Mathematics
Mos Def a.k.a. Yasiin Bey Lyrics

Ha ha
Introductory laugh

You know the deal
Addressing the listener, acknowledging they know what's up

It's just me yo
Stating the singer is alone

Beats by Su-Primo for all of my peoples, Negros and Latinos
Acknowledging the producer and connecting with the artist's community

And even the gringos
Including non-Latinos in the artist's address

Yo, check it one for Charlie Hustle, two for Steady Rock
Using numbers to create a rhythmic introduction

Three for the fourth coming live, future shock
Introducing a futuristic concept as the third number

It's five dimensions, six senses
Addressing the complexity of reality beyond the five senses, introducing the concept of extrasensory perception or intuition as a sixth sense

Seven firmaments of heaven to hell, 8 Million Stories to tell
Connecting the number seven to religious concepts and the number eight to stories

Nine planets faithfully keep in orbit
Referencing the traditional nine planets of the solar system

With the probable tenth, the universe expands length
Introducing a hypothetical tenth planet that could affect the universe

The body of my text posses extra strength
Stating the power and significance of the artist's words

Power-lifting powerless up, out of this, towering inferno
Using the figurative language to describe the singer's ability to lift others up through their words.

My ink so hot it burn through the journal
Using the metaphor of hot ink burning paper to describe the singer's passion and intensity.

I'm blacker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle
Using an exaggerated statement to claim one's identity

Hip-Hop past all your tall social hurdles
Claiming the power of Hip-Hop to overcome societal barriers

Like the nationwide projects, prison-industry complex
Addressing a social issue that undermines communities of color

Working class poor better keep your alarm set
Warning the working-class people about the dangers of their struggles

Streets too loud to ever hear freedom ring
Using the metaphor of loud streets drowning out the message of liberty

Say evacuate your sleep, it's dangerous to dream
Warning the listener that their ambitions may lead to danger

But you chain cats get they CHA-POW, who dead now
Addressing violence and the consequences of involvement in it

Killing fields need blood to graze the cash cow
Addressing the economic motivations behind conflict and violence

It's a number game, but shit don't add up somehow
Recognizing that something doesn't feel right despite the numbers lining up

Like I got, sixteen to thirty-two bars to rock it
Referencing a common structure of a Hip-Hop song

But only 15% of profits, ever see my pockets like
Criticizing the music industry for taking the lion's share of the profit

Sixty-nine billion in the last twenty years
Referencing the large amount of money the US government has spent on national defense

Spent on national defense but folks still live in fear like
Commenting on the disconnect between spending and societal progress

Nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black
Highlighting the persistence of racial segregation

That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack
Accusing the government of playing a hand in the drug epidemic

Sixteen ounces to a pound, twenty more to a ki
Describing measures of weight in regards to drug trafficking

A five minute sentence hearing and you no longer free
Demonstrating the lack of justice in the legal system

40% of Americans own a cell phone
Offering a statistic on the prevalence of cell phones in American society

So they can hear, everything that you say when you ain't home
Pointing out the potential violation of privacy that comes with owning a cell phone

I guess, Michael Jackson was right, "You Are Not Alone"
Referencing a Michael Jackson song to discuss loneliness

Rock your hardhat black cause you in the Terrordome
Referencing a Public Enemy song to describe a difficult situation.

Full of hard niggas, large niggas, dice tumblers
Describing people in the Terrordome

Young teens and prison greens facing life numbers
Describing how some young people's lives end up in prison.

Crack mothers, crack babies and AIDS patients
Painting a picture of communities afflicted by drug use and disease

Young bloods can't spell but they could rock you in PlayStation
Referencing gaming skills as a way young people articulate their skills

This new math is whipping motherfuckers ass
Addressing the difficult realities of the present day.

You wanna know how to rhyme you better learn how to add
Making a connection between rapping and mathematics

It's mathematics
Closing line that refers back to the mathematical themes throughout the song.

"The Mighty Mos Def"
Introduction of the artist and his persona.

"Check it out!"
Exclamation used to pull focus or attention to the next line

"I revolve around science"
Claiming a deep connection with science and its principles

"What are we talking about here?"
Rhetorical questioning used to express confusion or disagreement

"Do your math" (Repeat: x2)
Refrain that emphasizes the theme of math in the song.

"One.. t-t-two.. three, four"
Rhythmic introduction of the counting sequence.

"What are we talking about here?"
Rhetorical questioning used to express confusion or disagreement

Yo, it's one universal law but two sides to every story
Acknowledging the duality of concepts and their interpretations

Three strikes and you be in for life, mandatory
Referencing the U.S. criminal justice system's mandatory sentencing laws

Four MC's murdered in the last four years
Referencing the losses of Hip-Hop artists

I ain't trying to be the fifth one, the millennium is here
Affirming the artist's will to persevere into a new century

Yo it's 6 Million Ways to Die, from the seven deadly thrills
Referencing different ways of dying and the seven deadly sins

Eight-year olds getting found with 9 mill's
Calling attention to the prevalence of guns among young people

It's 10 P.M., where your seeds at? What's the deal
Asking listeners the whereabouts of their children

He on the hill puffin krill to keep they belly filled
Sharing an observation about the drug trade

Light in the ass with heavy steel, sights on the pretty shit in life
Describing the reality of living with a heavy burden

Young soldiers trying to earn they next stripe
Describing young people trying to achieve their status in life

When the average minimum wage is $5.15
Referencing the low minimum wage in the United States

You best believe you gotta find a new ground to get cream
Encouraging people to find new sources of income if they want to succeed

The white unemployment rate, is nearly more than triple for black
Highlighting the systemic discrimination faced by people of color

So front liners got they gun in your back
Calling attention to police brutality and coercion

Bubbling crack, jewel theft and robbery to combat poverty
Describing the illegal activities people may engage in to make enough money to survive

And end up in the global jail economy
Pointing out the profit that comes from incarceration of people

Stiffer stipulations attached to each sentence
Commenting on the severity of criminal punishment

Budget cutbacks but increased police presence
Highlighting the absurdity of diverting resources from social welfare programs to law enforcement.

And even if you get out of prison still living
Acknowledging the lingering impact of incarceration

Join the other five million under state supervision
Descripbing the number of people in the United States under some form of governmental supervision

This is business, no faces just lines and statistics
Describing how governmental policies affect people's lives.

From your phone, your zip code, to S-S-I digits
Referencing the amount of personal data collected by the government.

The system break man child and women into figures
Commenting on the dehumanizing effect of metrics and statistics

Two columns for who is, and who ain't niggas
Describing the systemic segregation and discrimination people of color face.

Numbers is hardly real and they never have feelings
Demonstrating how social constructs like numbers are devoid of emotions and empathy.

But you push too hard, even numbers got limits
Recognizing the potential harm of stressing oneself beyond what is sustainable.

Why did one straw break the camel's back? Here's the secret
Using the metaphor of an overloaded camel to describe a sudden collapse, and questioning its cause.

The million other straws underneath it, it's all mathematics
Using math to explain complex phenomena and unwanted outcomes.

"The Mighty Mos Def"
Introduction of the artist and his persona.

"Check it out!"
Exclamation used to pull focus or attention to the next line

"I revolve around science"
Claiming a deep connection with science and its principles

"What are we talking about here?"
Rhetorical questioning used to express confusion or disagreement