White Privilege II

Album: This Unruly Mess I've Made (2016)
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  • Pulled into the parking lot, parked it
    Zipped up my parka, joined the procession of marchers
    In my head like, "is this awkward?
    Should I even be here marching?"
    Thinking if they can't, how can I breathe?
    Thinking that they chant, what do I sing?
    I want to take a stance 'cause we are not free
    And then I thought about it, we are not "we"
    Am I in the outside looking in, or am I in the inside looking out?
    Is it my place to give my two cents?
    Or should I stand on the side and shut my mouth?
    "No justice, no peace," okay, I'm saying that
    They're chanting out, "black lives matter," but I don't say it back
    Is it okay for me to say? I don't know, so I watch and stand
    In front of a line of police that look the same as me
    Only separated by a badge, a baton, a can of Mace, a mask
    A shield, a gun with gloves and hands that gives an alibi
    In case somebody dies behind a bullet that flies out of the nine
    Takes another child's life on sight

    Blood in the streets, no justice, no peace
    No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free
    There's blood in the streets, no justice, no peace
    No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free
    Blood in the streets, no justice, no peace
    No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free
    There's blood in the streets, no justice, no peace
    No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free

    You've exploited and stolen the music, the moment
    The magic, the passion, the fashion, you toy with
    The culture was never yours to make better
    You're Miley, you're Elvis, you're Iggy Azalea
    Fake and so plastic, you've heisted the magic
    You've taken the drums and the accent you rapped in
    Your brand of hip-hop, it's so fascist and backwards
    That Grandmaster Flash'd go slap it, you bastard
    All the money that you made
    All the watered down pop-bullshit version of the culture, pal
    Go buy a big-ass lawn, go with your big-ass house
    Get a big-ass fence, keep people out
    It's all stolen, anyway, can't you see that now?
    There's no way for you to even that out
    You can join the march, protest, scream and shout
    Get on Twitter, hashtag and seem like you're down
    But they see through it all, people believe you now?
    You said publicly, "rest in peace, Mike Brown"
    You speak about equality, but do you really mean it?
    Are you marching for freedom, or when it's convenient?
    Want people to like you, want to be accepted?
    That's probably why you are out here protesting
    Don't think for a second you don't have incentive
    Is this about you, well, then what's your intention?
    What's the intention?
    What's the intention?

    "Pssst, I totally get it
    You're by yourself and the last thing you want to do is take a picture
    But seriously, my little girl loves you
    She's always singing, 'I'm gonna pop some tags'
    I'm not kidding, my oldest, you even got him to go thrifting
    And 'One Love,' oh my God, that song, brilliant
    Their aunt is gay, when that song came out
    My son told his whole class he was actually proud
    That's so cool, look what you're accomplishing
    Even the old mom like me likes it, 'cause it's positive
    You're the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to
    'Cause you get it, all that negative stuff it isn't cool"
    (Yeah?) "yeah, like, all the guns and the drugs
    The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs
    Even the protest outside, so sad, and so dumb
    If a cop pulls you over, it's your fault if you run"
    (Huh?)

    Damn, a lot of opinions, a lot of confusion, a lot of resentment
    Some of us scared, some of us defensive
    And most of us aren't even paying attention
    It seems like we're more concerned with being called racist
    Than we actually are with racism
    I've heard that silences are action and God knows that I've been passive
    What if I actually read a article, actually had a dialogue
    Actually looked at myself, actually got involved?
    If I'm aware of my privilege and do nothing at all, I don't know
    Hip-hop has always been political, yes
    It's the reason why this music connects
    So what the fuck has happened to my voice if I stay silent when black people are dying
    Then I'm trying to be politically correct?
    I can book a whole tour, sell out the tickets
    Rap entrepreneur, built his own business
    If I'm only in this for my own self-interest, not the culture that gave me a voice to begin with
    Then this isn't authentic, it is just a gimmick
    The D.I.Y underdog, so independent
    But the one thing the American dream fails to mention
    Is I was many steps ahead to begin with
    My skin matches the hero, likeness, the image
    America feels safe with my music in their systems
    And it's suited me perfect, the role, I've fulfilled it
    And if I'm the hero, you know who gets cast as the villain
    White supremacy isn't just a white dude in Idaho
    White supremacy protects the privilege I hold
    White supremacy is the soil, the foundation, the cement and the flag that flies outside of my home
    White supremacy is our country's lineage, designed for us to be indifferent
    My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson, guilty
    We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by
    We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?
    We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by
    We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives?

    Your silence is a luxury
    Hip-hop is not a luxury
    Your silence is a luxury
    Hip-hop is not a luxury
    Your silence is a luxury
    Hip-hop is not a luxury
    Your silence is a luxury
    Hip-hop is not a luxury
    What I got for me, it is for me
    What we made, we made to set us free
    What I got for me, it is for me
    What we made, we made to set us free
    What I got for me, it is for me
    What we made, we made to set us free Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

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