Whiteface - Bambu

Another morning with my emails and my coffee mug

Promoters like to hit me up with zero dollars offered up

Like I’d just love to spend the money out my pocket

To take time out my son’s development for you to profit

It’s dope to do a show to raise awareness 'round a issue

Or raise a little money to support a org to get through

In a time when funds is low

Trust, know how it go

Give me something though

If you think I can get 'em in the door

You know, Phatty got a baby girl

And groceries expensive, plus

Both us work with youth

And that income is non-existent

We’re in the industry of thievery by white hands

Talking never do give you

That Hollywood nonsense

Sell out to a dollar

Fit you inside a category

Rather eat a bullet than to have somebody own me

Or lead us to being selfish

Not the way I was raised

You need to share it with the hood

That’s what the uncle would say

And that’s the point that I make

See if I had a white face

You wouldn’t trip

Cuz it’s been set up

So we think that way

They want that Chuck Berry swang

But they want Elvis' face

Fast-forward to the faces on that hip hop stage

I’m seeing

Hip hop in whiteface

Business in whiteface

The standard of the beauty’s truly rooted in whiteface

So we look to the white face

Pray to a white face

I’d probably be a star if I was backed by a white face

I see the comments, hear the critics, read the blogs

Like «Bam is dope and all

But somewhere in that catalogue

He gotta get a record on the club scene

Something for the radio

He needs to market to a wider demographic circle.»

Uh, but i ain’t make this record for you

This for the kid who had to rip it off his CPU

He’s just like me

He grew up watching white TV

And tightens up when he be driving by the local PD

I swear to y’all I’ve met with labels

Booking agents galore

They start the conversation off with how they love what I’m for

They love how I rap

«You killed it on that so-and-so track!»

A bunch of bigging me up

To get me right where they at

Then counter every compliment with

«Um, the thing of it is,»

Then it’s «tone it down a bit so you don’t scare the audience.»

I’m like why?

500 people at like 10 bucks each

And after fees and all of that

I get a couple of Gs

I guess it’s my fault

For choosing to be moving through rap

But the homies see the vision

Shout to CKnow and Phat

Shout to Lila and Messiah

Sorry poppas is broke

But when we leave at least we leave

You knowin' daddy’s that won’t

But fathers who could be making what get white kids hype

But we make music that’s for you to break the stereotype

Without the leashes that’s attached to those who exploit me

Cuz they don’t know what it’s like to have to alter a dream

To see the actors on the screen

The superheroes on film

And have to navigate around the fact they all white-skinned

Man, that’s the world in whiteface

Business in whiteface

The standard of the beauty’s truly rooted in whiteface

Look to the white face

Pray to a white face

He’ll probably be a star if he was backed by a white face

That’s hip hop in whiteface

The business in whiteface

The standard of the beauty’s truly rooted in whiteface

This ain’t for y’all

This for us

You just post right here

You wanna be a white ally?

You can start right there

You just need to be fair

Share what your privilege throw

And while I wait I’ll make some music

For the homies that know

This ain’t for y’all

This for us

You just post right here

You wanna be a white ally?

Start right there

You just need to be fair

Share what your privilege throw

And while I wait I’ll make some music

For the homies that know

This ain’t for y’all

This ain’t for y’all

Uh uh

It’s not for y’all

This is for us

Yeah