[Hook]
“King”
[Verse 1: Torae]
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
King of New York? Nah, now how that sh** sound
King of the coast? Nah, I cover more grounds
King of oneself? Yeah, that's how I get down
Yeah, my skin brown, that's the melanin
Ha, I'm wearing it proud, it ain't no telling when
Ha, they might come screaming irrelevant
Ha, he gunned the kid down and plant the evidence
[Hook]
But I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
[Verse 2: Torae]
Descended from Kings and Queens and we don't know what it means
Turn the palace to the projects and shatter our steam
But I'm here to let it be known, no matter the scene
They can't take royalty from your being
It's embedded in your DNA and your genes, thousand dollar sneakers and jeans
You could invest in yourself and your dreams
Is you hearing me now? The pedestal folks letting you down
Since James Brown said “I'm black and I'm proud”
They been pumping us with the opposite
Ah, dividing and conquer, it's pretty obvious
Ah, misled and misguided, this sh** monotonous
Ah, my Kings and my Queens, show ‘em how loud it gets
[Hook]
‘Cause I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
[Verse 3: Torae]
It comes in many forms and many colors is worn
Same hoodie as Trayvon and gray like when Freddie was born
This energy here is more than this song
So if you feeling it, then sing it along
Go
[Hook]
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
I ain't here for playing around, I wear the crown
[Verse 4: 3D Na'tee]
Na'tee
The smarter, the harder the battle
Cla**ism, blacks prisoned and slaughtered like cattle
Divide and conquer, is the modern mantra
Put you in front of your honor before your mama could buy you your first Tonka
The Erics, the Sandras, the little Aiyanas
Huh, turned into hashtags, sh** feeling like Baghdad
Because of my pigment, I swear the sh** is ridiculous
Living in these conditions, it's hard to duck a conviction
Misinterpret religion, discourage courage and vision
Teach us that we were slaves and never 'bout our position
As royals, subconsciously destroying our esteem
Kings and Queens, don't let the system scissor your dreams
[Hook]