Brother Ali - Pen To Paper lyrics

[Verse 1] Put pen to paper the first time when I was barely eight or Maybe nine that was the late eighties, Reagan time Put in the freshest tape rewind, wait, let me take my time The entire landscape of that blank page was mine Created space to climb inside, escape the crazy times Reshape the climate, break it down, that was my frame of mind Thank the divine great designing this as my sacred shrine I made myself a place to shine, wait, let me spray this rhyme When I was thirteen I met KRS, he put me on the stage Suggested I read up on Malcolm X, y'all know the rest So much pushing down on my chest Both my folks got laid to rest Loved ones wishing me all the best I'm a ball of stress, yet I digress I've spent my every hopeless dream and my unspoken secret You hear it floating through your speakers in my old releases My fanbase began to grow beneath & crowd around me I never tiptoed 'round here shy I spit it loud and proudly The U.S. government profiled me and the sponsors dropped me Some of my listeners felt away so they no longer got me I knew that telling that truth is costly no one alive can stop me I rolled that flag out on the ground and prostrated my body This is more than music to me, this is ancestors Speaking through me at the tomb of Rumi My mic's a rifle I'm honor bound to fire my weapon truly Whether they jeer me, cheer me, boo, salute me or just shoot me Let it be known, my whole life I break that cycle set it in stone I'd still rather be known as a man that stand on my own Rather than beg at a throne cold You know I honor my own code that go down to the bone We just want to get it on shooting at the devil With a megaphone till we dead and gone