I take rappers on a field trip any day They never been opposite real clip anyway I know where all the looters and the shooters stay Welcome to the city we call Doomsday.
When niggas is just fried chicken like Tuesday Oh you from the hood huh, who say? My Nigerian niggas would call you Pussy My Somali niggas are quick to grab the uzi
Around here we only bumping Fela Kuti Tupac, or Bob Marley, Lucky Dube. So we don't really give a fuck about your groupies This Is Africa, Hooray.
T.I.A. (Hooray) T.I.A. (Hooray) T.I.A. (Hooray) It means, This Is Africa (Hooray)
You don't know how hard it is here The streets is tricky in these parts here You don't know how hard this is here The streets need this shit here
You don't know how hard it is here The streets is tricky in these parts here You don't know how hard this is here The streets need this shit here
I walk rappers through the Killa woods any day They never been opposite real goons anyway I know all the tricky sticky icky alley ways Welcome to the continent of Holidays (Africa)
Where Holidays quickly turn to hell days Stars fall quicker than box of shell case No Bill Gates, No PCs Why you cats debating, acting and faking these days
I deliver what they need like milk crates I learned from the deadly streets no regrets And I wasn't ever looking for street cred But these streets bred me to be street safe
It's no secret we know how to squeeze lead But the Pre-set is not to have to squeeze it Used to be at peace but now we using T-Shirts And it reads RIP cause the peace dead
When I walk through the slums like (Nomane?) Little children say K'naan (Bumaye ?) The rap game just got itself a new day This is Africa, Hooray.
T.I.A. (Hooray) T.I.A. (Hooray) T.I.A. (Hooray) It means, This Is Africa
You don't know how hard it is here The streets is tricky in these parts here You don't know how hard this is here The streets need this shit here
You don't know how hard it is here The streets is tricky in these parts here You don't know how hard this is here The streets need this shit here
Bundle up my whole style is so cold I glow like old guys who go bald My flow got no front in the vocal Your flow got no button its so old
I don't mean to sound like a showboat But it's true my persona's no joke I stepped into some kinda portal I'm legend and sometimes I'm noble
I'm from the most risky zone - oh No place is more shifty global More pistols, Russian revolvers We shootin' all that is normal
But it ain't just because we want to We ain't got nowhere we can run to Somebody please press the undo They only teach us the things that guns do
Chorus They don't teach us the ABCs We play on the hard concrete All we got is life on the streets All we got is life on the streets (repeat)
(Chubb Rock) Rock, you know my era B-boy seasoning, salt -n- pepa Grown and sexy, come with the extra Crushed up linen, fly like sess-a This type brew I gave it birth Now it's time again to give it a verse Jamaican born, not a fan of the ganja ______ Brooklyn to Somalia And it goes in the background Playa, that is my sound The green doesn't symbolize I made it on the top Pioneer legend, and they call me Mr. Rock No B word or N word, I don't need those words (no) Respect for hers The game dried up, so we come with the grease Leadin' ya right and treatin' ya right, so peace
Chorus
Superman is known by the locals As this dude who's so fly it's global Attitude that came outta struggle Destitute but I make it hopeful
You real, but my real is tenfold My real'll make yours a rental Gangsta if at ease, essential Fight with guns or utensils
So bold nothin's confidential Breakfast was not continental And lunch could not compliment all We still become competent souls
These streets ain't paved with no gold Matter fact someone stole the light bulb Nobody fat enough for lypo They don't teach us to read and write, so...
Yeah Believe it or not What kept me alive Is my dreams
[Chorus:Repeat x2] I'm a dreamer But I ain't the only one got problems But we love to have fun This is our world From here to your hood We alive man It's OK to feel good
I got a friend named Flow, Who got a friend named blow With a finger named clap That'll leave you on the side like a Kangol hat. He ain't have no choice he was born this way These streets will pull your number like a phone display You gotta be defensive with your life You gotta be like Bush and take Pre-emptive strikes And the boys from the hood are always hard Let alone in Mogadishu it's a mastered art If you bring the words hood to a seminar We from the only place worse then Kandahar, Now that's kinda hard But we still like to party and hardy har Something good happens we say Mashalla Something bad happens Kay Sara Sara. I close my eyes and all I can see is you dancing with me
[Chorus]
It's ok to feel good, it's the truth Yo check it out
What would it take for a boy about my age to hear cheers in his head upon that stage And the cheers that would drowned out the tears from my brown eyes Come on back stage you see the screams ain't the screams from gun shot streams In my dreams these screams are from hot teens And I'm barely thirteen but I pack dirty, a Russian fire arm that shoots thirty Just then I hear the bus engine I'm transcending I'm crowd surfing I can't see the time burning I'm not hurting with my mahogany pen. I'm on a world tour with Mohammad and them. And we be over sees and not in these trees where my peeps stay alive like the Bee gees And the likes of JZ would save my steeze and singing handily brought Hip-Hop peace
[Chorus]
Sometimes we just like to have fun, Man we like to forget all the fighting All the guns and the tires burning,
Back on the verse Imagine crack was in birth Imagine the earth wasn't hurt Imagine no homeland alerts Imagine no record locater so I wouldn't have to get a criminal waiver Imagine if peace wasn't in my briefs Instead peace could stretch across the sees So finally we could just rest and in easy no refugees And you, well you could dress in a book And I can read your body in less then a look I got a dream girl in my mind and that the hook, An intellectually, sexual and still can cook
Yeah, and I feel good right now I feel good right here You feel good?
[Chorus]
We not down and out, just cause times are hard Yeah shout out to the struggeler's, In my country, hardest place on earth But still I still know how to get down, I still know how to vibe out, I still know how to talk to a pretty girl. Take it easy now.
Set to high Now calling all revolutionary youth Dam Marley alongside K'naan Gunpowder philosopher what some boy feel like
I made the list this year I'm on a roll, you ain't know East African rock 'n roll You don't know what time it is like your clock is old You ain't know you're packin' like the block is sold
How could it be from the deepest darkest of zero To become king of New York like De Niro And he ain't even from New York that's what's weird yo But where he's from they just ratatata ratatata
So come now don't you try to play the hero Around here we've got pirates with torpedoes Alongside all the warlords and beardos The only city niggas blacker than tuxedos
Baby girl let me get all up in your earlobe And if you shut me down you can kill my ego Which is my enemy makes you my amigo So either way you and I are button and needle
And they say I might become big as a Beatle But I don't let it get to my head or feet yo And I got more street cred than legal But just in case we keep a big Des Eagle
Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared (ready) Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared (always) Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared (peppa, peppa(?) Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared
What was I on before this flow or sequel Somethin' about how I thought I was a Beatle I'm trippin' but it was something lethal It was fresh but possessed something Medieval
I came solo I ain't even bring my army The type of niggas that'll always ruin the party You know those socially inadequate Somalis Who walk in uninvited in your VIP
And Africans love them some B.I.G. But Tupac is official H.N.I.C. And my job is to write just what I see So a visual stenographer is what I be
Superman, superstar, give me super-fat dough So I can be super-rich and super fat so But maybe not super fat but super stacked though So I can fix some money shit on super back low
How many immigrants are this here sedan And is anyone carryin' any contraband Not really but I'm late for my concert man And here's a card for my lawyer Mr. Sam Goldman
Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, always Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, yeah Zion youths Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared
Some no cowboys, no the Kalashnikov, no play taebo If him feelin off the balance, feel walk tight rope. and gamble with them rafters like a casino And a somebody for save them like them save Nemo
Cause the Somalis are Somalians some mad people We a travel with some long strap in our vehicle And a screech across the border like a Latino Moving through the LAXs and London Heathrows Wait, man a gangsta we no star freak show No gimmicks nor shenanigans a real street flow
Feel me woman a feel flier than a Flamingo Real bullet we a bust and a no Placebo K'Naan have so much gun him open gun depot And we take way boy gun just like we a gun repo So tell some tosse MC there's no more free throw Soon as we finish a clip another clip reload because
Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, ready Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, (oh now) Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared, Yeah, I come prepared, I come prepared, I come prepared
She shot me, she shot me, Bang, bang she shot me. (x3) She shot me, she shot me, Bang, bang. (Get out the way, yo)
Ahh there she goes again, The girl is Ethiopian. In other words, she came through explodin In the podium, dynamite Napoleon like sodium mixed with petroleum, Slowly but surely, she was walking toward me Cut the convo short cause she had to wake up early, But continuing the story, Dont worry she gave me digits for her Blackberry Youre very handsome is what she said. And the way she looked in my eyes said Put me to bed.
Oh my, oh my, I should have known when she said to me on the phone: You do not know me very well, but I would never hurt a fly. Then she aimed at my chest with love in her eye. I said she aimed at my chest with love in her eye.
Adam Levine: She was walkin around with a loaded shotgun Ready to fire me a hot one. It went bang, bang, bang Straight through my heart. (Straight through my heart) Although I could have walked away, I stood my ground and let her spray.
Knaan: She shot me, she shot me Bang ,bang she shot me (x3) She shot me, she shot me Bang, bang.
Scorpion, Shes so hot shes a scorch-ian, Killing me softly, Lauryn or Kevorkian, Couldnt tell if shes coo-coo or corky, when I asked her her name she said Call me Ten. Testing, testing Things just got more interesting Shes dressed in a vest pin, double-breasted holster, A very Western toaster, She aint nothing Kosher. Ah she lets me closer. Hotter than a pepper-crusted Samosa While I try to keep my composure.
Adam Levine: She was walkin around with a loaded shotgun Ready to fire me a hot one. It went bang, bang, bang Straight through my heart. (Straight through my heart) Although I could have walked away, I stood my ground and let her spray.
Knaan: She shot me, she shot me Bang ,bang she shot me (x3) She shot me, she shot me Bang, bang.
Am I wrong? But what is love without the pain to go along? And what is pain if not the reason for me to sing this song? And this song is for the weak and for the strong. Cause I was strong and still She got me, she got me, Bang, bang she got me. She got me, she got me, Bang, bang.
Adam Levine: She was walkin around with a loaded shotgun Ready to fire me a hot one. It went bang, bang, bang Straight through my heart. (Straight through my heart) Although I could have walked away, I stood my ground and let her spray.
Knaan: She shot me, she shot me Bang ,bang she shot me (x3) She shot me, she shot me Bang, bang.
So good things come to those who wait Sure, I've waited about pop-pop-pop-pop That's four cousins shot! I got grudges, let's discuss this, my music needs no touch ups I got a long record of fuck ups, trust me you don't know who has this weight as mine, or a life as hard as mine. I had to hustle, chop, sell drugs, grind, whatever you want to call it is fine, But just listen, and don't preach us I don't want anyone dismissin' me as another thug or some shit like that, No Sir! If I fall I will get right back, I got circumstances, but let me stop dancin' around the issue And tell you straight forward, I'm poor A refugee, been in prison and survived the war I come from the most dangerous city in this universe You're likely to get shot at birth!...
So I can rap quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off, punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses, fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if m'aa fuckers don't get it Yo, if rap gets jealous, words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it. And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if m'aa fuckers don't get it Yo, if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression, obsession, we're pain in the gain.
So good things come to those who wait Sure, I've waited about pop-pop-pop-pop That's four cousins shot! I got grudges, let's discuss this, my music needs no touch ups I got a long record of fuck ups, trust me you don't know who has this weight as mine, or a life as hard as mine. I had to hustle, chop, sell drugs, grind, whatever you want to call it is fine, But just listen, and don't preach us I don't want anyone dismissin' me as another thug or some shit like that, No Sir! If I fall I will get right back, I got circumstances, but let me stop dancin' around the issue And tell you straight forward, I'm poor A refugee, been in prison and survived the war I come from the most dangerous city in this universe You're likely to get shot at birth!...
So I can rap quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off, punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses, fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if m'aa fuckers don't get it Yo, if rap gets jealous, words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it. And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if m'aa fuckers don't get it Yo, if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression, obsession, we're pain in the gain.
So yeah, basically I gotta release occasionally I gotta let you know what's goin' on with me And facing me are some tough choices I got a good side and a bad side Inside my head,I hear screams and loud voices And I can't lie,ain't got Shit! I ain't got to brag,I'm hard pressed for some cash 'Cause that's where I'm at with that,you're so superficial! Of course it's for shizzle, now my choice is to pass on you Voice! 'Cause my mission is the world To know my name! my aim! is plainly success! But I still gotta come practice!...
So I can rap-Quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off,punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses,Fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression, Obsession, we're pain in the gain
He,He,He,That's what it is,it's pain,know what I'm sayin'? I don't know man it's like... You spend years developing your artistry Know what I'm sayin'?,perfecting your skills You can't do shit with it,Ha! That's gotta be Fucked up!,know what I'm sayin'? Ha! That's gotta be Fucked up You know,just imagine like,imagine you build a Fuckin' castle And you can't live in it,Ha! That's what it is You can't live it you know And you got problems,you got family,I got family Moment of truth right! And I still gotta come practice!...
So I can rap-Quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off,punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses,Fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
(x2) And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression,Obsession,we're pain in the gain
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression,Obsession,we're pain in the gain
So yeah, basically I gotta release occasionally I gotta let you know what's goin' on with me And facing me are some tough choices I got a good side and a bad side Inside my head,I hear screams and loud voices And I can't lie,ain't got Shit! I ain't got to brag,I'm hard pressed for some cash 'Cause that's where I'm at with that,you're so superficial! Of course it's for shizzle,now my choice is to pass on you Voice! 'Cause my mission is the world To know my name!,my aim!,is plainly success! But I still gotta come practice!...
So I can rap-Quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off,punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses,Fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression,Obsession,we're pain in the gain
He,He,He,That's what it is,it's pain,know what I'm sayin'? I don't know man it's like... You spend years developing your artistry Know what I'm sayin'?,perfecting your skills You can't do shit with it,Ha! That's gotta be Fucked up!,know what I'm sayin'? Ha! That's gotta be Fucked up You know,just imagine like,imagine you build a Fuckin' castle And you can't live in it,Ha! That's what it is You can't live it you know And you got problems,you got family,I got family Moment of truth right! And I still gotta come practice!...
So I can rap-Quench my thirst I don't even hear verses no more I hear jerkin' off,punks with lip glosses and purses I don't see nobody I can reach anymore I see nurses,Fuck that!,I'm gonna stay alive! I'd rather do a stage live!
(x2) And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,words that were admitted I used to be a public enemy don't forget it And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression,Obsession,we're pain in the gain
And if rap gets jealous 'cause I rock heavy It don't worry me if M'aa Fuckers don't get it Yo! if rap gets jealous,'cause of where I'm headed Aggression,Obsession,we're pain in the gain
Yeah, I spit it for my block, It's an ode, I admit it. Here the city code is lock and load Any minute is rock and roll And you rock and roll, And feel your soul leavin'. It's just the wrong dance That'll leave you not breathin'. I'm not particularly proud Of this predicament but, I'm born and bred In this tenement, I'm sentimental, What?! Plus it's only right to represent my hood And what not. So I'm about to do it in the music, in the movies. Cut to the chase pan across to the face I'm right there. Freeze frame on the street name Oops wait a minute, This is where the streets have no name And the drain of sewage. You can see it in this boy how the hate is brewin' Cause when his tummy tucks in Fuck the pain is fluid. So what difference does it make, Entertaining threw it. Some get high mixing coke and gun powder, sniffin'. She got a gun but could have been a model or physician.
So what you know bout the pirates terrorize the ocean. To never know a simple day without a big commotion. It can't be healthy just to live with a such steep emotion. And when I try and sleep, I see coffins closin'. (Repeat)
Yeah, Yeah, We used to take barb wire Mold them around discarded bike tires. Roll em down the hill in foot blazin'. Now that was our version of mountain bike racing Damn! Do you see why it's amazing, When someone comes out of such a dire situation And learns the English language, Just to share his observation! Probably get a Grammy without a grammar education. So fuck you school and fuck you immigration! And all of you who thought I wouldn't amount to constipation. And now I'm here without the slightest fear and preservation, They love me in the slums and in the native reservations. The world is a ghetto with ministerin' deprivation. My mommy didn't raise no fool did she hooyo? I promise I would get it and remain strictly loyal. Cause when they get it then they let it all switch and spoil. But I just illuminated it like kitchen foil. A lot of main stream niggas is yappin' about yappin' A lot of underground niggas is rappin' about rappin'. I just wanna tell you what's really crackalackan Before the tears came down this is what happened.
So what you know bout the pirates terrorize the ocean. To never know a simple day without a big commotion. It can't be healthy just to live with a such steep emotion. And when I try and sleep, I see coffins closin'. [Repeat: x2]
uh huh uh huh uh huh oh this takes me home, it makes me think about sitting outside of my old home when I was younger and singing something like
[Chorus I (with translation)] gabar yaroo subhaano [Young beautiful girl] maro shabeelo hirato [wearing tiger-patterned] maro qafiifa huwato [light, thin clothing] maga’aaga ii sheeg [Tell me your name] magaeygu waa sharaf [she says: My name is Sharaf] sharaf haaji weeyan [Sharaf Haaji, it is] aqalada hariirta [Those beautiful houses] dhina baan ka jooga [I live beside] alla ya u sheega [Somebody please tell them] tinta u shanleeya [give them a clue] nahoy zamzamey [of you, Zamzam] sabaah nuurey [who shines like the morning light] adoo kin kin iyo [like the scales] kaluun badaneey [of a colorful fish] adoo hajka jira [while you were gone on Hajj] xasuus badaneey [had many memories] sahiibtaa asho ashaq baa dilay [Your friend, Aisha died of love] ugu dambeyntiina [at long last (I realized)] aniyo geeluba [both I and the camels] wa u banaanbahnay [need love]
[Chorus II - x2 (with translation)] wanagii orodnee [Remember us fleeing] nabad barinee [searching for peace?] mareykan waa laga soo waayay [3x] [In America, none was found]
There are certain things fresh, and certain things mesh, I got my own sound, I don't sound like the rest, And even my attire and my choice of dress, And not long ago I don't spoke English The point is police pull me over a lot They wonder what type of rap sheet I got. And sometimes I take a young girl out to eat, And hold the door open, oh you're so sweet, Of course my affection's super illustrated And I like to give don't reciprocate it Unless you could give me someone innovated And let's cook it up we don't refrigerate it But back to the country of the educated Where people get robbed and they celebrate it,
[Chorus II x2]
(MOS DEF)
Maraken, my country 'tis of thee sweet land for robberies dos smokin SUV's red meat and army greens fat and frills thrills and spills eat and sleep hump and kill shop 'til you drop work 'til you dead get all you can then get in the wear (?) outta my face on your knees sleep in the mansion shut out the streets make that cake woop that trick lick my swagger suck my sick get high get low get sticky get rich get yo' own show get down get quick you slow you blow you broke get fixed terror dome, home swag home terror dome, home swag home home swag home home swag home
[Repeat Chorus II x2]
(CHALI 2NA)
There are some things pure while certain things blur Dilute it with the lie and you believe when it occur Falsified information got my people in the stir We have to be in search of something equal to the cure Straight out the door, I come to give you more Lay the law keep it raw, when I speak it from the core Get underneath your skin like I scratched you with a claw Conflicted with the rich 'cause I kick it with the poor I laugh in the face of adversity Sound clashed with the bass 'cause it's natural to me But if you pay attention to the past you will see Not long ago you black they'd hang your ass from a tree Certain things change, while some stay the same Some are recluse, others are lovers of the game I'm trying to walk the lane,the siratul mustaqim [Arabic for "the straight path"] Instead of doing things that keep you covered in the flame.
[Repeat Chorus II x2]
Nanananana that shit was cool in English, but let me get that Somali verse.
Picture the morning taste and devour We rise early pace up the hour Streets is bustling hustling their heart out You can't have the sweet with no sour
Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower We came out precisely the hour Clouds disappear the sun shows the power No chance of a probable shower
I fell in love with my neighbors daughter I wanted to protect and support her Never mind I'm just 12 and a quarter I had dreams beyond our border.
Is it true when they say all you need is just love, Is it true What about those who have loved Only to find that it's taken away And why do they say that the children have rights to be free To be free What about those who I've known Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Fatima, What did the Young Man say Before he stole you away On that fateful day Fatima Fatima, Did he know your name Or the plans we made, To go to New York City, Fatima
And after school we studied the lessons I ask God to slow down the seconds He does the opposite that's what I'm guessing I better chill and count my own blessings
Fatima, Fatima what is the matter How come you ain't come up the ladder So we can be like there's no tomorrow Damn you gonna make me wait until tomorrow
She spoke Arabic and Swahili She'd say Upendo (Swahili for love) Anta Habibi (Arabic for, you are my love, dearest friend) You so bright, you shine like my TV Then one day she never came to meet me
Is it true when they say all you need is just love, Is it true What about those who have loved Only to find that it's taken away And why do they say that the children have rights to be free To be free What about those who I've known Whose memory still lives inside of me.
Fatima, What did the Young Man say Before he stole you away On that fateful day Fatima Fatima, Did he know your name Or the plans we made, To go to New York City, Fatima [Repeats]
If beauty was in the eyes of beholder How come everyone hushed when she walked by How come girls would look just to scold her How come the angel wanted to hold her?
Fatima, Fatima I'm in America I make rhymes and I make them delicate You would have liked the parks in Connecticut You would have said I'm working too hard again.
Damn you shooter, Damn you the building Whose walls hid the blood she was spilling Damn you Country so good at killing Damn you feeling, for persevering
Is it true when they say all you need is just love, Is it true What about those who have loved Only to find that it's taken away And why do they say that the children have rights to be free To be free What about those who I've known Whose memory still lives inside of me.
[Repeats] Fatima, What did the Gun Man Say Before he took you away on that fateful day Fatima Did he know your name, or the plans we made To go to New York City
Fatima
Now I just want to make it clear, I don't want you to shed a tear. Because this here, is a celebration, We're not mourning, We're celebrating Yeah So baby don't cry, Please don't let the tears fall So don't cry
There is no way to write it there is no way to fight it And I kick and scream but you got me despite it And I got my pride so I begin to hide it Like a fire in a free town you begin to lighten it
[Chorus] Aha aha aha Sidii hogasha roobka Ah ah aha you shine down upon me Aha aha aha Sidii hogasha roobka aha aha aha you shine down upon me
By some higher order you keep getting bolder By god or by country you kill like a soldier By some widdle you sung little but scream mighty stronger Like fire in free town you old magic spoiler.
[Chorus]
You place bins in my ribs and ask me to lie down My pain is your pleasure but pleasure is all mine You lend me your false ear and I lend you my false lines Like fire in free town I'm fueled by your gold mine
[Chorus]
She pulled out her match and she burned down my home Fire fire She know it to touch me to turn me to stone Fire fire She come like a storm and she rained on my lawn Fire fire She pulled out her match and she burned down my home Fire fire She come like a storm and she rained on my lawn Fire fire She know it to touch me she know it I know Fire fire She come like a storm and she rained on my lawn Fire fire She pulled out her match and she burned down my home
And any man who knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn, damn thing at all, And everytime I felt the hurt and I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall, I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride, I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze, I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride, I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze,
How did Mandela get the will to surpass the everyday, When injustice had him caged and trapped in every way, How did Ghandi ever withstand the hunger strikes and all, Didn't do it to gain power or money if I recall, It's to give; I guess I'll pass it on, Mother thinks it'll lift the stress of babylon, Mother knows, my mother she suffered blows, I don't know how we survived such violent episodes, I was so worried, and hurt to see you bleed, But as soon as you came out the hospital you gave me sweets, Yeah, they try to take you from me, But you still only gave 'em some prayers and sympathy, Dear mama, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless.
{Chorus}
All I can say is the worst is over now, We can serve the hard times, divorce is over now, They try to keep us out, but they doors is open now, My nigga Akon is gettin awards for covers now, This is K'NAAN, and still reppin' the IS (?) Comin' out of Mogadishu and still draped in the mess, And no matter how we strong, homie, It ain't easy comin out of where we from, homie. And that's the reason why, I could never play for me, Tell 'em the truth, is what my dead homies told me, Oh yeah, I take inspiration from the most heinous of situations, Creating medication out my own tripulations. Dear Africa, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless.
{Chorus}
Nothing is perfect man, that's what the world is, All I know is, I'm enjoying today. You know, 'cause it isn't everybody that you get to give.
Yea, I'm sending this one out to anyone who's had to wait on a money transfer, Yea its kinda whack when they charge you like 10 percent on the dollar But you know how good it feels when they say
[Chorus] You can pick it up today, its 15 minutes away. You can pick it up today, its 15 minutes away. You can pick it up today, its 15 minutes away. You can pick it up today, its 15 minutes away.
The worst thing is the waiting man, Its spiritually draining, I guess I could repaint it, but don't think I'm complaining, I'm in my small apartment, This month has been the hardest I couldn't afford some omelets, I'm broke like an empty promise Sometimes when im in a meeting, and everyone else is eating, I feel so awkward asking, so I pretend like I am fasting, My girl had paid my payments, She wants to save my anus, She says my loves contagious but my pride is so outrageous She sent me Western Union, so I can make it doin' It felt so good when she said write down this eleven digits I go out to receive it, I'm desperate and I need it, Feels like an angel's speaking, I can hardly believe it
[Chorus]
You finally got a cola, you met him in sarpola A tourist with a dollar, he's some kind of a baller Two babies in a stroller, and still he wants to hollar He likes your Pepsi-Cola, but you ain't runnin' Lola Brazil ain't nothin' easy, for Velez or fa sheezy The sun would make you dizzy, Workin' for something measly These girls would make you trust em, And sweetness is the custom, But everyday they hustlin', everyday they hustlin', John calls her with the number, Home with her local lover, Who was it that picked up the phone, Oh that was just my brother She goes out to receive it she's desperate and she needs it Its like an angel speaking, she can barely believe it
[Chorus]
I got my confirmation, The western union agent, Said grandmas destination, Had violent inclination But now I'm proud and pacing, And walking to the station, Heavy precipitation, But you cant me anything, I got my bills in order, I made it cross the border, Such dazzles such a horror, His life was like an Oprah, Grandma I never forget you, Worry I never let you, Soon as I leave the venue, This money I will send you, I still haven't gone astray, Don't drink or smoke and sway, Though sometimes I don't pray, It feels so good to say, Go out and receive it, Cause I just know you need it, Your boy has grown up decent, Grandma can you believe it?
[Chorus]
Yo let the beat ride out for a minute ima say somethin right quick to people. I dont really do shout outs But I'm gonna do a quick shout out to the people that helped me When I was in need you know what I'm sayin', The people who sent me things on Western Union what have you. You know Mahama Yuisef takin care of us numerous times When me and rezac stuck on the road somewhere. Mr Jarvis Church who didnt even know about Western Union til he met me. My wife Dedna helpin' out when we needed her, thank you baby. Mr. solgai helpin out with my brothers bail money Even before we been working together, Thank you very much, orregato I appreciate it, And now I'm sending money to people. Generosity is the key, generosity is the key. Thank you very much, it's K'Naan
[Chorus] Heaven, is there a chance that you could come down And open doors to hurting people like me People like me [Repeat: x4]
Is it fair to say that I am stressing out I'm stationed in Iraq and they won't let me out My homeys said I was stupid for even joining My counselor said that my decision was disappointing How she had good for good state colleges And with my good grades it wouldn't have been a problem But they don't understand the power of significance More than brilliance and certainly more than difference And if you ask me now would I repeat it Would I fight in a war I don't believe in Well the answer is if not me where the cancer is They been doing this before Jesus of Nazareth And after all this time it is still deadly hazardous And bush isn't really being all that inaccurate When he says we're winning the war cos its staggering But that's cause we're killing everybody that we see And most of us soldiers we can barely fall asleep And time and time again I'm feeling incompetent Cos my women back home, we're constantly arguing And I must be crazy cos all I'm obsessing with is Her Myspace and Facebook and who's commenting I swear to god if she's cheatin' I'm doing her ass in I can tell with one look and it came to me sounding like something from a song hook
[Chorus]
Meet Sarah, the proud mother of young Sebastian Suburban professional went to college in ...shton In self pity she suddenly cried, Would my life be important if I suddenly died? Neighbors saying what a nice women she was Keeping mostly to herself ever since the divorce And with the company downsizing and the fall and all She really shouldn't take it that personal at all It wasn't her boss who had his eyes on her thighs And got a rise from her rising off the desk though And despite remembering saying no plenty of times It was still a damn surprise being let go And now stuck with a mortgage she cant afford And too educated to blame the corporate world She got on welfare and hated it case work a power tripping And generally being degraded if, Nothing else she was treated sick And ineffective which is the worst thing That she'd been left with Damn, no magic from David Blane, No painter to pain this pain, No Morgan Freeman to narrorate the shame So she took refuge and prayer Kinda like finding god in the phone book And it came to her sounding something like a song hook
[Chorus]
I guess I told you about myself to a degree Just by telling you about people like me But people like me they speak politely They don't start no beef or peace ... Everybody gotta eat but everybody doesn't Which is why I want to tell you about my favorite cousin He and I grew up where the sun shines And we both partook with the gun crimes And we both liked american rap rhymes Even though we didn't understand one line If you remember my line of notes in my last album I talked about a close call with a grenade I think we both must have been about 7th grade But don't panic we both survived without damage But we developed a bond like we survived the titanic But when the country became frantic My mother tried to get us out, planned it To the last detail except the plan got derailed Cos there wasn't enough money for the plain tickets How bitter when my mother had to chose who to take with her So my cousin got left in the war and that's just hard to recall But now I take refuge and prayer, Kinda like finding god in the phone book It came to me sounding kinda like something from a song hook .
Yea, uh Its K'naan Yea, uh. About to take over with this, here we go I check it
They don't expect me on this beat, the thunder on the street But I never turn the cheek, surrender or retreat You can bet that I am strong, trying to right what is wrong They say it won't be long, keep on singing your song But ayo you need a single, single to make a mingle Something that's kinda simple, I'd hate to call it jingle A single is a missile, takes you right to the middle of 106 and park And maybe Jimmy Kimmel You'll need somebody famous co-signing for your anus Who you got on the album I don't see where the name is But I do it my own way I do it my own way I do, if you do what you do your own way you could be famous too.
[Chorus] If the beat is hot does it matter where or who its from? If the flow is hot does it really matter where I'm from? If the song is hot does it matter 'cause the DJ dumb? If the girl is hot does it really matter where she's from? If the beat is hot does it matter where or who its from? If the flow is hot does it really matter where I'm from? If the club is hot does it really matter how we bump? If the girl is hot does it really matter where she's From?
I coulda been from the west side or the Chi-Town like twista With a flow so sick it blow you to bits it will show you the glits And gold in the wrist and the boat in the fish and I blow them a kiss, lets blow give them em a sweet talking in a piss while taking a piss? are you talking to the fish or the girls in the boat exposing their tits
I coulda been from NY like Rock 'em with the my pen I can get paid in full with praise and tools erased And rules my case of jewels I'm cold like a glacial cool With blades and fools I'm raging bulls
I coulda been from L.A like Dre and Snoop Rolling in my six-four with fresh case jewels And I'm riding on 'em niggas unless they cool And I got border troubles like 'em essays fool
I coulda been- I coulda been from the dirty like A town or M.I.A I could ride an invisible motor cycle and go HEY (echo hey hey) Storm like the hurricane and I don't mean ay-bay-bay I'm from Africa where they say K'naan- boom-aye-ay
[Chorus]
If you wanna make it hot then you better do a drop (drop drop drop drop drop drop) If you wanna get a hit you better auto-tune this shit (shit, ooh yea) And he is tougher than you suckers none of you could ever bark at him Look at him make you tough guys look like you are from suckatem I do it my own my own my I do it my own way I do If you do what you do your own way you could be famous too.
