I’ve never done a song like this ever.
I’ve never gotten political.
I’ve never talked about things.
It ain’t even about black or this or that.
It’s just about America.
It’s about what we were supposed to have been built upon but really when you think
about it we were built upon motherfucking slavery.
Bringing these people over to build our buildings and all this shit.
It’s just so crazy beyond that.
It’s just about saying something and stating something.
And it’s about the state of our country.
A country that I do love.
I’m from here.
I love America but there are a lot of things that go on in America that I don’t necessarily
agree with or find to be something that I can stand for.
So everybody on here is rapping from different perspectives.
Black Thought is rapping from his perspective on America.
I’m rapping from my perspective on America.
On both of my verses, Chuck D is rapping from his perspective of what’s going on.
And then the beat switches up and you hear me “I’ve been in the cut / 38 tuck”
I’m rapping from the perspective of a motherfucker in the hood about the only America he knows.
That’s why I brought in Big Lenbo because he helped me paint that picture.
He has a raw, dope ass voice to kind of paint that hood dude.
So that’s why he went into that character and kind of created this character of the
only America people know in the projects.
You know what’s funny?
Getting No I.D. on here was like the easiest thing ever.
It was hard for me to muster up the courage but all I did was ask.
I’m not a very political person.
I can sit here and say I don’t all these things that are going on in politics, I don't
know that.
That’s a big reason why I step out of things because a lot of shit is lies too.
You go and look on your phone and it says, “So and so did this or so and so said that,”
but what actually didn’t happen and because you read it on the fucking internet, you think
everything is the truth so then you go and you fight, “Trump said this and he said that.
And then somebody's like "No he didn't"
What the fuck are you talking about?
Or “No she didn’t.
That never happened.”
And then I look like a fucking idiot.
So I try to do my best to understand what is going on in the country but also focus
on what I know best and that's making music for people.
Fight the power just off jump, “1989…” that’s how it starts, Chuck D, Flavor Flav,
it’s crazy.
It’s amazing.
It’s beautiful.
And it takes about what's going on.
I had watched a documentary and I saw Public Enemy.
I saw NWA talking about “Fuck the police.”
That’s really amazing and so beautiful.
And a lot of people, mainly white conservative people that don’t understand.
It’s not the police, it’s piece of shit, crooked, racist cops.
I had a conversation with my manager when I wrote the verse.
Just in general, he was like, “You gotta understand that you’re going to get feedback.
There’ll be postive feedback from people that are like, ‘Logic’s really standing
up and saying something.’
And you’re going to get negative feedback from fans of yours that may be Trump supporters
or whatever the case may be.”
I don't support Trump, I'm not with that, it just is what it is.
And there’s a lot of people out there, I just don't really get it, I’m going to
be honest.
I don’t understand how a fan of mine could really support Trump.
My manager was like, “Just expect that there is going to be some lashing back for you taking
a stand.”
So that line is an homage to Nas’, “Live at the Barbecue,” verse by Main Source.
It's just that simple. It’s fun. That’s my jam.
I know all about that.
Straight up and down, 6 o’clock, I love Kanye West man.
He’s my idol.
He’s like one of my favorite musicians of all time.
I aspire to be on that level of genius that he is.
He is incredible.
He’s inspired so much to say what you feel and I’ve been silent about a lot of things
and it’s this album that I'm finally talking about these things.
Race, discrimination, all types of things.
Just in general and I'm finally talking about it and he’s been a main inspiration because
of that and my idol has inspired me to stand up against even him.
It’s just a real thing.
I don’t fuck with it.
I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing man.
I just don't understand.
I respect you.
I love you.
I care about you and because of that I have to say apparently what you won’t.
George Bush doesn’t care about black people.
When you look at what’s going on with George Bush and the whole Katrina situation, that
was fucked up and that was crazy but when you look at what Donald Trump is doing, talking
about “I’m going to ban Muslims.
I’m going to revoke things.”
Like he’s been saying that.
You can’t just be like, “Oh I’m with this.”
And then, “Oh I’m not with this.”
Fuck that shit.
I 100% don’t agree with rioting and burning down your own neighborhood.
People who sell you and your family groceries and all that shit.
That’s fucking terrible.
I understand the anger behind it.
I understand the passion behind it.
I understand that you’re so infuriated that you want to do something and that’s followed
by the lines that people of color don’t run from Trump, run against him.
Take that aggression and do something with it.
Take that shit to capitol hill and bang down the door and say something.
I understand.
I’ve seen it.
I’ve been there.
I know what’s it like to feel that way.
I’m so angry and disgusted by many things that go on in this country but I’m not going
to attack innocent people in my own community and I just don't’ think that we should also
do that.
To be quite honest as well, a lot of those people that insight riots are just there to
fuck shit up and don’t give two fucks about a cause and then things get blamed on the
community, mainly the black community and they say that their doing that to their own...so
I think it’s a bit of both.
Half the shit that’s being talked about and that’s going on in America, nobody even
sees how that affects the projects.
Nobody sees how that affects low income housing.
They literally just kick them into the streets.
Like oh my God!
The gentrification.
Just all the shit is so insane.
And here’s this dude, “I been in the cut, liquor in my cup, 38 tuck,/I don’t give
a fuck, I don’t give a damn.”
I don’t give a fuck about nobody.
I don’t give a fuck about the president.
I don't’ give a fuck.
I’m just trying to get this money cause that’s all I know.
After what’s been said on all these verses, we get to the very end and I say, “I’ve
never had a chance in this world/I’ve never had one,” and that, I’m talking about
the indigenous people of America, the Native Americans and what’s going on in that community
and what’s being ignored and that’s when No ID comes in and I love those raps and “Now
send the blacks back to africa/Build a wall for the mexicans/Send the whites back to Europe,”
and when he said that, I was like, “What?”
And then he goes, “Give the land to the Native Americans,” and it just clicked for
me, “Wow.”
Like here’s a man that’s like don’t forget….cause him writing it inspired me
to do the lines before that.
He’s really rallying it.
And he’s all for what’s going on in the black communities, especially in the Muslim
community because he has ties to that, his family but he’s really making a stand for
people, especially in this country, who can’t seem to find a voice, especially in mainstream
media, let alone in entertainment so it was just so incredible that.
You get what’s going on in America and you get to the very end which is truly what the
whole album is about and it’s about the indigenous, beautiful people of this country.