Shades
Wale ft. Chrisette Michele Lyrics

(Boy) Beautiful
This line is repeated multiple times to emphasize the beauty of the person being addressed.

Chip on my shoulder
The singer has a persistent feeling of anger or resentment towards the world.

Big enough to feed Cambodia
The singer's anger or resentment is very intense and pervasive.

See, I never fit into they quotas
The artist has always felt like an outsider who doesn't meet societal norms or expectations.

Sneakers wasn't fitting and my knees needed lotion
The artist didn't have the means to take care of their physical appearance as a child, which made them feel insecure around others.

Long before I knew the significance of a comb
The singer didn't have a lot of guidance around grooming as a child, which added to their feelings of insecurity.

I roam like phone with no vocal reception
The singer feels like their voice is going unheard or ignored in society.

Immigrant parents had me feeling like a step-kid
The artist's immigrant parents didn't always understand or validate their experiences growing up in a different culture, which made them feel isolated.

And black Americans never did accept me
The artist faced discrimination or exclusion from the African American community, possibly due to their immigrant or mixed-race background.

That's why I thrive so much, win and respect dig
Despite facing obstacles and rejection, the artist has become successful and respected.

I never fit in with them light skins
The singer didn't feel like they belonged with people who had fairer skin tones.

I felt the lighter they was the better that they life is
The artist perceived people with fairer skin to have more advantages and opportunities in life.

So I resented them and they resented me
The singer felt resentful towards people with fairer skin, and this feeling was often mutual.

Cheated on light-skinned Dominique when we was seventeen
The singer acted out in destructive ways towards people with fairer skin, possibly due to their own feelings of insecurity and resentment.

I figured I'd hurt her, she'd evidently hurt me,
The singer thought that hurting others would somehow make up for the pain they themselves had experienced.

And all women who had light features
The artist had negative feelings towards women who had fairer skin, hair, or eyes.

See, I never let a light broad hurt me
The artist is defensive and guarded in relationships with women who have fairer skin.

That's why I strike first and the first cut's deep
The singer is willing to hurt others before they can be hurt, which is a defense mechanism they have developed over time.

[Chorus]
The chorus emphasizes that a person's skin tone doesn't matter when it comes to love and attraction.

Just another knotty head nigga
The artist is acknowledging the negative stereotypes associated with having tightly coiled hair.

Hoping Wes Snipes make my life a bit different
The artist is yearning for representation and recognition of people with dark skin like Wesley Snipes.

In middle school, I had the right to be timid
The artist lacked confidence and self-esteem as a young person.

I had beautiful words but girls never listened
The singer felt ignored or rejected by girls, possibly due to their appearance or lack of confidence.

The blacker the berry, sweeter the product
The artist is referencing a saying that darker-skinned people are more attractive or valuable.

Well, I'm fruit punch concentrate and they water
The singer doesn't feel as valued or attractive as someone with darker skin.

Walk into my room thinking how to make moves
The singer is focused on trying to impress women and make romantic connections.

Ain't thinking like a student but how Ice-T do it
The singer is taking cues from popular culture icons like Ice-T instead of focusing on personal growth or education.

Light dudes have the girls looking there all year
The artist is observing that people with fairer skin seem to be more attractive to others.

It's not fair, the ones with the good hair
The artist feels like people with fairer skin and straighter hair are more privileged and desirable.

Couldn't adapt to naps, I wavecap they naps and slept on me
The singer is commenting on the difficulties of taking care of curly or coiled hair, and how it affected their self-esteem.

Man, I hate black
The singer is expressing a deep self-loathing and dissatisfaction with their own skin color.

Skin tone, I wish I could take it back
The artist regrets their skin color and wishes they could change it.

Or rearrange my status, maybe if I was khaki
The artist imagines how their life would be different if they had a lighter skin tone.

Associating light skin with classy
The artist perceives people with fairer skin to be more sophisticated or desirable.

The menstrual show showed and me, that was not me
The singer is referencing a derogatory term for minstrel shows, which objectified and caricatured black people. They feel like this type of entertainment doesn't represent who they are as a person.

They say black is beautiful
The artist is referencing a positive message about blackness and self-acceptance.

But ask them beautiful light girls
The singer is pointing out the hypocrisy of people who express this message but still prioritize lighter skin tones.

If its black they attract to usually
The singer is pointing out that people with fairer skin often gravitate towards light-skinned individuals, even if they promote messages of black beauty.

What if Barack skin was all black, truthfully?
The singer is questioning whether someone like Barack Obama would be accepted if he had a darker skin tone.

Would he be a candidate or just a black in community?
The artist is exploring the possibility that someone with a darker skin tone might face more barriers to success and acceptance.

Because black dudes tend to lack unity
The artist is commenting on the lack of solidarity and support among black men.

And them blacker girls ain't on the tube, usually
The singer is pointing out the lack of representation of darker-skinned women in popular media.

Right now, at 23, I ain't mad at them reds no more
The singer is acknowledging that their resentment towards people with fairer skin has subsided over time.

But for long time I had gone cold
The artist had been distant and guarded towards people with fairer skin for a significant period of time.

Blindfolded my own insecurity was holding me back to reds,
The artist realized that their own insecurities were preventing them from forming meaningful relationships with people of all skin tones.

I ain't know how to act
The artist didn't have the emotional tools or skills to navigate relationships in a healthy way.

They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act
The singer would push people away as a way of protecting themselves, but eventually realized it wasn't sustainable.

A defense mechanism what I thought that I lacked
The artist realizes that their distancing behavior was actually a way of protecting themselves from getting hurt.