The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
That's that crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
How we stop the Black Panthers?
Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer
You hear that?
What Gil Scott was hearing
When our heroes and heroines got hooked on heroin
Crack raised the murder rate in DC and Maryland
We invested in that it's like we got Merrill lynched
And we been hanging from the same tree ever since
Sometimes I feel the music is the only medicine
So we cook it, cut it, measure it, bag it, sell it
The fiends cop it
Nowadays they can't tell if that's that good shit
We ain't sure man
Put the CD on your tongue yeah, that's pure man
That's that crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
From the place where the fathers gone
The mothers is hardly home
And the maricons lock us up in the Audy Home
How the Mexicans say we just trying to party homes
They want to pack us all in a box like Styrofoam
Who gave Saddam anthrax?
George Bush got the answers
Back in the hood it's a different type of chemical
Arm and Hammer baking soda raised they own quota
Right when our soldiers ran for the stove 'cause
'Cause dreams of being Hova went from being a broke man to a being a dope man
To being a president look there's hope man
This that inspiration for the Moes and the Folks man
Shorty come and see his mama straight overdosing
And this is the soundtrack
This the type of music you make when you 'round that
Crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
God-how could you let this happen, happen, happen, happen, happen, happen?
That's that crack music, crack music
That real black music, black music (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
That's that crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
That's that crack music, crack music, that real black music, black music
Our father, give us this day our daily bread
Before the feds give us these days and take our daily bread
See I done did all this old bullshit
And to atone I throw a little something, something on the pulpit
We took that shit, measured it and then cooked that shit
And what we gave back was crack music
And now we ooze it through they nooks and crannies
So our mammas ain't got to be they cooks and nannies
And we gonna repo everything they ever took from granny
Now the former slaves trade hooks for Grammy's
This dark dixon has become America's addiction
Those who ain't even Black use it
We gon' keep baggin' up this here crack music
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
How we stop the Black Panthers?
Ronald Reagan cooked up an answer
You hear that?
What Gil Scott was hearing
When our heroes and heroines got hooked on heroin
Crack raised the murder rate in DC and Maryland
We invested in that it's like we got Merrill lynched
And we been hanging from the same tree ever since
Sometimes I feel the music is the only medicine
So we cook it, cut it, measure it, bag it, sell it
The fiends cop it
Nowadays they can't tell if that's that good shit
We ain't sure man
Put the CD on your tongue yeah, that's pure man
That's that crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
From the place where the fathers gone
The mothers is hardly home
And the maricons lock us up in the Audy Home
How the Mexicans say we just trying to party homes
They want to pack us all in a box like Styrofoam
Who gave Saddam anthrax?
George Bush got the answers
Back in the hood it's a different type of chemical
Arm and Hammer baking soda raised they own quota
Right when our soldiers ran for the stove 'cause
'Cause dreams of being Hova went from being a broke man to a being a dope man
To being a president look there's hope man
This that inspiration for the Moes and the Folks man
Shorty come and see his mama straight overdosing
And this is the soundtrack
This the type of music you make when you 'round that
Crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
(That's that crack music nigga)
(That real black music nigga) (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
God-how could you let this happen, happen, happen, happen, happen, happen?
That's that crack music, crack music
That real black music, black music (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
That's that crack music nigga
That real black music nigga (la la la la la la la la, la la la la la la)
That's that crack music, crack music, that real black music, black music
Our father, give us this day our daily bread
Before the feds give us these days and take our daily bread
See I done did all this old bullshit
And to atone I throw a little something, something on the pulpit
We took that shit, measured it and then cooked that shit
And what we gave back was crack music
And now we ooze it through they nooks and crannies
So our mammas ain't got to be they cooks and nannies
And we gonna repo everything they ever took from granny
Now the former slaves trade hooks for Grammy's
This dark dixon has become America's addiction
Those who ain't even Black use it
We gon' keep baggin' up this here crack music
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im suprised nobody has commented on this song, its without a doubt the deepest track on late registration.
After the civil rights movement the gov't put crackcocaine in the inner city communities, and it tore us apart, the effects of this can still be seen today. alot of blacks invested heavily in the drug game... if they wernt using it.. they were selling it.
the other half of the song is saying how Hip Hop Music is becoming "the next crack" for us. Alot of us are rapping, and almost all of us are listening to it. We're making ALOT of money from hip hop. It was once seen as a negative thing, but in this country, if it makes money, corporate america will jump in.
So the line at the end that says "this dark diction has become americas addiction" is so true, because this BLACK artform has been accepted by mainstream whites and they cant get enough, so just like we used to bag up and slang crack...we're now bagging up and slangin hip hop... and people are hooked.
I love this song, its so true...so so so true..