Del’s Nightmare

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Let me tell you a little story about the slavemaster (Slavemaster) Use a whip on your ass so you behave faster (Behave faster) You got chains on your neck, and the man's respect You'll work all damn day, but you will never see a check In the field. Cotton you yield. Your skin peels off your back From the crack of the whip, it won't heal Ya wish you had a shield 'cause he wields iron So when you act up, he smokes ya and keeps firing And it's tiring, forget about recreation (Forget it) One wrong move and it's death you're facing White motherfuckers got the ball and chain On your leg, and in the form of religion on your brain They say, "You the devil." You say, "Who the devil?" Some of us was house niggas, some of us was rebels Some tried to get along the best they could And didn't nobody use the phrase, "It's all good" Would you? They got you living like a shrew They throw you pig lips and chicken gizzards, then you make a stew They give us a white Jesus to appease us We talk among ourselves and hope that nobody sees us They had our brothers beating us, called us cretins plus monkeys They just flunkies, mistreating us The master said, "If you don't whip 'em, you're dead" It was fucking with his head, but he beat us instead And we bled, red blood flowing like a flood Then he'd rape your mother, stick her face in the mud They were ruthless! If you tried to front, you'd be toothless Some tried to run even though it seemed useless Virginity was torn, soon, babies was born that was half white And now his skin is kind of light You think you're special, because they let you Oversee the carnage? But I bet you Will get hung, even if you stick out your tongue Cause they pull out the shank and stick it right through your lung Now it's '96 and white people say, "Forget it It's all in the past." And some even regret it 'Cause they think we'll set it, now my mission's to get federal So I can raise a Black family without you devils And you know how that goes [Chorus] Yeah, slavemaster watching over you Always tryna tell you what the fuck to do The slavemaster watching over you But ain't nothing gonna stop me or my crew The slavemaster watching over you Always tryna tell you what the fuck to do The slavemaster watching over you But ain't nothing gonna stop me or my crew [Verse 2] This is for you kids trying to get signed (Ayy, peep this) Just a little something you should keep in mind: The labels are slavemasters, artists are slaves Don't get too raunchy, they want you to behave You get signed, you're thinking, "This is great!" But wait, you never knew what was at stake Creative control they withhold, you sell your soul When you sign on the dotted line hoping to go gold But you'll never see that, not without promotion The label just throw your shit out and got it floatin' You think your shit is potent, but ain't nobody buying it If they ain't never heard of it, ain't nobody trying it If they ain't never heard of it, your record, they murder it You could complain, but they are not concerned a bit 'Cause when they signed you, they thought you'd make a hit 'Cause of who you was affiliated with and all that bullshit Frustrations, all these rules and regulations Just so you can have your shit heard by the nation, and be patient 'Cause by the time they finally release your shit, it's ancient You think they're working your album? You're mistaken And if you flop, you get dropped 'Cause you ain't the star, you didn't go pop Just straight up hip-hop, time to get a mop 'Cause without no promotion, of course sales drop (Damn) Peep the breakdown: If tapes cost ten You'll probably only get to see a dollar in the end That you cannot spend 'cause your budget gets recouped So you never get cash unless your record is "Shoop." You better hope you get shows, which will not happen If you don't have a record that's the main attraction Even if you sell a million, you'll get burned 'Cause they keep half your cash just in case of returns For a while, you wonder why rappers don't smile 'Cause to them, you're not an artist, you're just another file Another nigga used to make another buck, they don't give a fuck And if your shit don't blow up — tough But the star gets both promotion and devotion From the whole fucking staff — at you, they laugh The star probably don't know that he the house nigga Thinking he bigger 'cause he the, pick of the litter These labels think backwards They push the acts that need it the least So they can get all the money they can when it's released They take you to a restaurant for a feast And then expect you to pick up the check? That's why I give props to niggas who is independent 'Cause they make they own money, plus decide how to spend it Splendid — let's end it — and don't get offended [Chorus] Slavemaster watching over you Always tryna tell you what the fuck to do The slavemaster watching over you But ain't nothing gonna stop me or my crew Yeah, the slavemaster watching over you Always tryna tell you what the fuck to do The slavemaster watching over you But ain't nothing gonna stop me or my crew [Outro] Hieroglyphics