Released: July 17, 1990
Songwriter: KRS-One
Producer: KRS-One
I've been taught to respect my elders and behave
Even if when they were young they sold slaves
Truth and understandin' is what I crave
In the land of the thief, home of the slave
Turn your page to a brief demonstration
Cos now in '90 it's strictly information I'm givin'
Teachin' on a regular basis
Today's lecture is about The Racist
We're not out to exaggerate or diss him
But show the symptoms and facts of racism
Understand The Racist ain't equal
There's about five different types of racist people
First of the five different types of cases
Is the individual brought up racist
Here you have young men and women
Brought up in the Great White Way opinion
This opinion introduced by the parent
To the civilised becomes transparent
The civilised man could look through the faces
Make the analysis and see The Racist
Number two case which y'all must hear
Is the individual racist out of fear
Here you have people that fear the African
And conjure up new ways of trappin' him
Number three is the unconscious racist
Not knowin' they're racist they invade your spaces
They say, "I'm not a racist, I'm not a bigot"
Yet they allow it to go on and won't admit it
Number four is the money racist
The one that used the topics of sheer economics
They say, "Owning a business isn't for the black man
He don't want that", yet they went and took his land
Damn, that's like a rock in a hard place
You don't have your land yet this ain't your space
America was built by every other race
Except the European that runs this place
What a waste, America's doomed
To be overthrown by the righteous real soon
But last but not least racial prejudice
Is the black man speakin' out of ignorance
Whitey this and Ching-Chow that
Is not how the intelligent man acts
You can't blame the whole white race
For slavery, cos this ain't the case
A large sum of white people died with black
Tryin' hard to fight racial attacks
The media wants you to think that no whites
Really fought and died for Civil Rights
But once we have a true sense of history
You'll see this too as a mystery
If black and white didn't argue the most
They could clearly see the government's screwin' 'em both
Even if when they were young they sold slaves
Truth and understandin' is what I crave
In the land of the thief, home of the slave
Turn your page to a brief demonstration
Cos now in '90 it's strictly information I'm givin'
Teachin' on a regular basis
Today's lecture is about The Racist
We're not out to exaggerate or diss him
But show the symptoms and facts of racism
Understand The Racist ain't equal
There's about five different types of racist people
First of the five different types of cases
Is the individual brought up racist
Here you have young men and women
Brought up in the Great White Way opinion
This opinion introduced by the parent
To the civilised becomes transparent
The civilised man could look through the faces
Make the analysis and see The Racist
Number two case which y'all must hear
Is the individual racist out of fear
Here you have people that fear the African
And conjure up new ways of trappin' him
Number three is the unconscious racist
Not knowin' they're racist they invade your spaces
They say, "I'm not a racist, I'm not a bigot"
Yet they allow it to go on and won't admit it
Number four is the money racist
The one that used the topics of sheer economics
They say, "Owning a business isn't for the black man
He don't want that", yet they went and took his land
Damn, that's like a rock in a hard place
You don't have your land yet this ain't your space
America was built by every other race
Except the European that runs this place
What a waste, America's doomed
To be overthrown by the righteous real soon
But last but not least racial prejudice
Is the black man speakin' out of ignorance
Whitey this and Ching-Chow that
Is not how the intelligent man acts
You can't blame the whole white race
For slavery, cos this ain't the case
A large sum of white people died with black
Tryin' hard to fight racial attacks
The media wants you to think that no whites
Really fought and died for Civil Rights
But once we have a true sense of history
You'll see this too as a mystery
If black and white didn't argue the most
They could clearly see the government's screwin' 'em both
more tracks from the album
From the album
- Edutainment (1990)
Boogie Down Productions popular songs
- The Bridge Is Over
- My Philosophy
- South Bronx
- 9mm Goes Bang
- Criminal Minded
- You Must Learn
- Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love)
- Stop the Violence
- Beef
- Poetry
- Remix for P is Free
- Why is That?
- Illegal Business
- I’m Still #1
- Dope Beat
- 13 and Good
- Super Hoe
- Jimmy
- Blackman in Effect
- The Racist
- Original Way
- I’m Still Number 1
- Poisonous Product
- South Bronx (Extended Edit)