[Hook: Nas] When we start... the revolution... all they'll probably do is squeal But chill [Verse 1: Asheru] It's been a long time coming, had a long rhyme running Through my head all morning since the early crack of dawning Seeing omens as a warning, sticking out like an awning In places they don't belong, my premonition is strong This sh** don't feel right when bammers know better But do the opposite they're claiming they're go-getters But what does profit get but mo' money, mo' problems We break bread as if we have pockets with no bottoms Can't be further from the truth like words spit in the booth Mixed down, packaged and shipped then marketed to the youth But the real disconnect is when sh** goes unchecked Words become acts and kids lack respect Society points the finger, artists collect the check Any attempts to balance things out, we reject We celebrate d**h like we know the end is near I can't tell if it's fear or if we truly don't care But me, I'm for the living, live the art that I'm giving Give my heart; that's a given, do my part cause I'm driven From the start I been hittin' with anti-nonsense And critics be so quick to label it conscious OK, you got me, even though it's not me, completely I see you want to box me neatly Treat me as if what I'm saying ain't really real [Hook] [Verse 2: Asheru] I wanna see hip-hop expand I wanna show these little Black boys what it means to be a Black man I wanna see us take pride in ourselves And not be so goddamn quick to rely on somebody else I wanna be able to turn on the TV And not see caricatures of people that are supposed to be me I wanna take full advantage of the things that I've made And maintain multiple ways for me to get paid I wanna put all my peoples on; who wouldn't? If you had my head, you would see the roof is in the pudding I wanna own my ?, my master's, my home My destiny, my peace of mind, my quiet time alone For once, I wanna see the good guy get rewarded And ? full of opportunities to support it I'm recording with intentions of showing another side At the end of the day, I wanna know who's gonna ride Cause me, ? live the art that I'm living Give my heart, that's a given, do my part, cause I'm driven From the start, I've been hitten with anti-whackness ? is pro-blackness You shouldn't offend, just like you shouldn't pretend sh** it hot when it's not really how you feel in the end Don't let these fake dictators tell you what's real