It all starts back in Italy, actually in Sicily A sad symphony in the early Twentieth Century A dark peasant boy named Benito Raphioni In the barn with the ponies and leftover macaroni But the lack of bread left him hungry when he's back in bed So he racked his head dreamin' of what he could have instead Walkin' around his village, never askin' for sympathy And the lack of affinity had him practice divinity 'Till he had an epiphany and he gathered his misery Packed it in a tiny bag and then he scattered from Italy Woulda traveled it differently, had he had the ability But without a penny, Benny couldn't travel efficiently Gatherin' his scraps, bought a third cla** to Manhattan Packed with the packages of the pa**engers in the cabin Greeted by the Lady of political Liberty City imagery of vividly livin' in Little Italy Entered Ellis Island with only a small sac His skin so dark, they thought he was all black Took the I's out of his name, Benito couldn't complain Raphioni or Raphone, to him it was all the same He just wanted money so he started workin' at the docks But could only make enough for a little place in the Bronx A diligent immigrant in a primitive tenement With the sk** of a city citizen bringin' in dividends Now he's livin' with benefits and it opened his mind So he's hopin' to find his utopian bride Benito opened his eyes to a beautiful black queen No longer was she broke and deprived On the way to top cla**, 'till the morning she woke with a hot flash Cash from the dock stash stopped fast when the stock crashed Benito contemplatin' robbery and slaughter That's what happens when you mixin' the milk with the tap water Perverted by the Dirty Thirties He heard of murder but a**ertively averted juries 'Cause he would rather have a family at home, didn't plan to be alone So they had a little boy named Anthony Raphone And Anthony had grown dark like his poppa is Hangin' on the street corners of Metropolis He was proud of his heritage but his dad's music had to go Mad dudes would rock the show – jazz, blues and rock & roll So he would hit the nightclubs and reside inside Comin' eye to eye with this pretty little Irish bride Movin' in together unexpectedly Had a little baby girl in the early seventies Last name Raphone, first name Michelle It ain't hard to tell, yo her name should ring a bell I said last name Raphone, first name Michelle "It ain't hard to tell" In a black neighborhood back then when they hate the Irish Michelle was called a mic but was never afraid to hide it Where you come from, there's nothing they can do to disparage it Yo especially when you carry a beautiful heritage This is strictly allegorical, the race is no concern to me The story's metaphorical, emphasis on diversity Emphasis on the poverty, and makin' it through All of the places that dedication is takin' you to And so, as Michelle grew, it would only take some time A proper way to find the "N.Y. state of mind" She was hangin' with the hip-hop heads and all of the thugs Michelle flows with shell toes inside of a club Stayed connected to the turntables Even though she was a tomboy, she was always the life of the night But her friends never thought her name was an accurate label And so everybody started callin' her Mikey or Mike But despite the masculinity, her virtuous virginity Would eventually mingle its way into her identity And by the time that Mikey was nineteen She had become a woman – no – matter fact a queen Psychedelic rays, an amazin' way with men With intelligence, benevolence, and beauty in the perfect blend
If you were stressed or you ever felt depressed You would go and talk to Mikey and she would help you express (yes) Gradually became a symbol in the rap community Every single rapper wanted her, even including me And she was older, but still I wanted to hold her And hopefully be the soldier that's standin' over her shoulder But hope isn't always noble enough when movin' a boulder If you was in my position then tell me what you'd have told her In order to win her over, all I wanted was a taste Face to face, ready to embrace And I would always see her in my dreams, she was slippin' in my bed Diminishin' inhibition the minute she's in my head With Nag Champa burnin,' we're kickin' it like karate My hand would be at peace when it was wrapped around her body Perfectly curved, her skin shiny and black With a tattoo on her back that said RadioShack I would play an instrumental and read her my poetry And if she liked what I was sayin' then she would come close to me Right in front of my lips, now we're ready to kiss The room was fillin' up with a mist Suddenly the connection was made, and I was drained of my energy So I burst and I gave her everything inside of me We even had a child in one of my other dreams A beautiful baby girl that I named Harmony Harmony Dussolliet, and if you translate the name Harmony of the Sun is the creation that I made But eventually I'd awake, and no longer could I reach her A pain that was burnin' my body like it was "ether" And everywhere she went, Mike was always adored Yo they even have her picture on the cover of The Source And her name is comin' up in songs like all the time But out of this long list, only one comes to mind It was this one song where the chorus was like… "All I need is one mic" But like I said in the beginnin' yo this song that I been singin' Is a tragedy, so naturally it has a tragic endin' And I was so concerned with it when I learned that it happened So it's time to take "affirmative action" (ayo check it) Mikey wasn't the type for the wifey of one guy A girl with that kinda light has gotta spread the sunshine Givin' everyone some lovin', she wasn't a s*ut or nothin' But a guy to keep her all to himself is so motherf**in' Inconsiderate, considering she was so beneficial Unless he treated her worthy enough and he was official But all these other kids are actin' snakey and scandalous So a girl with good intention is gettin' taken advantage of If I was man enough then I could stop the abuse I mean honestly cousin, yo what could I possibly do? Ayo "if I ruled the world" I would search the whole land for the one man worthy of the girl And if she fit into his hands, then I would give the man his throne Someone that is worthy of givin' a Mikey a home And actually I know the perfect candidate to handle it And yo my nomination has been hidden in this poem But in the meantime I have to sit back watchin' A woman is in trouble and I know I have to stop it 'Cause I don't want to see her with the rats and the snakes Happily havin' a date and then gettin' battered and raped! I said last name Raphone, first name Michelle It ain't hard to tell, yo her name should ring a bell I said last name Raphone, first name Michelle It ain't hard to tell, yo her name should ring a bell I said last name Raphone, first name Michelle It ain't hard to tell, yo her name should ring a bell Last name Raphone, first name Mike Someone step up and rock the Mike Raphone right Written by Jeremy "Kinetics" Dussolliet Copyright © 2006