gotta fight back with the truth, we
plant that seed in the youth, please
pray that it grow deep roots
So they know what not to believe at school
See, might be the teacher might be the text
Might be the mean girls or the cool kids
Came home sad ‘cause her lips so fat
And her hair so coarse and her skin so Black
Child ain’t dang thang wrong wit’ that
Matta fact Dad thinks you da bomb for that
All praise to the most high God for that
Put ya fist in the sky give the sun some dap
I’ll teach my child to love
I’ll teach my child to love herself
I’ll teach my child to love
Since we’re kissed by the sun (2x)
White supremacy
Is the enemy
In the inner me
Even centuries
After slavery
Still we tend to think
Light skinned girls finer than ebony
Ain’t no merit in talkin’ proper
Hair ain’t good ‘cause it’s straight and longer
Name ain’t bad because it’s complex
I bet Beyoncé got teased at recess
Can’t you see how they stole our minds
Made us hate on our very own kind
Why we think after all their crimes
Everything’s better if it’s almost White?
Rock your puffs and talk yo slang
Be proud dat you got a unique name
Love your Black like it’s the new thang
Treat yo’self like it’s ya birthday
I’ll teach my child to love
I’ll teach my child to love herself
I’ll teach my child to love
Since we’re kissed by the sun (2x)
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10. |
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Micah: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
Lauren: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
Both: You could be my boo thang
boo thang
Micah: Girl
Lauren: Boy
Both: Baby maybe we could try a new thang
Micah: I want a woke love
Lauren: A partner in hope love
Micah: A make ya feel rich when ya flat broke love
Lauren: A generous rather give than accept love
Micah: We livin’ on less even if we come up
Lauren: I want a bold love
Micah: A never conform love
Lauren: A white picket fence is never the goal love
Micah: A push ya to ya limits and helping ya grow love
Lauren: A do what we thought was impossible befo’ love
Micah: I want a real love
Lauren: A say how you feel love
Micah: Honest and patient no manipulation here love
Lauren: This ain’t a game love
Micah: No shifting the blame love
Both: I’m sorry please forgive me when I cause you pain love
Lauren: I want a young love
Micah: A silly and dumb love
Lauren: A never get too grown to have us some fun love
Both: A you get on my nerves
Micah: But you still the one love
Lauren: Never my fate
Micah: Choose you every single day love
Lauren: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
Micah: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
Micah:
Ain’t nobody walkin’ round with half of a heart
If you ain’t got you a partner better love who you are
Steady mopin’ feelin’ lonely thinkin’ love is the fix
Guarantee you little homie you ain’t ready for it
If you sad independent, you gone be sad hitched
How you finna be in love if you don’t got it to give?
Fall in love with a deli
Fall in love with a park
Fall in love with a novel
Music poetry art
Fall in love with the God
Who created it all
So if you ever fall in love
You can share who you are
You’ll never find your other half in someone else’s arms
Completed in Jesus since I put my faith in the Lord
Romance is nice but life is much more
Single, married divorced keep loving and march forth
Romance is nice but life is much more
Single married divorced, keep lovin… keep livin’
Both: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
I don’t need it but I want it
If you bout it let me know
and baby maybe I could be your boo thang
You could be my boo thang
boo thang
Micah: Girl
Lauren: Boy
Both: Baby maybe we could try a new thang
Micah:
If I ever find love
I been lettin’ it burn
So I ain’t no Don Juan but I’m eager to learn
Will you please let me know how I can please you
If at first we don’t succeed we can re-do
Baby you intellectual
I’m a sapiosexual
Eat you up like a vegetable ‘cause you healthy for me
This is pure matrimony
Even our nasty is holy
So ain’t no shame in the mornin’
You want two waffles or three?
Yo it’s lovely to dream
But if it never come true
Yeah I’ll be disappointed but I got livin’ to do
I got a bachelor savior who came to show me the way
Turn that water into wine
Lovin’ life every day
Micah: I been
I been
I been thinkin’ that you fly girl
I been
I been
I been thinkin’ that you fly girl
I been watchin’
I been scopin’
I been prayin’
I been hopin’
that one day
Mmm mmm mmm maybe you be my girl
Lauren: I been
I been
I been thinkin’ that you fly guy
I been
I been
I been thinkin’ that you fly guy
I been watchin’
I been scopin’
I been prayin’
I been hopin’
that one day
Mmm mmm mmm maybe you be my guy
Both: But If you ain’t about it
Ima be okay
Ima be okay
Micah: ‘Cause I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
Lauren: I been livin’ I been doin’ my thang
I been livin’ I been killin’ this game
Micah: Romance
I don’t need it but I want it
Romance
I don’t need it but I want it
But if it never come my way
Lauren: Ima be okay
Ima be okay
Ima be okay
|
||||
11. |
||||
BOTH: Before I left for college, my mom told me
Beth: Study hard
Micah: Read ya Bible
Beth: Don’t get pregnant
Micah: Don’t you bring home no White girl…
She was joking
Beth: Of course she was joking
Micah: It’s not like moms is racist or nothin’
Beth Before I left for college my dad told me
Don’t fall in love with anyone you’re ashamed to introduce to your parents
I remember my dad sinking into the couch to watch local news
He said
“Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization”
He said he was joking
Micah: Was he joking?
Both: Don’t fall in love with anyone you’re ashamed to introduce to your parents
Micah: The freedom to fall in love with whoever I fall in love with would be nice
But every time I’m attracted to a light-skinned woman
I have to check my self-hatred
Would I fall for a darker version of her too?
Light complexion is not a virtue
Should not be a plus
Beth: Every time I’m attracted to a man with dark skin
I have to check my self hatred
Do I have a fetish? Because I do want to touch his hair
My skin feels like a ghost under the sheets my ancestors wore
Micah: Then one of my Black homies said,
“bruh, if you keep talkin’ all this pro-Black stuff
And marry a White girl, you lose all credibility ”
Beth: Then one of my White friends said,
“girl, you could never love a Black man while your understanding of Blackness is just a hypothesis.”
Both: And I knew they were wrong
And I knew they were right
Micah: But love is a hill worth dying on
And If I date a White woman
She needs to understand
I will never lecture Black women for feeling abandoned
For hoping someone outside of themselves would love them
For expecting those someones to be the sons they gave life
And if my White girlfriend can’t tell the difference between
My heartbroken mother and her racist father
She was never gonna last anyway
She was bound to leave when she realized my penis wasn’t any bigger
And her fantasies were just that
If you wanna date Black don’t expect applause
Beth: But love is a hill worth dying on
I know an interracial relationship is not going to cure racism
Not even internally
I’m screaming Black is beautiful
I’m really just screaming I’m not racist
Just so everyone knows
I’m not racist
I’m not racist
BUT
What if I am?
What if I don’t say the right thing?
What if I actually say the wrong thing?
Because it’s tradition to say I don’t, but I do see color
And I’m trying to see it better
If I fall in love with a Black guy I hope he understands
I’m trying
Both: Because it’s love that makes me want to understand our differences, not erase them
Beth: But I forgot this isn’t a love poem
Micah: This isn’t a love poem
This is all hypothetical
Love is a hill worth dying on
But there’s a gap between theory and practice
Both: I might chicken out
Micah: I might accidently-on-purpose stop holdin’ your hand in a room full of Blackness
Beth: I might not introduce you to my parents... not now, not yet
Both: I might let racism and its effects keep me from loving you right
But I could never be ashamed of you
I’ll be ashamed of myself
|
||||
12. |
Gimme Gimme Shuga
03:40
|
|||
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Bbq’n chicken on da charcoal fire
Sumthin’ in da kitchen and it smell so nice
Grandma Harrell made the pretzel jello cream pie
Gimme Gimme five on the Blackhand side
Cookie say she comin Auntie Ann outside
Even uncle Larry said he finna stop by
Afros corn rows everybody fly
Gimme Gimme five on the Blackhand side
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
All the nephews is hoopin’
Nieces is jumpin’ rope
Old Folks gettin’ loud slappin’ down bones
Gene and Uncle Polk out back wit’ a smoke
Uncle Lin is sippin’ on somethin’ and crackin’ jokes
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Bottles in the sky
Pour it to the ground
Remember the joy, the happiness and the smiles
Remember to love the ones that are still around
Gimme Gimme shuga like it’s goin’ out of style
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
on the Blackhand side
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme shuga
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme Gimme five
Gimme my roses while I’m still alive, yeah
I said Gimme my roses while I’m still alive, yeah
I said Gimme my roses while I’m still alive, yeah
Rest in peace Grandma Harrell
Rest in peace Cousin Cookie
Rest in peace Auntie Anne
Uncle Larry
Grandma Gene
Uncle Polk
Rip Uncle Lin
If you love your peoples
Betta let ‘em know while you still can
I said Gimme my roses while I’m still alive
|
||||
13. |
I Got Joy
03:35
|
|||
Money stay low
Rock second hand clothes
And I’m dippin’ in a whip bout 20 years
Wear the same shoes ‘till them boys got holes
5 years deep tryin’ slang these poems
Still aint got the cheese just to make these hits
Had to run Kickstarter for “A Time Like This”
Momma said
Boy why you beggin for bread
Need to quit
Need to quit it and get you a real gig
Very next week went to spit some poetry
At open mic at Fox Coffee in Long Beach
A sister said
brotha, ya poetry changed me
A brotha said
brotha you speaking my story
Molested by a priest when I was a lil boy
Freakshow gonna help me to grow and move forward
Sold a couple discs made a few pesos
But I’m feelin like I’m swimmin’ in Oprah Queso
Everybody get it when I drop a new jawn
Free download at my name dot com
I don’t want ya money
I just wanna give life
‘Cause I got da joy dat money cannot buy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
I’m the brokest one of all of my squad
But I’m happy as can be and they be hatin’ they jobs
Got a salary and benefits a car and a dog
Feelin hollow but they followed all the wisdom they got
Gotta go into debt if you ever wanna be rich
Don’t think about it just listen I’m tellin you what it is
Went to college had to borrows from the capitalists
Now instead of dreaming big they worried bout pay checks
To pay off they school debt then pick up a mortgage
Making them six figs but feel like some poor kids
Cause they livin’ on the edge of they means
But life is more than comfort and havin’ some nice things
Lord I’m a good man
But my soul lean
Life so bland
What does all this mean?
Follow God give your wealth to the poor
Bet you walk away sad, you don’t want this joy
I Got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
I got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money
Joy dat da money can’t buy
Been broke
But we neva lose hope
Singin bout joy since whips and lynch ropes
Eyes on the prize since days of Jim Crow
Remixed our pain to Blues and Gospel
Faith in the Christ who favors poor folks
Ears to the cries that rise from ghettos
Not many wise or wealthy get chose
God gives the light to despised and low
Poor find pride and the proud humbled
Weak made strong and the shy made bold
Joy so full everybody wanna know
Where it come from so we gotta let ‘em know
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy dat da money can’t buy
We got joy
Got joy
Got joy from Da Lord
Joy from Da Lord on high
|
||||
14. |
||||
Used to dream of leather jackets and black berets
Black fist raised wishin’ I was back in the day
With the courage of Tubman I’d be conductin’ a train
Bet I sit with Rosa
Bet I march with King
Bet I wouldn’t take nothin’ from the KKK
Bet I BPP
Bet I Stokley C
Bet I Bobby, bet I Huey
Bet I fight for we
Bet I need to snap back, reality check
I ain’t been to near one BLM protest
Yeah I post a lotta talk ‘cause I’m so upset
But it’s kinda complicated and I’m not the best
at time management I gotta lotta stuff to do
I can’t officially join but I support the crew
Too broke to donate, Ima pray for you
But the shirt so dope, Ima cop me two
Stop modelin’ y’all
We got work to do
All hands on deck
Get on board
‘Cause this ain’t politics anymore
We need
all hands on deck
Get on board
‘Cause this ain’t politics anymore
We need
all hands on deck
(Izzi Ray)
I’m an independent woman
And a fighter and a lover
And a singer and a writer and
A whole lotta other
All of the foremothers been runnin’ a marathon
Carried the flame far
Now they passin’ it on
Don’t forget how they died
Don’t forget how they lived
Don’t forget what they gave
Everybody that did what they do
You don’t gotta be a Martin Luther King
What if Sojourner never said a truthful thing
What if Frida never painted and Nina she never sang
What if everyone despised what they had to bring
To the table don’t you ever think it isn’t enough
‘Cause the party isn’t catered this joint is a potluck
You got to show up laced ready and set
No half-steppin’ ‘cause this battle gonna take
All hands on deck
All hands on deck
Get on board
‘Cause this ain’t politics anymore
We need
all hands on deck
Get on board
‘Cause this ain’t politics anymore
We need
all hands on deck
(Jackie Miclau)
What’s crackelin’ peeps
It’s young Jacquelyn, peace
To my squad, Rip city to Romanian streets
I’m the daughter of some immigrants
Tired of the ignorance
People are people and that should be the end of it
But I know it isn’t so I got to play
Woman of few words with a lot to say
Don’t speak
Just listen as I tap the keys
Cause every revolution need a symphony
Sumthin’ to march to while fightin’ the good fight
My fingers do the talkin’ I don’t ever need a mic
But since they gave it to me girl you know I gotta slay
High heel revolutionary faith all day
(Liz Vice)
Liz Vice checkin’ in on the mic
I’m a west coast kid
wit’ an east coast life
Moved to NY to find peace of mind
and maybe a nice guy unafraid of my shine
My ladies don’t hesitate
to be all that you was made
to be because you afraid
that you might intimidate a dude
I promise you
Your strength is beautiful
To all who really know the God
Who created you
Love to the haters
And the ity bity boys
Afraid to see the ladies
Makin joyful noise
We gave you all life
We hold half the sky
Too fly to be shy
Come dance wit’ me bruh
(Lucee)
L, U, C, Double E
J, A, Double Z
Used to be embarrassed that my hair so cuddly
Then I got woke and broke my hot comb
Now I’m rockin’ shows full blown afro
Finally I see the beauty in my own soul
Singin’ love songs for those with low hope
Rebel with a cause
Rebel with a guitar
Dominicana you don’t wanna step to my bars
But on the dance floor you can step to my bars
Bachata if ya gotta
Shout out to DR
L. Jazz bringin’ light and sass
I’m a brand new woman
with a broken past
But I know I been forgiven
so my hope is phat
for the future and the present
You can toast to that
|
||||
15. |
||||
Some Drunk Poet was singing of God and his mercies
Quietly sipping his gin
Painting a picture
Words from a portrait
of Jesus but coming again
And oh sing oh Lord oh grace
And oh sing oh Lord oh grace
Never dismiss the visions of madmen
Wisdom can be gathered from anyone who sees what others cannot
Drunk men tell no tales
Poets cannot lie
Poets cannot lie
Because we do not divide fact from fiction
There’s often more truth in our fantasy worlds and metaphors
than human courts where liars swear to speak honestly
in the name of laws they break
In the name of gods they disobey
The prayers of the proud will never reach heaven
But God hears the slurred words of the stumbling prophets
And all will be cursed who mock them
It is not an easy task to plead with the world
To grieve for the world
Especially since God often speaks through those most broken
The picture we paint in our minds
is a far cry from the reality of heaven
When the saints go marching in
it will not be a parade of the almost perfect
God does not reserve grace for those
who only need a little bit
The healthy are in no need of a doctor
The Healer is for the sick
Heaven will be a freakshow
Promiscuous young men will embrace
the virgin priests who molested them
and their hearts will both be pure
How amazing, is grace
The street corner preacher will be greeted by thousands of people
she thought were not listening
“Thank you for enduring the times we mocked you
Your sidewalk sermons are why we know God”
How amazing, is grace
Aborted children will tug the spotless robes of young women
and say “hello mother, I’m so glad to finally meet you”
The former master will see the lashed back of his no longer slave
and say “you taught me the love of the Savior”
The suicide bomber who prayed for forgiveness
during the millisecond between pressing
the detonator and standing before the throne of God
The guilty thief hanging next to Jesus on the cross
The madman who spoke to invisible beings
will stand between Michael and Gabriel
with a grin as wide as an angel’s wingspan and scream
I KNEW I WASN’T CRAZY!
The Mrs. and the mistress
The victim and the rapist
The foreign and racists
The bullies and the geeks
All of those who somewhere
along the way believed
Whose sins were forgiven
and strength was given to love their enemies
So many we swore there is no way in hell
we would see them in heaven
But they will be there
We will be there
with a song our lips
and our eyes full of faith
and we’ll sing
How amazing, is grace
Some Drunk Poet was singing of God and his mercies
Quietly sipping his gin
Painting a picture
Words from a portrait
of Jesus but coming again
And oh sing oh lord oh grace
And oh sing oh lord oh grace
|
||||
16. |
Humming Fools
04:34
|
|||
We are proud to be storytellers
But there was a time when we were considered fools
When only birds could fly
And the earth was flat
When hip hop and jazz
were not considered music
When Black and Brown
were not considered human
When humans could not walk on the moon
When pictures could not move
When women could not vote
When we could not share a meal
unless we shared a skin tone
Yes, we were there
way back then
being mocked and dismissed by most
but we never were ashamed
We never stayed quiet
We were there
telling stories of a day when impossible
things would be daily routines
Today’s common sense
was yesterday’s absurdity
Yet, here we are
Here we are today
Here we are
Flying on airplanes
Walking on moons
Watching moving pictures
in multiple dimensions
Voting FOR women
Listening to MCs flow rivers of words
over jazz beats
Having meals
and children with
lovers from other cultures
Yes, here we are
Still considered fools
being mocked and dismissed by most
but we never are ashamed
We never stay quiet
Here we are
Telling stories of a day when impossible things
will be daily routines
Today’s absurdity will be
tomorrow’s common sense
And we’ll be there
With more stories to be told
more voices to be heard
More never(s) becoming every days
We’ll be there
When creative things are not considered electives
but core to the education of human beings
When developing your creativity is a responsible thing
and working a passionless job to get rich is a silly dream
We’ll be there
When art is taken down from its ivory tower
consumed less like caviar and more like bread and water
We’ll be there when artists are not starving
When humans are not starving
When being White is not a privilege and being Black is not a curse
When we love Mother Earth like a mother
instead of only taking from her
We’ll be there
When our fantasies become common sense
And even then
We will speak of impossible things
The only hope we have are the stories we tell
Stories not bound by what is possible
By what is dead
We walk on water
We resurrect
They laughed us to death
But here we are
Humming fools
Unashamed of hope
Our stories are future
Our stories are foolish
Only until tomorrow
Until tomorrow
Until tomorrow
Here we are today
Here we are today
Until tomorrow
Until tomorrow
Here we are today
Here we are today
Until tomorrow
Maybe we were born
Until tomorrow
Maybe we were raised
Until tomorrow
Maybe there’s a reason we were made
for a time like this
Until tomorrow
Maybe we were born
Until tomorrow
Maybe we were raised
Until tomorrow
Maybe there’s a reason we were made
for a time like this
Until tomorrow
Until tomorrow
Here we are today
Here we are today
|
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