Yasiin Bey — Mathematics

[Produced by DJ Premier] [Intro] Bucka-bucka-bucka-bucka-bucka-bucka, haha! You know the deal; it's just me, yo Beats by Su-Primo for all of my people, Negroes and Latinos And even the gringos [Verse 1] Yo, check it 1 for Charlie Hustle, 2 for Steady Rock 3 for the forth-coming live future shock It's 5 dimensions, 6 senses 7 firmaments of heaven and hell 8 million stories to tell 9 planets faithfully keepin' orbit, with the probable 10th The universe expands left The body of my text possess extra strength Power-lift the powerless up out of this towering inferno My ink so hot it burn through the journal I'm blacker than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle Hip-Hop passed all your tall social hurdles Like the nationwide projects-prison-industry complex Working-class poor, better keep your alarm set Streets too loud to ever hear freedom ring Say evacuate your sleep, it's dangerous to dream For ch-ching, cats get the "cha-pow!" You dead now Killing fields need blood to graze the cash cow It's a numbers game, but shit don't add up somehow Like I got 16 to 32 bars to rock it But only 15% of profits ever see my pockets Like 69 billion in the last 20 years Spent on national defense, but folks still live in fear Like nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black That's why they gave Ricky Ross all the crack 16 ounces to a pound, 20 more to a key A 5 minute sentence hearing and you're no longer free 40% of Americans own a cell phone So they can hear everything that you say when you ain't home I guess Michael Jackson was right, you are not alone Rock your hardhat black, 'cause you in the Terrordome Full of hard niggas, large niggas, dice-tumblers Young teens and prison greens facing life numbers Crack mothers, crack babies, and AIDS patients Young bloods can't spell but they could rock you at PlayStation This New Math is whipping motherfuckers' ass You want to know how to rhyme, you better learn how to add It's mathematics [Hook] "The Mighty Mos Def" "It's simple mathematics" "Check it out" "I revolve around science" "What are we talking about here?" "The Mighty Mos Def" "It's simple mathematics" "Check it out" "I revolve around science" "What are we talking about here?" "Do your math, do your math" "1, 2, 3, 4" "What are we talking about here?" [Verse 2] Yo, it's 1 universal law, but 2 sides to every story 3 strikes and you biddin' for life, mandatory 4 MC's murdered in the last 4 years I ain't trying to be the 5th when the millennium is here Yo it's 6 million ways to die, from the 7 deadly thrills 8-year-olds getting found with 9mils It's 10 PM, where your seeds at? What's the deal? He on the hill pumping krills to keep they bellies filled Light in the ass with heavy steel, sights on the pretty shit in life Young soldiers trying to earn they next stripe When the average minimum wage is $5.15 You best believe you've got to find a new grind to get C.R.E.A.M The white unemployment rate is nearly more than triple for black Some front-liners got their gun in your back Bubbling crack, jewel theft and robbery to combat poverty And end up in the global jail economy Stiffer stipulations attached to each sentence Budget cutbacks but increased police presence And even if you get out of prison still livin' Join the other 5 million under state supervision This is business; no faces, just lines and statistics From your phone, your Zip Code, to SSI digits The system break man, child, and women into figures 2 columns for "Who is" and "Who ain't niggas" Numbers is hard and real and they never have feelings But you push too hard, even numbers got limits Why did one straw break the camel's back? Here's the secret The million other straws underneath it It's all mathematics [Hook] "The Mighty Mos Def" "It's simple mathematics" "Check it out" "I revolve around science.." "What are we talking about here?" "The Mighty Mos Def" "It's simple mathematics" "Check it out" "I revolve around science.." "What are we talking about here?" "Do your math, do your math" "1, 2, 3, 4" "What are we talking about here?" [Outro] (Mathematics, mathematics, mathematics...)