Separation of church and state But seems school is just a religion (1) Blindly placing our faith Into

sanctified competition (2) Tracking us to salvation Or systematically burning The aspirations and dreams Engulfed in the flames of learning (3) Never knowing humanity (4) Alienating self Shuffling a loaded deck But ignoring the hand thats dealt Shuffling a loaded deck But ignoring the hand thats dealt (5) Nobody for dialogue So Im repeating myself More than estranged labor (6) We think its divine favor Explain attrition Through presupposition of lesser neighbors (7) Allow me to paint a vision With honesty and precision Of alienated peoples That live up under prescription (8) With no decisions to bare But who in the hell cares? After all we didnt make it [We were] only given this world (9) So its Triggers and barrels On Christmas instead of carols Rebellious bullets are flying As presents to little girls (10) On corners they cannot play So instead they losin their pearl Rockin a gangsta weave Instead of innocent curls Our world is so on fire The drugs are takin us higher

And takin our brains lower And spreadin like Ebola High rollers are on that cola Junkies are on that rock Hip Hop addicted to thuggin Instead of fiendin for Pac (11) So tell me How do you want it? How do you feel? From the cradle to the grave *They+ got you hustlin like a slave Now youre waitin on your last meal? Systematic is what they make us While hopin that they can take us And break us hustlin for pesos While double-dippin in queso (12) Aint Simon so I wont say so My M.O. is spittin knowledge Aint talkin bout whats in college Im talkin bout empty wallets (13) No hotness just cold showers The company cut the power So attitudes tend to sour Embodied but not empowered This hour lets change the cycle Like Michael, look in the mirror Check ya glasses if theyre dirty I cant make it any clearer. (14)

1. Separation of church and state, allusion to religion Pointing out the irony of separation of church and state in our society when the effect of schools is similar to that of religion - the more a man puts into God, the less he retains in himself (Marx p.108) 2. Sanctified competition is an allusion to religion, but also to the untouchable gray nebulous distance that the political economist falls into when attempting to explain the value and the devaluation of men as a product of competition [read: schools as-is and the system they support] (all Marx p.107) 3. Systematically burning dreams and aspirations refers to the alienation of activity, activity of alienation) that occurs when labor is alienated (Marx p. 110)

4. How can man know humanity if estrange*ment+ from the product of his labor, from his life activity, from his species being is estrangement of man from man? (Marx p.114) 5. Those marginalized routinely ignore the hand they are dealt because the struggle is perpetuated through the standard and the relationship in which he finds himself as a worker. (Marx p. 115) 6. Allusion to the title of Marxs manuscript 7. Presupposition of lesser neighbors refers to the systematic labeling of students whose relationships with one another and to society are defined by a curriculum which is alien (Marx p. 116) 8. One of the basic elements of the relationship between the oppressor and oppressed is prescription (Freire p. 31) The succeeding lines of the rap attempt to describe this prescription from the view of solidarity with the oppressed. 9. Play on words of the clich phrase, we were given this world we didnt make it. Convenient for the oppressor when used as a myth created in defense of the class of the perceiver. (Freire p.37) 10. Reference to phrase to be men is to be oppressors to explain one possible cause of violence between the oppressed. (Freire p. 30) 11. Reference to the *perceived+ decay of Hip Hop music due to the fact that functionally, oppression is domesticating. (Freire p. 36) 12. While the oppressed survive on pesos (live near or below the poverty line), the oppressors are double-dippin in queso (taking twice as much cheese aka cheddar aka money (slang)) under the notion that to be is to have, almost at always at the expense of those who have nothing. (Freire p. 51) 13. My attempt to state my position as one truly solidarity with the oppressed. (Freire p. 29) I cannot claim oppression when I can eat, sleep, shower, and work almost as I please. 14. Check your glasses if theyre dirty is a word of caution to all non-oppressed who commit themselves to the people [to] reexamine themselves constantly (Freire p. 47) for fear of becoming an out-of-touch unconscious oppressor.