Cry Freedom

Cry freedom
for our communities that have become war zones
hoping to find a peace of mind

Cry freedom
for the poverty stricken just trying to get by

Cry freedom
for our children
caught in crossfires, becoming casualties of war
will there come a time when they can enjoy their youth
without death being camped at their doors.

Cry freedom
for Mumia Abu Jamal
still fighting behind the walls

Cry freedom
for the shackles of injustice
to shatter, as we strive to rise, not fall

Cry freedom
for many imprisoned minds unaware they're doing time

Cry freedom
for them to emerge from darkness instead of having clouded minds,

Cry freedom
for those platinum manacles binding many to thugged out dreams
I know the youth can aspire for more
bringing reality to their dreams

Cry freedom
for the little children who shouldn't have to live in fear
love is in need of love for the world
that would steal their wonder years

Cry freedom
for this nation of ours but trouble won't last for long
for blessed are the meek of heart
for they shall be made strong

Cry freedom
for my sable sistahs
cry freedom, for my bronzed out brothers
cry freedom, for my responsible fathers
cry freedom, for my stalwart mothers
my soul cries out, Sarafina!

Until heaven we all achieve
through should my faith fail somehow
then someone cry
for me..

-Micheal Conner

-Cry Freedom is featured in You Gonna Make Me Say Somethings

Ashes To Ashes
for Faheem Thomas Childs
A 10-year old victim of crossfire in Philadelphia who died in 2005.

How can we allow our children
to be continuously fed venom
then blame them for the ailments
that exists within them

We teach them worldly possessions should be claimed at any price
then ignore their cries for affection
as these lessons of greed
claim more and more innocent lives

Why embrace violence, hatred, anger, murder, gluttony, and lust
have we forgotten God's divine trust
change is a definite must
cause all we got is us

For unless we resort to uplifting each other
instead of condemning each other
our entire race will turn to dust
Ashes to Ashes...

-Micheal Conner

-Ashes To Ashes is featured in You Gonna Make Me Say Somethings

Divided We Stand

I searched to find
responsible fathers on Father's Day
and all I got were babydaddys
spread out along the way
a genuine mother on Mother's Day
not one who runs the streets or
hooked on drugs
without a family to maintain

A brother that wasn't a felon
a sister who wasn't a hoochie
I got no job on labor day
only empty promises from politicians
that only fade away
giving me false hopes and unfulfilled proclamations
IOUs, a mule, 40 acres and reparations

I'm kicked like a stray dog in America
still viewed as notorious and felonious
while ponzi master minds rob us blind
the real criminals are in plain sight
while others are less than kinds
killers and drug dealers mock a prophet
while they make a profit
turning neighborhoods into the Carters
as death constantly hovers over city blocks
filled with crack, dust, and heroin
turning neighborhoods into crematoriums
Black unity into genocide

What we got here is my failure
to accept the corruption
my failure to be blind to see
deaf to hear, mute to speak
failure to neglect noble heritage and lineage
failure not to forget who I am
and where I came from
my failure to vote another robber for president
another adulterer or actor
but I'm born again as a warrior
with a sword to slay my enemies
to hunt them down, like they did to my forefathers
to inject drug dealers with their own poison
giving them a dose of their own toxic medicine
though I pray
faith will pierce the clouds of disdain
as we struggle each day
just to maintain
In God they lust
in God they corrupt
In God they lie
more than grains of sand
none but the LORD can save
as divided we stand.

For Malcolm X
El Hajj Malik El Shabazz

-Micheal Conner

-Divided We Stand is featured in You Gonna Make Me Say Somethings

Hip Hop Love

I got a story to tell
about my hip hop love
an' it goes a little something like this
check it out ya'll
her gentle voice resonates throughout my soul
bringing forth those boom box vibrations
pushing the volume way past ten
for real ma
her ultramagnetic energy sustains the abilities of my windmilling
pop-locking dexterity
she is the Main Source of my Electric Bugaloo
she has cross-faded into my world
tagging my heart with Bronx Wildstyle graffiti
that would impress DaVinci himself
she's so fresh, and so clean, clean
with a fly haircut like Anita Baker
along with profound measurements of 36-24-37
me and her are a match made in Heaven
her ladies first attitude
is strumming my pain with her fingers
because even though her song is killing me softly
she relaxes my mind and let's my conscience be free
causing me to develop a buhloone mindstate

She is a pitbull in a skirt
who is Ruff Ryder certified
along with her Funkdafied walk that's Jinglin' baby
it compliments the baby phat of her cha cha cha
but she doesn't have a one track mind like sally
form the valley
she won't let every Harry, Dick and Tom
with a Jimmy in his palm
play with her yo-yo
because, it's her thang
and she knows when to use what she has
to get what she wants
she'll always be my ride or die chick
even if my pockets come up with lint
in her eyes
i'm always Paid In Full

Her Uncle L told her that she needed love
although once upon a time
not long ago before I became her teenage love
I was the nigga she loved to hate
but things changed, and mad thangs
rearranged and we stopped being love refugees
and just chose to be
her style is Like Water For Chocolate
i'm Ready To Die for her affection
she is constantly in the Black Thought of my mind
cause it's me and her against the world
so there Ain't No Half Steppin
With my devotion towards her
she is the Roots to my illadelphia halflife
for should All Things Fall Apart around us
there will always be U.N.I.T.Y. between us

It's not only my philosophy
it's a reality
I'm only into her, I don't need O.P.P.
She pours raw flava in my ear
that makes my entire body shout hip hop hooray
She takes me to Zion for she is the most beautifulest thing in this world

At one time, I thought she was passin' me by
but it was my mind playing tricks on me
sometimes it's unbelievable
our loved moved away from the Ill street blues
and found the road to the riches
It Ain't Hard To Tell, I got nothin' but love for her
I told her, how I could just Kill A Man
if he disrespected her
but she said, baby you gots to chill
and think about it, or murder would be the case
they'd give you and she wasn't about to see me head up north
handcuffed in the back of the bus, forty of us
life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough

Our parents never understood
that we were following our people's instinctive travels and the path of rhythm
resounding from ladi dadi sounds of our hearts
so we checked ourselves before we wrecked ourselves
and found out there is Life After Death

Her Low End Theory, hypnotizes me
there aren't any miseducations or Illcommunications about the bond between us
even though I'm a midnight marauder living a hard knock life
It would take A Nation of Millions to hold me back
from the sunshine she radiates
She is too black, too strong to melt down
within my clutch
she's my french vanilla, butter pecan, chocolate deluxe
she is flesh of my flesh and blood of my blood
even if the earth and the skies, and the moon collapsed
our Krush Groove won't ever be wack
our bond won't ever break like Ozone or Turbo
though I often wonder if heaven got a geto
for she is truly the round the way girl of my prayers
She's all I need to get by
they don't know who we be
keep ya hands, where my eyes can see
and let me ride with my chick on the side
because today was a good day
to be with my hip hop love.

-Micheal Conner

-Hip Hop Love is featured in You Gonna Make Me Say Somethings

Purchase You Gonna Make Me Say Somethings

2 Pens & Lint Interview With Micheal Conner