Under Lock & Key

Mental purgatory trapped inside the
matrix
hells aging heaving grabbing at me.
Suicidal mind battles fictional characters
trying to hold on.
I believe I can fly touching the
sky inside my mind zone.
I rather die before I submit to
genocide systemized legalized lynching.
Judicial homicides of the black
strong and gifted.
Invisible teardrops manifested
Obama can't change this.

Sacred memories painted black on
brokeness of hard times canvases.
Mirrored images of many men confined
who remind me of me in memory.
Souls tear stained with blood of
our ancestors past.
Injustices pain like rain falls forming
puddles around ankles like shackles.
Unwritten script fist clenched against
bad experiences within the penal system.
Too many talented dreamers behind
prison fences.
Prison Central is confinement of the mind
Black life in eyes still shinning but dimming
He went from living to merely existing.

We're told when we can eat,
We're told when we can sleep,
We're treated like animals,
We're treated like the sheep.

No one really cares,
As long as it's not them,
Prisons treat us like animals,
Instead of grown-up men.

They open our doors to chow,
We race for it like cattle,
They may have won this round,
But they haven't won the battle.

We all must stay strong,
Surrender is not a choice,
We will rise up,
We will use our voice!

So let's be animals,
But not the one's they think,
Roar like lions,
Let them know their policies stink.

Don't give up,
Don't be blue,
Cause' even though we prisoners,
We're humans too.

In my quest for freedom I continue to struggle
spitting conscious thoughts, so I'm flexing my muscle
overdosin on oppression on this modern day plantation
with knowledge. I rebel to improve my situation.
I strive for the greatness that our people once displayed.
No longer influenced by the beast, disgusted by his wicked ways.
I'm militant like Huey
Ready to lead like Marcus
I come in peace like Martin.
But like Jonathan I'll spark shit
Like Malcolm by any means necessary
For my people I'll go there,
might get assassinated like George
with the Black Power fist in the air
I'm a conquerer like Hannibal
A warrior like Shaka
lead you to freedom like Harriet
might break out like Assata
I ride for the cause
and stay on point like a needle.
What more can I say
Power to the People.

We are living our lives as captives trapped
behind this prison gate
Our bodies are tortured but our will to survive will never be
slain by this system that believes in nothing but hate.
Daily we're patronized ridiculed with our hearts filled with pain,
Ever so fearlessly we fight so that our hearts and souls will remain.
We rebel against our captors tooth and nail,
Refusing that the numbers we've become won't be our only tale to tell.
We retaliate by planning, dreaming, and persuing our goals,
We're accustomed to the system's hard knocks and low blows.
When our lives became no longer our own we vowed to fight and win our struggle.
Never to surrender our individuality at any cost or the respect thereof,
for it is everything during our struggle inside this concrete jungle.
We have the right to keep our bodies, minds, and souls safe
from the pollution inside this hell.
Regardless what our captors think while we're caged like
animals inside these cells.
This battle we fight has been going on for decades of years.
A war fought for humanity by many good soldiers
through blood, sweat, and tears.
Year after year we continue to fight against a system that
believes in nothing but wrong.
Our powers take aim towards helping those who have fallen and are less strong.
A healing must take place for the oppressed, the beaten,
the battered and abused.
Cease movement I say to racism, sexism, and all of the hate
that is used.
Our fight shall never end until Power to our People shall
be granted again.
May our fight touch many lives Peace, Love, and Solidarity
to all from our hearts deep within.

Illusion of justice tried
to convict me
I can't tell a lie for
you to believe me
Perjure my dignity
Alienate my self respect
truth isn't a coward, truth
sets me free, respect that
Give me liberty or give me death
Truth is I'm still being me

I look to Africa when
I've lost my determination
across the oceans depths my
history
within the bloody waves my
ancestry

Reflections raindrops of
emancipation ripple through
to the currents of life
the spirit of my people struggle
break chains
Alive in my eyes I find strength to fight

big money deals
involving big wheels
backed by the law
leave you in awe

But you didn't know
that by chasing the gold
they trampled the rights
for which America fights

State prisons abound
and still breaking ground
across this great land
to feed the demand

The feds are right there
getting their share
partners in crime
without doing time

Then there are prison for profit
who would have thought it
not me and you
it's sad but it's true

Justice for sale
will only fail
to deal with crime
but hey...it's your dime

Still I Rise... not for myself but for my nation. I'm blinded by justice -n- deaf from oppression. All I hear is freedom, all I see is liberty...

Still I Rise... not for love but for equality. I'm armed for war -n- scarr'd from tragedies. All I feel is pain, all I see is shame...

Still I Rise... not for a reason but for a cause. A tongue sharp as a sword a heart as solid as a rock. I speak the truth -n- love every bit of it...

Still I Rise... no turning back when you motioning forward. Yesterday struggles is in the past but the memories of the pain still flow violently thru my veins.

The heart of Nat Turner, the tears of Corretta Scott King, the blood of every Ethiopian king -n- dreams of my fallen soldiers to let me know it's never over because... Still I Rise

Askari

In the state of California
They say 3 strikes you're out
If you don't know what that means
Let me explain what the game is about
Now strikes are known as felonies
and they can cause some strife
with 2 you're going to prison
with 3 you're going for life
This law will break up families
and uncover societies fears
The streets will fill with blood
and little children's tears
I say the streets will fill with blood
with this law you choose
A two strike prisoner facing life
has nothing left to lose
If you've ever been to prison
I'm sure you understand
A person without their freedom
is like a person without their hands
And what about all the children
and the parents they have lost?
Suicide and welfare lines
are just a fragment of the cost
and what about the prisons
filled beyond their max
it's those who voted for this law
the government will tax
this law was passed in ignorance
by the people of this states
I hope that it is corrected
before it is too late.