You Must Learn

Yo, Chris, what you doin' out of school? Yo, man, they just suspended me, boo Weren't they suspending the teacher? Yeah man, I'm gettin' so sick at this, man, they teachin' us about nothing, man You know what the bottom line is for black people out here, it's quite simple You must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn You, you must learn It's calm yet wild the style that I speak Just deal with facts and you will never get weak in the heart In fact you'll start to illuminate, knowledge to others in a song Let me demonstrate the force of knowledge Knowledge reigned supreme The ignorant is ripped to smithereens What do you mean when you say I'm rebellious 'Cause I don't accept everything that you're telling us? What are you selling us? The creator dwellin' us I sit in your unknown class while you're failing us I failed your class 'cause I ain't with your reasoning You're tryin' make me you by seasoning Up my mind with see Jane run, see John walk in a hardcore New York Come on now, that's like a chocolate cow It doesn't exist no way, no how It seems to me that in a school that's ebony African history should be pumped up steadily, but it's not And this has got to stop, see Spot run, run, get Spot Insulting to a Black mentality, a Black way of life Or a jet Black family, so I include with one concern, that You must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn I believe that if you're teaching history Filled with straight up facts, no mystery Teach the student what needs to be taught 'Cause Black and White kids both take shorts When one doesn't know about the other one's culture Ignorance swoops down like a vulture 'Cause you don't know that you ain't just a janitor No one told you about Benjamin Banneker A brilliant Black man that invented the almanac Can't you see where KRS is coming at? With Eli Whitney, Haile Selassie Granville Woods made the walkie-talkie Lewis Latimer improved on Edison Charles Drew did a lot for medicine Garrett Morgan made the traffic lights Harriet Tubman freed the slaves at night Madam C.J. Walker made the straightening comb But you won't know this if you weren't shown The point I'm gettin' at, it might be harsh Is we're just walkin' around brainwashed See, what I'm sayin' is not to diss a man We need the '89 school system One that caters to a Black return because You must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn Just like I told you, you, you must learn