[Hook: Nina Simone & Dynamite MC]
Woo!
Oh what a lovely precious dream (I can't believe you Baby J!)
To be young, gifted and black, (You took me straight back to my childhood)
Open your heart to what I mean (My dad used to play this on 7-inchers)
In the whole world you know (I learned from it)
There are billion boys and girls (Now all of you gonna learn from it)
Who are young, gifted and black
And that's a fact!
[Verse 1: Dynamite MC]
Young black and gifted, young brown and talented
Young white and famous, don't watch what the balance is
Look how we've made it, look how we shine
Look how we rose, look how we've climbed
When I was growing up black was a dirty word
Was a dirty verb, name calling's all I heard
But we took it back, and now it's our slang
And no you can't hang, if you ain't in the gang
Take a strong spirit, take a strong heart
No matter what's ahead, we'll make a strong start
Yeah we make money, you we take shows
Yeah we make beats, yeah we write flows
No this ain't a fashion, No this ain't a trend
Yeah this is our culture and that's what I defend
From now until the end, for those who stood before me
I stand on their shoulders so you can't ignore me
[Hook: Nina Simone]
[Verse: Dynamite MC]
Bankers, lawyers, athletes and doctors
Actors, singers, emcees and soldiers
Managers, social workers and dances
Models, teachers, nurses and barbers
Take any profession, watch us handle that
Make deeper the struggle, watch us battle that
Please feel proud, please feel bright
Don't lose hope, don't start to slide
Don't do the things they expect you to do
Say something better listen, they expect that it's you
Now we bigger, kings and queens
Cupboards full of suits, heads full of dreams
Want to own a company that stitches the seams
Front cover n***a? Own a magazine
Only get bigger, only get stronger
Time endures, we last longer
[Hook: Nina Simone]
Where would we be if Malcolm didn't care
If Marcus didn't care, if Martin didn't care
If Bob didn't sing no songs
If Rosa parks said "Ay" then "Sorry 'bout that, now move along"
If Nelson didn't keep determined
If Gandi got week when they tried to treat his people like vermin
They were gifted, they were blessed, courageous and brave
I'm not here to take about every rapper on stage
We got so much potential, my blood boils with rage
When I think about the talent we've got locked up in cage
I beg you don't fall down the gap
Quick money short road, it brings you real close to the trap
Be a voice to the nation, read between the lines
It's time to react, throw up the fist sign
Young black and gifted, young brown and talented
Young white and famous, don't watch what the balance is
[Outro: Nina Simone]
Young, gifted and black
With our souls in tact
And that's a fact
You are young gifted and black
We must begin to tel our young
There's a world, waiting for you (You)
Your quest had just begun
(90% of the world's resources is owned by 10% of the worlds population)