From Slave Chains To Handcuffs (feat. Ras Kass, Bishop Lamont & Compton Menace)

They gon' take away your name Give you a number And say, "Get to work!" Then they hit ya' in the head with a hammer And that will be the story of you I ain't lettin' this beat breathe for nothin' Police won't let my Gs breathe, so fuck it The penitentiary's a repeat of slavery, think deep The labor is free, see, it's schmoney The slave ship is on land now, and how Your murder beef come with hot stakes, cash cow They know poverty equal robbery, you gon' get caught and be somebody's property Yeah, who got the bag now? (Still remember how they used to jangle) Oh, everybody is woke, when will it all stop? I was woke before you got your alarm clock Work on my block probably came for guitar shops Niggas slangin' crack on the corner performin' hard rock I knew it was a trap before you started trappin' I knew you was a rat before you started rattin' I was wearin Starter caps before you started cappin' Why you think they took the information out the Art of Rappin'? (Still remember how they used to jangle) From slave chains to handcuffs Cops shoot us with our hands up Could've kept it real with the fans, but Rappers rather make a dance up I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (let's talk about it) Christ, I'm still thinking 'bout the times I couldn't think about it Niggas always send me and I don't blink about it See that for a whip and I'mma jump up out it I sit and ponder, and the niggas know I'm really 'bout it I remember, I remember all them days I remember every time my mama had me in that phase I remember the fries my pops stole on Fridays They wasn't the right minds, they was only right for the eighth grade (Still remember how they used to jangle) Hey, I used to steal cars, my mama used to smoke dope Shagum was defendin' uncle Curry, let him tell jokes Since he had the rolls against me, he also had the movies He was bootleggin' sense, why don't let us smoke the goobie? Thinkin' I got the problems, my uncles, they used to have a band Like fuck plans, they used to watch me, I was their first fam Made me a messenger, got my first bands They blew shit at school, but I was first dance (Still remember how they used to jangle) From slave chains to handcuffs Cops shoot us with our hands up Could've kept it real with the fans, but Rappers rather make a dance up I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (let's talk about it) England, France and Spain kidnapped Africans Left us in the Caribbean, went right back again Dropped us off in Virginia, sold us down south Shackles on our wrists, slapped us in the mouth Civil War then Jim Crow then 13 Private prisons were profit, you ain't free Police detain us, the courts remand us (then what?) Then they walk us to jail in handcuffs (Still remember how they used to jangle) Mangle, strangle, hung from a tree and dangle Hands tied, the memories are painful Instead of slaves now, they call us inmates Free labor make them license plates, wards of the state Cause you ain't never had rights If you wasn't born with land, male and white That's facts since they signed the declaration Same slave ship, now we buying gold bracelets, damn (Still remember how they used to jangle) From slave chains to handcuffs Cops shoot us with our hands up Could've kept it real with the fans but Rappers rather make a dance up I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (let's talk about it) Since the reconstruction, destruction has been my only function Of the racist white establishment, freedom ain't havin' that Slave patrol, police patrol, same KK corruption There's a design behind your ghetto habitat Any progress we made, now they tryin' to take it back White supremacy deliberately placed in Supreme Court Them judges, they there for life, killin' niggas their favorite sport Rebirth of a new nation ain't no way to abort (Still remember how they used to jangle) Yeah, slaves to free to employee Minimum wage, more for new form of slavery If you understand economics, then you can see through the nonsense Homelessness is a byproduct of their greed See our sidewalks filled up with veterans Americans, families stuffed inside of Rs and Vs Everything has a cost and ain't nothin' been free Welcome to the ages, on the green, these demolition men and fee (Still remember how they used to jangle) From slave chains to handcuffs Cops shoot us with our hands up Could've kept it real with the fans but Rappers rather make a dance up I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (just walk it out) I ain't mad, my nigga, I ain't mad (let's talk about it) (Still remember how they used to jangle, jangle, jangle...)