Open Mic: The Struggle Is Real

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Zinaii View Drop Down
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    Posted: 25 April 2015 at 3:57am


*DISCLAIMER*
We're not being racist. We can only speak on what we know. We are speaking from the perspective of black men. When we say "they" we're not speaking on a specific race. Even blacks act like this towards other blacks. The point of this open was to bring attention to the black struggle which is very much real. Feel free to debate and give opinions on the issue of race. Hope you enjoy!!!!

CHAIN

What you know about this light skinned negro-ness
Racially defined by what they hear on a Migos disc. 
Staying on the grind to box against the prejudice
Classed as a gangsta by proxy to discredit this…
Cat looking sharp that they stop and frisk for petty shit 
So much for that bogus ‘pull ya pants up’ rhetoric.
It’s evident, yet…acknowledge it they won’t though
Calling us thugs while they profit off the home grown. 
Ey’ time we fuck up it’s ‘why are they so ignorant?’
Ey’ time they fuck up it’s an isolated incident. 
Word to the pigmented students in your workforce 
Trying to act white, that is cooning in it’s worst form. 
You gon’ lose that turf war, YOU are not exempt 
Even though you’re all men of Tutankhamen’s strength. 
Tell the Don Lemons that their suit and tie won’t hide it
Look at how they humanized that suicidal pilot. 
The way they do our guys they wouldn’t do their dogs
They wouldn’t harm a poodle but they will shoot you, dawg
Leniency? never, ‘cause ‘we did it to ourselves’ 
Like the racial divide ain’t systemic as hell. 
Peep the comment sections and look in the mirror bruh 
Who is portrayed by the media as superior? 
They talk about Charlie, won’t talk about Nigeria 
I guess it’s not the same, we don’t meet the criteria 
The holocaust was real shit, slavery? Get over it 
Here’s a big fuck you to your racist ass associates. 
Thinking shit changed since Barack got elected 
Saying ‘this one’s for you’ when Pac’s on the record. 
Like all we listen to is Hip Hop are you serious? 
Making all these fried chicken jokes like it cheers me up
Acting like I’m sensitive, you mock my way of life 
With disgust but it’s still Hip Hop Hooray tonight 

…right? 

Hmmmm.....I guess media depiction is the reason for the sickness?
Shit I couldn't wear a ski mask if I was skiing in a blizzard!
One step within my radius? Then indeed there'd be a victim
Or at least that's the depiction when they see me from a distance
Unspoken injustice there are too many things that go unoticed
God forbid my head is cold while walking to the store for soda
Search my facebook to find thuggish pics to desensitize the public
"He had what was coming to him. He was meant to find some justice"
Im in-clined to say fuck it. But I'm working on this bachelor's
I still come from a hood where having a purpose seems backwards
But we're all imperfect. That shoulder devil holds a grudge with my purity
But I shouldn't be; judged immorally because of a thugs insecurities
I swear at times it feels as though the fuzz schemes on us hourly
One of my worst fears is to be a cop's wet dream of brutality.
People try to get me to act ignorant but I never bit the bait
and fuck Don Lemon his bitch ass doesn't represent the race!!
Picked on! Even if I live complacent? That Shits dumb.
I'm a concrete rose so where's the intimidation stem from?
But if I display to much pride; I'm usually seen as racist
They get offensive; why doesn't anyone seem to embrace it?
Forget everything you thought; fuck those preconceived notions
So to kill the stereotypes? Me and CHAIN agreed to be spokesman.


Edited by SwordedStylez - 25 April 2015 at 1:48pm
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daydizzle89 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote daydizzle89 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 April 2015 at 12:54pm
first off let's talk about the rhyming. 

Chain- you really are a crazy alien with rhymes brothaman. This is sick as fuck. Content has a real reason n it's so refreshing. I really appreciate  the fact you guys are willing to debate. There is a lot of quotables  n lines that were top notch. I would love to collab with ya n write off your bars. Dope shit. 

Zinn- nice to see you writing. I don't think since I have been on LA that I've seen you write an OM. W.E. this was fresh. Really liked the concrete rose line. I love how both you guys referenced Tupac in your drops. I started to listen to PAC when I was only 5 years old. This had alot of powerful lines. Definitely dope Ness here.


Opinion -  I have no idea what it is to be black. I don't know what alot of blacks experience either. What I do know is that I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood n was engulfed into the neighborhoods culture, class and perspectives. I was the token whiteboy. I was called flashlight in high school lol.  I was stopped by cops like it was clock work in the morning on my way to highschool, frisked  n harassed by the white cops
 Why? I sagged my pants, wore aviator jackets n wore Timbs. The cops called me a sore thumb. I lived in a "dangerous" neighborhood n had did what everyone else did. Smoked the ganja, hung out on porches n went to parties every night. I didn't know what race was tbh. I never once looked at race in any giving perspective. There was a few people that would mock me and shit because I was one of the few white cats but that.stopped as soon as my friends would find out. The African American culture is one of the most embracing cultures. I really think here in America it's less of a black vs. White issue as it is a clash of class's. A clash of cultures. A clash of cops vs. Class. I used to get treated like shit from cops. Telling me that I'll never get out this neighborhood. I had cops on my ass since I was 13. They have pulled guns on me, beaten me with clubs, took my graffiti cans n sprayed me, handcuffed my wrist to my ancles
 It's an abuse of power. now where I live an hour south of chicago. I'm repesected by law and feel safe for once. I know that racism is still around as I now live in a city known for KKK activity lmfao. I just think we as a culture has to focus on what blacks are doing to other black. Statistics don't lie and many of my African American friends completely agree. There is more of an epidemic of violence amongst themselves. I am an indirect victim loosing many friends that are now dead. At 8 that I know of being shit and killed over stupid shit. My one friends daughter was shot in the head while he was walking his kid in a stroller. I'm really happy you guys addressed this. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Zinaii Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 April 2015 at 2:45pm
That's a good point dizzle I agree with most of your post; my city has two major sides one side is really really nice a lot of money put into communities, megachurches, all kinds of businesses etc. Once you get into the hood its like boarded up houses, liquor stores, convenience stores, and dollar stores like literally three or four on the same street. That's not solely the blame for how certain blacks act but when you look at the environment it kinda adds up. No businesses really want to invest in inner city communities. Which also ties into the statistics. But it goes both ways because alot of guys act ignorant tonprove a point or live out whatever move/album they've listened to. Like Detroit for example. They lost a lot of there automobile jobs overseas and the crime rate skyrocketed. I think if you surround some communities with opportunities, the residents can and will thrive. Maybe not immediately, but I think over time yes. There's always gonna be knuckleheads but I do think this could help a lot of the bad neighborhoods. Appreciate that feed dizzy
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote NoteBook Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 April 2015 at 3:15pm
What more can i say than Dizzle this was socially conscious and well versed... 10/10 from me
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote nomedic Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 April 2015 at 10:46pm
Chain

I think this was something different but flow wise it still was enjoyable the content hit home though there were many factual and controversial issues in your verse solid

ZIN

Homie flow wise a few areas were a lil bit shady other than that the flow in most of the piece was quite good the content as well earned my respect alot of the issues you raised i could relate to

Personally for me as a black guy living in a post white dominant era its messed up the older generation are still conditioned to see them as superior no hate ,the cops especially the white ones seem to only target black people the whites lock the cars if you are around em no hate though i got white friends and all that so im no racist just this is how things are
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Concrete Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 April 2015 at 11:08am
Enjoyed this read, Chain you did really well conveying your issues. Technically on-point and sharp social commentary with finesse, you made it unmistakable clear what was on your mind here.
Zinai added to this with his own style, had some intriguing bars, like the hood\backwards and concrete rose. Also managed to tell his views without ever becoming corny or self-indulgent dwelling. 

Not gonna discuss on the politics side of this, I just liked the way you commented on how seeing the world from your perspective. The OM could use more tales from reality type a pieces like this.  
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote SwordedStylez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 April 2015 at 8:09pm
Ok. Now I'm gonna be real with you here, this is a controversial topic. Did you "do it justice?" That's always my number 1 indicator when I read something as socially conscious as this. There's a real risk of coming across "racist" yourself in these topics and make it an "us and the rest of you demons" and you guys managed to avoid that scape-goating entirely actually and kept it 100% legit, that's your fist "tick." 

Chain.

Ok bro, you know I'm possibly one of your "longest fans" and often time collaborator on here so I think I can be fairly candid with my feedback. Firstly, I wanted a lot more than you gave me. I wanted a track's worth of content. I think the message is limited by the internet medium, and I think this well-written it deserves the "rest of the package." It's an unfair assessment by a "rapper" i guess, but this shit just seems wasted in an Open Mic section of a slow-ass internet forum. This is album-worthy material and you know it is. Shit, that "cooning" line is so fucking cold man, that'd trend. Sometimes I really get honestly annoyed that you're Dutch. If you were actually American you and I both know you'd be recording stuff like this and I really wanna HEAR it. But to bring it back to the world we actually live in, it's flawless. Top to bottom there isn't a syllable, inflection, rhyme or word that I'd change. This is powerful work and you at your best.

Zin -Why do I never remember how good you are? I owe you a massive apology I think because I've honestly never really explored your work but when I read it I all of a sudden think "hold on, I always thought he was a good writer." Did you know you have great flow? I mean in the "actual" sense of rapping rather than whatever text defines it as. You're hitting a perfect 4/4 with great wording and nice rhyme placements. I can spit this with ease so that's another bonus.  You're not on Chain's level lyrically but I don;t think you need to be, you're more "organic" in your delivery, yo, do you spit? Just a hunch but I'd say even if you've never recorded you've spit bars. You're good, you're not "Great" yet and your technique is a little hit-and-miss but you're a charismatic writer with nice flow and interesting ideas. I enjoyed this alot.

5  stars



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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote iLL ScriptureZ Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 April 2015 at 3:06pm
How to describe this in one word. Powerful. Now, in this feedback I'm not going to break down the verses because you guys are both extremely talented artists. As far as rhyming, delivery, flow and all the other basic foundations we use to create verses were extremely high level. So, lets move to what is important. This message. I like how it did come from your own personal perspectives but at the same time it didn't come off as if one race is better than the other. Which, clearly no race is better than the other. Ever. I have to share my own personal experience in life because I feel that's where we generate a lot of our material. We write on topics, mostly, from what we have been through. No one is to blame for that. If you experienced racial profiling or were discriminated by any means is obviously horrible. I'm a white guy. Grew up and still currently live in a dominant black neighborhood. 10 miles away from 2 of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Philly and Camden. And apparently, Atlantic City is making that list as well soon. But I digress. Though, these places are run down & filled with crime it still holds a lot of great people. Caring people. Of all races. It's just some shit heads that ruin it for the mass. It's terrible. Even from a police officers perspective. Give or take 3,000 cops per city. Clearly, there is going to be people abusing power & are just awful people. I've said this so many times, and this OM couldn't be more on time with the shit going down in B-More. The human race is losing. Fuck a color. You know, America is the only place that defines people as white or black. I've traveled to Canada, Trinidad etc, and people identify with origin. They will say they are French, Italian, or Nigerian. Not, I'm black. Or she's white. It's fascinatingly disturbing that the "most powerful country in the world" is full with stupidity. This country is terrible. We all want others to fail because our personal lives suck. Instead of being an adult and changing it. We want to riot and destroy the cities we live in. Dr. Martin Luther King is probably turning in his grave right now. Violence & segregation is not the answer. What I think it stems from is we down have caring parents anymore. Kids are raising kids. We are obsessed with partying and doing childish shit rather than teaching rights and wrongs of our kids. Doing shit our kids do. I was a referee in a basketball league this year for 1st-3rd graders and had mother storm the court and say "you're a fucking piece of shit, are you fucking retarded". THIS is what I'm talking about. This is the exampled behavior our kids see everyday. It's no ones fault but our own. It's a people problem. Not a skin color one. I've been victim to racial biases & violence. I've also seen it done to others. I've lived both sides of the fence & it's not okay by any means. I apologize for the for long post & the digression in and out of it. Great job Chain & Zin, you guys lit a flame to write this back to you. Excellent work.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Illadel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 April 2015 at 7:12pm
This is a really dope drop touched on a lot of shit that has been going on lately. Its even more poignant considering what's been going on in b more. I wont get too deep with the political and racial shit Ive heard enough to last a lifetime. I will say this though , a lot of people need to read this whole thing and a certain group of people need to pay attention to the line "I come from a hood where having a purpose seems backwards". dope shit keepbup the positivity.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote CHAIN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 April 2015 at 10:52am
I’d like to give a shout out to Zinaii for reaching out to me to speak on this matter.
This really touches me. And it hurts too.
As soon as I read his verse (which was so real) it just sparked something within me.
I had to cut down my verse to just 32 bars.

Thank you Zinaii.
You deserve an appreciation thread for that verse lol

Shout out to all the gents that took the time out to post their insightful feed as well.

Love.


Now…

People need to stop focusing on the hair loss of the patient. Stop focusing on ways to improve chemotherapy. Don’t be mad at the patient for not going to see a doctor a lot sooner. Hell, stop being mad at the medicine prices.

The dominant society refuses to acknowledge there is a cancer,  let alone what is actually causing the damn cancer.

Don’t stress the symptoms of the disease…find a cure.
Identify the pathogen, isolate it and eradicate it till it stops infecting the people.

I’m using this metaphor just to show y’all how silly it is to focus on black-on-black crime/the so called 'thug/rape' culture and things like kids growing up without their fathers.
That is not the reason things are going this way. Let's be very clear.

We are not going to make progress towards real justice/equality until we collectively address the elephant in the room.
This is going to affect us all.


Please note that I am NOT from the United States. This is a global phenomenon, don’t get it twisted.

+Sick-Witted+
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote levy420 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 April 2015 at 3:26pm
Dam this was a really powerfull piece chain this was a different read from you flow wise I dug the approach an the way u formed your verse u brought up a lot of real issues in goberment in general zin this is one of the best pieces I've seen u involved in an the topic was about as real as it gets that concrete rose line was tough again I noticed u taking a different approach with this rhyme scheme wise
As far as the topic as a whole shit I deal with the same shit day to day back in Maine because of how I dressed an down here in Florida because I'm white with mixed kids in a black area I mean I don't catch shit from the hood but the police be profiling like a mother fucker I can't even go to the store to get bread or milk at night without being stopped an harassed because since I'm white in the hood I must be buying or selling drugs shit this is a topic we all can relate to no mater the race a very enjoyable read had to read it twice just to feed it stay up y'all an hit me up for the remix
I'll explode at the drop of a dime like proximity mines
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote SwordedStylez Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 April 2015 at 6:25pm
Originally posted by CHAIN CHAIN wrote:



Now…

People need to stop focusing on the hair loss of the patient. Stop focusing on ways to improve chemotherapy. Don’t be mad at the patient for not going to see a doctor a lot sooner. Hell, stop being mad at the medicine prices.

The dominant society refuses to acknowledge there is a cancer,  let alone what is actually causing the damn cancer.

Don’t stress the symptoms of the disease…find a cure.
Identify the pathogen, isolate it and eradicate it till it stops infecting the people.

I’m using this metaphor just to show y’all how silly it is to focus on black-on-black crime/the so called 'thug/rape' culture and things like kids growing up without their fathers.
That is not the reason things are going this way. Let's be very clear.

We are not going to make progress towards real justice/equality until we collectively address the elephant in the room.
This is going to affect us all.


Please note that I am NOT from the United States. This is a global phenomenon, don’t get it twisted.


Well fucking SAID. I think people need to realise that it's not even really a "race" issue as much as it is a "human" issue. As far as I'm concerned if people are dying over something consistently then we as a SPECIES need to change. It's a top to bottom overhaul or nothing will work. It HAS to be an entire change, we need to grow together as human beings, equals and souls. I honestly sometimes wonder how different the world would be if we were all blind.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Cuba Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2015 at 9:10am
This was big...isolated incident line was the haymaker for me. I thought Chain's verse was stronger than Zin's but I enjoyed both...I think Chain just comes across that bit sharper and technically sound. Really the only things I picked up on from Zin's were flow could've been a bit smoother in places, the content was solid and also had some heavy hits. I liked that desensitise the public line, that was heavy.

Dope drop fellas
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Onarolle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 May 2015 at 3:38pm
I was feelin the message sent. Must stay this was quite an interesting piece. 1st dude really set the tone and the 2nd guy ended it nicely. The flow was great. Good job by both
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote EtH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 September 2015 at 2:51am
First, I'll talk about my thoughts on it. For the record, the fact that you're going to get such a response out of me for something that wasn't a comment, it was a piece, is a tribute to how thought provoking it is.

I feel that people get confused between race and class. What black people feel is being done to them, stereotyping, profiling, brutality, white people in impoverished (ie. crime filled) neighbourhoods feel the exact same. A cop who is racist and will act upon that has a superiority complex, so do you think that a white kid wearing his "beat up hood clothes" or whatever is going to be treated with shear equality by this person? I moved to what I guess is a pretty nice estate a while ago. Pretty much doubt a crime was ever committed there out in the open. Cops would always drive through, probably just looking for something to do. Just because I wore a hoody and have scars all over my head, I got stopped like 3 times in a week as they "asked me a few questions". If I was black, this would have been racism, but because I'm not it's not. Profiling and stereotyping come down to statistics. In a black neighbourhood, they aren't stopping black guys wearing suits who are clearly just there to do some research or be a lawyer or something. They are picking on the guys wearing hoodies and baggy jeans. In Compton, if a drive by shooting was committed, are you going to target the gang members (all black based on the location) or the lone white kid?

Anyways, onto the actual content and not the subject. The first verse was good all in all. It made it's points but I felt like it was just continuously making the same point. Since a lot of this seems to be police based, I'd prefer to have seen it hit a couple of different topics. Like KRS One doesn't just say "cops are bad to us", he makes several different comparisons and several different points. This it nitpicking of course.

The second verse I felt was cracking with rhyming. Did a really good job of chaining everything up together. Little subtle things like the choice of wording inside to help the reader flow along, some solid high level stuff. A couple of twists on common things in there like "a concrete rose" was really well done and beautiful written.

You guys contrasted off of each other. The first verse came off angry and aggressive while the second verse seemed to be contemplating things a bit more, dissing the hood mentality at the same time as if to realize why some of these stereotypes are being put upon each other.

I think this piece would have been perfected with the rebuttle attached to it. Someone looking at the situation through the eyes of a white police officer. That would have been a challenge to put across based on how many of us feel about the cops but it would have been an interesting mix.

Good job all round guys. Enjoyed the read.
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