400 Years Ago…
If you are a boy of the ghetto
400 years ago
You would’ve been a boy of the plantation streets
400 years ago
You would’ve been a boy of the masters trying to keep up motivation for life when you’re bed ridden from the sickness of merely waking up
If you are a child of the ghetto life
400 years ago
You would not have belonged to yourself
You would be living and dying while breathing knowing that you will live a slave
Die a slave
400 years ago
If you are a parent of the ghetto
400 years ago
You would spend nights worrying if this was the last night to see your baby
400 years ago
If you are a female of the ghetto
Home alone means not knocking on doors but bombarding entering puritan walls and she’s crying because she knows not of lovemaking just breastfeeding
400 years ago
Your life ain’t as good.
And Now:
You rush thru the streets mashin’ for the life of HUSTLE ‘cause that’s as far as you can see
On escapades of rendezvous missing and leaving behind clues that determine paternity
Bling Blingin’ trying to stay sing singing blues bluesin’
Wanting everything and working for nothing
Taking for granted that you’re something
And the ones that have made it monetary easy gain highs off of dining in the finest of the devils palaces
Playing in his courts
Drinking his blood
Fondling his cats
Eating his meats
Freaking his sheets
Tasting the fire starts to feel good once it’s Luke warm
And when it gets too hot you run to buildings created for slaves on knees
I’m ashamed to look at you
What is this pattern I see ?
I WILL BECOME EVERYBODY ELSE BUT ME!
You refuse to open up and hear a voice of choice so round
Because it feels good to be bad
400 years ago there was not room enough for this wasted time
400 years ago I could still rhyme
400 years ago you had mind
400 years ago you shined
400 years ago you cried
400 years ago you died
400 years ago you asked,”why?”
400 years ago I say goodbye
400 years ago we vent
400 years ago I sent
400 years ago sing songs
400 years ago days long
400 years ago wake up
400 years ago show yo’ stuff
400 years ago no breath
400 years ago last one left
400 years ago wasn’t long
400 years ago same song
400 years ago I’m done
400 years later the battle is won! -Janus