Shades
Wale Ft Chrisette Michelle Lyrics

Chip on my shoulder
I have a burden of past challenges or struggles

Big enough to feed Cambodia
My burden is substantial and impactful

See, I never fit into they quotas
I have always felt like an outsider, never fitting into society's standards

Sneakers wasn't fitting and my knees needed lotion
I lacked resources to meet society's expectations of appearance

Long before I knew the significance of a comb
I lacked knowledge of basic self-care and hygiene

I roam like phone with no vocal reception
I feel disconnected and unheard

Immigrant parents had me feeling like a step-kid
My own parents made me feel like an outsider in my own home

And black Americans never did accept me
I also feel rejected by the black community in America

That's why I thrive so much, win and respect dig
I work hard to prove myself and earn respect

I never fit in with them light skins
I felt even more excluded by light-skinned black people

I felt the lighter they was the better that they life is
I believed that lighter-skinned people had it easier in life

So I resented them and they resented me
My resentment towards them led to mutual resentment

Cheated on light-skinned Dominique when we was seventeen
I acted out my resentment by hurting someone close to me

I figured I'd hurt her, she'd evidently hurt me,
I was seeking revenge and thought I was justified in hurting her

And all women who had light features
I blamed all light-skinned women for my own insecurities and grievances

See, I never let a light broad hurt me
I try to protect myself from being hurt by light-skinned women

That's why I strike first and the first cut's deep
I act aggressively and hurtfully towards them before they can hurt me

All my light skinned girls to my dark skin brothers
I want to unite people of different skin tones

Shades doesn't matter heart makes the lover
Love is based on the heart, not skin color

Just another knotty head nigga
I'm just another black guy with natural hair

Hoping Wes Snipes make my life a bit different
I hope to see more representation of black people in media

In middle school, I had the right to be timid
I lacked confidence and faced challenges in my youth

I had beautiful words but girls never listened
My words and personality were not valued by girls because of my appearance

Listen, blacker the berry, sweeter the product
The darker the skin, the richer and more valuable the person

Well, I'm fruit punch concentrate and they water
I feel diluted or less valuable than darker-skinned individuals

Walk into my room thinking how to make moves
I constantly strategize and plan my actions

Ain't thinking like a student but how Ice-T do it
I look up to entertainment figures as role models

Light dudes have the girls looking there all year
Light-skinned men are more attractive to women all year round

It's not fair, the ones with the good hair
I believe that lighter-skinned people have more attractive hair

Couldn't adapt to naps, I wavecap they naps and slept on me
I struggled with styling my own hair and felt judged by others for my hairstyle

Man, I hate black
I express self-hatred towards my own skin color

Skin tone, I wish I could take it back
I regret my own skin color and wish I could change it

Or rearrange my status, maybe if I was khaki
I believe that lighter skin would lead to higher social status

Associating light skin with classy
I have internalized the idea that lighter skin is more elegant or sophisticated

The menstrual show showed and me, that was not me
I feel like I have been misrepresented or stereotyped in entertainment media

They say black is beautiful
Society promotes the idea that dark skin is beautiful

But ask them beautiful light girls
But when it comes down to it, light-skinned women are still more highly valued

If its black they attract to usually
They may prefer darker men, but only to a certain extent

What if Barack skin was all black, truthfully?
I question if even someone as successful as Barack Obama would be accepted if his skin were darker

Would he be a candidate or just a black in community?
I wonder if he would be taken seriously as a political candidate or simply dismissed as a black person in the community

Because black dudes tend to lack unity
There is a lack of solidarity among black men

And them blacker girls ain't on the tube, usually
Darker-skinned women are not often represented in media

Right now, at 23, I ain't mad at them reds no more
I have become more accepting of light-skinned people over time

But for long time I had gone cold
I used to harbor resentment towards them

Blindfolded my own insecurity was holding me back to reds,
My own insecurities prevented me from being open to relationships with light-skinned people

I ain't know how to act
I lacked the knowledge or experience to form positive relationships with light-skinned people

They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act
I would intentionally avoid or mistreat them, but deep down I actually wanted their approval

A defense mechanism what I thought that I lacked
My actions were a defense mechanism to protect myself from getting hurt

Confidence
I have learned to be more confident, accepting of myself, and open to all races and skin tones