The Architect (Laid-Back Mix)

[Intro] They built the cage before we got here Every bar precision-measured (Yeah, yeah) [Chorus - Melodic Raggamuffin] Blueprint written in blood and tears now Foundation cracked but we still stand tall Dream deferred ain't a dream destroyed now Break the cycle, rebuild the wall (The wall, the wall) Blueprint written in blood and tears now Foundation cracked but we still stand tall (Stand tall) [Verse 1] They redlined my grandmother's block in fifty-three Bank said no loans for your kind, systematically School funding tied to property tax, mathematically Designed so the hood stay exactly where it has to be I study the architecture of oppression closely Zoning laws, prison pipelines, who profits mostly Private equity buying up the land beneath our feet Gentrification just colonization on repeat (On repeat, on repeat) They told us pull yourself up by the bootstrap theory But sold the boots, then taxed the laces, isn't that eerie Courtroom quotas, mandatory minimums for possession While pharmaceutical execs walk free from the same transaction (Free, free) Martin saw the pattern, tried to show us the mechanics Not just hearts and minds, but economic tactics Poor People's Campaign was the mission before they got him Redistribute the wealth, that's the lesson they forgot then (Forgot, forgot) [Chorus] Blueprint written in blood and tears now Foundation cracked but we still stand tall Dream deferred ain't a dream destroyed now Break the cycle, rebuild the wall (Rebuild it, rebuild it) [Verse 2] They privatized the water in my city last year Turned survival into profit, made it crystal clear This ain't accidental, every law got an author Every policy got a sponsor, every bill got a father (Got a father) Trace the money back, find who benefits from misery Healthcare tied to employment, that ain't no mystery Can't strike, can't organize, can't risk your kid's prescription That's control disguised as freedom, pay attention to the diction (Listen, listen) They teach us King was peaceful, sanitize the message whole He said riot is the language of unheard souls Condemned the moderate more than the Klan's position Said white silence is violence, that was his true vision (True vision) So I dissect the system, name the names in legislation Point to who got wealthy off of segregation Reparations ain't a handout, it's a debt that's owed For every stolen life, every unmarked road (Every road) [Chorus] Blueprint written in blood and tears now Foundation cracked but we still stand tall Dream deferred ain't a dream destroyed now Break the cycle, rebuild the wall (The wall, yeah) [Outro] They built the cage before we got here But we got the keys now (We got the keys) Dismantle it piece by piece (Piece by piece, yeah)