The title track from her current tour with Queensbridge rap legend Nas, equally iconic Hip Hop Soulstress Lauryn Hill debuted “Black Rage” onstage this week, with a poetic recital of her new song for the cheering Dallas audience. Filmed from the crowd, watch Ms Hill recite the song below.
“Obviously this is a song about confrontation,” she told the crowd, going on to share the lyrics; “Black rage is founded, who fed us self-hatred? / Lies and abuse while we waited and waited/ Spiritual treason this grid and its cages/ Black rage is founded on these kinds of things.
“Black rage is founded on draining and draining/ Threatening of freedom to stop your complainin’/ Pausing your water while they say it’s rainin’/ Then call you mad for complaining, complainin’.”
Highlighting social ills in rhyme for two minutes to receptive ears, the New Jersey born multi-Grammy Award winner closes, “Try if you must, but you can’t have my soul/ Black rage is founded on ungodly control/ So when the dog fight and when the beat ends, and when I’m feeling sad/ I simply remember all these kinds of things and then I don’t fear so bad.”