I’m free.
Not because a piece of paper was pushed by Lincoln,
Not because my body hasn’t been burdened with lashes or chaffed by shackles,
But because I said so.
Too much credence has been given to myths so I felt it’s time to clear the air.
I am the sum of your fears,
The differential between that which you surmise and the truths you ignore.
The living history of that which you refuse to teach.
Every bit of Askia Muhammad lives in me.
His presence as an emperor,
His intelligence as a political reformer,
His tact as a military commander,
I hasten my existence to exude.
I’m rich.
I don't need to seek reparations
Because I can make that money back on my own.
Creating carbon filaments for light bulbs or patenting the three-position stop light.
Mansa Musa’s legacy affords me enough inspiration,
To not seek your validation or ask for a seat at the table.
As a matter of fact, I’m doing exactly what you told me to.
Pull myself up by my bootstraps by reexamining the facts.
Like Abu Bakr, I explore that which is unknown to me,
Smooth sailing across your Atlantic to fulfil my sense of self.
I am the man behind great designs.
My work stands majestic as pyramids,
Built with complexity, purposely filled with wonderment,
Making the impossible probable and somehow that bothers you.
I live.
Despite your attempts to assassinate my character,
Even my body in recent times,
I survive…
Broken homes and for-profit prison systems yet I'm still influential,
Paul Roberson was the prototype.
I can be athletic, intellectual, and political.
Ever cognizant that I may be a threat.
I no longer have a dream.
Sleep don't come easy these days because I stay woke.
I work tirelessly as Toussaint to ensure my people have what they need to succeed.
That's what truly makes me…
Me.
