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Freaks in the Industry

Black people
do nothing but screw and kill
so that\’s what I see in videos
black people ain\’t nothing but crazy evil
prostitutes, vagabond, hustlers and rogues.
denying that they broke skin on our backs
snapped our necks and raped
our women with authority
our pretense of mental health rebuffs pain
and is central to revision of our history.
we possess freedom papers,
but carry the burden of vilification --
they cast roles for animals and
we compete to fill the positions.
thinking the insignificant part
is just a bit of art
instead of role-modeling --
ignoring the gullible youth,
who all the negative images influence
leaving the play-back
in a vile loop on the
young mind\’s theatre.

let\’s just stop watching BET,
it is just another form of slavery.
despite the company line,
this entertainment psychologically shapes minds.
celluloid images and hip-hop anthems
force young brothas to
play the role of hyper-masculinity.
because there is nothing in the pockets,
some think it\’s best to wield power
in bedrooms and in the streets.
hating on one another instead of
seeing oppression as the enemy.
the mantra is internalized silently,
“I hate me – \’cause life is hard!”
street-cred is nothing in the
grand scheme of society.
despite that some rapper said
a brotha ain\’t nobody
\’til someone shoots \’em in the head --
everyday some young brotha dies
on some ghetto sidewalk.
soon the gossip goes away
and people cease to gawk
then someone walks over the blood stain
and grinds brotha\’s existence along
with his chalk outline into the bedrock.

—screw and kill—

the images on tv and hip-hop business
endorse dehumanizing the
supposed “gentler” of the sexes of
the first people of the earth
sistahs only ever get to hum the dirge
as sassy- mouthed bitches or head-rolling hos --
never the partner of a worthy mate or
respected mothers of promising black children.
we must trudge through this jungle with no protection
thrown to the beasts by the fat of our tattooed asses.
on every video show tramp-stamped females are
displayed hyper-sexually, --wet and worthless--
without pride we revel as if
this was acknowledgement of a form of beauty.
some rapper said rump-shaking is a
fine way a gal can get that legal tender…
but the assets sag and our memories vanish
and since respect didn\’t exist to begin with,
we go broke leaving only the
remembrances of sin on our breaths
then we pick up the pen and write to confess.
—screw and kill—
the slave driver\’s role advances
through the lyrics in the music industry.
the most disparaging representations get the record deals
which appeal to the oppressor\’s sense of superiority. Entertainment industry movers and shakers
nod and offer awards of approval to
each transgression of self-destruction
and with each misogynist line,
our legacy\’s shrunken.
don\’t you get it now?
let\’s dissect this for the record
it can\’t just be about the
beat and the harmony
whether you listen or
hum along with the melody
the messages sink subconsciously
into your gourd.
the power system has
written a prescription
for our obliteration
and we choose self-medication
but multiply the dosage.
they tell us how to perform
and like Pavlov\’s dogs
we react to the stimulus;
but understand, this tune is offbeat
our apathy must be discarded
tossed from the record company windows -
because if this is their idea of blackness
let them keep their minstrel show.
Black people do nothing but screw and kill
so that\’s what I see in videos
black people ain\’t nothing but crazy evil
prostitutes, vagabond, hustlers and rogues.

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