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BLACK HISTORY 101

by TONY B. CONSCIOUS

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1.
Slave Song 02:06
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SLAVE SONG From the days you brought me on ships To the days you beat me with whips When in the fields I worked all day long I sang and sang my slave songs From the time you finally let me free To the days I fought for this country Overseas in Germany and Vietnam I sang and sang my slave songs From the church pews both day and night To the marches and protests for Civil Rights I declared I ‘d keep movin’ on And I kept on singing my slave songs Though they’ve changed throughout the years As jazz, blues and gospel once told my fears But now it’s R&B and Rap ‘til the break o’dawn I continue to sing my slave songs
2.
My Country (J.hendrix Vers) 03:11
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KEEP ON USIN’ ME I was taken from my habitat where I used to chill Brought to America against my will Made to do labor, treated like a slave Killed and mutilated when I wouldn’t behave Taught I was inferior, made to believe Knowledge and success I could never achieve Kept down kept out of the mainstream While always searchin’ for the “American Dream” So many times I tried to escape To protect my sistahs who you used to rape But I would always get caught when I tried to run Shot, beaten bad, burnt, bit and hung Branded like an animal, put in chains Fed the worst food time and time again Made to sleep in quarters too narrow and small And rise at dawn with no rest at all I built your plantations, I built your nice homes Planted your crops and your gardens all alone Made you look good in the New World While my sistah raised your little boys and girls Playin’ nanny while your woman sat on her fanny Thinkin’ evil thoughts about my granny When all I ever wanted was to be free So why, oh why, can’t you let me be ? Let me explain to you Why I’m feelin’ black and blue You just keep on usin’ me Until you use me up... For this country, the one I helped build I worked in your house and in your field I worked in your factory and on your farm Took care of your cattle and built your barns I fought to free you from colonial oppression And in the civil war, I showed my aggression In a battle over me that I had to fight During slavery, both day and night Getting paid less, as a soldier Sleeping in places that were much colder I fought in every battle, even World War 1 Then came back to hatred when I was done I fought for you in World War 2 Loyal on our soil, standing proud and true Which is the reason I can’t understand Why I was considered three-fifths of a man I wanted to go home But you wouldn’t let me go Wanted equality, so you gave me “Jim Crow” Wanted Education and the right to vote So here you come in your sheet with a gun and a rope Committing hateful crimes, shouting profanity All in the name of God and Christianity When all I ever wanted was to be free Yet to this day, You won’t let me be You say we’re all the same Yet you keep on playing games You just keep on usin’ me Until you use me up Now in the nineties, things ain’t even changed You still continue to treat me the same Every time I speak out on how much you hate me You want to discredit or assassinate me You still got me fighting for Uncle Sam Yet at home you’ve got me starvin’ and don’t give a dam I continue to help you defeat your enemies In the name of freedom and democracy You pay me to give drugs to my people You bring them in the country and then call ME evil I seem to take the rap for all the bad you do A.I.D.S, unemployment, crack and crime too In my own neighborhood you use me to spy Be an “Uncle Tom” in the F.B.I While you make certain that my freedom doesn’t ring By beating down my brothers like Rodney King I’ve helped you everyday, every minute, every hour Made sure you became the “Number One Super Power” Helped you to control, coerce and create Yet you still deny me justice, still give me hate Why, oh why, must you be so cruel ? Must I always be made a fool ? When all I ever wanted was to be free So why, oh why, can’t you let me be ?
3.
Keep on using Me' 06:43
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KEEP ON USIN’ ME I was taken from my habitat where I used to chill Brought to America against my will Made to do labor, treated like a slave Killed and mutilated when I wouldn’t behave Taught I was inferior, made to believe Knowledge and success I could never achieve Kept down kept out of the mainstream While always searchin’ for the “American Dream” So many times I tried to escape To protect my sistahs who you used to rape But I would always get caught when I tried to run Shot, beaten bad, burnt, bit and hung Branded like an animal, put in chains Fed the worst food time and time again Made to sleep in quarters too narrow and small And rise at dawn with no rest at all I built your plantations, I built your nice homes Planted your crops and your gardens all alone Made you look good in the New World While my sistah raised your little boys and girls Playin’ nanny while your woman sat on her fanny Thinkin’ evil thoughts about my granny When all I ever wanted was to be free So why, oh why, can’t you let me be ? Let me explain to you Why I’m feelin’ black and blue You just keep on usin’ me Until you use me up... For this country, the one I helped build I worked in your house and in your field I worked in your factory and on your farm Took care of your cattle and built your barns I fought to free you from colonial oppression And in the civil war, I showed my aggression In a battle over me that I had to fight During slavery, both day and night Getting paid less, as a soldier Sleeping in places that were much colder I fought in every battle, even World War 1 Then came back to hatred when I was done I fought for you in World War 2 Loyal on our soil, standing proud and true Which is the reason I can’t understand Why I was considered three-fifths of a man I wanted to go home But you wouldn’t let me go Wanted equality, so you gave me “Jim Crow” Wanted Education and the right to vote So here you come in your sheet with a gun and a rope Committing hateful crimes, shouting profanity All in the name of God and Christianity When all I ever wanted was to be free Yet to this day, You won’t let me be You say we’re all the same Yet you keep on playing games You just keep on usin’ me Until you use me up Now in the nineties, things ain’t even changed You still continue to treat me the same Every time I speak out on how much you hate me You want to discredit or assassinate me You still got me fighting for Uncle Sam Yet at home you’ve got me starvin’ and don’t give a dam I continue to help you defeat your enemies In the name of freedom and democracy You pay me to give drugs to my people You bring them in the country and then call ME evil I seem to take the rap for all the bad you do A.I.D.S, unemployment, crack and crime too In my own neighborhood you use me to spy Be an “Uncle Tom” in the F.B.I While you make certain that my freedom doesn’t ring By beating down my brothers like Rodney King I’ve helped you everyday, every minute, every hour Made sure you became the “Number One Super Power” Helped you to control, coerce and create Yet you still deny me justice, still give me hate Why, oh why, must you be so cruel ? Must I always be made a fool ? When all I ever wanted was to be free So why, oh why, can’t you let me be ?
4.
Our World is a Ghetto (poem) 02:37
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AS I WALK DOWN THE STREET I SEE THE SITUATION THE PEOPLES FROM PARAMYDS WERE PLACED ON PLANTATIONS AND THE PEOPLES FROM TEEPEES WERE RUSHED TO RESERVATIONS DISEASED, DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND DISPOSED OF THROUGH STARVATION COUNTRIES WITH INDEGENOUS COLORFUL POPULATIONS HAVE BEEN RAPED AND ARE NOW CALLED THIRD WORLD NATIONS THE MOST INTELLECTUAL TRIBES THAT ONCE STARTED CIVILIZATIONS NOW STRUGGLED TO SURVIVE WITHOUT EVEN HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATIONS ITS QUITE A SHAME HOW CONNECTED WE USED TO BE THROUGH MEDITATION UNTIL RELIGION WAS FORCED UPON US AND WE WERE DEPRIVED OF OUR SPIRITUAL RELATIONS NATURE WAS ABANDONED AND FROM OUR OCCUPATION AS GUARDIANS OF THE PLANET WE TOOK A PERMANENT VACATION THIS IS WHY I CRY OUT OF PURE FRUSTRATION AS PEOPLE OF COLOR ‘ROUND THE WORLD LIVE IN DESPERATION SO MANY SAY I SHOULD JUST HAVE A LITTLE PATIENCE BUT AS I TRAVEL THE GLOBE I KNOW THERE’S NO TIME FOR HESITATION OUR WORLD IS BEING DESTROYED DUE TO LACK OF MOTIVATION WE ARE THE ORIGINALS SO IT’S TIME FOR CONCENTRATION REALIZE, OUR DEMISE WAS CAUSED BY OUTSIDE INFILTRATION WHICH IN MY INTERPRETATION IS WHY, DUE TO CAUCASIANS OUR WORLD IS A GHETTO...
5.
It ain't Over... 05:27
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IT AIN’T OVER From the depths of the dark continent we were nabbed Fighting , kicking and yelling as we were grabbed Running , pulling away, even committing suicide Begging, pleading, and trying to hide “LEAVE US ALONE !!! PLEASE LET US BE !!!” “Why must you try to enslave the free ?” Sly you slithered and struck like a cobra But Africans said “IT AIN ‘T OVER !!!” Packed like sardines, on ships cold and dark Rather than submit, we’d jump to the sharks To the new world we came, instantly receiving whip marks on our shoulders Under our breaths exclaiming: “ IT AIN ‘T OVER !!!” Nat Turner with disgruntled souls, sent a message to you Sam Sharpe followed, as did Marcus Garvey too Harriet Tubman’s “underground” helped many of us escape The beatings, the lynchings, the shootings and the rapes To the north we went bruised, blak, and poor To stamp out slavery, we fought in a Civil War Thinking it was over, but America got colder As you in turn said to us, “IT AIN ‘T OVER !!!” Days, weeks, months and years would pass As we dealt with our position: 2nd CLASS Slowly but surely getting energy to stand and fight Then in what seemed like overnight..... TA-DOW---- CIVIL RIGHTS !!! Martin tried, you killed him. Malcolm tried also The Blak Panthers came to the rescue, and ....well, you know You wanted to see us passive, and drunk instead of sober But under our breaths, Blaks still muttered : “IT AIN ‘T OVER” So through the 70’s we went, awaiting with open eyes Preparing, sharing , growing and taking notes for our next rise As you searched, raked, shuffled and put laws into play Cut programs and did EVERYTHING to take back the progress made The 80’s came and a new system using drugs and booze Gang bangin’ and genocide you inspired, filled the daily news A man made virus called A.I.D.S was your “ace in the hole” You said “ They’re getting stronger and more educated, FUCK IT ! We’ll kill ‘em all to keep control” Decrease the population, make us kill our own From Baghdad to Somalia, and in ghettos here at home We thought you were done with your evil deeds But just like a dog named Rover You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, so we knew it wasn’t over... Your constant oppression, brainwashing of our minds Stealing our culture, killing our people, while “Uncle Tom” kisses your behind Your contradictions, half-truths and lately glorification Of police and government urban confrontations Annihilation ? In situations with sophistication You justify your ANTI-BLAK, Anti- ethnic retaliation I know you think you can stop us, but I hope you have a clover ‘Cause we were the first to come and we’ll be the last to leave, so be prepared... IT AIN’T OVER !!!
6.
Growing 02:12
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GROWING Back Back I go From which I came Wishing all my peoples’ would do the same A renaissance, does it hold the key, the keys ? Tell me what today this new so-called “Negro” sees I watch children act as if our ancestors Never existed or perhaps lived better If “Jesus” was nailed to the cross Paid the cost and all sin was lost Then tell me why am I still Invisible Like Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” I am I am Unseen, unheard And my words Fall upon deaf ears I fear This new generation of Blak people Were taught by the last full of Blak evil Scared to stand up, scared to lose, So sleepy they slept and now their children snooze Thinking being a gangstah is a position of prestige Unconsciousness and ignorance this will breed Needs reevaluation, this Blak nation Faces annihilation, Due to alienation From the youth, hidden from the truth As I search for secrets and clues like a sleuth Who am I ? What am I ? Do I know ? In pain, I search, I wonder, I learn, I hurt, I grow
7.
My Eyes (Feat. Kevin Sandbloom) 08:15
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EYES When I look into someone’s eyes, sometimes I see Beyond the outer person, into the mystery The soul, the essence, the being, the deepest darkest part The nature of an individual, the innocence, the heart When I look into LIGHT eyes, I used to often stare And wonder what I saw and why I saw it there After years of being bewildered, I now know why I see what I see and feel what I feel, when I look into someone’s eyes When I look into BLUE eyes, I see the seas The oceans wide and dark, the waters cold and deep I think of slave ships rolling, a captain and a crew With my ancestors who were packed like cargo, trying to make it through I think of all the ones who died, when I see eyes of BLUE I think of the Atlantic and Pacific, which they often went into I see the skies and I see the Creator, somewhere up above And I wonder why my people suffer, and if it’s out of love I see the BLUE that’s in the “American Flag” and the freedom once sought That same freedom my people fought for and died for, but never, ever got Now when I look into GREEN eyes, I first think of leaves Grass, plants and animals, then I think of trees Trees on which my ancestors hung, because there had to be People GREEN with envy, hate and bigotry GREEN eyes to me, what do they symbolize ? Dead presidents who once owned slaves on GREEN dollar bills DAMN THEM GREEN EYES !!! Now when I look into BROWN eyes, LIGHT BROWN, let me explain I see the sands of Egypt and fields of golden grain When I see DARK BROWN EYES, I think of Egypt again But I also think of Kenya and Ethiopia, for, I think of the motherland I think of the originators, my ancestors, and their demise Due to others with recessive genes, and also recessive eyes I think of how people make-believe every other color is worth more BROWN EYES symbolize the beginning, the genesis, the core As I look into all these eyes, one thing I truly see Is how America has programmed most eyes to be as blind as can be I see the future and what could be, If the consciousness would rise If someone like me could give people vision And they could see like I see through these eyes...
8.
America's Favorite Pastime 05:36
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9.
The Black Mother 03:46
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10.
The Dream 03:41
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THE DREAM I have a dream that one day an African baby will be born And not looked upon by the world with scorn That one day in school every boy and girl Will learn the truth about Africa, and its contributions to the world I HAVE A DREAM... I have a dream that someday God will control every nation And BLAKS will receive apologies and reparations That WHITES will finally let Africa be restored By vacating it and ceasing to pimp it like a whore I HAVE A DREAM... I have a dream that BLAKS and WHITES will finally find out What Martin Luther’s dream was REALLY about I HAVE SEEN HIS DREAM... As in the United States and the rest of the globe European domination continues to control But BLAKS still dream... Africans still dream... Africans dream to finally control their country And not be subjected to poverty.... That’s their dream They dream they will able to live, think and dress To worship and exist as they did before Europe’s conquest They have this dream... This unbelievably, is the BIG dream also Of African people’s everywhere, even the so-called “Negro” In America, his immediate dreams are much more complicated Due to the fact he’s been a 400 year native But he still has a dream... He has a dream that he will someday get recognition For his laborious tasks, loyalty and inventions... That he will be able to finally control his community And not be called a racist for promoting BLAK unity THIS IS HIS DREAM... He has a dream that his children will control their destinies Without fear of government harassment and police brutality That inter-racial relationships and full-scale integration Will be an afterthought, following first, a strong BLAK nation That Martin and Malcolm’s dreams and views Will not be used to deceive, watered down or misconstrued The American-African isn’t as naive as he seems For he also knows the struggle, pain, blood and sweat It takes to obtain this dream... He has a dream, we have dreams and THIS IS THE DREAM... SO...DREAM ON..
11.
The Black Man 02:28
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THE BLACK MAN From the ends of the universe Through the womb you came Commanding the forces of nature And creating with your awesome brain Taking raw materials And building civilizations Unsurpassed to this day In complexity and sophistication It was you that gave this world knowledge Philosophy and Art You taught the world how to feel and build With your mind, body, spirit and heart You gave creation the greatest inspiration When as a GOD you lived By aligning yourself with the CREATOR and the galaxy And then in a flash, bringing forth the pyramids The whole world knows of your brilliance Oh yes it’s true That’s why you MUST be oppressed For, fear of the power in you All the genius, all the glory, all the greatness That can ever be conceived Lies in you and was once manifested And once again can and will be achieved You will rise again Whether it be through destiny or fate For, there is no obstacle you can’t overcome With the BLACK WOMAN as your mate You’re a warrior, inventor, scientist A Philosopher, prophet and a poet A lover, composer, doctor and engineer You’ve done ALL things And this world knows it And this be the reason From sea to sea and land to land Though you are feared and hated by some You are outdone by none For you are... THE BLACK MAN
12.
Desire 03:29
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DESIRE I have the desire to be all that my ancestors used to be. I want to be a mathematician, knowing all the formulas and equations For everything in the universe. I want to be an astrologist, knowing each and every comet, star, planet And solar system by name... I want to understand the sun and the moon And their relationship and effect upon everything. I want to be a scientist, like those who created and discovered cures That were natural, herbal and from the earth Before western man’s medicinal attempts... I want to be an artist, a creator Like those who created pyramids from sandstone Pots, tools and temples... I want to be a pharaoh, I want to be a GOD Like ISIS, OSIRUS,HERU or HORUS AMEN, AMEN-RA or the MEDU NETCHER I want to be wise, for knowledge is power And with that comes strength. I want to be able to communicate with African people all over the world. From Ghana to Ethiopia, Euritrea to Tanzania, Nubia to New England Canada to Haiti to Harlem to London to Los Angeles... I want to know THEIR dialects and languages So we can all speak as one, think as one, and live as one. The more I desire, the more I realize My desires are alot closer to reality, than I believe them to be My desire to be all that I can or have the potential to be To be all that my ancestors used to be My ability to learn, to follow to become is easy. All of my desires are already deep inside of me.... So, I will search within myself and only there will I find That my desires, dreams,my goals and the things I want to be I’ve actually been the whole time...

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This C.D, is a compilation of some of TONY B. CONSCIOUS' best pieces regarding BLACK HISTORY. This was put together especially for february 2013.

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released February 12, 2013

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TONY B. CONSCIOUS image

TONY B. CONSCIOUS Los Angeles, California

A renaissance man (Harlem Renaissance that is), TONY B. CONSCIOUS
is the personification of AFRICAN- AMERICAN culture.

He is (amongst other things) A B-BOY, BEATBOX,EMCEE, GRAFFITI/VISUAL ARTIST (known as “THE GHETTO VAN-GO”), Poet/ Spoken Word Artist, Vocalist, AUTHOR, ACTIVIST, VEGAN VEGETARIAN and PHILOSOPHER.

ALSO a member of THE UNIVERSAL ZULU NATION and THE TEMPLE OF HIP HOP. ... more

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