Black Jesuz
Title | Black Jesuz |
---|---|
Artist | 2Pac & Outlawz |
Album | Still I Rise |
Release Date | 1999-12-21 |
Description | “Black Jesuz” is the 6th song on 2Pac’s song on the double platinum album, Still I Rise. While some people have taken 2Pac literally and believe he is referring to himself as black Jesus in the 4th verse, where he writes, “"God gave me these commandments, the world is scandalous / Blast ‘til they holy high; baptize they evil minds / Wise, no longer blinded, watch me shine trick / Which one of y'all wanna feel the degrees? / Bitches freeze facin’ Black Jesus.” While it seems like he is calling himself black Jesus when he says, “God gave me these commandments,” and “Bitches freeze facin' Black Jesus,” doing so misses a deeper meaning. We know 2Pac is a poet, and poets work with symbolism and metaphor. When he says “Blast ‘til they holy high; baptize they evil minds,” he is referring to people who discriminate, against black people, especially. 2Pac knows these people are wrong because, as he states in the previous line, “God gave me these commandments.” These commandments could be anything, they don’t necessarily refer to the Ten Commandments. All we know is that how 2Pac has lived his life has likely been in accordance with these commandments because 2Pac refers to God many times in his music, one example being the song, “Who Do U Believe In,” where he writes, “I put my faith in God.” If 2Pac has his faith in God, then he’s likely following the commandments God gave to him. The line, “Wise, no longer blinded, watch me shine trick,” refers to 2Pac’s personal growth and symbolizes black empowerment, something 2Pac strived for. There is evidence for this all over the place: his family’s strong ties to the Black Panthers, and 2Pac’s penchant for infusing his lyrics with social commentary. Lastly, when 2Pac writes, “Bitches freeze facin' Black Jesuz,” he is referring to his success as a musician, and again to black empowerment. Further, in this video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhGxqz2yXu0, 2Pac comments, “I’m me because of black Jesus, I’m me because of God.” He also says, “… I have to repay, for that blessing from black Jesus [and] God … by shining,” and “he gave me the voltage, [I’m gonna] shine, it’s not mine, it’s from God.” By thanking black Jesus for 2Pac’s gift, he draws a distinction between himself and black Jesus. The verses are performed as follows: Intro: 2Pac, Yaki Kadafi First verse: Yaki Kadafi Second verse: Storm Chorus: 2Pac, Val Young Third verse: Young Noble Fourth verse: 2Pac Fifth verse: Kastro Outro: Kastro |
Lyrics | [Intro: 2Pac & Kadafi] Searchin' for Black Jesus Oh yeah, sportin' jewels and shit, yaknahmean? (you can be Christian) Straight tatted up Straight Jehovah witness (no doubt) Islamic (no doubt man) Me, I'm a thug; thugs, we praise Black Jesus, all day Young Kadafi in this bitch, set it off nigga— What? [Verse 1: Kadafi] I do my shootings on a knob, prayin' to God for my squad Stuck in a nightmare, hopin' he might care Though times is hard, up against all odds, I play my cards Like I'm jailin', shots hittin' up my spot like midnight rains hailin' Got me bailin' to stash more greenGods They ain't tryin' to be trapped On no block slangin' no rocks like bean pies Brainstorm on the beginnin' Wonder how shit like the Qu'ran and the Bible was written What is religion? God's words or a curse like crack? Shai-tan's way of gettin' us back Or just another one of my Black Jesus' traps [Verse 2: Storm] Who's got the heart to stand beside me? I feel my enemies creepin' up in silence Dark prayer, scream violence - demons all around me Can't even bend my knees just a lost cloud; Black Jesus Give me a reason to survive, in this earthly hell 'Cause I swear, they tryin' to break my will I'm on the edge lookin' down at this bottomless pit Will it matter if I cease to exist? Black Jesus [Hook: 2Pac] All hail, the pressure no endeavor can fail Submissive souls turn to hoes when exposed to jail In times of war we need somebody raw, rally the troops Like a saint that we can trust to help to carry us through Black Jesus He's like a saint that we can trust to help to carry us through Black Jesus You might also like[Verse 3: Young Noble] Outlawz we got our own race, culture, religion Rebellin' against the system, commence to lynchin' The president ain't even listenin' to the pain of the youth We make music for eternity, forever the truth Political prisoner, the two choices that they givin' us Ride or die, for life they sentence us Oh Black Jesus, please watch over my brother Shawn Soon as the sky get bright, it's just another storm Brothers gone, now labeled a statistic Ain't no love for us ghetto kids, they call us nigglets History repeats itself, nuttin new In school I knew, e'rything I read wasn't true Black Jesus [Verse 4: 2Pac] To this clique I'm dedicated, criminal orientated An Outlaw initiated, blazed and faded Made for terror, major league niggas pray together Bitches in they grave while my real niggas play together We die clutchin' glasses, filled with liquor bomblastic Cremated, last wishes niggas smoke my ashes High sigh why die wishin', hopin' for possibilities I'll mob on, while they copy me sloppily Cops patrol projects, hatin' the people livin' in them I was born an inmate, waitin' to escape the prison Went to church but don't understand it, they underhanded God gave me these commandments, the world is scandalous Blast 'til they holy high; baptize they evil minds Wise, no longer blinded, watch me shine trick Which one of y'all wanna feel the degrees? Bitches freeze facin' Black Jesus [Hook: 2Pac] All hail, the pressure no endeavor can fail Submissive souls turn to hoes when exposed to jail In times of war we need somebody raw, rally the troops Like a saint that we can trust to help to carry us through Black Jesus [Verse 5: Kastro] Some say, some day, some how, some way, we gon' fail And it ain't hard to tell, we dwell in hell Trapped, black, scarred and barred Searchin' for truth, where it's hard to find God I play the Pied Piper, and to this Thug Life, I'm a lifer Proceed, to turn up the speed, just for stripes My Black Jesus, walk through this valley with me Where we, so used to hard times and casualties Indeed, it hurt me deep to have to sleep on the streets And haven't eaten in weeks, so save a prayer for me And all the young thugs, raised on drugs and guns Blazed out and numb, slaves to this slums This ain't livin'— Jesus [Background Overlapped singing] We believed in you Everything you do Just wanna let you know, how we feel Black Jesus! We believed in you Everything you do Just wanna let you know, how we feel Black Jesus! We believed in you Everything you do Just wanna let you know, how we feel Black Jesus! [Collision: Kastro] Searchin' for Black Jesus It's hard, it's hard We need help out here So we searchin' for Black Jesus It's like a Saint, that we pray to in the ghetto, to get us through Somebody that understand our pain You know maybe not too perfect, you know Somebody that hurt like we hurt Somebody that smoke like we smoke Drink like we drink That understand where we comin' from That's who we pray to We need help y'all |