"Black Messiah" lyrics
(from "Judas and the Black Messiah" soundtrack)
Love, respect, appreciate
Black society
To the Black Panther party, we salute
It's 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 happened
People need to have answers
Why should he keep asking?
So he joined the Black Panthers
Have a mission, need assistant
Invite, try to get all of them
Fight capitalism, the socialism
Fight fire with war
The right cause, grow plan
That requires understanding
The life course, a good man
The Black Messiah Fred Hampton
A good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
Am I 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 in Chicago
Made 'em march in peace
Become allies, soldiers
Supervised and policed
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
A good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
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 informants on the inside
They 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
Black society
To the Black Panther party, we salute
It's 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 happened
People need to have answers
Why should he keep asking?
So he joined the Black Panthers
Have a mission, need assistant
Invite, try to get all of them
Fight capitalism, the socialism
Fight fire with war
The right cause, grow plan
That requires understanding
The life course, a good man
The Black Messiah Fred Hampton
A good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
Am I 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 in Chicago
Made 'em march in peace
Become allies, soldiers
Supervised and policed
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
A good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
Am I a good man
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 informants on the inside
They 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
Writer(s): Willie James Clarke, Clarence Henry Reid, William Griffin
