Immoral and uneducated and not even trying to hide it

And in this cold white America we stay feelin slighted

but even amongst ourselves we remain socially divided

because when it comes to success through education, we duck it

but see another brother eatin good and (we) turn into crabs in a bucket

It’s fucked up because some of these kids are sharper than a tack

but aren’t supposed to show it because they’re young and they’re black

Too many men have died for protests and defiance

So we could have the opportunity to study math and science.

Instead of being some rich plantation owner’s appliance

But instead we become more of society’s leaches

Say R.I.P. Tupac, but (we) don’t adhere to what he teaches

We’re more entertained by narcotics and ballistics

Because the cool thing to do is become another statistic

O-11′s here now and I ain’t in shit but debt

But in this life there are very few men that i have met

with this much debt that have lived wit such little regret.

Gas, loans, school, work, dues, car insurance, and rent.

I admit it’s dumb that I have yet to make half the money i spent.

Motivated, but every second i get, I own it.

Goal oriented but still find myself livin for the moment.

I’m makin’ stories to tell, too progressive to live life to one beat.

While I see too many of you can sum your life up in one tweet.

Although we must stay focused in order to obtain the things for which we strive

If you aren’t havin’ life experiences what’s the point of even bein’ alive.

And y’all the same people so critical of me!

I get to live, laugh, breathe ” How pitiful of me!”

I’m clownin, doin’ too much, I’m a waste, I’m scum.

I’m not livin’ like you, “How could I be so dumb?!”

“Livin’ linear is so comfy, what’s the point of havin fun?

Damnit, Mr. Tucker. Look at that smile. What a bum!!”

Thanks for lettin’ me know that it’s a waste to smell roses.

That must be why y’all keep stickin’ up your noses.

Who haven’t earned a thing but constantly demand

Sometimes i must admit its hard to really blame you

We see the stars do it big and we wanna do the same too

But if you have never worked in your life what do u expect to obtain?

Kids out here trying to do a whole lot of nothing for a whole lot of gain

Then when they realize they’re doing no gaining

They resort to nothing but a whole lot of complaining

But you cant obtain the extraordinary without doin anything to stand out

This is a cold cruel world. No one will give you a hand out

Stand up because theres no time to be trife

You gotta grow up and do something wit ya life

Otherwise you’ll meet nothing but defeat

It’s true what they say. a man that dont work dont eat

But it’s true to say our generation is untamed

We destroy our own name and constantly act a fool

Thats how they can turn us into a marketing tool

They play on our ignorance and can sell us anything

The same people from whom we haven’t learned many things

We need to look at us and put our pride on the shelves

And then realize the fact that we are killin ourselves

We’re now old enough to learn how to behave 

But to the ignorance of the media we are slaves

We copy what we see whether or not it makes sense 

Then turn around and don’t want to pay the consequence 

So worried about others and attempting to be cool

So we throw away the basic principals we learned in pre-school

We act like we don’t know the difference between wrong and right 

What we need to do is come together, stay strong, and fight

Fight against the ignorant mentalities that we possess 

And then we can change this screwed up world for what’s truly best

As a young black man i must be lost without goals

Different people state these contradictory situations

And these views put me in a category of alienation

You can look at me and see the confusion in my eyes

Confusion about the people who say im to young to be wise

While at the same time I’m too old to be ignorant 

I want to say I understand but i really can’t 

But as i escape the confusion to take a breather

I laugh and realize that they dont get it either

Criticism of others is a cloak of stealth

Meant to hide weakness and empower one’s self

I understand that mentality, though it may be wrong

We’re in constant competition with others to make us feel strong

So we must push through the criticism, though our name might be slain

We will ensure that our every goal will be obtained

It will be a road of obstacles and great length

But in taking this road is where we’ll find our true strength

Barack’s here, racism is finally dead

But it’s not really dead, it really just hides

I know where it is. It’s really inside.

It’s inside our minds and inside our hearts

It ambushes in stereotypes to push us apart

It tells us how to act, and how to be

I can’t talk to you and still be me

It’s why I can get called white by an average black friend

So I go to hide amongst the white men

They just ask why I don’t act like the rest of “them”

The ones who frown and sag their jeans

The ones who are most dangerous as teens

The ones who look to drug money to get paid

The ones who eat chicken and kool-aid

The ones who never come in a race last

And the cops cant catch ‘em because they’re too fast

That’s how they think we’re supposed to act

That’s how a person goes about acting black

I might need someone on the other side to shed some light

On how exactly one can act “white”

What If I avoid using ignorant slang

Would that make “white” easier to obtain?

What if I smoke cigs outside the school

What if I think nascar and hockey are cool

What if I listen to country radio stations

Would a confederate flag make me more Caucasian?

If I don’t act the way I “should” I’m not being myself

Well would that mean I’m just being someone else?

The best I can do is just be me

To be the person I want to be

I want to be intelligent and well rounded figure

But to the blacks I’ll be white and to the whites ill be just another NIGGER

This country is not my sweet home on the range

And john mayer, I don’t want to wait for the world to change

Barack is a great man but not our savior

Only we can save us from our own behavior

If we’re looking for a rescue we might as well die

No one out there is still willing to try

And I want to say I’ve always been diligent

I want to say I’ve been serious and militant

But it’s sometimes human nature to feed into the ignorance

We need to say “I don’t want to be them, and I don’t want to be you

To be me is to truly be true”

We must multiply our will for change and add a vision

So we can once and for all subtract this division

The old folk try to say its because we’re just too corrupt

They all try to say that WE caused this disfunction

But without showing us the path to properly limit corruption

Some elders claim they tried to shelter us from corruption

But instead led us down a greater path of destruction

Because if we don’t see corruption and gain the recognition

We cant avoid it because we wont have the intuition

On the other hand there are parents that don’t even care

They’ll do and say anything to get their kids out of their hair

They’re too caught up in their own struggles and pain

To even realize that their kids feel the very same

That’s why my generation is longer spiritual

And our music seems more destructive than lyrical

And hurting one another is quickly becoming a ritual

Its why we grow up to resent those above us

The ones who break leadership down to a science instead of just love us

If you had just taught and supported us in all we do

And let us live our own lives the whole way through

Maybe we would have just listened to you

Instead it didn’t happen and other things did

And im scared how my generation is going to treat their own kids

Or maybe all the youth you had is just finally dead

You talk down on all the ignorance of today

But, maybe you are the ones displaying ignorant ways

Maybe I’m just doing things that work for the new

And your stuck doing things that used to work for you

You go about living life waiting for your pay checks

Worried about what bills you’re gonna have pay next

But you thank god for your jobs and consider it a blessin’

At least your out here doin something in this god damn recession

You have pain and hate in your hearts for us new kids

Mad that we don’t want to go about things the way you did

Assuming that how you live your lives is the true way

Maybe you should let us think for ourselves and maybe find a new way

Teach us and give us guidance to hold out our chin and our chest

And maybe we can one day change this world for the best

But right now its like you don’t try or want to get us

I think its because your in competition with us

You are the flowers of old plants and we are new seeds

You should Give us sun and let us grow into a whole new breed

But no, you shade us in and won’t show us the light

And then criticize the way that we aren’t so bright

Work with us and we’ll probably work with you

Maybe if we do that we can make this world brand new