Live & direct in a place near you It’s Afro D & the All Starz crew Hip Hop ain’t dead, it’ll always survive As long as we hittin stages, keepin it live Up in the place, comin live & direct B Reese and the All Starz rockin the set Hip Hop ain’t dead, it’ll always survive As long as we hittin stages, keepin it live Afro D’s on the mic, and he’s ready to rock So step on up and show em what you got See I’m coming up A-ces, F-ortlessly So, R you down to start reppin with me? O- yes! Then I got ‘nothin but love’--definitely And a RIP to the man Heavy D Just had to spell it out, so you could get the picture Spittin rhymes like photographs, havin the perfect mixture Of various ingredients to capture something beautiful Only thing is my artistic medium is musical Different from the usual, cookie-cutter sound This ain’t the Barnum Bailey show, we don’t get down with those clowns Cuz this ain’t an act, this is Beats, Rhymes & Life On a Love Movement like Q-Tip & Phife And it’s nice— to see heads noddin and hands clappin To this band playin and this man rappin This moment in time is brought to you By Afro D and the All Starz crew Live & direct in a place near you It’s Afro D & the All Starz crew Hip Hop ain’t dead, it’ll always survive As long as we hittin stages, keepin it live Up in the place, comin live & direct B Reese and the All Starz rockin the set Hip Hop ain’t dead, it’ll always survive As long as we hittin stages, keepin it live B Reese is on the mic, and he’s ready to rock So step on up and show em what you got B. Reese ok you might of heard the moniker The ball game deeply read Matt Bonners' fur Or Brian Scalabrine you see me, he's so clutch I dream of genie, she steam, it's like a rolled Dutch A little fire makes it come alive, See it's got a certain heat, watch it rise Down to work it on a tour, yea we harmonize Even if it's just a Short Circuit, Johnny 5 The wiring makes it unlikely Kid Chuck Inglish Cool Rock so Mikey Game needs an I.V. Who will pump fluid into it? I do it like the 20teen Ice T A Coco, Queen we'll rock roll nightly The game's dust and another one bites thee Why me? Maybe cuz I be balanced like Tai Chi With some All-stars beside me

This goes out to those everyday people More concerned with helping others than about their own ego And if you try to give them credit they deflect it away But a lil ‘thank you’ is all I’m trying to say- today Cuz Lord knows that tomorrow ain’t guaranteed But it’s a little brighter thanks to those who care to feed The hungry, take care of the sick and the frail And care for the youth so that they won’t fail Cuz it’s a cold world for the youngest and the oldest Sometimes when the sun shines it can be the coldest But- warmth can be found in the grasp of a helping hand To combat the loneliness and provide strength to Stand- Up! Making connections, & teaching lessons & breathin blessings To ease the stressin and cease the progression Of despair, cuz tho we know life ain’t fair We can try to take it there & make it fair, by saying ‘I care’ This goes out to that average Joe He might be a plumber, but ain’t afraid to go against the flow I’m talking bout that guy who loves all people That guy who treats his wife as his equal For his kids, he provides constant support Showing up for every parent-teacher conference-- of course I’m talking bout that guy who works at nursing homes for free To visit with the residents and share his poetry That guy who serves as a mentor to give a child hope That guy who you will never hear makin those racist jokes That guy who ain’t afraid to be an activist That guy who’s proud to be a pacifist That guy who works two jobs just to pay the rent And who accepts his gay son 110 percent That guy who sends money to family in another country Just to make sure that they have enough and don’t go hungry That guy who coaches youth soccer and basketball And teaches life lessons, as well as how to pass the ball Who recycles, drives a hybrid, and is never wasteful That guy who would never cheat, cuz he’s always faithful Who encourages his daughter’s dreams to be a dancer Who runs 5Ks to raise money against cancer That guy who knows what it means to be there And who lives life by the words, “I care” So if you don’t give a damn you could not be me You see, I’m saying “eye care” like Opti-Free And while I’m rapping bout changes we got to see The Right Wing is probably watchin me See their so-called‘freedom,’ man, it’s not for me It’s like they just got ‘dumb’ but forgot the ‘free’ Trying to brainwash the people constantly And scare you into submission like how monsters be We had Glenn Beck all up in some robbery Tryin to ‘take back America’ from Doctor King? Callin Obama a foreigner? obviously They’re really saying that ‘white’ is what he ought to be So I got one shot from the top of the key Tryin to maintain possession like apostrophe S—yes, there’s no way they can block this three Cuz with the mic in my hand there’s no stopping me

Time flies- as days turn to nights, and nights turn to days Each life turns the page-- to the next chapter Life’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure book so what you do today affects whatever’s comin after So as I look back, thinking how I took that Fork in the road so many times without a good map to guide me But still it seems, the decisions I made helped me reach the dreams deep inside me Like—back in ’99 I was a high school senior tryin to decide on a college, the result still a mystery One morning I woke up—and this voice in my head was like ‘Tufts’- and you could say the rest is history Or destiny, like it’s meant to be, Cuz in college I developed mentally & also learned to be a fresh MC Started out pre-med, biology and chemistry And in bio lab was where I met my homie Eddie V Connected me with B Reese, or Stickemz at the time Ed was DJ Health, they were partners in rhyme So we—linked up on some freestyle sessions Sharin late-night, Lewis Hall, lyrical lessons Just Three MCs, never layin no goose eggs Though the program we used to record was mad bootleg But we brought our A-Game to record a couple tracks Just Stickemz, DJ Health, and the Afro DZ ak—stand back They said he's unimaginable with the beat it seems Wearing it so well you think I had it in his geans They bump it Upstate, it's got an NY theme Really makes sense right: a dollar and a dream Had it as a teen, younger, Buds of Promise Trust the God, he'll give it to you honest Said go to MA, kill it, what could I say? Really, I don't talk about the ye, hoes, or gun play But am a baller, been known to hit a long J Menace on the mic, you get at em the wrong way Champ! Turns out heads weren't ready Spit rhymes of the hezy dap hands with the Prezy EZ rock stead, DJ Health Production Media players cold rocking a function Freestyling, hold it down on the 1,2 Triangle with my man Pete Shungu My man Afro, the things that been said man We're ancient samurai fighting for the number one head band We battle so the youth ain't mislead fam With all the insight and knowledge we fed, damn! Show em they can wisen up off of dumb spit Turn around quick solo off the trumpet They couldn't trump it serving tea and crumpets Time flies- lets out run it. Yea!

Chorus Music is an ocean, constantly in motion Sound waves display its emotions On the surface, melodies are floatin But get deep and new worlds will open Music is an ocean, constantly in motion Sound waves display its emotions On the surface, melodies are floatin But get deep and new worlds will open Verse 1 Music is an ocean, let’s take a dive So much to see when we keepin it live Fish, plants, dolphins, each so intricate Unique like sounds from different instruments Sea life parallels the band We got violin, flute, and saxophones, man Plus guitar and piano, drums, and bass Every element has its place Then the trumpet blows like a powerful breeze Afro D- the captain of the high C’s This type of project ain’t your typical occurrence Like a collaboration of warm & cold currents To make one sound, one breeze, one flow One heart, one mind, one drive, one soul One song, one beat, one rhyme, one goal To let the power of the music take control Verse 2 I hope that I’ll be makin music when I’m 73 And you could call me the Old Man and the Sea Cuz music is an ocean, let me reiterate All natural- yet not afraid to innovate Syncopate, adapt to changing times While the sun attracts the water with blazing rhymes Evaporation—that’s the sun blessing the microphone Then precipitation comes, bringing the cycle home Nighttime, the moon shines her beautiful beams Really, she’s shining light by writing hot sixteens The tide indicates the patterns that the track will form Waves crash on shore on the 2 and 4, Birds sing the hook, as they glide to the flow Got the fish jumping, saying H2OOOO! Maybe I’m trippin but I feel that the rhythm Of the ocean is a heartbeat to guide how we livin Verse 3 See, hip hop and the ocean ain’t really that different Both got a lot to say if you really listen Both can teach life lessons and impart wisdom And both stay focused on flowin to the rhythm The rhythm, the rhythm, it’s all about the rhythm The rhythm of life dictates the way we livin Cuz good times or bad times, high tide or low tide Music’s like a baptism, you can let your soul glide But what’s up with these commercial MCs Polluting the waters just like BP They on a blind quest for wealth—drillin for oil Not really caring that they killin for oil Cuz yo-- Clear Channel and MTV They pollutin airwaves like CFCs Destroying the ozone in the quest for the Benjamins Franklin would be ashamed of the way that we spendin him Forget that talk that it’s all about those bills Music is an ocean, it’s all about those gills It’s all about those lungs, it’s time to take a breath It’s time to breathe life instead of breathing death Invest in time, invest in each other Invest in strategies to save our mother Earth—so we teaching kids from birth To respect our planet in its infinite worth

Verse 1 He was a good kid, always did what he was told The kind his parents didn’t even need to scold Except the time they found him wearing a dress, that was bad The only time he ever got hit by his dad Around 7th grade, he starts to feel this shame Cuz other boys start liking girls, but he doesn’t feel the same And some kids start chanting his name And that three letter F word like it was a game Who’s to blame—when a young man thinks that who that he is, is wrong Pushing him to the edge, when all along He really just needs some affirmation Some acceptance instead of all this condemnation But he just retreats further within Cuz at church, yo the pastor says being gay is a sin So he’s got no one to talk to At the Valley of the Shadow of Death with no one to help him walk through He’s got to—stay strong, stay focused, stay sane So he writes poems to escape the pain He brings his book of poems everywhere he goes The only way he can come out but still nobody knows Then one day this kid steals his book of poetry And posts his words on Facebook for the world to see Sticks and stones can break bones, but words can cut like a knife And that was the night that he took his own life Chorus These are the memories of life and love gone wrong How can I find the strength within myself to be strong So don’t forget me, cause we’re all the same And when I’m gone, who’s to blame? Verse 2 She wakes up in the middle of the night Once again to the sound of her mother and her father in a fight Wishin it was all a bad dream As she hears the sound of flesh striking flesh and her mother’s screams But she loves them both, so she blocks it out Knowing her parents’ love’s the one thing that she couldn’t do without And she starts thinking that push come to shove Maybe violence is just one way of expressing love Freshman year, she meets this boy who she kinda likes At first he buys her pretty things and he treats her nice But soon he starts pressuring her to have sex But she’s only 13 years old, she knows she’s not ready yet And when she tells him no, he starts to hit her Sayin that if she really loved him, she’d let him get with her But when he starts accusing her of cheating She finally gains the strength to leave him and escape the beating Then she meets this girl one day at the store And she starts having these feelings she’s never had before They start seeing each other, and the way they connect For the first time in her life, yo, she’s gettin respect Two months later her mom’s doin the dishes And she builds up the courage to tell her all about this new love interest All of a sudden her mom gets crazy pissed Like, “I didn’t raise my only daughter to turn out like this!” She grabs a plate and hurls it to the floor And says, “get out of my house, you can’t stay here anymore!” The girl starts bawling like an infant It’s like the plate and her heart both shattered in that same instant She moves in with an aunt, but things are not the same And squarely on her own shoulders is where she places the blame The next week she writes a letter to her girlfriend Closes her eyes, pops some pills, and she lets her world end Verse 3 He hops in the car, a nervous smile on his face He’s 28 now, ten years since he’s been back to this place A place whose halls he knew so well That many times felt like 4 years of living hell Now he’s a talented cartoonist, featured across the nation In high school, art was his one salvation From the pain of spending 4 years trapped in a closet When he drew, it’s like he could take that pain and pause it And find a new reality, where he could be himself Instead of keeping his identity bottled up on a shelf He contemplated suicide on more than one occasion And just might have gone through with it except for the persuasion Of a teacher who everyone called Mr. A Although immature kids called him Mr. Gay Twelve years ago he broke an unwritten rule And came out of the closet to the whole school Some called him sick and asked for his termination But to this young man, Mr. A was his inspiration The only confidant that he had He couldn’t even come out to his mom and dad And now the news had just broke that Mr. A, Had tragically passed away But sometimes it’s like life comes out of death Inspiring this young man to come back to this place he had left He contacted the school and asked to be a guest speaker To talk about art, about life, about his favorite teacher He talks about his sexual orientation And at the end, he receives a standing ovation Afterwards, this one boy pulls him aside And says, “I just need to tell you what I’m feeling inside You proved to me that I can make it through all of the strife I swear to God, you just saved my life”

Verse 1 Back in March, 2004 Who coulda known what fate had in store? We met at this workshop in Philadelphia At the COOL conference, talkin bout helpin ya Start a group for multiracial students at Oberlin Thought you were kinda cute, but I had a girlfriend Plus you were 18- you were only freshman Little did I know how big an impression You would make on my life Now it’s 2012, and I can call you my wife But let me reminisce about this journey You could call it March Madness, but not the tourney Naw, I’m talking bout how one chance meeting A few words following a simple greeting Could come to define this life I’m leading This joy I’m feeling with this woman I’m needing Chorus (rapped) You are the love of my life, in fact We go together like white & black The perfect combination, you and me Now I know how great love can truly be You are the love of my life, it’s true We go together like brown and blue Cuz every night when I lay down to rest I thank God, cuz I feel so blessed (sung) You are the love of my life You make everything right You are the love of my life You make everything right Verse 2 Stayed in touch sporadically over the next few years Via e-mail during your college career I was working a 9 to 5 and making music at night You were majoring in education, future looking bright Lookin at grad schools took you up to Boston Met up for a meal and we got to talkin I was like- Tufts- that’s where you gotta come yo Promotin my alma mater like a true Jumbo And Tufts is where you went Now we single, in the same city, let the courtship commence Went to see a show on campus I was tryin to serve game like Pete Sampras Dancin to jams from my homies Melodesiac I could tell you liked Pete, not just Afro DZ ak We shared our first kiss that night And I knew then everything would be alright Verse 3 September 1, 2007 The start of a relationship made in heaven Just started dating, where are we gonna chill? You took me on a ‘date’ to First Church Somerville I had all but written off Christianity Thought it all preached ignorance and inhumanity But in this church I felt something different Like God was still speaking- so I listened You brought me closer to God, it’s true But God, she also brought me closer to you Plus we met a great community, warm & caring Although people thought that we were already married It’s funny looking back, the look on their face Cuz who goes to church on a second or third date? But truth is, we built our love on a solid foundation Based on respect, shared interests & admiration And passion to make change, wherever we go Ensuring that our love will continue to grow I said, passion to make change, wherever we go Ensuring that our love will continue to grow

Verse 1 It all started back in ninety-nine Never thought I’d rock a fro at the time But the last time I had like no hair at all My man Mike gave me a cut up in Hodgdon Hall Freshman year, back at Tufts—yo good looks fam But soon the fro would become a part of who I am It wasn’t something that I had planned to do But if you said I ‘grew into it,’ that would be true Lookin back now, it’s kinda crazy At first I just let it grow out cuz I was broke and lazy But soon, I was like, dis aiiight Cuz girls started sayin that Maxwell and I looked alike Sometimes I would rock the ‘freeform fro’ Like no comb, wild style, letting it flow Other times I would rock the picked out dome The look my mom & dad preferred when I was home Chorus C'mon baby, can you dig my fro? My afro (2x) Verse 2 I soon learned the fro could spark instant conversation And be the source of mad objectification Random dudes yellin “Afro” and grinning like they my homie Or girls like “can I touch it?” when they don’t even know me And that Halloween party at a Frat House was not cool White people grabbin my hair, like it’s a costume Then in Paris I had this crazy experience People pointing and shouting “Michael Jackson,” like are you serious? I mean granted they had probably had too many beers But the man hadn’t rocked a fro in like 20 years But in spite of this, the fro helped develop my identity And confidence to grow into the person I was meant to be Before, I had been mad nervous and shy But with the fro, I became a more social guy I mean it’s not like the fro gave me powers to speak But it’s like I was no longer scared to be unique Bridge Baby, can you dig it (several times) Verse 3 Fast forward to two thousand and now Still rockin the fro, like a fist in the air, Black and proud And though people have said that my hair is unprofessional My hair is not a sin, this is not confessional Plus I’ve found that workin with kids in school Most of them seem to think that the fro is cool And I’m hoping that it’s good for their health Sending the message that it’s ok to just be yourself Plus I’ve found my soul mate, with a vibe so heavenly Rockin twin fros with more soul than the seventies Not to mention, as an MC and musician Afro D is a name that’s perfectly fittin But to say that’s all I am would not be fair Cuz like India says, “I am not my hair” And I’ve matured enough over time to know I would still be me if I cut this fro

If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets Some said no, some said hell no! With the big whigs, you'll never rub elbows Not with duck tape on your shell toes Hollywood's just not your place, no Melrose So Barry, coached in the Falls Scary, visionary approach to it all Knew for so long that flow was the bomb And the pros and the cons are like Kobe, Lebron Pick your poison, any side he's on Shots put up opponents getting put down Look round, how he look crowned King of the jungle yet oh so humble The words I pair, see, make me a rare bread Wise as a tortoise, yet move at a hare's speed The pen leaks heat rocks, jot those Bring em to the streets, drop em, watch em turn to pot holes If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets Best of the brightest, roll out like Johnny Unitas Think he had a horseshoe on his helmet Hellbent, giving you the heat like its hell sent Mo fire, watch it go higher Come take a ride with a hip-hop pariah Smooth moving, microphone abusing Been known for brain banging and confusing Your wings get burnt trynna dip with the friar Stepping out in my straight street attire LRG while I emcee Then the world see who the best be B.D.O.T.R double E.S.E The beats posses me, more so guide me Provide me with powers to prowl, step lively Hot gingerbread, go and bang your head You lose a screw or two, Electric Boogaloo If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets If you got the heat, you gotta bring it to screets You gotta bring it to the screets

Ministry—what does that word mean to me? It means caring for another person if they’re needing me It often means doing more listening than talking And if you do talk the talk you better do the walking It means livin by example every single day Both by the things you do and the things you say It means sharing your time, your talents, your bread Your money, your food so that all get fed It means sharing love and kindness and watchin it spread Helpin the depressed see there’s brighter days ahead Inspiring the youth to achieve great things, instead Of feelin like their future’s either in jail or dead It means using art the same way as medicine To turn sickness to health, find hope and let it in Like I’m Dr. Shungu, just without the degree It’s alright—cuz in my fam we already got three And they inspire me when I write these verses So I collaborate with beats like doctors with nurses And money’s just a secondary purpose Cuz sellin records less important than keepin brothers out of cells and hearses Ministry- the essence of MCin Cuz there are times when words can save a human being It’s so much bigger than rap So those who’ve ministered to me this track’s my way of giving you dap They said I “preach” too much in my tracks But check it—life’s too short to only rap about rap So I’ll take it as a compliment, if you say that I’m preachin Cuz I’m a teacher using speech to reach minds when I’m speakin And good pastors and good rappers, they got the same goals Both tryin to reach troubled minds and save lost souls But in hip hop and religion, there’s too many frauds Worshippin themselves, tryin to impersonate God Or worshippin the money, cuz their motives are flawed Or promotin hate on the mic cuz their vision ain’t broad And they see only in Black and White, in wrong or right When many colors together shine a marvelous light In the sight of a higher power, no matter who you worship Life can bring its finest hour, make this all feel worth it No one’s perfect, but we can all strive to be Living examples of the change that we tryin to see And whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish—yo we all equals Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist—yo, you all my peoples As long as you livin to love… Whatever motivates you, whether it comes from within or above Is a beautiful thing—so just let that light shine Through an action, or a sermon, a donation, or a rhyme Through respect for all people, respect for our planet Reflection bout life to better understand it