We The People
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

We don't believe you 'cause we the people
Are still here in the rear, ayo, we don't need you
You in the killing-off-good-young-nigga mood
When we get hungry we eat the same fucking food
The ramen noodle
Your simple voodoo is so maniacal
We're liable to pull a juju
The irony is that this bad bitch in my lap
She don't love me, she make money, she don't study that
She gon' give it to me, ain't gon' tell me run it back
She gon' take the brain to wetter plains, she spit on that
The doors have signs with, don't try to rhyme with
VH1 has a show that you can waste your time with
Guilty pleasures take the edge off reality
And for a salary I'd probably do that shit sporadically
The OG Gucci boots are smitten with iguanas
The IRS piranha see a nigga gettin' commas
Niggas in the hood living in a fishbowl
Gentrify here, now it's not a shit hole
Trendsetter, I know, my shit's cold
Ain't settling because I ain't so bold but ay

All you Black folks, you must go
All you Mexicans, you must go
And all you poor folks, you must go
Muslims and gays
Boy, we hate your ways
So all you bad folks, you must go

The fog and the smog of news media that logs
False narratives of Gods that came up against the odds
We're not just nigga rappers with the bars
It's kismet that we're cosmic with the stars
You bastards overlooking street art
Better yet, street smarts but you keep us off the charts
So motherfuck your numbers and your statisticians
Fuck y'all know about true competition?
That's like a AL pitcher on deck talking about he hittin'
The only one who's hitting are the ones that's currently spittin'
We got your missy smitten rubbing on her little kitten
Dreaming of a world that's equal for women with no division
Boy, I tell you that's vision
Like Tony Romo when he hitting Witten
The Tribe be the best in they division
Shaheed Muhammad cut it with precision
Who can come back years later, still hit the shot?
Still them tryna move we off the fucking block
Babylon, bloodclot
Two pon yuh headtop

All you Black folks, you must go
All you Mexicans, you must go
And all you poor folks, you must go
Muslims and gays




Boy, we hate your ways
So all you bad folks, you must go

Overall Meaning

"We the People" is a politically charged song released by A Tribe Called Quest in 2016. The lyrics speak to a deeply divided America and convey the frustration that many marginalized groups have towards the government and society at large. The opening lines, "we don't believe you 'cause we the people, are still here in the rear, ayo, and we don't need you," set the tone for the rest of the song. The group is calling out leaders in power and emphasizing that their message is meant for the people.


The lyrics also touch on a range of other topics related to social injustice, including police brutality (the killing-off-good-young-nigga mood), income inequality (the irony of the bad bitch in my lap), and gentrification (niggas in the hood living in a fishbowl). The song is particularly critical of the media and the way it misrepresents minorities, stating that "the fog and the smog of news media that logs false narratives of Gods that came up against the odds." It emphasizes the importance of street smarts over statistics and takes a stand against discrimination towards various groups, including Black people, Mexicans, Muslims, and gays.


Overall, "We the People" is a rallying cry for marginalized groups to come together and resist oppressive forces. It highlights the need for true equality and urges people to stay vigilant in the face of those who seek to deny them their rights.


Line by Line Meaning

We don't believe you 'cause we the people
We don't trust you because we, the people, are the ones who matter in this society.


Are still here in the rear, ayo, we don't need you
We, who are often overlooked or marginalized, are still present and thriving despite your attempts to ignore or reject us.


You in the killing-off-good-young-nigga mood
You are actively trying to eliminate talented young black people from society.


When we get hungry we eat the same fucking food The ramen noodle
When we're hungry, we don't have the luxury of fancy food - we eat cheap, basic meals like ramen noodles.


Your simple voodoo is so maniacal We're liable to pull a juju
Your manipulative tactics are so dangerous that we might need to resort to our own forms of magic to defend ourselves.


The irony is that this bad bitch in my lap She don't love me, she make money, she don't study that She gon' give it to me, ain't gon' tell me run it back She gon' take the brain to wetter plains, she spit on that
The ironic thing is that this woman I'm with doesn't love me, she only cares about making money and doesn't care about the intellectual side of things. She's only interested in giving me pleasure, not in really connecting with me.


The doors have signs with, don't try to rhyme with VH1 has a show that you can waste your time with
We've become so successful that now people are telling other rappers not to try to compete with us, but there are still places where our art is dismissed as trivial entertainment.


Guilty pleasures take the edge off reality And for a salary I'd probably do that shit sporadically
Sometimes we all need a distraction from reality, but even though we're successful, we still feel the pull of being able to make quick money for frivolous things.


The OG Gucci boots are smitten with iguanas The IRS piranha see a nigga gettin' commas
We're so wealthy that we have the luxury of buying expensive, exotic fashion items, but at the same time, we know that the government is always ready to pounce on us for any sign of financial success.


Niggas in the hood living in a fishbowl Gentrify here, now it's not a shit hole
People in low-income neighborhoods often feel surrounded by constant surveillance, but when the neighborhood gets gentrified, it suddenly becomes desirable and valuable to outsiders.


Trendsetter, I know, my shit's cold Ain't settling because I ain't so bold but ay
We know that we're setting the trends and our work is great, but we're not content to rest on our laurels - we want to keep pushing ourselves further.


All you Black folks, you must go All you Mexicans, you must go And all you poor folks, you must go Muslims and gays Boy, we hate your ways So all you bad folks, you must go
This is a sarcastic swipe at people who hold intolerant, exclusionary views of anyone who isn't like them.


The fog and the smog of news media that logs False narratives of Gods that came up against the odds
The media is so filled with misleading information that it's hard to even hear the true stories of people who've overcome obstacles.


We're not just nigga rappers with the bars It's kismet that we're cosmic with the stars
We're more than just rappers - we're spiritual beings who are connected to something greater than ourselves.


You bastards overlooking street art Better yet, street smarts but you keep us off the charts
People are ignoring the depth and intelligence inherent in street art, and are instead focusing only on what's popular and marketable.


So motherfuck your numbers and your statisticians Fuck y'all know about true competition?
We don't care about your metrics and numbers - they don't define success. True competition is about something deeper than just sales or chart positions.


That's like a AL pitcher on deck talking about he hittin' The only one who's hitting are the ones that's currently spittin'
Talking a big game doesn't mean anything if you're not currently in the game and succeeding.


We got your missy smitten rubbing on her little kitten Dreaming of a world that's equal for women with no division Boy, I tell you that's vision Like Tony Romo when he hitting Witten
Our work is resonating with people and inspiring them to want to create a better, more equal world. And like a skilled athlete making a successful play, we're achieving our goals with precision and accuracy.


The Tribe be the best in they division Shaheed Muhammad cut it with precision
We're confident in our abilities and know that we're true innovators in our field. Our producer, Shaheed Muhammad, is a master at his craft and creates beats that are absolutely perfect for us.


Who can come back years later, still hit the shot? Still them tryna move we off the fucking block Babylon, bloodclot Two pon yuh headtop
We've been in the game for a long time, but we're still hitting our mark and producing work that people love. But even as we succeed, there are still people who want to keep us from achieving our true potential. Still, we rise above it all and keep moving forward.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Terence Michael Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, F. Frank Iommi, William T. Ward, Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Malik Izaak Taylor

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

TonyisToking

This album didn’t get the attention it deserved. When a legendary group drops an album comparable to their iconic classics, everyone needs to pay attention. Just shows how much the culture has changed.

Arthuro King

The culture has not changed, except to grow bigger. Tribe took 20 Years Off, you can't expect all the new kids to be checking for a Tribe album, that's no one's fault really. Also Tribe never had top commercial success to begin with, they were alternative to the mainstream

Keith Jambora

Agree.

Chris Heyward

@Arthuro King ummm I agree with you besides the last part.. They are literally one of the most influential rap groups in history wym they weren't fully mainstream??Literally almost every single album they dropped went platinum

James Gawronski

Tribe didn't ever get the hype they deserve but still influenced a ton of Hip Hop till this very day

ohhyeahhbaby1

Facts

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ALL- CAPS

This song is fucking legendary, a great political message with deep lyrics, insane production and lyrical delivery. Its almost perfect, Q-tip is a legend.

Liam North

happy to see the analysis, so many people goes over their heads, respect

John Hondo

Unpopular opinion but We Got it from Here is my favorite Tribe album. The timing of when this came out and the message was perfection to me.

Ethan Holliger

I completely agree, a lot of the tribe fans I've met consider it blasphemy, but there's something incredibly special here they may have overlooked

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