Yo, we all got different things 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...but if we look

Within ourselves, we could prevent a lot of this nonsense. it's about
Relating back to the essence, where it all stems from. i'm-a do my thing
Over this drum, like a native tongue.

[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 either
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
To 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 pursuing
"yo duke, i need this dough 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 you feel it every time
When the wind blows, and the world turns,
And the rain drops, and the baby cries

And the bird flies, and the ground quake,
And the stars gleam
So many things are eident of its existence
What we need to do is link it with persistence

Once we recognize that, we can move ahead
Native tongue, 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 no liquor for no niggas
I pour my heart out when i see dot out on the deck
Knowing two weeks ago he slapped-box with death

I hear of niggas dying in the wind-in 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 have to put together, 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 the five tenure plan into progression
Before we count our paper

Count our blessings

Writer : COMMON/JD/ALI/Q-TIP
Copyright : Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, UNIVERSAL MUSIC-Z TUNES