Fear Not of Man

[Mos Def]
Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem *
If you can hear me ladies and gentlemen
then I'm very happy that you came here..
Ooh-ooooooooooohhhh, ooh-ooooooooooooooohh-WHEEEEE!!!
That was for Brooklyn..
Ha ha, we get it everytime (You got me on? Ohh)
Shout out to all of my crew, East-West, North-South
On the continent Europe, all abroad international (Bring it in, bring it in, bring it in, bring it in)
A lot of things goin' on y'all
21st century is comin'
20th century almost done
A lot of things have changed
A lot of things have not
Mainly us
We gon' get it together right? I believe that
Listen...
People be askin me all the time,
"Yo Mos, what's gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?"
(Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?)
I tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?
Whatever's happening with us"
If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out
If we doin' alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin' alright
People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin' in the hillside
comin' down to visit the townspeople
We are Hip-Hop
Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop
So Hip-Hop is goin' where we goin'
So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin'
ask yourself... where am I goin'? How am I doin'?
'Til you get a clear idea
So... if Hip-Hop is about the people
and the.. Hip-Hop won't get better until the people get better
then how do people get better? (Hmmmm...)
Well, from my understanding people get better
when they start to understand that, they are valuable
And they not valuable because they got a whole lot of money
or cause somebody, think they sexy
but they valuable caause they been created by God
And God, makes you valuable
And whether or not you, recognize that value is one thing
You got a lot of sociaties and governments
tryin' to be God, wishin' that they were God
They wanna create satellites and cameras everywhere
and make you think they got the all-seein' eye (I see you)
Eh... I guess The Last Poets wasn't, too far off
when they said that certain people got a God Complex
I believe it's true
I don't get phased out by none of that, none of that
helicopters, the TV screens, the newscasters, the satellite dishes...
They just, wishin'
They can't never really do that
When they tell me to fear they law
When they tell me to try to
have some fret in my heart behind the things that they do
This is what I think in my mind
And this is what I say to them
And this is what I'm sayin', to you check it:
All over the world hearts pound with the rhythm
Fear not of men because men must die
Mind over matter and soul before flesh
Angels hold the pen keep a record in time
which is passin' and runnin' like a caravan trader
The world is overrun with the wealthy and the wicked
But God is sufficient in disposin' of affairs
Gunmen and stockholders try to merit my fear
But God is sufficient over plans they prepared
Mos Def in the flesh, where you at, right here
on this place called Earth, holdin down my square
Bout to do it for y'all, in y'all atmosphere
So just bounce, come on bounce
B-b-bounce, bounce b-bounce-bounce
And just..
(step two three...
Just step two three...
step two...
two three...
One two three and four
One two three and four)
Once again
All over the world hearts pound with the rhythm
Fear not of men because men must die
Mind over matter and soul before flesh
Angels hold the pen, keep a record in time
which is passin' and runnin' like a caravan trader
The world is overrun with the wealthy and the wicked
But God is sufficient in disposin' of affairs
Gunmen and stockholders try to merit your fear
But God is sufficient over plans they prepared
Mos Def in the flesh, where you at, right here
on this place called Earth, holdin down my square
'Bout to represent in your whole atmosphere
'Bout to represent in your whole atmosphere
your atmosphere, your atmosphere
Oh-ooooooohhhhhhhhhh!
That was for you (and Brooklyn too!)