“Do We Need to Start a Riot?” – Jasiri X
Free Download http://jasirix.bandcamp.com/track/do-…
“Do We Need to Start a Riot?” is a response to the recent report by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement that states 110 Black people have been killed by the police in 2012, one every 40 hours
http://mxgm.org/report-on-the-extraju...
Filmed on location in New York City at the historic march to end Stop and Frisk, and in Los Angeles on Florence and Normandie, where the 1992 LA rebellion began, “Do We Need to Start a Riot?” features words from legendary Activist/Comedian Dick Gregory and Henry Watson, one of the “LA Four”, charged in the beating of Reginald Denny and highlighted in the recent VH1 documentary “Uprising: Hip-Hop and the LA Riots, and appearances by the Universal Zulu Nation, Occupy the Hood, the Sound Strike, the League, and Hip-Hop Artist Tahir Jahi.
“Do We Need to Start a Riot?” was directed by Paradise Gray and Radee Westfield.
LYRICS
Ramarly Graham, they shot him
Alan Blueford, they shot him
Ken Chamberlain, they shot him
Kendric McDade, they shot him
Darius Simmons, they shot him
Bo Morrison, they shot him
Wendell Allen, they shot him
Justin Sipp, they shot him
Scared rappers be quiet
Scared preachers be quiet
Scared leaders be quiet
You’re in the presence of warriors
Scared rappers be quiet
Scared preachers be quiet
Scared leaders be quiet
You’re in a warrior’s face boy
You can’t call this a race war
Cause we the only ones they got hate for
That get shot down when the gage roar
But we always willing to take more
From Emmett Till on that lake floor
To Trayvon, Rekia Boyd
Mumia, Troy it’s we destroyed
Since I’m public enemy I bring the noise
Marissa Alexander, they locked her
Jasmine Thar, they shot her
They keep trying to kill us
But they never get indicted
Our people crying loud
But them scared rappers stay quit
And if we don’t get justice do we need to start a riot?
In 92 those riots grew
Peace treaty
red unites with blue
In LA the Crips and the Prius
Put aside the feud and started riding true
said the NOI was behind it to
Then Police came in to divide the crews
Steal a homies car them drive it through
Another gangs hood then fire the tool
Our unity is our biggest weapon
When I asks this question you feeling threatened
But imagined your child being killed for less and
It’s 45 days for the killer arrested
mad at me cause I’m given a message
But if we can be killed by Zimmermans
And they can get off cause of privilege
Then our we really citizens
Get beaten to death if you a immigrant
Go back to your country is the sentiment
They call us monkeys say we ignorant
So we get killed they don’t give a shit
Now what would you do if you were living this?
To protect your kids from this?
If ya child got killed would you live with it?
Would you slit you wrists would you get the fifth
Would you care about ya job our ya benefits?
If they said they murderer was innocent
No trial no jury no sentencing
And you saw how foul this system is
but they keep telling us to be patient
They keep tell us to keep waiting
They keep telling us that we hating
And when we’re killed cause we black that we racist
Howard Morgan they shot em
Then for 40 years they locked him
They keep trying to kill us
But they never get indicted
Our people crying loud
But them scared rappers stay quit
And if we don’t get justice do we need to start a riot?
