Lyrics These Are Our Heroes - Clean Album Version - Nas

This ain't for everybody, y'all know who y'all are
Yeah, you, you know who you are
These are our heroes, haha

Let's hear it, one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who 'Yes, Massa' on TV
What ever happened to Wheezy? The Redd Foxx's?
Never got Emmy's but were real to me
Let's hear it, two for the spooks who do cartwheels
'Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar, hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him, "Ooh, he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to, the decent negro?
The acceptable negro? Hell nah
But they say, "These are our heroes"

Uh, Massa used to breed us to be bigger to go play
Athletes of today in the NBA, make me proud
But there's somethin' they don't say
Keep gettin' accused for abusin' white -
From OJ to Kobe, uh let's call him Tobe
First he played his life cool just like Michael
Now he rock ice too just like I do
Yo, you can't do better than that?

The hotel clerk who adjusts the bathroom mat?
Now you lose sponsorships that you thought had your back
Yeah, you beat the rap jiggaboo, fake n- you
You turn around then you sh- on Shaq
Who woulda knew, Mr. Goodie-Two-Shoes
He love a little butt crack, got enough cash
Little kids with they bus pass who look up to you
To do something for the youth, stupid spoof
But you let them use you as an example
They would rep, but our heroes got they hands full

Let's hear it, one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who 'Yes, Massa' on TV
What ever happened to Wheezy? The Redd Foxx's?
Never got Emmy's but were real to me
Let's hear it, two for the spooks who do cartwheels
'Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar, hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him, "Ooh, he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to, the decent negro?
The acceptable negro? Hell nah
But they say, "These are our heroes"

You Homey The Clown, bowtie, apple pie, Bo Jangles
But we love Bo Jangles, we know what he came through
But what's your excuse, duke? You talk Black
But your album sound like you give your n- for a plaque
You don't ride for the facts like um, say Scarface
You don't know what you feel, y'all too safe
Election done came and went, y'all worked so hard for it
Huh, and in the end we all got -

These are our heroes, thanks a lot public school systems still rot
Still harassed by cops, snitches on blocks
Selling they peoples out, some real folks with clout
Tavis Smiley, Michael Eric Dyson
Stokely Carmichael, let's try to be like them
Nicky Giovanni poetical black female
Jim Brown to the people who sing well from
Fela to Miriam Makeba
The mirror says you are the next American leader
So don't be accepting new 'We are the World' records

These pickaninnies get with anything to sell records
'Cause it's trendy to be the conscious MC
But next year, who knows what we'll see?
Haha, these are our heroes

Let's hear it, one for the coons on UPN 9 and WB
Who 'Yes, Massa' on TV
What ever happened to Wheezy? The Redd Foxx's?
Never got Emmy's but were real to me
Let's hear it, two for the spooks who do cartwheels
'Cause they said they played they parts well
Now they claim caviar, hate that oxtail
Lambda Sigma Phi badge on lapel
Whitey always tell him, "Ooh, he speak so well"
Are you the one we look to, the decent negro?
The acceptable negro? Hell nah
But they say, "These are our heroes"

Yeah, I wanna give a special shoutout to the, you know
The crew doin' they thing out there reppin' us hard
Big up to Tiger Woods, yeah, ya don't stop
Big up to Cuba Gooding Jr.
You know, yeah, you know
Tay Diggs, what up my n-? Yeah, haha
And you don't quit, and you don't quit
And ya don't stop, and you don't quit

I'm outta here
Please excuse me, excuse me, please
Let me get to my limousine, I'm outta here
I know, I got a plane to catch
And I love you back, haha, yeah, yeah
And I'm outta here, haha, peace
(Come on, man, give back to the hood)
(Cocky motherf-)