Lyrics to Rocwell's America
This a portrait of America that Norman couldn't master
But crack rock well-suited for the capture
Whole hood hostage to that white in the glass
But because the prisoners Black, it wasn't labeled a disaster
Too hard not to internalize
So I keep burning in this personal hell 'til the inferno dies
Government feeding us bullshit 'stead of truth
Giving birth to a dishonest nation, we call it fertile lies
We had a house kept getting robbed
'Member the night daddy brought the pistol out to end the men involved
And 5-0 came to grace us with their presence two hours after mom dukes had sent the call
And who was I?
Young Assata from the Zulu tribe
Trying to breed love from hate like The Bluest Eye
Too many friends long lost to this useless cycle
I guess that's a revolutionary suicide
Huey saved me, Paulette and Henry made me
Proud of humble beginnings, but hungry for domination
I'm an abomination
The X they can't solve for, smoking revolver
Ghost of a Mau Mau, rolling through Upper Marlboro
And all of us was struggling just to get by
And the reflection is eternal, Talib gave us words to live by
But all we want to do was get high
Kept a one-hitter of that indica hidden above my mid-thigh
Building with the gods 'bout the 120
Hit the Rastas up with the change from my lunch money
Cop a Final Call from the NOI
Tryna to figure out how to stay up when that misery seems to love our company
But we made it through the hurricane
That's why I'm quick to speak the truth, but I'm careful not to hurry fame
'Cause even though I came a long way, I
Owe less to the struggles where I am than to the tragedy from where I came
Sa-Roc, Sol Messiah, SP the Ghost
I am Malcolm and Mandela (I am)
From the concrete jungle with knowledge of sand dwellers
Shout to the sisters (Shout)
Smoking while I listen to the ancestors whisper
Fight for your freedom and your rights 'cause you need 'em (You need)
And it's the tech days, so your life gets deleted if your cypher ain't completed (Cypher ain't complete)
If you ain't complete, you ain't elite (Uh-uh)
If your little brother's hungry, then tell me, how could you eat? (How could you?)
It's one for all, all for one (One for all)
Brand Nubians, light up a doobie, give me a gun
I been watching the news (Yeah), I been feeling the blues (Yeah)
You could get killed by the boys wearing the blue (You know)
And I don't mean the Crips (Uh-uh)
I'm talking 'bout the cops on the strip
See the opps and your option's to dip (You gotta dip)
It shouldn't have to be like that
Hard to survive, third eye, can't see like that (Can't see), Ghost
To my Black bro and Black sis
Keep your Black thought and Black fist
Yeah, I'm always on some Black shit
Probably got me on their blacklist
I'm willing to die for these Black kids
Are you willing to die for these Black kids?
We gotta survive for these Black kids
We gotta be wise for these Black kids, yeah
But crack rock well-suited for the capture
Whole hood hostage to that white in the glass
But because the prisoners Black, it wasn't labeled a disaster
Too hard not to internalize
So I keep burning in this personal hell 'til the inferno dies
Government feeding us bullshit 'stead of truth
Giving birth to a dishonest nation, we call it fertile lies
We had a house kept getting robbed
'Member the night daddy brought the pistol out to end the men involved
And 5-0 came to grace us with their presence two hours after mom dukes had sent the call
And who was I?
Young Assata from the Zulu tribe
Trying to breed love from hate like The Bluest Eye
Too many friends long lost to this useless cycle
I guess that's a revolutionary suicide
Huey saved me, Paulette and Henry made me
Proud of humble beginnings, but hungry for domination
I'm an abomination
The X they can't solve for, smoking revolver
Ghost of a Mau Mau, rolling through Upper Marlboro
And all of us was struggling just to get by
And the reflection is eternal, Talib gave us words to live by
But all we want to do was get high
Kept a one-hitter of that indica hidden above my mid-thigh
Building with the gods 'bout the 120
Hit the Rastas up with the change from my lunch money
Cop a Final Call from the NOI
Tryna to figure out how to stay up when that misery seems to love our company
But we made it through the hurricane
That's why I'm quick to speak the truth, but I'm careful not to hurry fame
'Cause even though I came a long way, I
Owe less to the struggles where I am than to the tragedy from where I came
Sa-Roc, Sol Messiah, SP the Ghost
I am Malcolm and Mandela (I am)
From the concrete jungle with knowledge of sand dwellers
Shout to the sisters (Shout)
Smoking while I listen to the ancestors whisper
Fight for your freedom and your rights 'cause you need 'em (You need)
And it's the tech days, so your life gets deleted if your cypher ain't completed (Cypher ain't complete)
If you ain't complete, you ain't elite (Uh-uh)
If your little brother's hungry, then tell me, how could you eat? (How could you?)
It's one for all, all for one (One for all)
Brand Nubians, light up a doobie, give me a gun
I been watching the news (Yeah), I been feeling the blues (Yeah)
You could get killed by the boys wearing the blue (You know)
And I don't mean the Crips (Uh-uh)
I'm talking 'bout the cops on the strip
See the opps and your option's to dip (You gotta dip)
It shouldn't have to be like that
Hard to survive, third eye, can't see like that (Can't see), Ghost
To my Black bro and Black sis
Keep your Black thought and Black fist
Yeah, I'm always on some Black shit
Probably got me on their blacklist
I'm willing to die for these Black kids
Are you willing to die for these Black kids?
We gotta survive for these Black kids
We gotta be wise for these Black kids, yeah
