Thoughts of a Negro

(...problem with `negro` was not the word itself<br>It was that a stereotype had been attached<br>to that word `negro`<br>and that people were forced to live in accords to that stereotype)<br><br>Stereotype me, dislike me or fight me<br>My hustle is hip-hop, you can`t indict me<br>Behind the light of intelligence<br>Critics will probably say the title`s irrelevant<br>But the powerful fail to see the battle being fought<br>Wise words verbally put forth from negro thoughts<br>It`s critical, the news programs of pitiful<br>Sights and sounds of a negro`s background<br>First fired, last hired<br>Granny picked cotton till she died, what a way to retire<br>Watermelon`s sellin but the seeds are black<br>I don`t spit em out, I plant em so they come back<br>Music of soul cause my lyrics are funky<br>You stereotype we`re the offspring of monkeys<br>I tie ya up and gag ya mouth with cornbread<br>And lead ya the bright way, seems ya been mislead<br>I enter the store on one thought - to purchase<br>They follow me around like a muthafuckin hostess<br>I see what I want, but before I can step to<br>They`re up in my face, "Sir, can I help you?"<br>Out of step they seem to be with reality<br>Needless to say I represent a nationality<br>That`s been linked to a Kodak<br>Once truth is exposed, negatives can`t be kept back<br>Couldn`t take us for what we has, took us for what we had<br>KKK - 3 kicks up the ass<br>All anti-negros ground is sinking sand<br>Painting false and visionary pictures<br>Revolting language bound to mentally hitcha<br>Stand still while I`m talkin<br>From abstract thoughts fingers completed the walkin<br><br>These are<br>Thoughts of a Negro<br><br>(Wonder, wonder)<br>(Blinkin I`m thinkin)<br><br>Alone on the corner, awaiting a red light<br>A van pulls up, the passengers are white<br>My feet`s in progress, are my ears deceivin me?<br>I pause and down came the locks on the doors<br>A typical stereotypical outlook<br>How could a man`s color betray him as a crook?<br>I`m on Amtrak, enroute to Atlanta<br>In first row, drinkin a grape Fanta<br>Dressed to impress and I`m a walkin jewelry store<br>I`m gettin lynchin looks from the conductor<br>Sweatin my jewels but it`s cool<br>He`s not the first or the last to<br>Learn first class was made for a black ass<br>Fuck the back, it`s `91, jack<br>Another thought I render to be evident<br>Would I be treated equally if we had a black president?<br>In this race everyday`s suspense<br>From death to seein infants born as chemical dependents<br>Skillfully prepared for a ignorant war<br>But all I encounter I express through metaphors<br>Like `nigga`, `black`, `negro`<br>3 five letter words to describe me, bro<br>Even excepting we make good athletes<br>And in bed knowin no other culture can compete<br>So let`s get right down to it<br>Those who now accept it always knew it<br><br>These are<br>Thoughts of a Negro<br><br>(Wonder, wonder)<br>(Blinkin I`m thinkin)<br><br>I try to make it hard for them to hate me<br>Alienate me, you still gotta face me<br>But I ain`t the stereotype<br>Understand what I`m sayin or do all niggas sound alike?<br>Rap`s the trade so it`s made to live good<br>My neighbor`s kids are sayin, "There goes the neighborhood"<br>And their dog comes in my yard and takes a shit<br>Then barks like tellin me, "Clean it"<br>But I made em all believers<br>Hit their daughters with a dose of this jungle fever<br>It was undercover but her parents discovered<br>Turned her out, now forever she`s a nigger lover<br>I never feed into the stuff about the other man<br>Cause my destiny is planned around a mic stand<br>At the table of brotherhood I sit<br>Calling preachers, wisemen and prophets<br>To unravel the riddle of our existence<br>Domestic relations and those of distance<br>I`m hearin the same statements I feel are prejudiced<br>One day blacks will rise on their side of the fence<br>Stories still spread through history books in groups<br>Tampering with truth, telling tales of twisted roots<br>Stereotypes living lives of illusions<br>Leapin to their death, jumping to confusions<br>I see what I`m faced with, racist congregations<br>Lord be merciful to a helpless nation<br><br>These are<br>Thoughts of a Negro<br><br>(Wonder, wonder)<br>(Blinkin I`m thinkin)