This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
[Verse 1:]
Attack fame with cerebral cortex in your brains
So my effects will remain
Long after the trends change
Son I'll bend your name
Rearrange your molecules
Amongst hip hop dudes, Brother Ali be droppin' jewels
Impossible to fool I'm like Picasso with the tool
A fossil, old school rapper passing all the rules
Never hostile to your crew but colossal with my moves
When my face is in the place y'all start droppin that stool
I did a lot in schools and that three years are cool
But known as about a Muslim MC
Super-duper Brother Ali
Is rockin' goofies and loose jeans
The last years ??, dogin' duce duce teams
Who seem to wanna wet me cause they girlfriends sweat me
For the way I interact with my peers, they respect me
Because I respect them
And let them speak the peace and get my two cents in
My conversation was deep back then
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
[Verse 2:]
Brother Ali sign the dotted line
On the architectural design in your mind
And redesign your outline
I shout rhymes through a dynamic mic
Automatic hype and if I'm slammin right
Change the way you look at your life
And all you can say is Ali came to shook it tonight
And just stand back shake your head and look at the sight
And now my soul can breathe a sigh of relief
For squashing all prior beef cause don't nobody wanna die on the streets
Rely on the beats to save ya, you'll never get help
Get a chance to go for self
And what you do? Go for self
I got a wealth of wisdom
So I skip the player themes
Instead I'm aiming off the hot sense of your brain with laser beams
My ways and means have always produced amazing scenes
Not like the phony fellas, come at you fake like Maybeline
But got major cream
Whenever I, label jeans
But when I get up in your brain I reawaken your dreams
Know what I mean?
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
[Verse 3:]
I've got a mission to add traditions to the inscriptions on your cognitions
Supervising with provisions
You wouldn't understand why Ali is here
But when the student is prepared the teacher appears
And I've been speaking for years of passage you got that?
You still tryin' to understand the metaphor for where hip-hop at
Have you ever thought that every time you listen to a track
That's four minutes of your life that you can never get back?
And that's a hell of an investment
So when MC's blessing
We gotta think very hard about the message
I ain't tryin' to hear about you sippin Crystal in the Bahamas
When I'm drinkin Nestle Quik on a crowed bus full of maecenas
And give us appetite to check by knowledge
I'm starving for Versace but you never mention college
So I'm supposed to get it and be a rap star like you
How many of us can do that for real? Very few
If I sell drugs, or die, or go to jail, or go to hell either way
If you keepin' it real how come there's no truth to what you say?
Remember this, we make rap stars rich and company's even richer
I aim for your brain until you get the picture
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
Attack fame with cerebral cortex in your brains
So my effects will remain
Long after the trends change
Son I'll bend your name
Rearrange your molecules
Amongst hip hop dudes, Brother Ali be droppin' jewels
Impossible to fool I'm like Picasso with the tool
A fossil, old school rapper passing all the rules
Never hostile to your crew but colossal with my moves
When my face is in the place y'all start droppin that stool
I did a lot in schools and that three years are cool
But known as about a Muslim MC
Super-duper Brother Ali
Is rockin' goofies and loose jeans
The last years ??, dogin' duce duce teams
Who seem to wanna wet me cause they girlfriends sweat me
For the way I interact with my peers, they respect me
Because I respect them
And let them speak the peace and get my two cents in
My conversation was deep back then
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
[Verse 2:]
Brother Ali sign the dotted line
On the architectural design in your mind
And redesign your outline
I shout rhymes through a dynamic mic
Automatic hype and if I'm slammin right
Change the way you look at your life
And all you can say is Ali came to shook it tonight
And just stand back shake your head and look at the sight
And now my soul can breathe a sigh of relief
For squashing all prior beef cause don't nobody wanna die on the streets
Rely on the beats to save ya, you'll never get help
Get a chance to go for self
And what you do? Go for self
I got a wealth of wisdom
So I skip the player themes
Instead I'm aiming off the hot sense of your brain with laser beams
My ways and means have always produced amazing scenes
Not like the phony fellas, come at you fake like Maybeline
But got major cream
Whenever I, label jeans
But when I get up in your brain I reawaken your dreams
Know what I mean?
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
[Verse 3:]
I've got a mission to add traditions to the inscriptions on your cognitions
Supervising with provisions
You wouldn't understand why Ali is here
But when the student is prepared the teacher appears
And I've been speaking for years of passage you got that?
You still tryin' to understand the metaphor for where hip-hop at
Have you ever thought that every time you listen to a track
That's four minutes of your life that you can never get back?
And that's a hell of an investment
So when MC's blessing
We gotta think very hard about the message
I ain't tryin' to hear about you sippin Crystal in the Bahamas
When I'm drinkin Nestle Quik on a crowed bus full of maecenas
And give us appetite to check by knowledge
I'm starving for Versace but you never mention college
So I'm supposed to get it and be a rap star like you
How many of us can do that for real? Very few
If I sell drugs, or die, or go to jail, or go to hell either way
If you keepin' it real how come there's no truth to what you say?
Remember this, we make rap stars rich and company's even richer
I aim for your brain until you get the picture
[Hook: x4]
{"Take these words home and think it through"}
{"Greater mission, I hope that you're listening"}
Lyrics submitted by acidmaniac
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This is not a well known song of Brother Ali's, but it is my favorite and in my opinion his best. That last verse gets me every time! He's talking about how music should have substance, meanging, and most of all value. It should benefit the listener in any way possible, not help them feed into a negative culture or vice. This sums up what I took from this awesome song:
"If I sell drugs, or die, or go to jail, or go to hell either way If you keepin' it real how come there's no truth to what you say? Remember this, we make rap stars rich and company's even richer I aim for your brain until you get the picture"