I had some thoughts about the black conscious scene
the red black & the green afrocentric routine
whether we be consciously or sub-consciously aware or keen
or just knocked on conscious
Now of course it’s great to feel great about your race
your nose your face your country even your state
yo spicy foods yo unique attitudes
what makes me me & you you
But all roots come from just one source the creator
that’s the missing link that justified having slaves for the enslaver
thinking one is lesser and the other greater
ones lost the other the savior
on the conscious scene you’ll find more greetings than in a hallmark store
when hello's are said the brother knods his head and what's next
is his fist to his chest. How you doing god? Oh I'm blessed
In the conscious scene there's more blessed human beings
than there is grass that's green at least that's how it seems
bingo sayin blessed has become just lingo
cuz stressed is how it really goes
when we think deep down & when no one else is around
In the conscious scene we take things to the extreme
we won't call the sista sista we call the sista queen
but a queen is royalty so we should treat her that way
but if U ask does she feel like a queen I wonder what she'd say
if she's conscious she'd probably say I'm blessed….i guess
even if her relationship's a mess
in the conscious scene we don't confess anything that's not perfect
it don't mean wack stuff ain't going on
we just quilt our covers to be strong
& cover up & protect our seemingly righteous wrongs
Now the conscious scene will judge you quick
if you now use rollers when you use a pick
or opposite
one day a perm the next natural
but what change did U're heart undergo?
Is the good heart determined by a fro?
What if the KKK wore fro's would dey suddenly have soul?
If I don't hug you on both sides am I truly off balance?
If I shake with my left hand did I disrespect the man?
Man oman it's hard to be a conscious African
if you're conscious of the double stand - I mean double standards. Understand?
Oops
I mean overstand - there it goes again.
I guess it's the way of the world or just the way of the words
speakin of words
the conscious scene is not down wit the way Tupac & Biggie did dey thing
now ain't that sumptin'?
they're just more blatant wit their womenizing statements
while we're more slick but will make booty calls just as quick
like Atari both of us controlled solely by our joysticks
we diss the white man for being so materialistic
yet we the only ones going ballistic to get his materials
we ice friends to make cream
we pass around a pipe just to have a dream (inhale) yeah god
I know God is higher than we are but not higher than we are - get it?
We can stop callin' each other niggas but won't guns still have triggers?
& won't our hands still have fingers & won't we still be finger lickin'
eatin' chicken black folks? Truthfully?
We must be proud of our roots but there is no substitute
for the fact we're all wack whether white, jewish, Asian, Hispanic, Indian or
black.
The truth is we're all ruthless
& our love is as conditional as medical insurance
& without the man Jesus we're hopeless
I say the man not the slaveship
but the one spoke of in God's manuscript
& not the one painted wit a pale face at yo grandmas crib
& surely not the one at dem churches that's all preach & no live
If we're gonna be conscious let's start really being conscious
about treatin' our wives with respect not takin' dey welfare checks
and start puttin' all fake jokas in straight up check
no mo thinkin' wit our joy sticks
no more takin' chick fliks at freak nic
while we say that the white man is so sick
cuz until we stop bein' such hypocrites
we gone continue to be knocked on conscious.
Can U dig it?
Todd "Speech" Thomas was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 1968. He attended Clark Atlanta University and the Atlanta College of Art.