The vibrant fifth track in the acclaimed rapper’s ‘Heart’ series that began in 2010, and while also released this week, separate to his latest album Mr Morale and the Big Steppers, it powerfully focuses on the problematic portrayal of black so-called culture and violence, and also includes a reworking of Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. In video he also morphs into a variety of black celebrities including Kanye West, Jussie Smollett, OJ Simpson Will Smith, as well as Nipsey Hussle, the LA rapper who was shot and killed in 2019.
As I get a little older, I realise life is perspective
And my perspective may differ from yours
I wanna say thank you to everyone that's been down with me
All my fans, all my beautiful fans
Anyone who's ever gave me a listen, all my people
I come from a generation of pain, where murder is minor
Rebellious and Margielas'll chip you for designer
Belt buckles and clout, overzealous if prone to violence
Make the wrong turn, be it will or the wheel alignment
Residue burned, mist of the inner-city
Miscommunication to keep homi' detective busy
No protection is risky
Desensitized, I vandalized pain, covered up and camouflaged
Get used to hearin' arsenal rain
Analyze, risk your life, take the charge
Homies done fucked your baby mama once you hit the yard, that's culture
Twenty-three hour lockdown, then somebody called
Said your lil' nephew was shot down, the culture's involved
I done seen niggas do seventeen, hit the halfway house
Get out and get his brains blown out, lookin' to buy some weed
Car wash is played out, new GoFundMe accounts'll proceed
A brand-new victim'll shatter those dreams, the culture
(I want, I want, I want, I want)
But I want you to want me too (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the hood to want me back (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the hood
Look what I done for you (Look what I done for you)
Look what I done for you
I said I do this for my culture
To let y'all know what a nigga look like in a bulletproof Rover
In my mama's sofa was a doo-doo popper
Hair trigger, walk up closer, ain't no Photoshoppin'
Friends bipolar, grab you by your pockets
No option if you froze up, always play the offense
Niggas goin' to work and sellin' work, late for work
Workin' late, prayin' for work, but he on paperwork
That's the culture, point the finger, promote ya
Remote location, witness protection, they gon' hold ya
The streets got me fucked up, y'all can miss me
I wanna represent for us
New revolution was up and movin'
I'm in Argentina wiping my tears full of confusion
Water in between us, another peer's been executed
History repeats again
Make amends, then find a nigga with the same skin to do it
But that's the culture, crack a bottle
Hard to deal with the pain when you're sober
By tomorrow, we forget the remains, we start over
That's the problem
Our foundation was trained to accept whatever follows
Dehumanized, insensitive
Scrutinize the way we live for you and I
Enemies shook my hand, I can promise I'll meet you
In the land where no equal is your equal
Never say I ain't told ya, nah
In the land where hurt people hurt more people
Fuck callin' it culture
(I want, I want, I want, I want)
But I want you to want me too (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the hood to want me back (I want, I want, I want, I want)
I want the hood
Look what I done for you (Look what I done for you)
Look what I done for you
Take the drums out
(Heavy breathing)
Celebrate new life when it come back around
The purpose is in the lessons we learnin' now
Sacrifice personal gain over everything
Just to see the next generation better than ours
I wasn't perfect, the skin I was in had truly suffered
Temptation, impatience, everything that the body nurtures
I felt the good, I felt the bad, and I felt the worry
But all-in-all, my productivity had stayed urgent
Face your fears, always knew that I would make it here
Where the energy is magnified and persevered
Consciousness is synchronized and crystal-clear
Euphoria is glorified and made His
Reflectin' on my life and what I done
Paid dues, made rules, change outta love
Them same views made schools change curriculums
But didn't change me starin' down the barrel of the gun
Should I feel resentful I didn't see my full potential?
Should I feel regret about the good that I was into?
Everything is everything, this ain't coincidental
I woke up that morning with more heart to give you
As I bleed through the speakers, feel my presence
To my brother, to my kids, I'm in Heaven
To my mother, to my sis, I'm in Heaven
To my father, to my wife, I am serious, this is Heaven
To my friends, make sure you countin' them blessings
To my fans, make sure you make them investments
And to the killer that sped up my demise
I forgive you, just know your soul's in question
I seen the pain in your pupil when that trigger had squeezed
And though you did me gruesome, I was surely relieved
I completed my mission, wasn't ready to leave
But fulfilled my days, my Creator was pleased
I can't stress how I love y'all
I don't need to be in flesh just to hug y'all
The memories recollect just because y'all
Celebrate me with respect
The unity we protect is above all
And Sam, I'll be watchin' over you
Make sure my kids watch all my interviews
Make sure you live out our dreams we produced
Keep that genius in your brain on the move
And to my neighborhood, let the good prevail
Make sure them babies and the leaders outta jail
Look for salvation when troubles get real
'Cause you can't help the world until you help yourself
And I can't blame the hood the day that I was killed
Y'all had to see it, that's the only way to feel
And though my physical won't reap the benefits
The energy that carry on emits still
I want you
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