Talib Kweli

Released: August 21, 2007

Songwriter: Tommy Smith Weldon Irvine Madlib Talib Kweli

Producer: Madlib

[Talib Kweli]
Yeah, this is a ghetto prayer
Prayin for all of those who ain't got it
We gotta get it there, we gotta get it yeah
Yeah the people starvin for somethin new, we starvin for it
(My tummy hurts, I couldn't eat)
Mmmm, mmm, mmm
(Did you have fun at school today Trey?)

My little man go to bed so hungry
Get up, go to school with his nose runny, come home with his nose bloody
His sister laughin, he like "What's so funny~?"
'Til she drowned out by the sounds of hunger pains in his tummy
Nuttin in the freezer, nuttin in the fridge
Couple of 40 ounces but nuttin for the kids
Little man know to eat to live but he don't wanna leave the crib
The kid who punched him in his face house right down the street from his
He went anyway, more scared to face his moms
She'll beat him soon as she flip out, seein his face scarred
Walkin past the dopefiends with they smoke to the place of God
Hopes and dreams pourin out the holes in they face and arms
Little man in the face of harm if he don't eat
He need energy so when he go to school he can compete
And keep up, all he got is bodegas
But hey he only got enough a for quarter water and a Now or Later
Anyway, grandma say Jesus'll be here any day
Good - cause with nuttin to eat it's gettin hard to pray... pray...

[Hook: repeat 4X]
In order to receive, then we need to give
We gotta feed the kids, they gotta eat to live

[Talib Kweli]
Listen...

My rhymes got nutritional value
I get it how I live, it's critical when the conditions allow you
Do you don't trust the critics who doubt you
Try to write shit about you, but they can't make a living without you
Go hungry, you gotta watch what the media feed ya
And don't be a poisoned animal eater either
It's harder than it sound, cause nowadays, put that swine in everything
The white sugar so addictive it's pure 'caine
They got, pork in the toothpaste, soda in the Sunny D
Jello brand gelatin is laced with the lecatin
In Africa they starvin, over here the food hurt you
Cows goin mad and the chickens crunk with bird flu
It's too ill how the food kill it's like blue steel
Lies never set you free, but the truth will
The truth still matter the proof is in the batter or the pudding
You can tell we eatin good, we gettin fatter

[Hook]

Listen...

If skills sold, Talib Kweli would have been one of the most commercially successful rappers of his time. As it was, however, the earnest MC became one of the most critically successful rappers of his time, which dawned in the late ‘90s when he rapped alongside Yasiin Bey (then known as Mos Def) and DJ Hi-Tek as part of the group Black Star.

Talib is known for his numerous collaborations with other artists like Kanye West, Common, Madlib, Bilal, The Roots, Dead Prez, Q-Tip, John Legend, the list is endless. He has also embraced a whole new generation like Blu, Kendrick Lamar, Curren$y, and Ab-Soul.

Kweli has recently spearheaded a direct-to-fan means of distributing his music via his new site #KweliClub. Check it out to get his latest music including many free downloads.

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