Black Messiah - Rakim

Love, respect, appreciation

To the Black Messiah

To the Black Panther Party, we salute

It’s God Rakim, let’s go

1948, Chicago, Illinois, a young panther was born

He became a man when he was just a little boy

Excellent athlete, he excelled in the classroom too

High supreme action speed, that’s when his passions grew

Racial injustices, poverty, slavery

He went to college, studied law, then joined the NAACP

A lot of bad things happned, people need to hav answers

Why should he keep asking?

So he joined the Black Panthers

Have a mission, known the system, invite, try to get all of them

Fight capitalism, the socialism, fight fire with water

The right cause, grow plan, that requires understanding

The life course of a good man, the Black Messiah Fred Hampton

Am I a good man (Am I a good man?)

A good man

Am I a good man?

(Am I a good man)

A good man

Man had a lot of heart, some say a lot of nerves

Man had a lot of smarts, the man with the million dollar words

Led by example, righteous people wanna follow

Take a special kind of man to, unite the gangs of Chicago

Made 'em march in peace, become allies, soldiers

Supervised the police, they brutalized and controlled us

He wouldn’t miss a lot of tricks, told them what he knew about law

Informed them about politics, told them what he knew about war

All races, one vision, the American activist

Began the Rainbow Coalition, everybody thought Jackson did

Genocide, a global bliss, poetry like a vocalist

FBI’s Most Wanted list, revolutionary socialist

Am I a good man (Am I a good man?)

A good man

Am I a good man?

(Am I a good man)

A good man (Here we go)

They can’t take it no longer, he getting bigger by the hour

Everyday getting stronger, the people give him more power

Intelligent, disciplined, he can organize confusion

Militant, different, he can recognize illusions

Maybe overthrow the government, protest, riots

Maybe even run for President, but who would want to keep him quiet?

The informant’s on the inside, he still seems unstoppable

But this is always how our leaders die because they getting too powerful

Like the barrel of a gun, crucified, he was only 21

Look at all the things he did in a short time

Imagine all the things that he could’ve done

If he could speak from the grave, Fred Hampton would say this:

«You can kill a Black Panther, but the Panther still exists»

This record is dedicated to the Chairman Fred Hampton

May you rest in everlasting peace

And to his family, his queen, Akua Njeri

And his son, the Chairman Fred Hampton Jr

Peace, love and respect