Message To The Rappers Lyrics - Gil Scott-heron

Hey, yeah, we the same brothas from a long time ago 

We was talkin about television and doin it on the radio 

What we did was to help our generation realize 

They had to get out there and get busy cause it wasnt gonna be televised 

We got respect for you rappers and the way they be free-weighin 

But if youre gon be teachin folks things, make sure you know what youre sayin 

Older folks in our neighborhood got plenty of know-how 

Remember if it wasnt for them, you wouldnt be out here now 

And I aint comin at you with no disrespect 

All Im sayin is that you damn well got to be correct 

Because if youre gonna be speakin for a whole generation 

And you know enough to try and handle their education 

Make sure you know the real deal about past situations 

It aint just repeatin what you heard on the local TV stations 

Sometimes they tell lies and put em in a truthful disguise 

But the truth is thats why we said it wouldnt be televised 

They dont know what to say to our young folks, but they know that you do 

And if they really knew the truthwhy would they tell you? 

The first sign is peace, tell all them gun totin young brothas 

That the man is glad to see us out there killin one another 

We raised too much hell when they was shootin us down 

So they started poisoning our minds tryin to jerk us all around 

And they tell us they got to come in and control our situation 

They want half of us on dope and the other half in incarceration 

If the ones they want dead aint killed by what they instigated 

They put some dope on a brothas body and claim it was drug related 

Tell them drug related means there dont need to be no investigation 

Or at least thats the way theyre gon play it on the local TV stations 

All your 9-millimeter brothasgive them somthin to think about 

Tell them you heard that this is the new word, they got to work that stuff out 

But somehow they feel in the wrong way with a gun in their hands 

They feel real independentbut they just pullin contracts for the man 

Five and five will tell you its hopeless out there on the avenue 

But if they really knew the truthwhy would they tell you? 

And if they look at you like youre insane 

And they start callin you scarecrow and say you aint got no brain 

Or start tellin folks that you suddenly gone lame 

Or that white folks had finally co-opted your game 

Or worse yet implying that you dont really know 

Thats the same thing they said about usa long time ago 

Young rappers, one more suggestion before I get out of your way 

But I appreciate the respect you give me and what you got to say 

Im sayin protect your community and spread that respect around 

Tell brothas and sistas they gotta calm that bullshit down 

Cause were terrorizin our old folks and brought fear into our homes 

And they aint got to hang out with the senior citizens 

Just tell them, Dammitleave the old folks alone 

And we know who rippin off the neighborhood, tell them, That BS has got to stop! 

Tell them youre sorry they cant handle it out there 

But they got to take the crime off the block 

And if they look at you like youre insane 

And they start callin you scarecrow and say you aint got no brain 

Or start tellin folks that you suddenly gone lame 

Or that white folks had finally co-opted your game 

Or worse yet saying that you really dont know 

Thats the same thing they said about me a long time ago 

And if they tell folks that you finally lost your nerve 

Thats the same thing they said about us, when we said, Johannesburg 

But I think the young folks need to know, that things dont go both ways 

You cant talk respect of every other song or just every other day 

What Im speakin on now is the raps about the women folks 

On one song shes your African Queen on the next one shes a joke 

And you aint said no words that I havent heard, but that aint no compliment 

It only insults eight people out of ten and questions your intelligence 

Four letter words or four syllable words wont make you important 

Itll only magnify how shallow you are and let everybody know it 

And if they look at you like they think you insane 

Or they call you scarecrow thinkin you aint got no brain 

Or start tellin folks that you suddenly gone lame 

Or that white folks have finally co-opted your game 

Or you really dont knowThey said that about me a long time ago 

If they finally start to tell people that you lost your nerve 

Thats what they said about Johannesburg 

You aint insaneyou have got a brain 

You havent gone lame; you have got your game 

Rememberkeep the nerve 

Keep the nerve 

Keep the nerve 

Keep the nerve 

Im talkin about peace