Panthers The Last Poets, Dead Prez & Common (Ft. Common, ​dead prez & The Last Poets)

[Hook x3]
I used to run with a clan that was militant/
Preparing for war we studied strategies with diligence/
The revolution was our real intent/
We had to theory to work so we could find out what it really meant...

[Verse 1] Then I was sent to Chicago, Illinois/
The place where the most Black Panthers were destroyed/
You either pushed dope, locked down, or unemployed/
Hearing shots late at night keeping the people paranoid/
In the heart of the South Side, countless died gangsters/
...
From the outside, we could be deceived it’s all pretty/
When you travel the streets, projects be small cities/
Where the beast at the gate change the guard at each hour/
The older generation sing songs of Black Power/
And me, well I was reading Fanon and Chairman Mao/
So I could change the situation I’m in right now/
Listen close to my people who could really show me how to organize with my n***** put the system on trial/
But the streets kept calling my name, you know the song/
Even though I’m a solider, took my oath to stay strong/
Life goes on, some things take too long/
Sometimes you don’t recognize what you got until it’s gone/

[Chorus]
Black fists, afros, kufis, and black gloves/
Five Point Programs, rifles, and black love/
Black Panthers, holding it tight like black hugs/
All the black ears who calling what black was/