Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black

Beautiful is black

Promised I′d write my way up out my mama house

Now I'm dropping these cassettes until I′m out of debt

Trina told me "5th, they gotta set them commas out"

Feel like I've let her down cause I ain't got it poppin′ yet

Now I pray over ever dollar that I collect

Pennies in my hands transform into some bands

When the series of events ain′t according to my plans

I feel like calling it quits but the Lord he understands so I push through

I can run through a troop and leap over the walls

Now please hold your applause

You ain't seen nada, street fiends fiend for green gwolla

Pray that you Spotify cause all of my streams hotter (Uh)

Pay homage, acknowledge, I got the scholars stumped

Higher level, ducking the devil rockin′ some Prada pumps

Donatello straight from the gutter, pockets on Papa Klump

Watch Geppetto tug on they sockets making imposters jump

You ain't real boy, I′m here to fill a void

Leave the fakers by the gate, tell them to kill the noise

In my circle of kings, 2 things: build and destroy

When I put that hammer down, feel the tremors underground, Now

Peace, Queen. That melanin hella elegant

Ultraviolet beams and creams couldn't embellish it

Smoothness of your hues proof you in tune with the elements

Truly we′re enthused at being blessed with your fellowship

Understand, you winning wasn't the plan

When they loaded up them boats and put them shackles on your hands

Any evidence of growth or signs that you're getting close

Is supposed to be perceived as "niggas getting out of hand" Now

History′s never made by the well behaved

And the memories tell the story, we don′t let them fade

I threw Marcel on this track to set the record straight

Took a break from selling records, now it's time to celebrate

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Whoa

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black

Back in elementary school I remember remembering

The feeling of self doubt all due to my pigment

Little black boy hella dark just like my father

In an all white school, wished I was light just like my mama

Cause my mama′s mama's kin went and blended with Indians

High cheeks, red skin, hair blowing in the wind

Out in Indian territory, now you′re listening to the story

Of how colorism killed the self-esteem within, plus

I was chubby and had thick glasses

Talked with a slight stammer when I spoke in classes

Ashamed when slavery came up in the history books

Cause I know that all the white kids gonna give me the look

That's psychological warfare, Why our history start there

Miseducation of the negro

Why they can′t show us as heroes

Y'all ancestors were savages, back when they was trafficking

Africans across the water during Middle Passages

Came to the knowledge when I was 14

My cousin Bop was up in college studying to be god-body

He gave me books, conscious hip hop I could play

To unlearn the white lies, I was learning every day

Meanwhile in high school, all my partners gang-banged

And I ain't wanna be no lame so I had to maintain

If my mama ain′t pray, and I ain′t read Malcolm

Or hear that Let's Get Free I′d probably still be in the game

Nowadays, BLACK is the only thing I bang

And I love it so much that I made it my last name

My melanin's divine and I′m made in God's image

Don′t want my kids to feel my pain so I always tell my children

That beautiful is black, don't ever let them tell you different

Always keep your head high with some pride up in your chest

Cause your heart pumps royalty, we're warriors at best

Your blackness ain′t not crutch, it′s living proof that you're blessed

Cause Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Huh

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black

I′m the closest with everybody that say they nothing

Til they made them something

Built the perfect mansion out of crumblings

And if the stomach sow the harvest, been a long time coming

And the blessings and favor over-running

Pardon me if I'm stunting in my brand new glory from dope nigga to KING

Should be proud of me. Took a lot of stress to get it out of me, but I′m here now

If only I could teach my brothers that need more to reach for more things

Than settling to speak these bars or be seen

And give them means that means they can own they own

Instead of flexing after taking a loan, shit

Focused on a long list of black-ish barriers

Transporting this energy, I'm the carrier

Be careful, people will watch it and say they carried you... My bad

Beautiful is BLK, notice the homophone, I promise we gon be okay

Even if we have to build and we never see the building and our kids kids flourish

Then we win the race, but it starts today

Praise our people when it′s due, gotta realign, not giving routine

Tell them they can have they stars, that's cool

But man, stop actin' like Lupita ain′t a queen

Black is beautiful, hard to digest, there is nothing better

Surface level a coal mine, trying to hide our treasure

Too many years of failing just to provide y′all pleasure, abide by y'all schedule

No longer are we frail and weak and y′all see it now it's lessons to learn

Grind tired and outdated now we′re starting to churn

Not clinging to memories, now we're letting it burn

Cremating shit and y′all brought the urn

Beautiful is Black

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Yea

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black, Uh

Beautiful is black, Beautiful is black