Chocolate City

I'm from the city where percussion reigns supreme
Where the Bullets (not the Wizards) will always be my team
where we walk down streets moving to the congo rhythm of our heart's beat
where we wear our Madness on brightly colored shirts and socks
where the old, young, and cops alike tote soul stealing glocks
where instead of freestlying on block corners,
we beat beats on buckets outside of Metro stops

I'm from the city where we rep our acronyms like gangs
wearing our AIDS, HIV, and STDS like crips and bloods wear blue and red
where looking at someone too hard can get you dead
where being gay is considered worse than being republican
(even though it's sometimes the same)
where brothers feel shame for who they are
and because of their families believe God is to blame
so they live low down on the down low playing with emotions and lives..
like its a game

I'm from the city where we live art
where multi colored blood is pumped through our hearts
where t-shirts aren't clothing but expressions of our souls
or shout outs to your fallen bros
where paint isn't used for canvas, but for whatever you're wearing
where Marvin Gaye gave yall sexual healing
and made you reevaluate your dealings
by asking "what's going on?"
where Duke Ellington said it don't mean a thing
and Chuck Brown added that Go-Go swing
where we were "doin the butt" way before yall saw "School Daze"
where even if you dont smoke... we all live in that purple haze

I'm from the city where being franchised means getting a baseball team
where its a nightmare to try and live the American dream
where we live with taxation without representation like the original 13
where our votes don't get counted like we lived in Florida...
or under the king and queen
where politicians determine our destiny like the gods and stars
where injustice can go unpunished
and its just us... cause we can't depend on the gov't

I'm from the city where we believe We R One
where we love our brothers but still pack guns
where we drink 40s and smoke blunts to act hard but mostly just for fun
where we shine brightly like diamonds in a city shaped like one
where we defer dreams that shrivel and die like raisins in the sun
where we lose promising youth like socks in the dryer to reckless violence...
and blind guns
where we cry....
where we pray...

I'm from the city that draws its chocolate blood from the Anacostia river
and gives life to brown and black babies
the city that has adopoted gentrification as its motto
and from its womb sprung million dollar condos
the city that makes it hard to be young, poor, and black
but still keeps us coming back...
like the 80s and crack
the city thats hard to love and harder to leave
the city we hate to love and love to hate
the city thats above all others in our hearts
the city that hurts us just as we hurt it back

I'm from the city of mumbo sauce on chicken wings
(if you don't know about it... you need to)
where carryout is the best thing
where we eat steak and cheese and not cheesesteaks
where we aren't the most patient
and get real pissed if on our order, they make mistakes
where you can get an empanda and a beef patty... at the same place

See my city drums to its own colorful beat
and even in the winter, there's always heat on my street
its where giant mosqitos are full of our anguish
and in our schools, the future of our youths is extinguished
This is the city that has my heart
and even if my head says leave
it will always pull at my souls strings
And as the street lights sing our joys and misery
Everything I do...
Will rep my Chocolate City