Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
Beautiful is black
Promised I′d write my way up out my mama house
Now I'm dropping these cassettes until I′m out of debt
Trina told me "5th, they gotta set them commas out"
Feel like I've let her down cause I ain't got it poppin′ yet
Now I pray over ever dollar that I collect
Pennies in my hands transform into some bands
When the series of events ain′t according to my plans
I feel like calling it quits but the Lord he understands so I push through
I can run through a troop and leap over the walls
Now please hold your applause
You ain't seen nada, street fiends fiend for green gwolla
Pray that you Spotify cause all of my streams hotter (Uh)
Pay homage, acknowledge, I got the scholars stumped
Higher level, ducking the devil rockin′ some Prada pumps
Donatello straight from the gutter, pockets on Papa Klump
Watch Geppetto tug on they sockets making imposters jump
You ain't real boy, I′m here to fill a void
Leave the fakers by the gate, tell them to kill the noise
In my circle of kings, 2 things: build and destroy
When I put that hammer down, feel the tremors underground, Now
Peace, Queen. That melanin hella elegant
Ultraviolet beams and creams couldn't embellish it
Smoothness of your hues proof you in tune with the elements
Truly we′re enthused at being blessed with your fellowship
Understand, you winning wasn't the plan
When they loaded up them boats and put them shackles on your hands
Any evidence of growth or signs that you're getting close
Is supposed to be perceived as "niggas getting out of hand" Now
History′s never made by the well behaved
And the memories tell the story, we don′t let them fade
I threw Marcel on this track to set the record straight
Took a break from selling records, now it's time to celebrate
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Whoa
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
Back in elementary school I remember remembering
The feeling of self doubt all due to my pigment
Little black boy hella dark just like my father
In an all white school, wished I was light just like my mama
Cause my mama′s mama's kin went and blended with Indians
High cheeks, red skin, hair blowing in the wind
Out in Indian territory, now you′re listening to the story
Of how colorism killed the self-esteem within, plus
I was chubby and had thick glasses
Talked with a slight stammer when I spoke in classes
Ashamed when slavery came up in the history books
Cause I know that all the white kids gonna give me the look
That's psychological warfare, Why our history start there
Miseducation of the negro
Why they can′t show us as heroes
Y'all ancestors were savages, back when they was trafficking
Africans across the water during Middle Passages
Came to the knowledge when I was 14
My cousin Bop was up in college studying to be god-body
He gave me books, conscious hip hop I could play
To unlearn the white lies, I was learning every day
Meanwhile in high school, all my partners gang-banged
And I ain't wanna be no lame so I had to maintain
If my mama ain′t pray, and I ain′t read Malcolm
Or hear that Let's Get Free I′d probably still be in the game
Nowadays, BLACK is the only thing I bang
And I love it so much that I made it my last name
My melanin's divine and I′m made in God's image
Don′t want my kids to feel my pain so I always tell my children
That beautiful is black, don't ever let them tell you different
Always keep your head high with some pride up in your chest
Cause your heart pumps royalty, we're warriors at best
Your blackness ain′t not crutch, it′s living proof that you're blessed
Cause Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
I′m the closest with everybody that say they nothing
Til they made them something
Built the perfect mansion out of crumblings
And if the stomach sow the harvest, been a long time coming
And the blessings and favor over-running
Pardon me if I'm stunting in my brand new glory from dope nigga to KING
Should be proud of me. Took a lot of stress to get it out of me, but I′m here now
If only I could teach my brothers that need more to reach for more things
Than settling to speak these bars or be seen
And give them means that means they can own they own
Instead of flexing after taking a loan, shit
Focused on a long list of black-ish barriers
Transporting this energy, I'm the carrier
Be careful, people will watch it and say they carried you... My bad
Beautiful is BLK, notice the homophone, I promise we gon be okay
Even if we have to build and we never see the building and our kids kids flourish
Then we win the race, but it starts today
Praise our people when it′s due, gotta realign, not giving routine
Tell them they can have they stars, that's cool
But man, stop actin' like Lupita ain′t a queen
Black is beautiful, hard to digest, there is nothing better
Surface level a coal mine, trying to hide our treasure
Too many years of failing just to provide y′all pleasure, abide by y'all schedule
No longer are we frail and weak and y′all see it now it's lessons to learn
Grind tired and outdated now we′re starting to churn
Not clinging to memories, now we're letting it burn
Cremating shit and y′all brought the urn
Beautiful is Black
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Uh
Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black
