With the always spirited ‘Print on the mic and RJ deftly manning the boards, this pair caught the underground by storm with their 6-song EP Unlimited in 2002. Only a year later they got heads listening a lot more closely with 2003’s pensive full-length debut, Eight Million Stories.
As Blueprint expresses through Soul Position’s new material, it was a long, sometimes uncertain road from when they recorded Eight Million Stories until now. But with the duo back in action, as their new album’s title says, Things Go Better With RJ and Al. On this well-balanced release, ‘Print delves into a greater variety of subject matter than ever, as he speaks on reshaping the Black identity in hip-hop and, on the lighter side, warns people not to waste his precious cell phone minutes. And as usual, RJ mines an abundance of funky samples for his partner in rhyme to enthusiastically rhyme over. On their new album, Soul Position dodges the dreaded sophomore jinx and delivers yet another gimmick-free release that’s sure to be one of the most talked about records of 2006.
Hand-Me-Downs
Soul Position Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Don't it make you proud?
Look What we Handed Down
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Look What We Handed Down
[Verse 1:]
My mommy gave me Donny Half-a-way
Young Gifted and Black
Amidst The Positivity, I wound to bring it back
But Rap now-a-days is by a bunch of ignorant cats
No young gifted and black
Just guns bitches and crack
I react by turning off BET and Sambo's telling me what blackness is supposed to be
Used to give us world news now it's all videos replaced Tavis Smiley with reality shows
If you let the TV define what black is you think ice and violence is all we think that matters
I guess this is what happens when rappers look up to thugs
And kids look up to rappers
To some of y'all if I don't talk about the gat enough
Or sell crack enough
I ain't black enough
But I rather be a pro at being myself
Than be an idiot trying to be somebody else, what
[Chorus:]
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Don't it make you proud?
Look What we Handed Down
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Don't it make you proud?
Look What We Handed Down
[Verse 2:]
I'm at the bus stop with my bike
Been there for awhile
Mom's taught me how to catch this route when I was a child
-Another kid walks up freakin up black and mild
Fifteen same age, I learn shits wild
An older lady walks up greets us with a smile
Asks how we both doing and sits down
She knows what's it's like to grow up in the south
Civil Rights when the white's was hosing us down
I started thinking to myself that even though that time's were tougher
They still took timeout to speak to one another
But look at us, me and this young brother
Acting to proud to break down and speak to each other
So inside I felt ashamed
Not sure of how to but I wanna change
And as long as I'm alive than the fact remains
That it's never too late for us to break the chains
Come on y'all
[Chorus:]
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Don't it make you proud?
Look What we Handed Down
Come on say it loud
Look what we handed down
Don't it make you proud?
Look What We Handed Down
[scratching:] Things is bound to change...
The song "Hand-Me-Downs" by Soul Position is a powerful and insightful commentary on the current state of hip-hop and African American culture. The chorus emphasizes the theme of passing down elements of a culture to future generations that should make them proud. However, the verses reveal the concerns of the artist, RJD2, and Blueprint, about the effects of contemporary rap, particularly its negative influence on young people.
In the first verse, Blueprint talks about how his mother gave him music from Donny Half-a-way and young gifted and black artists who spread a positive message to their community. But, he bemoans the current state of rap music, which he feels is dominated by negativity and ignorance, perpetuating stereotypes about drugs, guns, and women. He criticizes media outlets like BET, which used to provide world news, but now only focus on videos and reality shows that glorify materialism and violence. He argues that rap artists who glorify violence and materialism only create confusion about what it means to be black.
In the second verse, Blueprint recalls his experience at the bus stop with another young black male who was smoking Black and Milds. An older black woman approached and greeted them, reminding Blueprint of the role of civil rights movements in the south. He reflects that, despite their difficult circumstances, people took time to connect with each other. He feels ashamed that he and the younger man didn't speak and change the relationship. Blueprint emphasizes that it's not too late for change and breaking the chains of negative attitudes and patterns.
Overall, the song "Hand-Me-Downs" urges listeners to think critically about the influence and messages of hip-hop culture on young people. Blueprint and RJD2 emphasize the importance of positive role models and the need to focus on messages of hope, unity, and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on say it loud
Let's speak up about something important.
Look what we handed down
Take a look at what we have inherited and how it shapes our present.
Don't it make you proud?
Doesn't it make you feel proud to have something significant to carry on?
My mommy gave me Donny Half-a-way
My mother introduced me to good music like Donny Hathaway.
Young Gifted and Black
Donny Hathaway's song "Young Gifted and Black" is a positive message for black people.
Amidst The Positivity, I wound to bring it back
Despite the positive message from "Young Gifted and Black", I realized that modern rap music is not positive anymore and I aim to change that.
But Rap now-a-days is by a bunch of ignorant cats
Today's rap music is created by uneducated and ignorant people.
No young gifted and black
There's no positivity and uplifting message in modern rap music.
Just guns bitches and crack
Modern rap music glorifies guns, women, and drugs like crack.
I react by turning off BET and Sambo's telling me what blackness is supposed to be
I stopped watching TV channels like BET that dictate what being black is supposed to be according to their own agenda.
Used to give us world news now it's all videos replaced Tavis Smiley with reality shows
BET used to provide information about world news, but now it's all about music videos and reality shows, replacing shows that educated people like Tavis Smiley hosted.
If you let the TV define what black is you think ice and violence is all we think that matters
If you only rely on TV to learn about black people, you'll think that all we care about is material things like jewelry (ice) and violence.
I guess this is what happens when rappers look up to thugs
The decline in positive messaging in modern rap is partly due to rappers admiring thugs, who are involved in criminal activities.
And kids look up to rappers
Children idolize rappers and their lifestyle that is presented in their music videos, which can be problematic.
To some of y'all if I don't talk about the gat enough Or sell crack enough I ain't black enough
Some people believe that if a rapper doesn't talk about guns enough or glorify selling drugs like crack, they are not "black enough".
But I rather be a pro at being myself Than be an idiot trying to be somebody else, what
I prefer to be authentic and true to myself, rather than act like someone else and lose my identity.
Been there for awhile
I have waited for a while at the bus stop.
Mom's taught me how to catch this route when I was a child
My mother taught me how to take this bus route when I was young.
-Another kid walks up freakin up black and mild
Another kid comes by smoking a Black & Mild cigar, which is popular among young people.
Fifteen same age, I learn shits wild
We are both fifteen years old and it's wild that we are already smoking cigars like Black & Mild.
An older lady walks up greets us with a smile
An elderly lady approaches us and greets us with a smile.
Asks how we both doing and sits down
She asks us how we're doing and sits down next to us.
She knows what's it's like to grow up in the south Civil Rights when the white's was hosing us down
The elderly lady understands how difficult it was to grow up in the south during the Civil Rights movement when white people used fire hoses to intimidate black people.
I started thinking to myself that even though that time's were tougher They still took timeout to speak to one another
I realized that despite the difficult times back then, people still took the time to communicate and connect with each other.
But look at us, me and this young brother Acting too proud to break down and speak to each other
Compare that to us, who are too proud to lower our guard and speak to each other.
So inside I felt ashamed Not sure of how to but I wanna change
I feel ashamed that I can't figure out how to break down these barriers, but I want to work on changing that.
And as long as I'm alive than the fact remains That it's never too late for us to break the chains
As long as I am alive, I believe that it's never too late for us to break the cycle of negative behavior and attitudes.
Things is bound to change...
Change is inevitable and must happen as we work towards a better future for ourselves and our community.
Contributed by William L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mark
How does this have down votes? Great beat and a postive ass message- you don't find that often in the mainstream hip-pop shit playing on the radio all day
A1rG3ar
Bots?
Joey Chavez
Takes me back to my highschool days. I was so into HipHop while everyone else was into the latest mainstream rap, very lonely.
dominic cirineo
Haha, it wassss lonely, wasn't it! Same story with me.... these guys, Jurassic 5, Dialated Peoples, etc, etc.... but all our peers were just bumping mindless ass music like Drake and Two Chains, lmfao, miserable
Fat J
That sucks man I had a bunch of friends all pilfering their older siblings music and Napster, limewire, etc. always arguing who was the illest, most slept on, and true school/underground. Some places you gotta look harder than others for the community but we’re out here for you g. ✌️
Julia Mihailova
love it!
Golden Starling
this collabo is too dope
C C
LOOK WHAT WE HANDING DOWN!!!
GBA-SP
Saiyaman saga was sick
kugelblitz3201
I thought i'd be the only one here...lmao