stolen joy and the salvo

from living while black​.​.​. by Kokayi

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stealing joy and little shining lights have been part of the lexicon of black music from the days in which African's were stolen to America until today.

lyrics

I slept deep
Awakened straight out my dreams
Deferred birds whirred
Who worried boy
not I be
Plots I see but they can't take my free
No lazy eyes wide open son and that's my three
I'm snatching edges of the porcine crew
no crips but they wear all blue
No cap they place one aim pon you
No stamps cuz they gazey be all fu
Worse than a virus written on papyrus
Constituted alliance
to make us weird fruit
but they can't have it
I kept it cross these zooted plains
I swept it
neath overseers blood soaked reins
I kept light bottled tight in my veins
So I leapt in it
made love in it
Prayed three times a day
In the sun with it
Cut a step in it
To my own detriment
Even as we live with a fuccboi
President but let's no set no precedence
Cuz I'm a renew like it
Say in the testaments
Invested in pressing in
Prayers through pestilence
Propagated in my daily
That's resonance
Burning infernos internal
Eternal reflectionS
Hit Yasiin cuz that is definite MOS


Young now you know we just magic
So tragic
Our light is so frightening to those in the dark
That they seek on a constant to
To monitor our actions these factions seek to
Smother our sparks
To choke out or lights
So much so they try to
make it look like it's a suicide
caught on the camera
Keep making excuses
Objects appear criminal
But the facts appear useless
If you only obeyed
Swallowed my pride
tucked my joy ran and hide
But naw y'all gon get this shine
joy overflow like hydrants
Grammas lemonade in the summertime
Mad that my sauce in saucier than yours even though you stole ingredients and tried to sabotage mine
We keep smiling no shuck no jiving
Just living beyond these lines
And we can't hide and we've decided
That no matter how blinding
That we can't stop shining
So grab your spf for this excellence
We outchea moving pass the desperate this melanin
Don't crack we prestidigitate
Voila muhfukka we gon be great
Either jump on the wagon
or stay back late
we eating and creating Michelin starred plates
So nah I ont owe you a thing
It's above me now
This love we vow
For self gon keep us straight

credits

from living while black​.​.​., released February 28, 2020
written/produced: Kokayi for Pho13 Myuzik SESAC

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Kokayi D.C.

Preeminent Improvisational vocalist. 2023 Guggenheim Fellow. Grammy nominated artist, producer, author of You Are Ketchup and other fly music tales.

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