Gil Scott-heron Message To The Rappers Lyrics

Message To The Rappers Lyrics

Hey, yeah, we the same brothas from a long time ago

We was talkin’ about
television and doin’ it on the radio

What we did was to help our
generation realize

They had to get out there and get busy cause it wasn’t
gonna be televised

We got respect for you rappers and the way they be
free-weighin’

But if you’re gon’ be teachin’ folks things, make sure you
know what you’re sayin’

Older folks in our neighborhood got plenty of
know-how

Remember if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be out here now

And I ain’t comin’ at you with no disrespect

All I’m sayin’ is that you
damn well got to be correct

Because if you’re gonna be speakin’ for a
whole generation

And you know enough to try and handle their
education

Make sure you know the real deal about past situations

It
ain’t just repeatin’ what you heard on the local TV stations

…Sometimes
they tell lies and put ‘em in a truthful disguise

But the truth is that’s
why we said it wouldn’t be televised

They don’t know what to say to our
young folks, but they know that you do

And if they really knew the
truth…why would they tell you?

The first sign is peace, tell all them gun
totin’ young brothas 

That the man is glad to see us out there killin’ one
another

We raised too much hell when they was shootin’ us down

So
they started poisoning our minds tryin’ to jerk us all around

And they
tell us they got to come in and control our situation

They want half of
us on dope and the other half in incarceration

If the ones they want dead
ain’t killed by what they instigated

They put some dope on a brotha’s body
and claim it was drug related

Tell them drug related means there don’t
need to be no investigation

Or at least that’s the way they’re gon’ play
it on the local TV stations

All your 9-millimeter brothas…give them
somthin’ to think about

Tell them you heard that this is the new word,
they got to work that stuff out

But somehow they feel in the wrong way
with a gun in their hands

They feel real independent…but they just
pullin’ contracts for the man

Five and five will tell you it’s hopeless
out there on the avenue

But if they really knew the truth…why would they
tell you?

And if they look at you like you’re insane

And they start
callin’ you scarecrow and say you ain’t got no brain

Or start tellin’
folks that you suddenly gone lame

Or that white folks had finally
co-opted your game

Or worse yet implying that you don’t really know…

That’s the same thing they said about us…a long time ago

Young rappers,
one more suggestion before I get out of your way	

But I appreciate the
respect you give me and what you got to say 

I’m sayin’ protect your
community and spread that respect around

Tell brothas and sistas they
gotta calm that bullshit down

Cause we’re terrorizin’ our old folks and
brought fear into our homes

And they ain’t got to hang out with the
senior citizens

Just tell them, “Dammit…leave the old folks alone”

And we know who rippin’ off the neighborhood, tell them, “That BS has got to
stop!”

Tell them you’re sorry they can’t handle it out there 

But
they got to take the crime off the block

And if they look at you like
you’re insane

And they start callin’ you scarecrow and say you ain’t got
no brain

Or start tellin’ folks that you suddenly gone lame

Or that
white folks had finally co-opted your game

Or worse yet saying that you
really don’t know…

That’s the same thing they said about me a long time
ago

And if they tell folks that you finally lost your nerve

That’s
the same thing they said about us, when we said, “Johannesburg”

But I
think the young folks need to know, that things don’t go both ways

You
can’t talk respect of every other song or just every other day

What I’m
speakin’ on now is the raps about the women folks

On one song she’s your
African Queen on the next one she’s a joke

And you ain’t said no words
that I haven’t heard, but that ain’t no compliment

It only insults eight
people out of ten and questions your intelligence

Four letter words or
four syllable words won’t make you important

It’ll only magnify how
shallow you are and let everybody know it

And if they look at you like
they think you insane

Or they call you scarecrow thinkin’ you ain’t got
no brain

Or start tellin’ folks that you suddenly gone lame

Or that
white folks have finally co-opted your game 

Or you really don’t know…They
said that about me a long time ago

If they finally start to tell people
that you lost your nerve

That’s what they said about Johannesburg

You ain’t insane…you have got a brain

You haven’t gone lame; you have
got your game

 Remember…keep the nerve

Keep the nerve 

Keep
the nerve

Keep the nerve

…I’m talkin’ about peace