I had to put on a Throwback... not referring to a jersey - Bruce Hornsby Vrs. Tupac Amaru Shakur

Another post on Hip Hop!!!! I would have zero exposure to legendary artists without Hip Hop artists introducing me to them. I love the genre! It is ME. It voices my frustrations and highlights my achivements. It inspires me to see someone coming from "the gutter" and then "getting it" thourgh hard work and dedication. Someone rhyming about being on welfare and later on buying a house for "mama" is the type of ish that drives me. Not to say that other genres don't "keep it real", Hornsby is straight up truth on this song!

If you don't like or understand it, I don't blame you. It exposes the harsh realities experienced in an urban enviroment, also third world countries. The "man" whomever that is to you, would rather opaque Hip Hop's brilliance because it's the voice of people they are taking advantage of. Again, not all Hip Hop is worthy of my time or attention. But the songs I will post on here have powerful messages that should not be ignored. Messages that are so disturbing you'd rather turn away, but you shouldn't. You should make an attempt to understand it instead of fear it. It's poetry to my ears. Watch the youtube vids and then take a minute to read Tupac's lyrics below.

If you missed it, here is my first Hip Hop blog entry
http://returningcatrachoreport.blogspot.com/2009/05/its-bigger-than-hip-hop-hip-hop-hip-hop.html

Come on come on

I see no changes

wake up in the morning and I ask myself

is life worth living should I blast myself?

I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black

my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch

Cops give a damn about a negro

pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero

Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares

one less hungry mouth on the welfare

First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers

give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other

It's time to fight back that's what Huey said

2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead

I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere

unless we share with each other

We gotta start makin' changes

learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangersand

that's how it's supposed to be

How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?

I'd love to go back to when we played as kids

but things changed, and that's the way it is

[Bridge w/ changing ad libs]

Come on come on

That's just the way it is

Things'll never be the same

That's just the way it is

aww yeah

[Repeat]

[2]

I see no changes all I see is racist faces

misplaced hate makes disgrace to races

We under I wonder what it takes to make this

one better place, let's erase the wasted

Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right

'cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight

and only time we chill is when we kill each other

it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other

And although it seems heaven sent

We ain't ready, to see a black President,

uhh It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact

the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks

But some things will never change

try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game

Now tell me what's a mother to do

bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you

You gotta operate the easy way

"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way

sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid,

"Well hey, well that's the way it is

[Bridge][Talking:]

We gotta make a change...It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.

Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live

and let's change the way we treat each other.

You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do

what we gotta do, to survive.

[3]

And still I see no changes

can't a brother get a little peace

It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East

Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs

so the police can bother me

And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do

But now I'm back with the facts givin' it back to you

Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,

crack you up and pimp smack you up

You gotta learn to hold ya own

they get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone

But tell the cops they can't touch this

I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this

That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool

my mama didn't raise no fool

And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped

& I never get to lay back'

Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs

some punk that I roughed up way back

comin' back after all these years

rat-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh

[Bridge 'til fade:]Some things will never change