Block Party

Lyrics

[Intro] [Verse 1: Jean Grae] Listen. I don't wanna Preach or come off bitter. This is a commentary auditory Editorial about the state of things, state of mind And state of being. What the fuck is going on? How the fuck We gonna make it out? It's hectic, from asbestos-filled classrooms To the stench of death that's still in New York—the air is thick With it, but it reaches further like the world murder rate Circulate, cultivate your mind and soul, your heart and your body So stagnant. Niggas, get off your block and travel Stop acting like your flesh is metal and your hood's a magnet We need to globalize, further spread on this earth To appreciate the full value of individual worth To realize how ridiculous the thought of ownership is and protecting your turf It's bullshit, man. That's how we got colonized Missionaries create foreign schools and change the native way in thinking So, in ten years, we can have a foreign Columbine In some small village in the Amazon. Come on, man We're better than that [Hook: Jean Grae] You need To get out your house, get off your block, and see something Go do something, go change something, or else We'll fall for nothing. You need to travel the world And when you come back, tell your girl and your girl and your girl And your girl and your man and your man And your man. You understand? So spread the word [Verse 2: Jean Grae] It's every Man for himself—that's why the black community Is lacking in wealth—there's no unity. We'd sooner be Chilling with rich white folk, and that means that we made it Let our kids go hungry before our wardrobe is outdated Rap careers are drug-related. Ballplayers, we need more lawyers More housing and jobs created—why we waiting for it to be given? We need to get up and get out and make our own living Instead of just making more inner-city children More doctors in your building, righteous cops next door. If the system's Corrupt, then change it. Fought for the right to vote, don't even use it Forget electoral winning. The way the world's going, we're in The ninth inning, heh, and we still aren't up to bat Niggas is happy just to have the rights to sit on a bench Like, "Floor seats is alright," and that's as far as we reach Materialistic values, not morals—that's what we teach I see it in the youth hungry for fame and money, not for knowledge And pursuit of the truth. Pick up a book or a newspaper Take a free class in politics or human behavior. We need To stop acting victimized. It's like we're day-walking blind Open your eyes. There's a whole world out there [Hook: Jean Grae] You need To get out your house, get off your block, and see something Go do something, go change something, or else We'll fall for nothing. You need to travel the world And when you come back, tell your girl and your girl and your girl And your girl and your man and your man And your man. You understand? So spread the word [Verse 3: Jean Grae] And you don't Have to agree or just be happy, content to lose Your hunger, push further 'cause I don't believe that pipe dreams exist The world is what you make it, your life is all that you got So take it to the limit. Why would you deny your spirit Growth and happiness? And if your peoples hold you back They're not your peoples at all. You know the misery cliché Ladies, know your worth. The way we're giving it up, we might as well Auction ourselves on eBay to the lowest bidder. So what If his dough is better? Money doesn't make the man. Maybe self- -sufficiency would better make you understand. Let's get it together There's so much promise and it's just going to waste. We turn crude Lack of class, lack of taste, and, trust, they're laughing at us It's slow genocide, and I don't care how many bottles Of Cristal you pop. It won't un-expose you as a known pedophile Native child running wild to the edge of the Earth I'll see y'all at that last hundred miles. Bet [Hook: Jean Grae] (x2) You need To get out your house, get off your block, and see something Go do something, go change something, or else We'll fall for nothing. You need to travel the world And when you come back, tell your girl and your girl and your girl And your girl and your man and your man And your man. You understand? So spread the word [Outro: Conversation Between Apani B and Jean Grae]