[Intro: Pharrell]
People in the ghetto (Come on)
This one's for you
Yeah, baby
People in the ghetto
Yeah, this one's for you
Yeah, baby

[Verse 1: LL Cool J, N.O.R.E.]
It's like God's M.I.A. in the hood
You a baller when you bad, but you corny when you good
When I talk about Jesus, I misunderstood
To keep it real with your Cristol, don't boost my morale
I rather see the homeless warm and poor people get on
And rappers going platinum, singing upliftin' songs
Mama say, "God comes like a thief in the night
Do you pray everyday
Or when tragedy strikes?" (Yo, yo, yo)

[Verse 2: N.O.R.E]
What's going on?
World war
Wanna settle the score
So who's the enemy?
This dude f{*censored*} 'em all
I tried to tell all the little homies
Just chill on the streets
Now we all stand together
‘Cause we all for peace
I saw the twin towers fall
Like it's nothin' at all
I stood shook
All sad, all New Yorkers is mad
And we all got our flags on the cars
‘Cause whether you white or black, America's ours
[Verse 3: Royce Da 5'9"]
I remember thinking killin' is wrong
Waiting and wishin' that the
Bone-chillin' feelin' is gone, but, still, it's on
Wonderin' will I'll condone what's goin' on in our zones
Violence that exists in our phones or that lives in our homes
Everyday a killer is born, utility swarms
We buildin' bonds, let's chill and be calm, and heal ‘cause we strong
I know you feelin' this song, ‘cause killin' is wrong
Millions are gone, put your ribbons on

[Hook: Faith Evans, Pharrell]
What's going on?
People lying in the street
Ain't got no food to eat (What's going on?)
So many children living in poverty (What's going on?)
What can we do to help the weary? (What's going on?)
Oooh, we gotta get down on our knees and pray

[Verse 4: Queen Latifah, Fabolous]
All you do is take a look at the kids
And you see what this world done did (See)
And, um, it's a daggone shame (What I see)
Some of the pain we walk with cloudin’ our brains (Clouds and rain)
And, um, don't let it get you down (Don't let it get you down)
Times get rough, good times come back around
Don't let it make you down
You got the power to turn your life around
(Yeah, uh, yo)
[Verse 5: Fabolous, Pharrell]
What's going on in the U.S.A.?
Why we all can't live in a F-A, B-O, L-O-U-S way?
And I do just pray
That next year, I'll be tryin' to buy
A new S, instead of a new S.K
It's so easy to grab and shoot at somethin'
But war
What is it good for?
Huh?
Absolutely nothin'
We oughta build from the boulders
I caught a chill when I hold a thought
Of my children as soldiers (What's going on?)
What's going on?

[Verse 6: Sonja Blade]
Now, wasn't y'all them same cats, holdin' up mags?
Now, look, everybody holding up flags
It's like the real laser tag with the red, white and blue
The Feds ain't got a clue
So what we gotta do, huh?
What's going on? Why does it have to be
The only time we unite is in a catastrophe?
But if I had the power, I would bring back the towers
Be the unfound hero, there'd be no ground zero
[Hook: Pharrell, Da Brat]
What's going on?
Found out I got more
Computer friends, it’s crazy (What's going on?)
Hustlers bribin' for the hood
And we're sharin', baby (What's going on?)
Well, maybe, we'll keep up with the page
The future's on (What's going on?)
Maybe then we won't have to ask (Uh huh, oh)
What's going on (What's going on?)

[Verse 7: Da Brat, Faith Evans]
Well, so here, it's 9/11, and I turned on my T.V
I couldn't believe that this was happenin' to me
(Ooh, ooh, ooh)
I jumped on my knees and prayed, I said, "Lord
Is Revelation coming true from back in the day?"
(Ah, tell me what's going on)
What's going on? ‘Cause I'm wondering why
Everybody ringing my phone
They trying to see if I was on a plane
Tryin' to see if I was comin' home
But I'm not, and I thank the Lord
I coulda been on one of them concordes (Fo' sho)
But I'm still here (That's right)
I pray that it don't go loop

[Verse 8: Angie Martinez, Havoc, Prodigy]
No matter what, we gotta choose
Sleep, and you lose
Every other day, I find myself watching the news
Eyes glued to the screen in another world
Wishin' I could move to another world
I seem to be another girl
What's going on? We under attack?
The war was the past, I knew
I looked towards a brighter future with planes gettin' crashed
They can't crush me spirits, so I spit it through the lyric
Though I stand in the valley of death
I won't fear it
N***a, we livin' Revelations everyday
It's like turning the pages
We gotta rise up, done it, stop playin'
It's like the world ain't
Nothin' but a great big bomb
And time is just a countdown for that shit to blow{

[Hook: Faith Evans, Terrell Phillips of Blackstreet, Pharrell]
(What's going on?)
(Oooh, mercy, mercy, me)
I know, I know we can do this thing (What's going on?)
If we just come together, we can do it (Things ain't what they seem to be)
(What's going on?)
I know we can (For you in my ocean)
Do anything that I want (What's going on?)
(Oh, ooh, ooh, oh)
What's going on?

[Outro:]
My brother, brother (What's going on?)
Won't somebody help me, yeah? (What's going on?)
Father, father, help us