What does the fam think about this breakdown of Jay-z's last verse on Say Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ain't no ordinary nigga, look around this aint what ordinary gets ya"
Say Hello to a reality within ourselves
We ain’t thugs for the sake of just being thugs. Nobody do that where we grew at nigga duh. The poverty line we not above so out comes the mask and gloves cause we ain't feeling the love. We ain't doing crime for the sake of doing crime, we moving dimes cus we ain’t doing fine. 1 out of 3 of us is locked up doing time; you know what that type of shit can do to a niggas mind. My mind on my money, money on my mind if you owe me ten dollars you ain’t giving me nine. Yall ain’t give me forty acres and a mule so I got my glock 40 now I’m cool and if al sharpton is speaking for me. Somebody get him the word and tell him I don’t approve. Tell him ill remove the curses, if you tell me our schools gon be perfect. When Jena 6 don’t exist tell em that’s when ill stop saying bitch, biiitchhhh!!!!!
Jay – Z “SAY HELLO”
American Gangster
The lyrics above come from one of today’s greatest storytellers, love him or hate him Jay-Z has cemented himself in the history books as one of the slickest mc’s on the mic. In his 2003 Fade to Black DVD he referenced taking time out in some of his songs to address what's going on in the hood, asking his peers “am I wrong to do that, to have those feelings.” Well on the last verse of Say Hello Jay addresses so many inherent issues within the black community, its duality is indescribable, just vibe with me.
We ain't thugs for the sake of just being thugs….. True but false, we live in environments where some feel they have no other options but to resort to a criminal lifestyle because of the lack of resources to education, and job training to achieve that American Dream. However, today we also live in a world where the commercialization of hard times has become intriguing to many youth who don’t necessarily have to live in such a way but they want respect and fear the only way to get that is to imitate the art which they see on television and hear in songs.
The poverty line we not above so out comes the mask and gloves…….. True indeed many of our families are living below the poverty line, suffering, living from check to check. Bills don’t stop coming because daddy lost his job or the hot water heater broke; and you’re on a fixed income! Nah the bills don’t stop and mouths don’t cease to need food, nope their right there, staring you back in the eye….. So out comes the mask and gloves…. Wait a minute, who is this mask and glove being used to hide, who is the victim of these tools the perpetrator you so vividly paint chooses to use while committing his crime that he’s not doing for the sake of committing crime? Hmmm… More than likely, people who look just like you, live in similar conditions as you creating a vicious cycle of survival of the fittest within our own neighborhoods. Creating a sense of fear, ridding ourselves of that community aspect that we once had when we would protect each other and look after one another.
1 out of 3 of us is locked up doing time…………. Oh I know what that type of thing can do to a brother’s mind. To a young man’s self esteem, when your peers are being hauled away in record numbers to institutions of enslavement, oh I’m sorry we call them prisons now! But thread this story together; already Hov has answered some of his own questions showing you the circumstances which desperately rape our communities of our brothers.
Yall ain’t give me forty acres and a mule. So you got your glock 40 now you’re cool. No….. not cool, not at all, that’s misplaced anger. They did that to us, well who’s they Ced, is this the proverbial man who keeps his foot on top of the black mans throat. No! This is a historical reference of the United States and promises that were made to people of color that were not fulfilled. But it’s that hegemony, that institutionalized racism, that Jay is talking about and how it affects the neighborhoods we live in. The jobs we work, the lack of education, lack of resources and awareness on how to achieve in this American society. No white picket fences in urban areas, none that I have seen anyway. But back to this Glock 40, this gun, our anger and despair for a system that oppresses us is quite valid but to then take out that same anger on our own people only furthers a system of destruction upon us as a community.
And if Al Sharpton is speaking for me………. Say no more my brother; many feel that the Old Guard of leadership is out of touch with the issues of today’s generations. So that’s a matter of opinion and I think many share the same sentiments. A few months ago it got me to thinking though, when I saw Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson attacking Nas over his new album. I said to myself, we have to get better communication within our own community. Nas shouldn’t have to hear via MTV news that Al Sharpton has a problem with something he is doing; Al should contact Nas directly and feed him some knowledge and wisdom as a younger brother. We should respect our elders and in turn they should respect us and what we are trying to create as an innovative and creative group of young people. The lines of communication need to be open so I don’t see Jesse or Al making negative remarks about Nas, Barack, or anyone else who is trying to make change within our neighborhoods. Instead if we pulled each others coat tails to some things out of respect we may get further and provide each other with viable solutions. Because once again I hear anger within ourselves when we truly should be coming together to fight against the system of inequality and its injustices. Al can’t make the schools better and neither can Jay but with an agenda targeting urban public school systems WE Can. Targeting legislation used to fund educational programs in underserved communities, utilizing our right to vote, our freedom of speech against the ills that plague us We Can. Then the mask and gloves don’t have to come out because they are only hurting us. Its an awareness issue in the hood, there’s misplaced anger in the hood, its time now that we unite and build with each other to Make It Happen! 1
I ain't no ordinary nigga, look around this aint what ordinary gets ya"
Say Hello to a reality within ourselves
We ain’t thugs for the sake of just being thugs. Nobody do that where we grew at nigga duh. The poverty line we not above so out comes the mask and gloves cause we ain't feeling the love. We ain't doing crime for the sake of doing crime, we moving dimes cus we ain’t doing fine. 1 out of 3 of us is locked up doing time; you know what that type of shit can do to a niggas mind. My mind on my money, money on my mind if you owe me ten dollars you ain’t giving me nine. Yall ain’t give me forty acres and a mule so I got my glock 40 now I’m cool and if al sharpton is speaking for me. Somebody get him the word and tell him I don’t approve. Tell him ill remove the curses, if you tell me our schools gon be perfect. When Jena 6 don’t exist tell em that’s when ill stop saying bitch, biiitchhhh!!!!!
Jay – Z “SAY HELLO”
American Gangster
The lyrics above come from one of today’s greatest storytellers, love him or hate him Jay-Z has cemented himself in the history books as one of the slickest mc’s on the mic. In his 2003 Fade to Black DVD he referenced taking time out in some of his songs to address what's going on in the hood, asking his peers “am I wrong to do that, to have those feelings.” Well on the last verse of Say Hello Jay addresses so many inherent issues within the black community, its duality is indescribable, just vibe with me.
We ain't thugs for the sake of just being thugs….. True but false, we live in environments where some feel they have no other options but to resort to a criminal lifestyle because of the lack of resources to education, and job training to achieve that American Dream. However, today we also live in a world where the commercialization of hard times has become intriguing to many youth who don’t necessarily have to live in such a way but they want respect and fear the only way to get that is to imitate the art which they see on television and hear in songs.
The poverty line we not above so out comes the mask and gloves…….. True indeed many of our families are living below the poverty line, suffering, living from check to check. Bills don’t stop coming because daddy lost his job or the hot water heater broke; and you’re on a fixed income! Nah the bills don’t stop and mouths don’t cease to need food, nope their right there, staring you back in the eye….. So out comes the mask and gloves…. Wait a minute, who is this mask and glove being used to hide, who is the victim of these tools the perpetrator you so vividly paint chooses to use while committing his crime that he’s not doing for the sake of committing crime? Hmmm… More than likely, people who look just like you, live in similar conditions as you creating a vicious cycle of survival of the fittest within our own neighborhoods. Creating a sense of fear, ridding ourselves of that community aspect that we once had when we would protect each other and look after one another.
1 out of 3 of us is locked up doing time…………. Oh I know what that type of thing can do to a brother’s mind. To a young man’s self esteem, when your peers are being hauled away in record numbers to institutions of enslavement, oh I’m sorry we call them prisons now! But thread this story together; already Hov has answered some of his own questions showing you the circumstances which desperately rape our communities of our brothers.
Yall ain’t give me forty acres and a mule. So you got your glock 40 now you’re cool. No….. not cool, not at all, that’s misplaced anger. They did that to us, well who’s they Ced, is this the proverbial man who keeps his foot on top of the black mans throat. No! This is a historical reference of the United States and promises that were made to people of color that were not fulfilled. But it’s that hegemony, that institutionalized racism, that Jay is talking about and how it affects the neighborhoods we live in. The jobs we work, the lack of education, lack of resources and awareness on how to achieve in this American society. No white picket fences in urban areas, none that I have seen anyway. But back to this Glock 40, this gun, our anger and despair for a system that oppresses us is quite valid but to then take out that same anger on our own people only furthers a system of destruction upon us as a community.
And if Al Sharpton is speaking for me………. Say no more my brother; many feel that the Old Guard of leadership is out of touch with the issues of today’s generations. So that’s a matter of opinion and I think many share the same sentiments. A few months ago it got me to thinking though, when I saw Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson attacking Nas over his new album. I said to myself, we have to get better communication within our own community. Nas shouldn’t have to hear via MTV news that Al Sharpton has a problem with something he is doing; Al should contact Nas directly and feed him some knowledge and wisdom as a younger brother. We should respect our elders and in turn they should respect us and what we are trying to create as an innovative and creative group of young people. The lines of communication need to be open so I don’t see Jesse or Al making negative remarks about Nas, Barack, or anyone else who is trying to make change within our neighborhoods. Instead if we pulled each others coat tails to some things out of respect we may get further and provide each other with viable solutions. Because once again I hear anger within ourselves when we truly should be coming together to fight against the system of inequality and its injustices. Al can’t make the schools better and neither can Jay but with an agenda targeting urban public school systems WE Can. Targeting legislation used to fund educational programs in underserved communities, utilizing our right to vote, our freedom of speech against the ills that plague us We Can. Then the mask and gloves don’t have to come out because they are only hurting us. Its an awareness issue in the hood, there’s misplaced anger in the hood, its time now that we unite and build with each other to Make It Happen! 1
