Lupe Fiasco — Conflict Diamonds

[Intro] Diamonds are forever (yeah) They won't leave in the night I've no fear that they might desert me Uh, F&F, yeah You know what I'm saying I figure, I feel like I should just You know, show people other side that weren't aware You know what I'm saying They are presently unaware They don't know about it You know what I'm saying You know just show 'em there's an other side to this thing right here We call it bling [Verse 1: Lupe Fiasco] Yeah Allow me to break down the game Behind the bracelets, earrings, chains, watches and rings The bling The crystal encrusted, princess flooded Canary studded, blue coloured and blood stained Yeah, the older brother of the drug game The giver of fame, the take awayer of lame The empowerer of the kings that came with claims and disease To leave where the native peoples were staying Believe, my engagement ring received And flossed at the cost of a bonded child miner's pain Long ago kings used to wear 'em in their armor when they fought other armies Because it used to scare 'em If you wasn't rich, couldn't wear 'em Witches used to marry 'em They'll shoot you before they share 'em The gift and the curse, the venom and the serum Most hated lady's best friend, get murked for a clear one [Bridge] Diamonds are forever (yeah) You know what I'm saying (Diamonds are forever) Now I ain't comin' down on nobody You know what I'm saying I ain't trying to judge nobody and nothin' like that (Forever) You know what I'm saying I floss too, I might go get me a pinky ring tomorrow You know what I'm saying But, I just want you to see man You know what I'm saying Just see man [Verse 2: Lupe Fiasco] Uh, Cecil Rhodes sowed war and genocide Into the countryside just to get his shine on I fear what De Beers and his peers used to do Before the world really knew, just to get their mine on Making paper with slave labor And hitting little kids with life time bids making them cut and shine stones Inflating the price and making them look nice And I wasn't thinking twice when I was putting mine on About a young shorty in Sierra Leone Or other conflict countries that people call home I figured I would never go to Angola So it never did affect me there, maybe indirectly That my neck leash was funding a rebellion or a military coup Started by militias that don't believe in following none of Geneva's rules I was brushing off the haters, trying to be cool Didn't have a clue that the rapper was helping the rapers Raiders of the villagers, pillagers of the schools Shooters of the innocents, torturers of the witnesses Burners of the businesses and my bracelet was the fuel Uh, I ain't pushing an agenda, homie I'm just pushing the facts, fuck Bush 'Cause there's people doing worse on this earth and they're black I took it there, yeah, now let me bring it back We all know on foreign shores that they finance wars But ask yourself, "Do they finance yours?" When I first got mine I took them out on tour Didn't know they lost half the value when I took 'em out the store Or it was full of moissanites and cubits But the jeweler knew I was stupid And that I couldn't prove it Feeling like I need it because I do music To impress the groupies and the interviewers So I didn't appraise it, nor did I loupe it Even gave them to my girl, thinking I was Cupid Homies was all hate, hoping they could make me lose it Creeping through my own hood, knew I had to remove it I see the Russian Mafia, the Jewish Mobsters The undercover terrorists and the traps for the hustlers Homie, it's a wrap for the nonsense rhyming Props to Kanye, I call it "Conflict Diamonds" [Outro] Diamonds are forever (yeah) You know what I'm saying I felt like I should just let you all know that You know what I'm saying Make you all aware, so many people Do things to glorify 'em I felt like it was time for somebody to do somethin' That would horrify 'em You know what I'm saying Bet you never thought that That 20 karat ring or 20 karat chain or bracelet that you got on Is fundin' some little war somewhere Got some little kid murderin' a whole family somewhere You know what I'm saying But hey! Just think, now you know You know what I'm saying You gotta know to be a hypocrite, baby (haha!) Hollaback, F&F up! (Forever) Chi-town, Lupe!