Who Am I - Big Daddy Kane

featuring Gamilah Shabazz 

"I was born.." 

[Big Daddy Kane] 
A black man from the motherland 
Speakin a language today most people don't understand 
where no one could bother me 
cause I had freedom, justice, and equality 
But then one day it was tooken away 
and I was shipped to the U.S.A. 
A young brother, made into a slave 
to harvest the midlands and clean the chittlins 
Given a new name, new religion 
No freedom to vote, not even to make a decision 
I saw my peoples, sold raped and took out 
The rest of that stuff that Alex Haley talks about 
They said I'm not from Asia I'm from Africa 
And all the blacks there now are just scavengers 
That's the way my mind was poisoned 
to believe that in America blacks are inferior 
A weak mind and a body of swine 
only adds up to being - deaf dumb and blind 
Illiterate to who where what and why 
So I ask myself: who am I? 

"I was born.." 

[Big Daddy Kane] 
A native New Yorker on the streets 
Known for rockin rhymes to real rough beats 
that I found in the attic, noisy with static 
A sound that made me, a hip-hop fanatic 
I made a few songs that sold OK 
Never top 20 or plenty airplay 
I came out hardcore, flexin cock diesel 
Saw a little cash, and pop goes the weasel 
I had to make that change and rearrange 
my whole rap format, no hardcore rap 
So now all the pop charts I rule 
over New Kids on the Block and Paula Abdul, huh 
I thought I made it, then my song faded 
and none of the black stations ever have played it 
I tried to blame it on MTV 
and say, "Damn, they cold played me for Young MC" 
But when you get down to it, I&#