Following the release of his debut album, Defari co-headlined with Xzibit & Phife (A Tribe Called Quest) on The Underdawgs of Hip Hop National Tour in April & May of 1999. He wasn't a newcomer when it came to performing live. Prior to this, he toured the underground circuit for years and received rave review for being one of the most charismatic emcees to hit the stage. His energetic and captivating performances led him to other national & international tours. Rocking a wide range of audiences with some of the major players of the game today. The most current recent N. American tour being the Anger Management Tour where he performed with Xzibit and performed his own material to 20,000 plus crowds each night. Many agree that Defari knows how to bring it like a true seasoned veteran.
It came to the point in 2000 that the fans were not going to be satisfied with just the 12” vinyl available from Defari. With ABB Records’ new initiative into the European markets, they released their first ABB Europe CD: Defari’s “LA Collexion” – a collection of all Defari’s vinyl only singles on ABB Records for the first time on CD. The whole pressing was sold out in France alone within 2 days!
An even more heightened profile in the US came after his featuring on Dr Dre’s “Chronic 2001” album and touring the world on the “Up In Smoke Tour” with Dre & Eminem. With fans around the world screaming for Defari to face them one to one in shows – Defari turned to Nicci Cheeks Management in the UK to formalise a new base for his operations outside of the USA, but this time for Europe.
High Times Records signed Defari for his 2003 sophomore album “Odds & Evens” featuring all the usual Likwit family: Dilated Peoples, Tha Liks (Tash, J-Ro & E-Swift) and the Barbershop MCs. This was an automatic VIP round trip ticket to the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup in 2002 and 2003, where Defari performed to a very packed out Melkweg every year alongside groups including: Tha Liks and De La Soul. The release of his new album coupled with a fantastic video for the single “Spell My Name” gave fuel to fire for his European management. This has resulted in a 300% increase in Defari’s press, radio and TV coverage (including a special feature documentary about Defari on VIVA TV’s “Mixery Raw Deluxe” show during May 2004)… and ultimately his touring capabilities as a solo artist.
These Dreams
Defari Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause without them, there'd be no us, that's real
There's something on my mind.. everyday, all the time
It's the legacy, why'know? generations, of black people
Now bust this...
Aiyyo i think about this government, three strikes capital punishment
Enslaved my peoples for four hun-d-red
Yeah, plus some
So they can watch the master run
Watch them devil try to get away then clap his back with the shotgun
I got one, let's cut his head off
Let's take it to Harriet Tubman, show her that we ready to set it off
She get Nat turner, Nat go get Sojourner
Sojourner send a messenger for Touissant l'overture
Through the underground railroad, we go
Through the dark to the edge of forest to meet with Denmark
Vessey, you know he got soldiers ready
Ready to kill like lions, in the Serengeti
So like a stampede we rush the plantation
Settin' fire to everything, burn them down like cremation
No hesitation, free up the black nation
Kill them devils take his ships and head back for the mainland
The game plan, yet and still it's just a dream
I never forget, in my mind it never leave, aiyyo
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
I never forget, in my mind it never leave
These dreams, filled with days of slavery
Never forget, in my mind it never leave
These dreams, filled with days of slavery
Aiyyo, aiyyo Jamie was a slave
Every baby she'd have the master would take away
She never seen one long enough to give a name
Everytime the master would rape, Jamie'd feel ashamed
She was only fourteen
Violated, used and abused, far from a queen
I met Jamie in a dream
I gave her a brand new M-16 with two magazines
I told her next time he come around
Act like you want him, get him to lay down
Make sure that he take off his clothing
After that i want you to fill him up, full of bullet holes
Release the whole clip, set trip on that motherfucker
Tell him that's for disrespectin' you and your mother
Your grandmother, your great-grandmother
Your brother your father, in the land they call the mother
Next thing you do is round up all the rest
Stay together and shoot your way to freedom, god bless, aiyyo
[Chorus: ]
Aiyyo, I got Dj Babu in the house
From the world famous, beat junkies
Aiyyo, yo Babs how you feel about this?
And this goes out to all the ancestors
Especially to my grandmother (??)
The foundation, rest in peace
Love you grandma
The song "These Dreams" by Defari features powerful lyrics that convey the artist's musings on the legacy of black people and the impact of slavery. In the introductory verses, the artist pays homage to the ancestors and acknowledges the significance of their existence in the present day. He then delves into the issue of the government's policies and capital punishment, criticizing the mistreatment of black people throughout history. He expresses his desire to go back in time and arm the slaves so that they could overthrow their oppressors and reclaim their freedom. Defari names significant historical figures, including Harriet Tubman, Nat Turner, Sojourner, and Touissant l'Ouverture, and suggests a revolutionary plan to free the black nation from slavery. The artist poignantly concludes with the chorus, where he reflects on his dreams and the painful legacy of slavery.
Line by Line Meaning
Aiyyo put one in the air for the ancestors, why'know?
Let's take a moment to honor our ancestors because we wouldn't be here without them
Cause without them, there'd be no us, that's real
Our ancestors are the reason we exist and we should be grateful for them
There's something on my mind.. everyday, all the time
I can't stop thinking about something that's always on my mind
It's the legacy, why'know? generations, of black people
I can't help but think about the legacy of generations of black people
Now bust this...
Let me tell you something important
Aiyyo i think about this government, three strikes capital punishment
I think about the government and their policy of three strikes and capital punishment
Enslaved my peoples for four hun-d-red
They enslaved black people for four hundred years
Yeah, plus some
And even more than that
Often dream of goin' back in time and givin' slaves guns {*buk!*}
I often dream about going back in time and giving slaves guns so they can defend themselves
So they can watch the master run
They could watch their oppressors run away in fear
Watch them devil try to get away then clap his back with the shotgun
If they try to escape, we can shoot them with our own guns
I got one, let's cut his head off
I have a gun, let's kill the oppressor
Let's take it to Harriet Tubman, show her that we ready to set it off
Let's take the fight to Harriet Tubman and show her that we're ready to start a rebellion
Through the underground railroad, we go
We'll use the underground railroad to help us escape to safety
Through the dark to the edge of forest to meet with Denmark
We'll travel through the dark to meet up with Denmark Vesey at the edge of the forest
Vessey, you know he got soldiers ready
Denmark Vesey has a group of soldiers who are ready to fight
Ready to kill like lions, in the Serengeti
They're ready to fight and kill like lions in the Serengeti
So like a stampede we rush the plantation
We'll rush the plantation like a stampede
Settin' fire to everything, burn them down like cremation
We'll set fire to everything and burn down the plantations
No hesitation, free up the black nation
We won't hesitate to free ourselves and our people
Kill them devils take his ships and head back for the mainland
We'll kill the oppressors and take their ships to go back to the mainland
The game plan, yet and still it's just a dream
This is our game plan, but unfortunately it's still just a dream
I never forget, in my mind it never leave, aiyyo
I will never forget this plan, it's always on my mind
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
The chorus repeats twice
These dreams, filled with days of slavery
These dreams are filled with memories of slavery
Aiyyo, aiyyo Jamie was a slave
Let me tell you a story about a slave named Jamie
Every baby she'd have the master would take away
Every time Jamie gave birth, the master would take away her baby
She never seen one long enough to give a name
Jamie never got to keep her babies long enough to give them a name
Everytime the master would rape, Jamie'd feel ashamed
Every time the master raped Jamie, she felt ashamed
She was only fourteen
Jamie was only fourteen years old
Violated, used and abused, far from a queen
Jamie was violated, used, and abused, she was not treated like a queen
I met Jamie in a dream
I dreamt of meeting Jamie
I gave her a brand new M-16 with two magazines
In the dream, I gave Jamie a brand new M-16 with two magazines
I told her next time he come around
I told Jamie that the next time the master came around
Act like you want him, get him to lay down
She should act like she wants him and get him to lay down
Make sure that he take off his clothing
Once he's laying down, she should make him take off his clothes
After that i want you to fill him up, full of bullet holes
Then I want her to shoot him until he's full of bullet holes
Release the whole clip, set trip on that motherfucker
She should empty the entire clip and make sure he's dead
Tell him that's for disrespectin' you and your mother
Tell him it's for disrespecting her and her mother
Your grandmother, your great-grandmother
It's for her grandmother and great-grandmother
Your brother your father, in the land they call the mother
It's for her brother, father, and motherland
Next thing you do is round up all the rest
After that, Jamie should round up all the other slaves
Stay together and shoot your way to freedom, god bless, aiyyo
They should stay together and use their guns to fight their way to freedom
Aiyyo, I got Dj Babu in the house
I have DJ Babu in the house with me
From the world famous, beat junkies
DJ Babu is from the world-famous Beat Junkies crew
Aiyyo, yo Babs how you feel about this?
Hey Babu, what do you think about this?
And this goes out to all the ancestors
This is dedicated to all of our ancestors
Especially to my grandmother (??)
Especially to my own grandmother
The foundation, rest in peace
Rest in peace to the foundation
Love you grandma
I love you grandma
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MICHAEL PERRETTA, DUANE JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Regal Herbsman
Big up for this Defari. These oppressors owe us billions in reparations
makoshark69x
This song is some Dope Sh*t ! They Owe us at least $1 TRILLION DOLLARS ! Do you know how much Money that WICKED, Evil British Royal Family made from the Slave Trade, Slavery and the Diamonds, Gold and other Natural Resources THEY STOLE from Africa ?
It has to be in the TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS ! From the 1500s to the 1990s ! Apartheid was still going on in the 1990s ! And They are STILL STEALING AFRICA's Natural Resources today !
That means England, France, Portugal, Belgium, Holland especially.... and Israel ! They are all Still STEALING African Diamonds !
makoshark69x
I just clicked on this because I just came from a Dope Joint he made called Focused Daily... I never even heard of this kid before yesterday ! This Song is DEEP ! This kid has Dope Lyrical Skills !
Royal Randomness
@makoshark69x you’re at the right channel 😀
makoshark69x
@Royal Randomness Thanks for that Info ! I'm always looking for new Dope Sh*t !
Royal Randomness
Focused Daily is the title track from the same album this song is on. Defari is connected to the whole likwit crew movement with Tha Alkaholiks, Xzibit, Phil Da Agony etc