White Privilege

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I see so many people lost who really try to pretend But am I just another white boy who has caught on to the trend? When I take a step to the mic is hip-hop closer to the end? 'Cause when I go to shows the majority have white skin They marketed the windmill, the air flair and head spin And white rappers' albums really get the most spins The face of hip-hop has changed a lot since Eminem And if he's taking away black artists' profits, I look just like him Claimed a culture that wasn't mine, the way of the American Hip-hop is gentrified, and where will all the people live? It's like the Central District, Beacon Hill to the South End Being pushed farther away because of what white people did, now Where's my place in a music that's been taken by my race Culturally appropriated by the white face? And we don't want to admit that this is existing So scared to acknowledge the benefits of our white privilege 'Cause it's human nature to want to be part of something different Especially when your ancestors are European Christians And most whites don't want to acknowledge this is occurring 'Cause we got the best deal, the music without the burden Of being black in a system that really wants you to rock 'Cause all you need is a program and you can go and make hip-hop And we hate the mainstream 'cause we're the ones that took it Now we listen to Aesop Rock and wear t-shirts that say "Brooklyn" But it's not about black and white, right? I mean good music is good music regardless of what you look like But when you don't give them props isn't that selfish? That's like saying rock was actually started by Elvis So where does this leave me? I feel like I pay dues, but I'll always be a white MC I give everything I have when I write a rhyme But that doesn't change the fact that this culture's not mine [Pre-Chorus] But I'm gonna be me, so please be who you are This is something that's effortless and shouldn't be hard I said I'm gonna be me, so please be who you are But we still owe 'em 40 acres now we've stolen their 16 bars [Chorus] Hip-hop started off on a block that I've never been to To counteract a struggle that I've never even been through If I think I understand just because I flow too That means I'm not keeping it true, nope Hip-hop started off on a block that I've never been to To counteract a struggle that I've never even been through If I think I understand just because I flow too That means I'm not keeping it true, I'm not keeping it true [Verse 2] Now I don't rap about guns, so they label me conscious But I don't rap about guns 'cause I wasn't forced into the projects See I was put in the position where I could choose my options Blessed with the privilege that my parents could send me to college Now who's going to shows, the kids on the block starving? Or the white people with dough that can relate to my content? Marketed the music, now adapted to the lifestyle What happened to jazz and rock and roll is happening right now Where's my place in the music that's been taken by the media With white corporations controlling what they're feedin' ya? I brought up Aesop Rock, but I'm not even dissing, dude We love hip-hop, and what do you think caucasians are listening to? And I speak freely when I write this If a black MC examined race, there goes half their fan base, white kids And this is so true And we didn't even have to fight the system, we just went and picked up the microphone too And we got good at it so we should be rappin' But only supporting them is like burning Jimi and buying Clapton Now Clapton's incredible, but no Jimi, no foundation So here comes history and the cultural appropriation White kids with do-rags trying to practice their accents From the suburbs to the upper-class, mastering a language But hip-hop is not just memorizing words It's rooted in authenticity, something you literally can't learn [Pre-Chorus] But I'm gonna be me, so please be who you are This is something that's effortless and shouldn't be hard I said I'm gonna be me, so please be who you are But as I'm blessed with the privilege, they're still left with the scars [Chorus] Hip-hop started off on a block that I've never been to To counteract a struggle that I've never even been through If I think I understand just because I flow, too? That means I'm not keeping it true, nope Hip-hop started off on a block that I've never been to To counteract a struggle that I've never even been through If I think I understand just because I flow, too? That means I'm not keeping it true, I'm not keeping it true