Yo, we all got different things that we got to deal with. We always are trying to put the blame on something else rather than sometimes looking at ourselves, recognizing a lot of the stuff that happens, sometimes it has to do with other things...but if we look within ourselves, we could prevent a lot of this nonsense sometimes, y'know. It's about relating back to the essence y'know what I'm sayin', where it all stems from. I'm-a do my thing over this drum, like a native tongue. Verse one Q-Tip: Do what you will, if you feel that your steeze is real complicated with the skills over reel to reel brown skin is what i feel, my mind and body's appeal is to the no-frill mills, who hear the beats to chill constantly, I'm hearing Black Americans just sneering Looking for a leader who can fill us up with ether Hitting us up with great emotional chat about the fact that the black is constantly held back Like 50 tracks back in a relay race and the white team's ahead so let's keep up the pace And I be needing something that could feed my logical taste At the end of the race is there a paradise place? Yo, we can't get involved in what the next man is doing Material gain we put too much in persuing "Yo duke, I need this dope so we can step to this party" But we can all mardi grati Minus that shit in our body "What that got to do with that" 'Cause kid that's the essence, your physical presence embodies every lesson You can't run the Rolls Royce if the engine is busted. Can't even life the knife to cut the mustard. What we need to do first Now listen to this verse Let's concentrate on our spiritual plate. Recognize your existence in this vast blue space From a tiny cloud of blood To the human beings with taste, sight, touch, smell and sound Let's deem it profound! And prioritize this cause it was Allah's wish "Allah? I'm God" "No I ddon't believe that. That's a mystery" "If God is so good why does shit be happening to me?" There's divinity within because we come from the divine A force that's not seen But yo we feel it every time When the wind blows, and the earth turns, and the rain drops, and the babies cry and the birds fly, and the grounds quake, and the stars gleam, yo So many things are evidence of its existence What we need to do is link it with persistence, hear me out, yo Once we recognize that, we can move ahead Native Tongues, Common Sense yo he's Hip-Hop bred... Common: From the spiritual world my former life has developed First person I lost close to me was Stella Some of my mellows Lost their mothers and their brothers For them I feel empathy But I ain't pouring out fuckin' Hennessee I pour my heart out when I see Dot out on the deck Knowing two weeks ago he slapped-boxed with death I hear of niggas dying in the wind and on the news But when it's somebody you know it hits you and emotions get bruised I ain't been in your shoes, I won't judge you for knocking Because the spirit of the ghetto says "You Gotta!" They snatch you again from rock flippin' Give back into the neighborhood, you better start kickin' Stickin' stores On the strip I'm tired of Arabs giving me my change back Devil bomb my yesterday My tomorrow he never gave back I lay back, looking at the ceiling Wondering what can I do So my homie won't have to be dealing Not cause you serving and I'm rapping I'm better Just different pieces to the puzzle of black life That we gotta put together, to better ourselves cause families we gotta raise No matter how long the money Shorter become the days Men become like women and no difference in the season If you got popped five times You breathing for a reason Let's put this five, ten year come-up plan in progression Before we count our papers Count our blessings