| Disc 1 | ||||||
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| 1. |
| 2:40 | 
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Nah, I wasn't raised at gunpoint
And I've read too many books To distract me from the mirror When unhappy with my looks And I ain't got proper diction For the makings of a thug Though I grew up in the ghetto And my niggers all sold drugs And though that may validate me For a spot on MTV Or get me all the airplay That my bank account would need I was hoping to invest in A lesson that I learned When I thought this fool would jump me Just because it was my turn I went to an open space 'Cause I knew he wouldn't do it If somebody there could see him Or somebody else might prove it And maybe in your eyes It may seem I got punked out 'Cause I walked a narrow path And then went and changed my route But that openness exposed me To a truth I couldn't find In the clenched fists of my ego Or the confines of my mind In the hipness of my swagger Or the swagger in my step Or the scowl of my grimace Or the meanness of my rep 'Cause we represent a truth, son That changes by the hour And when you open to it Vulnerability is power And in that shifting form You'll find a truth that doesn't change And that truth's living proof Of the fact that God is strange Talk to strangers When family fails and friends lead you astray When Buddha laughs and Jesus weeps And it turns out God is gay 'Cause angels and messiahs Love can come in many forms In the hallways of your projects Or the fat girl in your dorm And when you finally take the time To see what they're about And perhaps you find them lonely Or their wisdom trips you out Maybe you'll find where cycles end You're back where you began But come this time around You'll have someone to hold your hand Who prays for you, who's there for you Who sends you love and light Exposes you to parts of you That you once tried to fight And come this time around You choose to walk a different path You'll embrace what you turned away And cry at what you laughed 'Cause that's the only way We're gonna make it through this storm Where ignorance is common sense And senselessness the norm And flags wave high above the truth And the two never touch And stolen goods are overpriced And freedom costs too much And no one seems to recognize The symbols come to life The bitten apple on the screen And Jesus had a wife And she was his messiah Like that stranger may be yours Who holds the subtle knife That carves through worlds like magic doors And that's what I've been looking for The bridge from then to now Was watching BET like, "What the fuck, son? This is foul" But that square box don't represent The sphere that we live in The Earth is not a flat screen I ain't trying to fit in But this ain't for the underground This here is for the Sun A seed a stranger gave to me And planted on my tongue And when I look at you I know I'm not the only one As a great man once said "There's nothing more powerful Than an idea Whose time Has come" |
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| 2. |
| 3:03 |
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I gave hip hop to white boys
When nobody was looking They found it locked in a basement When they gentrified Brooklyn I left a list of instructions An MPC and a mic My sci-fi library And utensils to write Right or wrong I think hip hop is where it belongs Where it comes from is one But, son, we wrote them songs It was a ploy Got fools tied up with mechanized toys We are beings of breath Beyond the beings of boys Now, you can break all you wanna Scratch all you wanna Graff all you wanna Laugh all you wanna But I wanna show you what the stars are made of I wanna show you the stars So substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours It's yours Substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours It's yours White boys listen to white boys Black boys listen to black boys No one listens to no one No one listens to no one Alone on a mountain top Uprooted from the earth Drifting beyond normalcy A gold piece in God's purse Is worthless here We're Earthless here God versus fear Man versus fear Fear not I purse my lips and kiss like a glock Violence is a metaphor for victory's plot Change is inevitable, but our death is not Now, you can break all you wanna Scratch all you wanna Graff all you wanna Laugh all you wanna But I wanna show you what the stars are made of I wanna show you the stars So substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours It's yours Substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours It's yours Grippo I wanna show you what the stars are made of I wanna show you what the stars are made of I wanna show you what the stars are made of I wanna show you the stars So substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours It's yours Substitute the anger and oppression With guilt and depression and it's yours |
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| 3. |
| 3:30 |
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I'm falling up flights of stairs
Scraping myself from the sidewalk Jumping from rivers to bridges Drowning in pure air Hip Hop is lying on the side of the road half dead to itself Blood scrawled over its mangled flesh like jazz Stuffed into an oversized record bag Tuba lips swollen beyond recognition Diamond studded teeth strewn like rice at karma's wedding The ring bearer bore bad news Minister of information wrote the wrong proclamation And now everyone's singing the wrong song Dissonant chords find necks like nooses That nigga kicked the chair from under my feet Harlem shaking from a rope, but still on beat Damn, that loop is tight That nigga found a way to sample the way, the truth, the light Can't wait to play myself at the party tonight Niggas are gonna die Cop car swerves to the side of the road Hip Hop takes its last breath The cop scrawls vernacular manslaughter onto a yellow pad Then balls the paper into his hand Deciding he'd rather free-style You have the right to remain silent You have the right to remain silent And maybe you should have, maybe you should have Before your bullshit manifested These thugs can't fuck with me They're too thugged out Niggas think I'm bugged out 'Cause I ain't Sean John or Lugged out This ain't hip hop no more, son It's bigger than that This ain't ghetto no more, black It's bigger than black So where my aliens at? Girl, we're all illegal This system ain't for us It's for rich people And you ain't rich, dawg You just got money But you can't buy shit To not get hungry Telegram to Hip Hop: Dear Hip Hop, stop This shit has gone too far, stop Please see that turntables and mixer are returned to Kool Herc, stop The ghettos are dancing off beat, stop The master of ceremonies have forgotten that they were once slaves And have neglected the occasion of this ceremony, stop Perhaps we should not have encouraged them to use cordless microphones for they have walked too far from the source and are emitting a lesser frequency, stop Please inform all interested parties that cash nor murder have been included to the list of elements, stop We are discontinuing our line of braggadocio, in light of the current trend in "realness", stop As an alternative, we will be confiscating weed supplies, replacing them with magic mushrooms In hopes of helping niggas see beyond their reality, stop Give my regards to Brooklyn These thugs can't fuck with me They're too thugged out Niggas think I'm bugged out 'Cause I ain't Sean John or Lugged out This ain't hip hop no more, son It's bigger than that This ain't ghetto no more, black It's bigger than black So where my aliens at? Girl, we're all illegal This system ain't for us It's for rich people And you ain't rich, dawg You just got money But you can't buy shit To not get hungry These cats can't fuck with me I purr purple Sewed in crease Too shelled like a turtle I walk the streets Like the lie that I'm telling One listener grips his knee And starts yelling I see through speakers I speak what's seen I eat and shit I sleep and dream I walk the streets of London Like, "Know what I mean?" And chill in Wagamama's eating crisp soy beans It's like that |
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| 4. |
| - | 
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| 5. |
| 3:18 |
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I want my money back
I'm down here drowning in your fat You got me on my knees Praying for everything you lack I ain't afraid of you I'm just a victim of your fear You cower in your tower Praying that I'll disappear I got another plan One that requires me to stand On the stage or in the street Don't need no microphone or beat And when you hear this song If you ain't dead then sing along Bang and strum to these here drums 'Til you get where you belong I got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth You wanna be somebody? See somebody? Try and free somebody? Got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth Hand to mouth I wrote a song for you, today While I was sitting in my room I jumped up on my bed, today And played it on a broom I didn't think that it would be A song that you would hear But when I played it in my head I made you reappear I wrote a video for it And I acted out each part And then I took your picture out And taped it to my heart I've taped you to my heart, dear girl I've taped you to my heart And if you pull away from me You'll tear my life apart I got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth You wanna be somebody? See somebody? Try and free somebody? Got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth Hand to mouth Ecstacy, suffering Echinacea, buffering We aim to remember what we choose to forget God's just a baby and her diaper is wet Call the police I'm strapped to the teeth And liable to disregard Your every belief Call on the law I'm fixin' to draw A line between what is and seems And call up a brawl Call 'em up now 'Cause it's about to go pow I'm standing on the threshold Of the ups and the downs Call up a truce Because I'm 'bout to break loose Protect ya neck 'cause, son I'm breaking out of my noose I got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth You wanna be somebody? See somebody? Try and free somebody? Got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth Hand to mouth I got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth You wanna be somebody? See somebody? Try and free somebody? Got a list of demands Written on the palm of my hands I ball my fist and you're gonna know where I stand We're living hand to mouth Hand to mouth |
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| 6. |
| 4:01 |
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Freedom, ignorance
Jealousy, belligerence Anger, self-control Tolerance, to and fro Wisdom, ecstacy Addiction, dependency Discipline, counter act Pray for peace, then attack Dominance, contradict Upper class, derelict Downgrade, downsize Upstate, uprise Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Downtown, on the block At the club, steaming hot Dancing, talking shit Telling lies like a pimp Meanwhile, underpaid Read like second grade Uncle Sam, sign you up Benefits and a gun Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? African people African people African people African people Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun Rise up, over stand Stand your ground, own your land Serve all, love all Never sleep, never fall Meditate, eat right Pray first, then fight But for truth, not for fame Not for glory or the game Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? African People African people African People African People Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun Liberia, Iraq Dark brown, light black South Africa, Mozambique Mud hut, concrete AIDS ridden, heart disease Strange fruit, southern trees Sierre Leone, diamond mines Cameroon, pipe lines Port au Prince, Salvadore Civil right, civil war Zimbabwe, Trenchtown Money makin', Queens bound BX, Shaolin Uptown, Brooklyn Upstate, Newburgh Unseen, unheard Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? Now tell me, where my niggas at? African People African people African People African People Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun Shotgun |
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| 7. |
| 5:24 |
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I used to hump my pillow at night
The type of silent prayer to make myself prepare for the light Me and my cousin Duce would rank the girls between one and ten And the highest number got to be my pillow's pretend Now, I apologize to every high ranker But you taught me how to dream and so I also thank you I never had the courage to approach you at school We joked around a lot and I know you thought I dressed cool But I was just covering up All the insecurities that came bubbling up My complexion had me stuck in an emotional rut Like the time you Flavor Flaved me and you played me Yo Chuck They say you're too black, man, I think I'm too black Mom, do you think I'm too black? I think I'm too black, I think I'm too black I think I'm too black, black, black, black, black Black Stacey They called me Black Stacey I never got to be myself 'Cause to myself I always was Black Stacey In polka dots and paisley A double goose and bally shoes You thought it wouldn't phase me, I was Black Stacey The preachers' son from Haiti Who rhymed a lot and always got The dance steps at the party, I was Black Stacey You thought it wouldn't phase me But it did 'Cause I was just a kid I used to use bleaching creme 'Til Madame CJ Walker walked into my dreams I dreamt of being white and complimented by you But the only shiny black thing that you liked was my shoes Now, I apologize for bottling up All the little things you said that warped my head and my gut Even though I always told you not to brag about the fact That your great grand mother was raped by her slave master Yeah, I became militant, too So it was clear on every level I was blacker than you I turned you on to Malcolm X and Assata Shakur In the three quarter elephant goose with the fur Had the high top fade with the steps on the side Had the two finger ring, rag top on the ride Had the sheep skin, name belt, Lee suit, Kangol Acid wash Vasco, chicken and waffle Black Stacey They called me Black Stacey I never got to be myself 'Cause to myself I always was Black Stacey In polka dots and paisley A double goose and bally shoes You thought it wouldn't phase me, I was Black Stacey The preachers' son from Haiti Who rhymed a lot and always got The dance steps at the party, I was Black Stacey You thought it wouldn't phase me But it did 'Cause I was just a kid Now here's a little message for you All you baller playa's got some insecurities, too That you could cover up, bling it up, cash in and ching ching it up Hope no one will bring it up, lock it down and string it up Or you can share your essence with us 'Cause everything about you couldn't be rugged and ruff And even though you tote a glock and you're hot on the street If you dare to share your heart, we'll nod a head to its beat And you should do that, if nothing else, to prove that A player like you could keep it honest and true Don't mean to call your bluff, but mothafucka, that's what I do You got platinum chain then, son, I'm probably talking to you And you can call your gang, your posse and the rest of your crew And while you're at it get them addicts and the indigent, too I plan to have a whole army by the time that I'm through To load their guns with songs they haven't sung like Black Stacey They called me Black Stacey I never got to be myself 'Cause to myself I always was Black Stacey In polka dots and paisley A double goose and bally shoes You thought it wouldn't phase me, I was Black Stacey The preachers' son from Haiti Who rhymed a lot and always got The dance steps at the party, I was Black Stacey You thought it wouldn't phase me But it did 'Cause I was just a kid Black Stacey They called me Black Stacey I never got to be myself 'Cause to myself I always was Black Stacey They called me Black Stacey Ah, Black Stacey Ooh, Black Stacey Move, Black Stacey Groove, Black Stacey Shake, Black Stacey Make Black Stacey cry Cry No, not I |
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| 8. |
| - |
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| 9. |
| 4:19 |
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Well, there's two ways I can say this
And one would be: fuck you And there's no two ways around it Because one would be untrue 'Cause I love everything about you But I don't wanna be around you If you control my heart, will you control my brain? If I give in to you, will it still feel the same? 'Cause I want nothing more than to be here with you If you fulfill my dreams, will that fulfill you, too? I need a second I need a second to think I need a second Now, the other way to play this Would be mellow, light and cool Poetry and meditation Higher ground and higher truth But I love everything about you But I use everything to doubt you If you control my heart, will you control my brain? If I give in to you, will it still feel the same? 'Cause I want nothing more than to be here with you If you fulfill my dreams, will that fulfill you, too? I need a second I need a second to think I need a second I found the spot where truth echoes And know each beauty mark by heart But I just can't keep her still enough To render perfect art 'Cause the truth is ever changing And although she loves my touch I've had my way, but I when I pray She kisses back too much And it's hard to feel real gangster When you're always getting kissed But you jump at every pucker 'Cause your fear of getting dissed I try not to fight the parts of me That want to kiss her back Egos should be illegal Mine just don't know how to act He tells me I don't need her And I should walk this path alone She's make believe, she's up my sleeve That I'd do better with a clone But could it be? It seems to me that she's my other half My inner Tarzan monkey girl Who's raised mainly by giraffes And besides she makes me laugh 'Cause deep down, I think she's stupid But deeper down, I'm just a clown Starting bar room brawls with cupid Like, "Fuck that naked baby angel, yo And gimme two more buttery nipples" And God just re-invents herself As ice-cubes in my ripple |
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| 10. |
| 4:15 |
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I know that you've
Woken up and found yourself Within a world of questions Where the answers come and go And I know you don't Wanna sit around and hear No asinine suggestions When the truth just can't be told But if I may, I got a Thing or two to say, although the Answers are not clear there's not a Thing that you should fear because the Answers to it all whether things Rise or when they fall you'll find the Truth remains the same And that truth is that God is change Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny I think that God is testing me Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny You just might fail successfully I'm alone And I thought God created you for me How could it be that it can't be? So alone And I don't know what to do with myself I don't know what I would do Hey you I thought that you were my destiny Girl, I thought we were meant to be Can't I choose what is best for me? Hey you I thought you were my destiny Girl, I thought we were meant to be Don't I know what is best for me? Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny I think that God is testing me Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny You just might fail successfully You can't control your destiny You can't control your destiny You can't control Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny I think that God is testing me Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it But you can't control your destiny You just might fail successfully Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it You can talk about it, talk about it You can talk about it, talk about it Hey you You can talk about it, talk about it You can talk about it, talk about it You can talk about it, talk about it |
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| 11. |
| 3:39 |
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I drive a yellow Volvo
'86, submarine Someone's behind me in an escalade Trying to blind me with their high beams I make a left I'm on the road to nowhere, heading west The sky is purple streaks The sun is setting in my chest I feel warm inside So I'm going for a ride Put your picture on my dashboard 'Til my fate and yours collides Seaweed Washed upon the shore Severed locks of he who walks The ocean's floor Got a yellow Volvo '86, submarine Rims like Tibetan prayer wheels And my tank is filled with dreams Fuck the game I practice being in the passing lane And watch the price of gasoline Rise with the price of fame I'm immortal I render unto Ceasar to be cordial He sees a wooden casket Where I see a glowing portal Check your engine Looks like you're running on the blood of Indians Put some turquoise in that Rolls Royce 'Til you crash into a pendulum Seaweed Washed upon the shore Severed locks of he who walks The ocean's floor Got a yellow Volvo '86, submarine I drove it under water Guided by my own high beams Nothing's left Witnessed the demolition of the west Feel like a little kid Hiding in my mothers' dress I'm in space The lone ambassador of every race The starfish that discover me Plant their flags into my face I'm a clone Of every written and unwritten poem A shark pulls up beside me Fingering beads and chanting om I can't believe it I never really thought that sharks would need it I thought they'd make their peace Bite it, bleed it, kill it, eat it But I was wrong Every living being deserves a song And our passions must be rationed 'Til our rations sing along |
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| 12. |
| 4:18 |
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Something is dying, tonight
There will be no more breath and no more light I've burned every candle and extinguished every fear And I've waited for your time to pass to bring in my new year Something is dying, tonight There will be no more struggle, no more fight And I've known that I'd have to live through suffering and you But I'm the landlord of my dreams now and my tenant's rent is due Something is dying Something is dying inside of me In spite of me Something is dying, tonight My old patterns off to Saturn taking flight And the astronaut within me has no air supply at all So he's plunging into the deep sea with no parachute to fall Something is dying, tonight I can't eat and I can't sleep, so I just write 'Cause I wanted you to lean on to distract me from my feet But my karma wheel chair rolled me out of bounds and out of reach Something is dying Something is dying inside of me In spite of me Something is dying Something is dying inside of me In spite of me Author of wind and change Phantom of the opera Tenor of the octave range Spews volcanic lava Silent partner of the sun Divests a world of interest Sun retires, calls it a day And sleeps a hundred winters Darkness echoes, thunder cries And waves ripple with laughter Dolphins confuse sea and sky And now the hereafter Monkeys climb to tops of trees And call out to the children Little girl awakes from dream As Elvis leaves the building Elvis leaves the building Elvis leaves the building Elvis leaves the building Elvis leaves the building Down pour from the darkest cloud Accumulated tension Flashflood from the third Leaks into the fourth dimension Shotgun rings across the plain Down goes another lion Harlem church choir sings refrain: "We're marching on to Zion" |
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