Modern Day Slavery
Joell Ortiz Lyrics

Ain't nothing changed except the chains
Despite progress in society, we are still limited by systemic oppression and racism.

That restraining our physical frame
We are physically restrained by a system that seeks to limit us and keep us oppressed.

Mentally we still living the same
Our minds are still oppressed by the same system and we are not truly free.

Its lock down
We are trapped in a system that is designed to keep us trapped and oppressed.

They knock down the Towers to raise tax
The government used the tragedy of 9/11 to justify raising taxes and increasing their control over our lives.

Anything they burn we pay back
The government can do whatever they want and we are the ones who ultimately suffer the consequences.

Cuz cops hate blacks, and Hispanics they draw gats
The police are biased against people of color and are quick to use violence against them.

And just slam it before the ask where your hand is
Police will act aggressively and without reason, often without even asking for clarity or explanation.

So please don't let em play us no more
We refuse to continue allowing the system to manipulate and control us.

Housing want me to work cuz I'm still on my mom's lease
The housing system is set up to keep people in a state of constant struggle to survive, even when they are working hard.

Ain't nothing in this world for free
The system is set up so that people are forced to work and struggle just to survive.

THIS IS MODERN DAY SLAVERY
The system is designed to keep us oppressed and enslaved in a way that is little different than historical slavery.

YOU SEE
We hope that people can see the truth of what is happening around them.

CARRY I.D.
We are constantly being controlled and monitored by the system, who need to keep us in check at all times.

WATER IS A FEE
Even basic necessities are turned into ways for the system to control us and take more of our resources.

Our people are the product of genocide and slavery
The system was set up to exploit and control people of color from the very beginning.

Everything in the ghetto was how it was made to be
The ghetto itself is a product of systemic oppression that is a part of the system's plan for controlling marginalized people.

Designed in a process, Prison Industrial Complex
The prison system is designed not to punish, but to control and profit from marginalized people and communities.

Niggaz transformed into numbers and objects
The prison system treats incarcerated people as less than human, reducing them to mere numbers and objects.

We pay the devil rent for living in hell
The system forces us to pay for the detriment it brings into our lives, whether through poverty, violence, or more subtle systemic oppression.

Every black man should read through the Romany Chapter 28
We must remember our history and understand the ways that we have been targeted and oppressed by the system in order to fight back.

Our sons and daughters were stolen by another people
We have a long history of being taken advantage of, exploited, and oppressed by those in power.

Freedom when peaceful then violent is my philosophy
We believe in peaceful methods to achieve freedom, but understand that sometimes, violent resistance is necessary to achieve true liberation.

And overthrow the plantation
We must rise up and fight to overthrow the system that oppresses us.

It was designed to be
The system was created specifically to oppress and control marginalized people.

PATRIOT ACT 3
The government is constantly trying to take more control and limit our freedoms, even violating our rights under the guise of 'protecting' us.

Just wait young nigga you'll see
Even if we don't see the full extent of the system's oppression now, it is only a matter of time before they come to control us completely.