Hip Hop Fridays: "The American Way" and "The Coon Picnic" by Nas

"The American Way" by Nas featuring Kelis

Verse 1:

Spot build rocker
little papa killed Hoffa
beard little longer
feel strong and I'll stop you
drill sergeant
still thorough
wheelbarrows of distilled vodka
Get me real bonkers like Will Ferrell on cat tranquilizer
Rap guys get bank
and think they Messiahs
but they liars
Vote for who now?
You're red, white and blue?
I'm American too
but I ain't with the President's crew
What you peddling and who you peddling to?
You ain't got the ghetto with you
Trying to lead my sheep to the slaughterhouse
Talking bout "Rap the Vote"
you ain't thought about
The Black vote mean nathan (nothing)
Who you gonna elect
Satan or Satan?
In the hood nothing is changing
uh
We ain't got no choices.
Who to choose?
Ten years ago they were trying to stop our voices
and end Hip-Hop.
They some hypocrites
Condoleeza Rice
I don't really get this chick
Tell her if she really ever cared about poor schools
about poor children
then she gotta prove
that she ain't just another coon Uncle Tom fool
Like these emcees
gotta give them the rules
Lie to the youth
Uncle Tom, you confused?
Might as well give the Hip-Hop community a noose
Need a truce with the gangs and some food for the hungry.
On Kerry's nuts
he look at you like a monkey
You emcees on that old slavery path
The Bushes'll look at your ass and laugh
See it's all about community
let's help ourselves
Cops brutalize us get dealt with
with shells
It's our turn
It's bout time we win
Need somebody from the hood as my councilman
uh

Chorus: (sung by Nas's Fiance Kelis)

Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way

Verse 2:

Up in the steam room chilling exfoliating the skin
Israeli men
conversating on ends
probably businessmen
I sense good taste
and they watch us
the spot's an expensive place
Manhattan, New York
I'm trying to keep steaming
It's good for the lungs
had plans for the evening
This man leans in
his boys laughing
Now I'm the spokesperson for Black Men
This always happens
"Since all Black Women care about is who got dough
And all we do is call them either bitch or a Black hoe."
I say "first, Brother you ain't gotta be that cold.
Since you ignorant
I'ma show you how the facts go."
The biggest examples of scandal in history
Were Monica Lewinksy or Donald Trump's pimping spree
Most woman who love Giovanni or Gucci
Are pretentious non-Black groupies
or floozies
But who are we to blame?
not the dames
It's a man-made game
in essence all women the same
Beautiful creatures
Black girls birthed the Earth
So they deserve to earn Man's purse
Matter fact
I'm about to go shopping with my dime
Catch you cowards the next time
the next rhyme
uh

Chorus: (Kelis)

Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way

I don't care about the runaways
I don't care about who's gay
I don't care about dying of AIDS
But I care that I got paid
Who even cares about the president?
I think they're making a mistake
I don't care about the hurricane
As long as my family's safe
I don't care about the candidates
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way

Can we make a change?
You know it's not overnight
Let's start the fight
Can we make a change
You know it's not overnight
Let's start the fight
Yeah I think about this everyday that's the American Way

*************************************
"These Are Our Heroes" ("Coon Picnic") by Nas

Chorus:

Let's hear it
one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who "yes Massa" on TV
what ever happened to Weezy?
The Red Foxes?
Never got Emmys but were real to me
Let's hear it
two for the spooks who do cartwheels
Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar
hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him
"Ooh he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to?
The decent Negro?
The acceptable Negro?
hell naw
But they say
"These are our heroes"

Verse 1:

Uh
Massa used to breed us to be bigger to go play
Athletes of today in the NBA
make me proud
But there's something they don't say
Keep getting accused for abusing White pussy
From OJ to Kobe or let's call him Toby
First he played his life cool
just like Michael
Now he rock ice too just like I do
Yo, you can't do better than that?
The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships that you thought had your back
Yeah you beat the rap jiggaboo fake nigga you
You turn around then you shit on Shaq
Who woulda knew
Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes
He love a little butt crack
got enough cash
Little kids with they bus pass
who look up to you
To do something for the youth
stupid spoof
But you let them use you as an example
They would rep
but our heroes got they hands full

Chorus:

Let's hear it
one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who "yes Massa" on TV
What ever happened to Weezy?
The Red Foxes?
Never got Emmys but were real to me
Let's hear it
two for the spooks who do cartwheels
Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar
hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him
"Ooh he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to?
The decent Negro?
The acceptable Negro?
hell naw
But they say
"These are our heroes"

Verse 2:

You Homey The Clown, bowtie, apple pie, Bo Jangles
But we love Bo Jangles.
we know what he came through
But what's your excuse, duke?
You talk Black
but your album sound like you'd give your nuts for a plaque.
You don't ride for the facts like
um say Scarface
You don't know what you feel,
y'all too safe
Election done came and went
y'all worked so hard for it
and in the end we all got dicked
These are our heroes
thanks a lot public school systems still rot
Still harassed by cops
snitches on blocks
selling they peoples out
Some real folks with clout
Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson
Stokely Carmichael
let's try to be like them
Nicky Giovanni poetical Black female
Jim Brown to the people who sing well from Fela
to Miriam Makeba
The mirror says you are the next American leader
So don't be
accepting new "We are the World" records
These pickaninnies get with anything to sell records
Cause it's trendy to be
the conscious MC
But next year
who knows what we'll see?

Ha Ha these are our heroes

Chorus:

Let's hear it
one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who "yes Massa" on TV
What ever happened to Weezy?
The Red Foxes?
Never got Emmys but were real to me
Let's hear it
two for the spooks who do cartwheels
Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar
hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him
"Ooh he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to?
The decent Negro?
The acceptable Negro?
hell naw
But they say
"These are our heroes"

Yeah I wanna give a special shout out to the the crew doing they thing out there repping us hard.

Big up to Tiger Woods. Yeah you don't stop. Big up to Cuba Gooding Jr. You know...yeah you know. Taye Diggs...what up my nigga? Yeah ha ha And you don't quit and you don't quit and you don't stop and you don't quit.

Nasir Jones

Friday, December 3, 2004