VERSE 1
It started in the Philippines, Francis M to Killa Beez/
‘Til I was 13 spittin soliloquies on Dilla Beats/
Silly me for thinkin these, television imagery/
Representin’ me when most these people never looked liked me/
Red, white, and blue’s really blonde, white, and blue/
I see my people wanna lighten but enlightenment’s in you/
Reflection of the hues, deflection of the truth/
Attention to the cues, we neck to neck and start to lose/
How can we be free and be a POC? cuz what do PO see?/
What’s their POV? When they see no me?/
They see you as a DOB or better yet a DOD, they hoping that you do OD, statistics of that lottery/
They playing yellow face, the other half are playing two face/
I feel they ain’t used to my face up in this new place/
New dreams to chase, too much baggage like my suitcase/
Feeling out of place and we got here on a Tuesday/
HOOK
The grass is greener on the other side, forget your dreams, is you down to ride?/
The grass is greener on the other side, come fuck with me, is you down to ride?/
The grass is greener on the other side, follow me, they’ll eat you alive/
The grass is greener on the other side, now I’m feeling lesser brown inside/
VERSE 2
I’m from a country where lightened means you enlightened/
But what’s a color when the hue (you) is never brightened?/
And what’s your skin if the texture be reptile?/
Half these snakes reading this text be thinkin’ that they less bile/
That crab mentality, in actuality, reality/
Why you mad me when we just look the same to them? they put kuya in the pen/
So I put life into this pen, so when I write, I'm puttin’ light and I rewrite myself again/
Mama, why don't they like me? Comma, they don't look like me/
Papa, they ask his ID, ego, it wants to fight me/
Ruby, don't take it lightly, just focus on plottin’ nightly/
‘Cuz we know, it’s never likely, If I don’t, then who will write me?/
I pray to a white God, prey to this system/
Put on a white mask, hating this brown skin/
Slave to the green bills, faker than Green Hills/
Hoping the fame will/
Make me escape, red pill or blue pill, a head filled with no real/
True feel of self, will, I choose fate or own will?/
See, we hopped up on that plane with the nosebleed seats/
And if we learn too much English, it’s a “nosebleed me”/
Juxtaposed with self hate, this flat nose goes deep/
‘Cuz we know they turn they nose up when they don’t need me/
It always on their terms, any percent you earn/
They wanna sell your urn, but melanin don’t burn/
4 counts in a bar - 4 counts behind bars/
How u make your voice count when they don’t even count ours?/
POCs be getting vilified, dreams be gettin nullified/
Kuya with that bullseye target when he walkin’ by/
Ruby Ibarra, first generation immigrant/
Tryna make a difference but times I’m feeling’ ignorant myself/
How can I lay a verse when I’m just lyin to myself?/
How can I start a movement when I’m frozen, I can’t help but think about the days/
My mama used to sit and pray, that all our problems go away, they knockin for that rent today/
My sister never learned to say our language cuz my moms afraid/
That she will turn to me someday and struggle to assimilate/
My father, he just looks away, I see the lines that changed his face/
I wanna tell him face to face, forgive him, and we'll find a way/
But anger's always in the way, my heart's consumed by pain and hate/
This country told us welcome but never asked if we wanna stay/
CHORUS
Welcome to that place you know, a million miles from home/
Welcome to this place alone, this is now your home/
credits
from CIRCA91,
released October 3, 2017
The Other Side - Produced by OJ The Producer
Welcome - Produced by Warren Aguilar, Elgin Bokari AKA L O Kari, and Fatgums
Bass Guitar by Chris Baylon
supported by 80 fans who also own “The Other Side, Welcome”
Originally bought the CD years ago, but streaming it while riding through Northeast OH seemed like the appropriate way to listen to the album at high volume. Peace and respect to the entire BeatRock Fam. AA
Razor-sharp bars on love and luxury from the Oakland-based rapper, a founding member of hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics. Bandcamp New & Notable Nov 15, 2023