DIALOGUE WITH A GANGSTA (2023)

“Yo my dude
“what’s up with you?
“Looks like you got
“something to do.”

I do and its got
everything,
To do with
trying to bring.

You on board
with his movement right here,
But it takes getting
over what a lot of us fear.

“What you mean fear
“I don’t fear shit,
“So what’s this movement
“you want me to get with?”

It’s called revolution comrade
which requires,
Sacrificing ourselves
being tested by fire.

“Fire you say
“that sounds real slick,
“But the only fire I’m chasing
“is thots on my tip.”

See that’s part of the problem
we gotta forget,
All the bullshit we’ve been taught
especially the disrespect.

That we extend to our own
especially our women,
The fact that we degrade ourselves
is why we’re swimming.

Against the tide
of our own salvation,
Because unity is the key
to our liberation.

“Hold up hold up
“I’m doing just fine,
“Without that shit you selling
“that I ain’t buying.

“Why the hell you think
“I need you anyway?”
Well for one thing I’ve been exactly
where you are today.

I’ve walked that path
and know its dead ends,
Which is where the path
I’m now on begins.

We live in poverty imprisoned
disrespected,
Our families unsafe insecure
in no way protected.

We’ve been taught from day one
to rely on our enemies,
On those who exploit us
as if their intentions are friendly.

The system we suffer under
is much much bigger,
Than the small corner of the world
reserved for what they call niggers.

It all ties together
into a seamless whole,
A capitalist system
that spans the globe.

Its center of power
lies right here,
In Amerika
the place you love so dear.

Like plantation slaves
we’ve been taught,
To love the hand
that sold and bought.

Our bodies our families
to use us for our labor,
To make the owner rich
and give us only crumbs as favor.

We should own the plantations
and reap the wealth,
Cause we produced everything
on it ourselves.

We were taught to drop our heads
when authorities approached,
Who could do to us what they willed
without reproach.

And so today
it’s still the case,
When confronted by cops
we must hide our true face.

Become passive fearful
if we make an error,
We may he shot dead
so we live in terror.

Just like slavery days
just like Jim Crow,
We still ain’t free
we just don’t know.

Cuz we’re distracted by
empty drama,
Chasing meaningless
fads and bent by trauma.

Taught to hate fear envy
ourself,
Competing like crabs in a bucket
taking pride in inflicting death.

On our own people
how insane is that?
Doing more damage to Blacks
that the racists in white hats.

But look what the Panthers did
they taught us how to survive,
To meet all our needs by cooperation
brought the people alive.

And the thing you don’t know
is the composition,
Of the panthers was women
from rank and file to leading positions.

But now you wanna degrade our women
push them all the way back,
Treat them like the old Southern racists
only value them on their backs.

Then we peddle poison
right where we rest our heads,
Making our neighbors addicts and thieves
a literal walking dead.

Look how absurd we behave
how insane we must appear,
Walking and talking tough
but in reality living in fear.

One cop walks on the block
killers throw weapons and run,
But put one of their own in front of them
he’ll see the smoking end of a gun.

Yeah we need revolution
to wake us up to reality,
Cuz we doped up psyched out
done lost our minds in totality.

So you see why we need you
to join this movement,
Divide and rule is why
we’re in this predicament.

It’s like in prison the cons
outnumber guards 50 to one,
The guards only have control
cuz they’re united and move as one.

But if the prisoners united
in the same way,
They would take control
that very same day.

“Yeah they could overpower
“their captors I damn sho see,
“Walk right out the gates
“and all be free.”

“I get what you’re saying
“you definitely changed my mind,
“I’m down with this movement to free the people
“where do I sign?”

By Kevin “Rashid” Johnson