Roots
J. Roland Lyrics
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These culture vultures out here
They enjoying our fruit
All my real soldiers stand up Salute
Hold up your right fist high
Why Because we embracing our roots
We gotta protect our roots
These culture vultures out here
All my real soldiers stand up Salute
Hold up your right fist high
Why Because we embracing our roots
I’m out here like sojourner
Yeah I’m preaching the truth
No more swinging in your southern breeze
Tie that noose and the only fruit hanging on
That tree will be you my dude
Smell of fresh greens burning that bush
We ain’t falling for that card
Well import our own kush
I ain’t up for your medical trails
This ain’t Tukeegege
I got some goons who ride
Air it out of you need me
Keep your syphilis
My rhymes is sick your medicine
Irrelevant it makes sick I’ll stick
With societies
Let thy medicine be thy food yeah that fruit
Try to revert history if you choose
We ain’t dumb no distracting with shoes
Give us enough comfort so we don’t revolt
Just know we smarter than you
You thought we were dancing while
We were training
And then we ooopaad that noose
And we tied it to you
We gotta protect our roots
These culture vultures out here
They enjoying our fruit
All my real soldiers stand up Salute
Hold up your right fist high
Why Because we embracing our roots
We gotta protect our roots
These culture vultures out here
They enjoying our fruit
All my real soldiers stand up Salute
Hold up your right fist high
Why Because we embracing our roots
Try to rearrange my name and distort my truth
Just know I’ll reincarnate as another til I’m thru
Maybe in a past life I was a bookman or booker
As you burn my ancestors with books
Well now this bookman invaded your school
What you don’t think I read
Haha Extra discovered his own history
Tried to make me docile
My soul is way too hostile
Now I’m slick with my end wars Edwards
I’m Malcolm x strong with my DmX dogs
Evoking on my Mackandals and Tubman’s
This ain’t black magic just vibrations
At 174 yeah removed my pain
At 417 my facilities changed
At 528 I repaired my DNA
Try my name it’s 187 to the brain
In "Roots," J. Roland expresses the need to protect and embrace one's cultural roots from cultural appropriation by "culture vultures." He praises the real soldiers who stand up and hold their right fist high, symbolizing their readiness to protect their heritage. J. Roland distinguishes himself from those who are content with their cultural loss and insists that he will not let his ancestors' sacrifice go to waste.
J. Roland further denounces the attempt to make him docile and distort his truth. He highlights the importance of discovering one's own history and being proud of it. Refusing to be a victim, J. Roland shows his strength by listing a series of vibrational frequencies that correspond to repairing one's DNA, evoking powerful figures like Malcolm X, and invoking the magic of Harriet Tubman's legacy. Finally, he ends the song with an ominous warning to those who would try to destroy his roots: try his name and it's "187 to the brain."
Overall, "Roots" is a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting and embracing one's cultural heritage from those who would use it for their own gain.
Line by Line Meaning
We gotta protect our roots
We need to defend our cultural roots
These culture vultures out here
There are people exploiting our culture
They enjoying our fruit
They're benefiting from our traditions
All my real soldiers stand up Salute
We need to band together and fight for our roots
Hold up your right fist high
Show your commitment to the cause
Why Because we embracing our roots
Defending our roots is part of who we are
I’m out here like sojourner
I'm spreading important truths
Yeah I’m preaching the truth
I'm sharing honest facts
No more swinging in your southern breeze
We won't let our people be hanged anymore
Tie that noose and the only fruit hanging on
If you try to harm us, you'll be the only one harmed
That tree will be you my dude
You'll suffer the consequences of your actions
Smell of fresh greens burning that bush
We're moving past the old ways of thinking and doing things
We ain’t falling for that card
We're mature enough to see through the lies
Well import our own kush
We'll bring in our own resources
I ain’t up for your medical trails
We don't want your untested drugs
This ain’t Tukeegege
We won't be used as test subjects
I got some goons who ride
I have people who will back me up
Air it out of you need me
They'll help me fight against injustice
Keep your syphilis
We don't want your illnesses or your problems
My rhymes is sick your medicine
My words are powerful beyond cure
Irrelevant it makes sick I’ll stick
We're not letting the distractions get to us
With societies
We'll join forces to create change
Let thy medicine be thy food yeah that fruit
Our power is within us, we don't need outside help
Try to revert history if you choose
They can try to undo what has been done, but it won't work
We ain’t dumb no distracting with shoes
We're smarter than the distractions they try to throw at us
Give us enough comfort so we don’t revolt
We want enough resources to be satisfied, not to fight
Just know we smarter than you
We won't let them get the best of us
You thought we were dancing while
While they thought they had us under control
We were training
We were actually learning and preparing
And then we ooopaad that noose
We escaped the harm they were planning for us
And we tied it to you
We turned the tables and fought back
Try to rearrange my name and distort my truth
They're trying to change our perception and our narrative
Just know I’ll reincarnate as another til I’m thru
We won't let them stop us from moving forward
Maybe in a past life I was a bookman or booker
We have a history of fighting for our rights
As you burn my ancestors with books
As they've tried to erase our history
Well now this bookman invaded your school
We're bringing our truth to the masses
What you don’t think I read
We're educated and informed
Extra discovered his own history
We're uncovering the lies and learning the truth
Tried to make me docile
They tried to silence us and make us passive
My soul is way too hostile
We won't back down or be silenced
Now I’m slick with my end wars Edwards
We're strategic and working towards change
I’m Malcolm x strong with my DmX dogs
We're following in the footsteps of important activists and leaders
Evoking on my Mackandals and Tubman’s
We're inspired by other people who fought for freedom and justice
This ain’t black magic just vibrations
Our power comes from ourselves and our energy
At 174 yeah removed my pain
We're healing ourselves from the harm done to us
At 417 my facilities changed
We're transforming ourselves and our surroundings
At 528 I repaired my DNA
We're taking control of our bodies and our health
Try my name it’s 187 to the brain
We're making an impact at a deep level, changing minds and perceptions
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Jonathan Edwards
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AncestryUS
Who would you want to see in an upcoming episode of Finding Your Roots? Let us know!
@gmg9010
Me lol
@christinecharbonneau4448
I am fascinated by the stories of African people who came/were brought to the New World. Can anyone trace a whole family all the way back to an African genealogy? I realize this might not involve a celebrity but with so many trails lost in the vague documentation of slavery I wondered If Genealogists had traced anyone back 400 years like many of us of European or Chinese (for example) descent.
@beers1968
I'm amazed by the findings and the facial expressions on people's faces,.
@MsClutchedPearls
Pete Davidson
@frog4886
@@christinecharbonneau4448 I agree with you. My family was told we had British, Irish and Cherokee Indian but after two of my Mother's sisters tested, there's no Cherokee Indian. They have Southern Bantu.
@lordofmadness5346
Lol, Martin’s grandma be like “promise me, Louis, promise me” 😂
@dstyer6128
Underrated comment haha.
@DreamCatcher...
Proper underrated 👏😂
@lskee4179
Under appreciated comment