"Let Freedom Ring" by Flocabulary (featuring Trajik)
From Hip-Hop U.S. History. Listen to more U.S. History in Hip-Hop here:
http://www.flocabulary.com/hiphopushistory.html
Video by Dashryder Productions.
Lyrics:
So even though we face the difficulties
of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.
It is a dream deeply rooted
in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation
will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed:
We hold these truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal.
I have a dream...
It would take a nation of millions to hold us back.
Brown v. Board opened some doors.
Back then they called all blacks Negroes.
We kick it off of the top sort of like cerebrals.
Separate isn't equal, when in practice.
My school is a shack. Mine is a palace!
Do I have to sit in the back of the bus? That's wackness.
Second class citizen on account of my blackness.
They say to change the world, you've got to take a stand.
Rosa Parks took a seat and changed the face of the land.
Martin had a plan that even if you want to change the world
that don't mean you've got to kill another man.
Inspired by the people like Thoreau and Gandhi,
a pacifist in the war without an army.
'Cause they can't harm me, no matter how the end seems.
I wonder if Mr. King is still having dreams...
Let freedom ring...
I have a dream...
Let freedom ring...
This must become true...
So let freedom ring...
MLK had a dream, took it mainstream.
Civil Rights Bill, Voting Rights Acts, they passed.
Modern day Jesus, turning the other cheek,
some blacks like "dog, that's weak.
I'm not looking to get beat deep into next week,
my everyday life is police brutality."
Malcolm picked up X and dropped his slave name,
radical change, "defense by any means."
Went on hajj to Mecca, said 'let God protect ya,
Whites and Blacks, yeah, we're in this together.'
But there are race riots, people are dying,
Warfare in Watts, tear gas, bullets are flying.
So JFK?
He got assassinated.
MLK?
He got assassinated.
Malcolm X?
He got assassinated.
So it's up to us to keep that dream alive...
Let freedom ring...
I have a dream...
Let freedom ring...
This must become true...
So let freedom ring...
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom
by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
+ Words of History +
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word."
-Martin Luther King, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize (1964).
"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."- Malcolm X
Tags: martin luther king have dream MLK speech flocabulary malcolm hip-hop u.s. history rap rosa parks civil rights
