Rap poetry
Nas is a well-respected rap poet, writer, and producer who boasts several multi-platinum albums. He is known for hard hitting imagery about social issues and the modern black experience.
“Last words” is a song written from the perspective of a prison cell. The hook that introduces the song references a “hanging slave,” which is representative of the switch from oppressing black people via slavery to oppressing them via the prison system. This idea is mirrored in The New Jim Crow, which we read in class. The second verse (not listed in the lyrics) is an ode to the black experience as seen through the eyes of a black man. The crimes described in this section land the young man inside a prison cell, which then comes to life through the voice of Nas. Nas takes on the role of a prison cell in the second verse. The prison cell is then represented as a place full of darkness, misery, and judgement. Nas demonstrates the inescapable nature of prison in his lines, “Maybe, one day I’ll open up my arms and release you. You’ll always be my property.” Nas displays many of the shortcomings of the prison system in “Last Words.” In class, we spent a lot of time talking about the oppression of minority groups and how easy it is to get “stuck in the system” if one does not possess the means to get out, which is exemplified in this song. |
"Last words" by Nas
Nastradamus (1999) Lyrics - (the song is very long so the lyrics have been amendedto highlight the hook and Nas' second verse) These are last words of the hanging slave How can I forget this? I rob you, put you on my hit list Under my nails is dirty, look at the grime My burnt lips from the roach clips How can I shine being broke and bag a dope bitch? Powerful minds, we brave men I'ma blow smoke and keep sayin' I'ma prison cell, six by nine Livin hell stone wall, metal bars for the gods in jail My nickname, the can, the slammer, the big house I'm the place many fear 'cause there's no way out I take the sun away, put misery instead When you wit me most folks consider you dead I saw too many inmates fallin' apart Call for the guards to let them out at night when it's dark Convicts think they alone but if they listen close They can hear me groan, touch the wall, feel my pulse All the pictures, you put up is stuck to my skin I hear ya prayers (Even when ya whisperin') I make it hotter in the summer, colder in the winter If the court parole ya, then another con enters No remorse for your tears, I seen 'em too often When you cry, I make you feel alive inside a coffin Watch you when you eat, play with you mind when you sleep Make you dream that you free, then make you wake up to me Face to face with a cage, no matter your age I can shatter you, turn you into a savage in rage Change ya life, that's if you get a chance to get out 'Cause only you and I know what sufferings about Yo, it's stunning when bed sheets become your woman And I'm the one that gotcha weapons when the beef is coming Maybe, one day I'll open up my arms to release you You'll always be my property Nigga stay legal These are last words of the hanging slave How can I forget this? I rob you, put you on my hit list Under my nails is dirty, look at the grime |
Dead Prez is the name of a rap duo known for high energy, politically conscious rap poetry. “Police State,” opens with a sound clip of Omali Yeshitela, a civil rights activist, speaking about the repressive tendencies of the State and the unnecessary brutality of the police. Dead Prez goes on to point out the constant surveillance and infringement on privacy that occurs both in American streets and under incarceration.
Dead Prez also addresses the issue of the current prison system being disproportionately overcrowded with minority groups with lines such as, “I want to be free to live, able to have what I need to live. We sick of workin for crumbs and fillin up the prisons. Dyin over money and relyin on religion.” Dead Prez makes several references within the piece to perpetuating the prison system for profit; or in other words, the prison industrial complex. As mentioned both in class and in the rap, the prison industrial complex contributes to a broken justice system because it focuses on the profit of those at the top through the repression of those at the bottom. |
"Police State" by Dead Prez Lets Get Free (2000) Lyrics I throw a Molotov cocktail at the precinct, you know how we think Organize the hood under I Ching banners Red, Black and Green instead of gang bandanas F.B.I. spyin on us through the radio antennas And them hidden cameras in the streetlight watchin society With no respect for the people's right to privacy I'll take a slug for the cause like Huey P. while all you fake niggaz {UNNNGH} try to copy Master P I want to be free to live, able to have what I need to live Bring the power back to the street, where the people live We sick of workin for crumbs and fillin up the prisons Dyin over money and relyin on religion for help We do for self like ants in a colony Organize the wealth into a socialist economy A way of life based off the common need And all my comrades is ready, we just spreadin the seed [Chorus: Dead Prez] The average Black male Live a third of his life in a jail cell Cause the world is controlled by the white male And the people don't never get justice And the women don't never get respected And the problems don't never get solved And the jobs don't never pay enough So the rent always be late; can you relate? We livin in a police state |