Young Black America
Meek Mill Lyrics

Yeah, I was on that corner, tryna get my coins up
I was hustling on the streets, trying to make some money.

Coppers run up on us and we turn to Jackie Joyner
When the police come, we run away as fast as Jackie Joyner in a race.

White man kill a black man, they never report us
When a white man kills a black man, it doesn't get much media attention.

Black man kill a white man, they gon' start a war up
If a black man kills a white man, there's a higher chance of outrage and even war.

Mama she was sour, sippin' on the Absolut
My mom was upset, drinking Absolut vodka.

Young niggas brainwashed, they just wanna rap and hoop
Young guys are brainwashed, thinking that rapping or playing basketball is their only way out.

Could've been a lawyer until they came and shackled you
You could have been a lawyer if you weren't sent to prison.

Felons on your records so them jobs ain't gettin' back at you
Employers won't hire you if they see a record of your felony convictions.

Them kids ain't eat yet, so you can't even sleep yet
The kids are hungry and your mind can't rest knowing they haven't eaten yet.

That's the only thing we ever saw, we repeat that
Our limited experiences lead us to keep repeating what we've seen before.

They was playing ball, fouled him hard, said I'd be back
They were playing basketball, he got fouled hard, and threatened to come back for revenge.

Broad day, threw his life away, soon as he clapped
He recklessly threw away his life by shooting someone in broad daylight.

Gave that boy a life sentence, made his mama relapse
The boy was given a life sentence, causing his mom to relapse into addiction.

Damn, they don't understand
It's frustrating that people don't understand our struggles.

Comin' from the bottom, it's so hard to make a plan
When coming from a disadvantaged background, it's tough to create a plan for success.

Know them kids beefin', they let it get out of hand
Those young guys are fighting, and they let it escalate beyond control.

OGs never told us nothin' in advance
The older guys never warned us about the consequences of our actions.

Young niggas killing young niggas, shit is like the Klan, I said
Young guys are killing each other, it's like the KKK except it's within our own race.

Told my young nigga, "You the man," I said
I told my young friend that he's capable of being successful and powerful.

You don't wanna end up like my man Ahmed
You don't want to end up like my friend Ahmed who is either dead or in jail.

Praying five times a day, prostration on his head
My Muslim friend Ahmed prays five times a day, bowing his head in prostration.

Screamin' "Insha'Allah" that he don't make it to the feds
He's screaming "God-willing" that he won't end up in prison.

Caught up in the system, visit from his sister
He's trapped in the criminal justice system, and his sister is coming to visit him.

Talkin' 'bout all these niggas, how they ain't even with him
He talks about his so-called friends who aren't even supporting him.

Said that they would ride or die, but it ain't even in 'em
Those friends said they'd be loyal until the end, but they aren't capable of it.

Always postin' on the 'Gram, but hey ain't sendin' pictures
They're always posting on Instagram, but they don't send pictures of support to their incarcerated friend.

Never answer when you call, but answer for them bitches
They never answer your calls, but they answer for their girlfriends.

Got you thinking twice, damn I should've been a witness
You're regretting not being a witness to what happened, knowing you could have prevented the situation.

Dismantle my business, just telling my story
I'm exposing my struggles and experiences, even if it means bringing down my business.

All guts, no glory, been going on before me
I'm not seeking attention or fame, this has been happening long before me.

We slaves in the Forties, still slaves in the present
We may not be literal slaves anymore, but we're still oppressed and treated unfairly.

No toys for Christmas, ain't get us no presents
We didn't get any Christmas presents or toys as children.

Only made us evil, made us hungry, made us desperate
Our poverty and lack of resources turned us into desperate people, leading to evil acts.

Youngin' in the ninth grade, he got a Smith and Wesson
A ninth-grader has a gun, a Smith and Wesson brand.

Grew up with the goons, now he need protection
He grew up with gang members and now requires protection from them.

He dropped outta school, then he got arrested
He left school and got caught up in illegal activities that landed him in jail.

Lord with a blessing, I just hope he learned his lesson
I hope he's learned something valuable from his mistakes, with God's blessing.

They told us, if we go to jail, we would be respected
We were told that we would gain respect if we went to jail.

They told us, if we make a sale, we would run a check in
We were told that making a big sale would bring in a lot of money.

Threw a rock out in that field, he got intercepted
He tried to throw a rock in a certain area, but someone caught it.

He stumbled, he fumbled, y'all niggas just rumble
He messed up and caused a commotion, leading to chaos.

They told you to hustle, them niggas don't love you
They told you to work hard and make money, but they don't actually care about you.

Young black America (na na)
This is a song about young black Americans.

Wanna live like the fairer skin (na na)
They want to live like those with lighter skin, who are often treated better.

Fall to the paradigm (na na)
They conform to societal expectations and norms.

Occupied on that Marilyn (na na)
They're distracted and focused on materialistic things, like Marilyn Monroe.

The prophecies of the wild nigga, no church
Society expects young black men to be wild and rebellious, without guidance from the church.

My uncles said stop bitching nigga, no skirts
My uncles told me to stop complaining and be tough, not to be weak like a girl.

It's kinda crazy there's another world on the other side of town
It's crazy how much different life is just on the other side of town.

Pastor rollin' up in that Rolls
The pastor arrives in a Rolls Royce, showing off his wealth.

Pullin' up in that Holy Ghost
The pastor is acting phony or insincere, as if he's being possessed by the Holy Ghost.

Preaching, while niggas dying by the Bible code
The pastor is preaching about the Bible while young black men are dying by society's unfair expectations and social codes.

The destruction, the hate
There's destruction and hate in our society.

The obstruction of my faith
My faith is being obstructed by the oppressive nature of society.

My prayers, my faith
Despite everything, I still hold on to my prayers and faith.

Will never be the same
The world has changed so much and my faith has been affected by it.