[Kanye West]
It’s like I wanna spit something written
But keep forgetting
So I guess it’s from the heart from the start
Played my part
Seemed like I just wasn’t reaching the charts
5000 hours, rewritting Power
Over and over
Some nights sober, some nights gone off the Henny as usual
So unusual to be in this position
Everything I say everybody tryna diss ‘em
Everybody playin him, truth be told
The last n***a ever let the truth be told
And oh Mos Def ran to my home
And said they gon have yo ass gone
Light jokes, you keep playin with them white folks
Can't even take the piss
They gon’ test your urine
Cut all the sponsorship for the touring!
“Where the Dark Fantasy tour at Ye?”
I dont know, ask, ask Hennesy (thats Coca-Cola)
Say ‘he ain't clean enough’
But rappers ain't mean enough?
Enough lashes like I ain't seen enough
On the real, this is like the neo-Emmitt Till
Whistling, get yo fuckin' ass killed
Lets keep this shit real!
Now who the realest
Everybody feel this
And everyday of my life, people try to tell me that I hate the whites
Cause I said what's right
I go to sleep and deal wit it every night
And wake up every morning
And walk to the liquor store or coffee store shop on the Mersa whats worser?
Its no verse that would reverse the-
In print or in cursive
They curse the name, or maybe call me Kane
Let's have a ‘toast for the douche bags’
Black people wanna talk about me on blogs
Cause I like clothes like, 'look at this fag'
Thats what I have to deal wit real shit
Yall dont even understand, what it take to be a real man
A black man interested in art, speaking from the heart and playin’ my part
And all this illuminati talk, like my first hit single wasn't ‘Jesus Walks’
For many years, these ain't rhymes these is muthaf-cking tears
They playin’ wit n***as careers
Felt like I’m the only real n***a here
From my last breath
They kicked me out the awards and my n***a Diddy left
Then they even sent Beyoncé up to give the award back
Didn’t even know I afford that
And she rode the wave as I rode the slave
As I felt like a slave as they try to put my shit up in the grave
N***a behave, n***a behave
Be the first one
I bet ya no one else would ever say nuttin’ and stay frontin’
And get up and just perform, shit is enormous
Shout out to Steve Stout, you know what this shit ’bout
My whole family, now I’m scared of Grammy’s
Cause everybody know that Dark Fantasy was the highest rated album in history
So I just avoided it, not to be exploited, not to be recorded
'Cause I cannot afford it, I cannot afford more shit to be impor-ted
Uh, it’s too real for these n***as, you feel for these n***as
How I feel to be a black man, you say something wrong, nobody understand
Money, power, black, opinion, pick two, they would kill ya
[Mos Def]
No matter what goes on
They may not agree, they may not understand
But God got a plan, to put the mic in my hand
And his hand and that hand
And ideas, and all of theres
And the end, everybody up in here, in this atmosphere
So make it clear, live long and prosper
Much success, even if you wish me the opposite
To quote Nas, I stay on my job
Try to pray to keep my heart from going harm
And I ain't perfect, you know that from old me
My life is real even when I’m in the movies
I’m on the ave, I’m in the cave
I buried my Grandmother on Thursday, two weeks ago
My life is real, as it ever been
To all my friends and even foes
Each and every one of those, let em know
I shine a globe, even in the dark, stay smart
Stay sharp, as a harp played by a musician in this position
Feel blessed to make the whole World listen
And just glisten without even trying
Even when I die, I won't stay dead
And its straight off the head, and its straight out the lungs
Looking fly, fresh, old man, so young
And I’m straight from the slums
And never been above so the ba-bum-ba-bum-bum-pum-pum…
This thing ups, let us all give some
Number one yo, I’m number none, no comparision
And make the whole world aware of it
Brooklyn in the building we take care of it
Peace out to all the Sagittarius
And happy birthday Pisces and Aries too
And this go out to all area crew
And if you come from the seven-eighteen then you just like me
From the present, and the past and the future and beyond
Me and Lupe and Kanye we play the song and get it on