Who Am I
J.Period & Big Daddy Kane Lyrics

A black man from the motherland Speakin a language today most people don't understand
I was born a black man in Africa, speaking a language that most people in the US don't understand.

Where no one could bother me Cause I had freedom, justice, and equality
In Africa, I had freedom, justice, and equality and no one could bother me.

But then one day it was tooken away And I was shipped to the U.S.A.
However, one day my freedom was taken away and I was shipped to the US as a slave.

A young brother, made into a slave To harvest the midlands and clean the chittlins
As a young boy, I was made into a slave to harvest crops and do chores like cleaning chitlins.

Given a new name, new religion No freedom to vote, not even to make a decision
As a slave, I was given a new name and religion, and had no freedom to vote or make my own decisions.

I saw my peoples, sold raped and took out The rest of that stuff that Alex Haley talks about
I witnessed my people being sold, raped, and mistreated, as Alex Haley documented in his writing.

They said I'm not from Asia I'm from Africa And all the blacks there now are just scavengers That's the way my mind was poisoned To believe that in America blacks are inferior
They tried to convince me that I wasn't from Asia but from Africa, where all black people were inferior and considered scavengers.

A weak mind and a body of swine Only adds up to being - deaf dumb and blind Illiterate to who where what and why So I ask myself: who am I?
I was brainwashed to believe that having a weak mind and physical health, along with being uneducated and unaware of my past, was the norm for black people. Hence, I ask myself, who am I?

A native New Yorker on the streets Known for rockin' rhymes to real rough beats
After years of living as a slave, now I am a native New Yorker, known for my excellent rhyming ability.

That I found in the attic, noisy with static A sound that made me, a hip-hop fanatic
I discovered hip hop in the attic, with all its static noise, that made me a big fan of this form of music.

I made a few songs that sold OK Never top twenty or plenty airplay
I created some songs that sold okay, but never topped the charts or got plenty of airplay.

I thought I made it, then my song faded And none of the black stations ever have played it
I thought I had made it big, but my song soon faded, and black radio stations never played it.

Money is not only the root of all evil It's also the destruction of black people, so
Money not only can be the root of all evil but also a way to destroy black people.

Time to forget the myth, of bein' black and a woman Can't get ahead, walkin' on a thread, a tightrope
As a black woman, I need to forget the myth that I cannot get ahead and always walk on a tightrope.

I'm not Irish, don't need a donut to fill up my dish Nor two mango wish to wish on a star, they're so far
I am not Irish and don't need a donut or two mango wishes to survive or fulfill my potential.

Conjunction junction, what's your function? Bein' a scout, or sellin' out?
I ask the question of what is the purpose of using words and phrases to deceive others, or to be honest and true to oneself?

And that's comin' from the daughter of Malcolm X So black women put it in your texts
As the daughter of Malcolm X, I want black women to take my message and spread it widely.

So you can never let, opportunity pass you by Or even ask yourself, who am I?
My message is to never let an opportunity pass us by and to never again question, who we are.