Two Americas

The economy is stronger than ever. Unemployment at an all-time low. Yeah. That's one America. Here's the other one. Uh, I grew up on the side where the Streetlights flicker, where the food stamps run out For the month, get sicker. Mama worked two jobs, still couldn't pay the rent. The landlord at the door like a permanent event. But on the TV screen, another world exists, Where kids get BMWs for their sixteenth birthday Gifts. Same country, same flag, but different Atmospheres. One side drinks champagne, The other fights for years. I walk past penthouses to get to my project Stair, looking at the city lights and wondering, "Do they even care?" They buy art for millions That I can't comprehend, while I'm counting quarters For a bus ride round the bend. It's the American dream, but only if you're Pre-approved. If not, you get the version where You're constantly improving your survival skills, Your patience, your ability to smile, while they Build another tower, another gilded pile. Two Americas, same sky above. One gets the honey, one gets the shove. One lives in mansions, one lives in fear. Same flag flies, but they don't hear. Two Americas, side by side. One got the ocean, one got the tide. Tell me how long can a nation survive when Half of it's dead and half's alive? I seen a homeless veteran on the corner by The bank, while the CEO stepped out in a Suit that cost a rank. He gave a dollar, felt good about his soul, But that dollar won't fix the system that took His toll. My sister got denied for a loan To start her life. They said credit score too Low. That's the classist knife. Meanwhile, trust fund kids inherit daddy's name, And they call it hard work. Ain't that a shame? They tell us, "Pull yourself Up by the bootstraps," on the news, but the Boots are made of leather and they're only for The few. We working forty hours, still can't afford A meal, while they buying private islands just to See how it feels. It's not a meritocracy. It's a lottery of birth. Uh, some born on the marble floors. Low bar. Some born into the earth. Ha-ha-ha-two Americas, same sky above. One gets the honey, one gets the shove. One lives in mansions, one lives in fear. Same flag fly, but they don't hear. Two Americas, side by side. One got the ocean, one got the tide. Tell me how long can a nation survive when Half of it's dead and half's alive? And they tell us, "Don't be jealous, don't be Bitter. Just work harder, be a go-getter." But what happens when the ladder's missing rungs? When the system's rigged against the young? They built a wall between the have and have-not, And they call it freedom, but it's really a Trap. I don't want their money. I don't want their gold. I just want a chance before I get old. A chance to breathe, A chance to dream. Woo. Without the weight Of the American scheme. So I write this verse for the ones who Understand that this land wasn't built for every Man. Some are born to rule, some born to Serve. Some get the feast, some get the nerve To keep on fighting when the odds are stacked, When your back is broke and your spirit cracked. But we still rise, we still stand. We still believe in a better land. Not the one they sell on the Fourth of July, but the one where every voice can cry Without being silenced, without being shamed. Where the American dream ain't a rigged-up game. So here's my verse for the broke, for the Lost, for the ones who paid the ultimate cost. We are America too, don't you forget. The other side of the coin ain't been written Yet. Two Americas. But only one of them can last. We'll see which one survives. We'll see.