Natural Head Revolution

At Illinois State University, Natural Head Revolution, poem by Greg Powell

Natural Head Revolution

(Inspired by an Angela Davis Lecture at ISU)

Natty heads arise
Natty minds surmise
Natty time to radicalize
Natty eyes on the prize
Black souls naturalize
Resurrect our soul ties
Freedom fighting voices rise
Revolution of the wise
Lift your mind drop the gun
Freedom calling forward run
Flash your dreads like Rastaman
Keep on climbing to the sun
More power than Pentagon
Put your holy peace vibe on
Feed upon the healing tree
Reconstruct society
The fight is bigger than you or me
Living for a legacy
Justice for the community
Purpose in our unity
Fight our righteous mutiny

Ain’t trying to take the nation down
Just taking down the fascist clowns
Who kill the blacks and hate the browns
And spread the hate from town to town
The drum pounds the power sound
The movement moves to world renown
You are great so agitate
Rise up and set the nation straight
Inoculate against the hate
We don’t back down ‘cause we’re irate
Loose the captives of prison state
Rebellion is our historic trait
No justice no peace
Protest is our release
Chokehold the system and squeeze
Cast out the nations disease
You are the fresh breeze
That makes the devil wheeze

I take in 16 shots
Lynch my body ’til it rots
Yet still I rise red hot
Giving the struggle all I got
Against the genocidal plot
Power rises from bottom to top
Natty Heads arise
Natty minds surmise
Natty time to radicalize
Natty eyes on the prize
Black souls naturalize
Resurrect our soul ties
Freedom fighting voices rise
Revolution of the wise

I was getting my ID/ why you shoot me down
Must be because I was born Black and Brown
Knees on my neck press me down to the ground
bullets wreck my body even when its bound
yet still I rise because I’m wise to they lies
Love revolution over hate I despise
Bold youth activate the devils demise
We rise in Christ power to evangelize
Demand justice pleasing to God’s eyes
The world collapsing in mass dysfunction
A truck becomes a weapon of mass destruction
A screen becomes a weapon of mass distraction
Society suffers from wicked transactions
We hunger for justice and demand satisfaction
The Movement commences the devils extraction
The Natural head revolution is gaining traction
Multiply the peace and cut the devil to a fraction
The Movement got to move because times are drastic
The Movement advances with peaceful battle tactics
Chant down the murderers with nonviolent practice
My rhymes are projectiles sharp and elastic
I clarify the chatter about Black Lives Matter
It is the cry from all the Black lives shattered
It is American dream exposed and tattered
It is scream of innocent blood splattered
It’s a Love Movement/ if you love you in it
Black is all colors come together to win it
Kick gun money puppets out the senate
Peace and prosperity for every earth tenant

Natty Heads arise
Natty minds surmise
Natty time to radicalize
Natty eyes on the prize
Black souls naturalize
Resurrect our soul ties
Freedom fighting voices rise
Revolution of the wise

Whether you’re Natural under the weave
Or got Natural afro tall as trees
It’s all good if you believe
God and kin give you strength you need
The win is worth the blood we bleed
If that’s the cost of captives freed
Whether you’re sagging like a teen
Or rocking the red black and green
Whether you got the badge and blue
Or you got the paleface hue
Under God we all one crew
Throw up the pie of lies and imbue what’s true
God is doing something new
That begins with you
Elders broadcast truth
Grow the roots of the youth
Let the Lions loose who refuse to lose
And are not confused
By the evil man’s ruse
And if your dome is such you got to wig it
India say it’s not about your hair can you dig it
It’s about your mind state and how you choose to rig it
It’s about your throw down so love can beat the bigot
So let your love flow free like water from the spigot

I give you some love dap
To the beat of the boom bap
Download the mind app
Deep in your skull gap
Pimp slap you a love tap
Wake you up from your soul nap
Passion is where your life’s at
Signify like you’re H Rap
Zion I rap go de rat ti tat tat
Chosen I believer knock devil down flat
Light your soul fire so it can radiate
Face the devil down so he be humiliate
New kind of system Natty heads create
Lift your behind, free your mind, demonstrate
You’re the weapon for Mighty God to orchestrate
Love and justice is the real united state
Natty Heads arise
Natty minds surmise
Natty time to radicalize
Natty eyes on the prize
Black souls naturalize
Resurrect our soul ties
Freedom fighting voices rise
Revolution of the wise