i grew up as a sista, round the brothers

the kids who get pissed ya, bout their mothers

livin still with mom and dad

somethin i once had

he was quite the father, then times got bad

and im not gonna bother i will get too sad

well fuck, blame the cancer cells

good luck, god’s cast a spell

in his organs, lost his endurance

mom got a job sellin’ insurance

lets get him good, lets get him healthy!

no sorry that shit’s only for the wealthy

so whats the problem here?

you think its okay for us to live in fear

and you will never come near

cause the things you hear

about the blacks in hood trynna steal your beer?

sellin crack, outta whack, but why is it he we attack?

that ain’t no good, cause the white cat was round the block

he’ll go into your house and he wont even knock

and you left the door locked, but he found a rock

threw it in the window and invaded your space like spock

i don’t beat around the block, im taking steps like tick tock

never fleeing from the flock, i get stares like Chris Rock

if youre in New York city and he’s passing by

It’s nearing 95 and be sure to say hi

1995 and 95 degrees youre wishing for that nice west coast breeze

but i’m up here in michigan, they left me to freeze

Detroit, to be specific, i consider it terrific

It’s right for me, chemistry, i wont get scientific

unless you provoke me, thats a negative attraction

let’s try to be stable, common ground is satisfaction

then we got ourselves a bond, and i am growing quiet fond

like they coy in the pond, till they get hooked

thrown on the scales, striped of their scales,

and get cooked, follow the cook book

like a model with her look book

im not trying to make sense here,

i hope thats clear, but if you listen closely,

this stuff is mostly, just me ramblin,

liked its s’pposed’ ta be.

and now im gamblin’, grades for hearing aids,

thanks to mos and kweli

and brother ali

and immortal technique

and common’s “be”

and who ever inspires me

im feelin myself lately, completely free

what to be what to see, should i get a degree?

and would you all agree, simultaneously

that in life there is no gaurantee, so why get angry?

ain’t no reasons for complaining, but we can sure make some

all this entertaining, making our minds dumb

my generation needs a wake up call, splash water on their face

all they care about’s they make up all perfectly placed

it’s displaced, whats come of the human race,

lets pick up the pace, without leaving a trace

cause its conspicous consumption and materialism

that kills culture like the British imperialism

in india, thank god for mahatma ghandi,

like a crater to the moon, he’s like the earth’s lalandi