My Favorite Rap Song...Ever

Most of the time I completely skip over rap music. Often it glorifies drugs, violence, and demeaning women--not really my thing. But today on my itunes' shuffle came my favorite rap song, Changes. It is closely written like Bruce Hornsby's song The Way It Is, in fact the instrumental is exactly the same. They both deal with social injustices.
Ah, it so clever for this black rapper to use this white guy's music to say "yeah, we've all got similar problems." Oh, I love music that talks about social problems. What do these two songs have in common? Understanding the dynamics of poverty. <3

I could talk about how each lyrics\ is like a class discussion on poverty and drugs, race and prison population, etc. But instead, you should just listen, enjoy. I hope it inspires you.


www.dailymotion.com/video/xxjug_bruce-hornsbythe-way-it-is_music





Here's some stuff to think about: Tupac's Changes excerpts:

I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.

I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
Learn to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.

I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace for races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...

And only time we chill is when we kill each other.

And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.

There's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.

Way it is

Standing in line marking time--
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old ladies' eyes
Just for fun he says "Get a job"

They say hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
'Cause you don't look like they do
Said hey old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules
He said, Son

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change
That's just the way it is
But don't you believe them

Well they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got a little more
But it only goes so far
Because the law won't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar