Shades
Chrisette Michele/Wale Lyrics

Chip on my shoulder
I have an attitude of superiority because I've been treated unfairly in the past.

Big enough to feed Cambodia
My grudge is significant and affects more than just me.

See, I never fit into they quotas
I never fit into the expected mold or standard.

Sneakers wasn't fitting and my knees needed lotion
I didn't have the resources or upbringing to fit in with societal standards of attractiveness.

Long before I knew the significance of a comb
I was ignorant to the arbitrary societal norms of beauty.

I roam like phone with no vocal reception
I feel like a disconnected outsider.

Immigrant parents had me feeling like a step-kid
My parents, with their different beliefs and cultures, made me feel like an outsider.

And black Americans never did accept me
I was not accepted by black Americans due to my difference in skin tone.

That's why I thrive so much, win and respect dig
I have succeeded as a way of proving to others that I am worthy of respect and acceptance.

I never fit in with them light skins
I couldn't relate to or connect with people who had lighter skin.

I felt the lighter they was the better that they life is
I believed that people with lighter skin had an easier and more privileged life.

So I resented them and they resented me
I harbored resentment towards those with lighter skin, and they in turn resented me for my attitude.

Cheated on light-skinned Dominique when we was seventeen
I let my envy and bitterness drive me to hurt someone else.

I figured I'd hurt her, she'd evidently hurt me,
I wanted to hurt her as a way of protecting myself from feeling hurt.

And all women who had light features
My resentment towards those with lighter skin extended to any woman who had lighter features than me.

See, I never let a light broad hurt me
I made sure to never allow myself to be hurt by someone with lighter skin than me.

That's why I strike first and the first cut's deep
I hurt others before they can hurt me, and my actions leave a lasting impact.

All my light skinned girls to my dark skin brothers
I want people of all different skin tones to come together.

Shades doesn't matter heart makes the lover
Love should not be based on skin color; what's important is the heart and character of a person.

Just another knotty head nigga
I am another black person with natural hair.

Hoping Wes Snipes make my life a bit different
I hoped to see someone who looked like me in the media and in positions of power.

In middle school, I had the right to be timid
I was shy and insecure during a formative stage in my life.

I had beautiful words but girls never listened
I had a lot to offer, but was overlooked by girls due to my skin tone.

Blacker the berry, sweeter the product
Dark-skinned people are just as beautiful and valuable as anyone else.

Well, I'm fruit punch concentrate and they water
Compares himself to a diluted version of 'the real thing,' reflecting his low self-esteem and feeling of inferiority.

Walk into my room thinking how to make moves
I am preoccupied with thoughts of success and how to get ahead.

Ain't thinking like a student but how Ice-T do it
I'm not focused on education, but on superficial desires of wealth, fame and success.

Light dudes have the girls looking there all year
People with lighter skin tones are more often viewed as attractive.

It's not fair, the ones with the good hair
People with straight/wavy hair are considered more attractive

Couldn't adapt to naps, I wavecap they naps and slept on me
Referring to people who couldn't embrace their natural hair texture, that has become standard of beauty among the black community.

Man, I hate black
He hates being black.

Skin tone, I wish I could take it back
He wishes he could change his skin tone.

Or rearrange my status, maybe if I was khaki
He thinks his status would be better if he had a lighter skin color.

Associating light skin with classy
Society views lighter skin as classier or more attractive, which he internalized.

The menstrual show showed and me, that was not me
He doesn't recognize himself as the type of black person being portrayed in the media as comical or less intelligent.

They say black is beautiful
A general consensus that black is a beautiful skin color.

But ask them beautiful light girls
People with lighter skin are often viewed as the epitome of beauty, even among black people.

If its black they attract to usually
People often view darker skin as less attractive.

What if Barack skin was all black, truthfully?
What if a successful person like Barack Obama had a darker skin tone; would there still be systemic racism against dark-skinned people?

Would he be a candidate or just a black in community?
Would he still have been a viable political candidate if his skin color was darker?

Because black dudes tend to lack unity
Black men struggle to come together and support each other.

And them blacker girls ain't on the tube, usually
Darker-skinned women are often not represented in the media.

Right now, at 23, I ain't mad at them reds no more
I no longer hold resentment towards people with lighter skin tone.

But for long time I had gone cold
I was once cold and distant towards people with lighter skin tone because of my own insecurities.

Blindfolded my own insecurity was holding me back to reds
His own lack of confidence prevented him from pursuing relationships with people of lighter skin tone.

I ain't know how to act
He didn't know how to relate to or treat women of lighter skin tone due to his own bitterness and insecurity.

They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act
He would intentionally be cold to women of lighter skin tone, but they could see through his act.

A defense mechanism what I thought that I lacked
Being cold to those of a different skin tone was a way to protect himself from feelings of inadequacy.

Confidence
A resolution to have more self-confidence and not allow skin color to be a determining factor in his relationships.