War Paint

[Verse 1]
Mama said
“Keep your head, they wanna see you bleed”
Dirty looks
Every hallway, every cracked-up street
Teacher said
“Tone it down, you’re just angry”
Same tone
When they call the cops on me
Same skin they fear
Same skin they copy
Same lips they hate
Same lips look glossy
They don’t see the jobs
They just see my hoodie
Pray I make it home
They don’t want me fully
[Chorus]
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
I’m more than the names they put on us
You can hate my face, you can hate my shade
But you can’t break what my mama made
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
Every scar on my soul is armor
Fist in the air, I’ma talk my shit
’Cause skin color don’t mean shit
[Verse 2]
White man on the board
Says “calm down, miss”
Same board sign off
On some crooked-ass lists
Bank say “declined”
When the zip code hits
But they love our slang
And they love our hips
Judge bang hammers
On my brother’s life
Same block, rich kids
They gon’ sleep tonight
They ask why we mad
Like they can’t see cuffs
If you got my back
Better stand the fuck up (stand up)
[Chorus]
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
I’m more than the names they put on us
You can hate my face, you can hate my shade
But you can’t break what my mama made
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
Every scar on my soul is armor
Fist in the air, I’ma talk my shit
’Cause skin color don’t mean shit
[Bridge]
Black, brown, pale
We all bleed red
They feed fear
Tryna live in our heads
Line us up
Try to rank our worth
But we all the same dust
In the same damn earth (yeah)
[Chorus]
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
I’m more than the names they put on us
You can hate my face, you can hate my shade
But you can’t break what my mama made
I’m a survivor, I’m a warrior
Every scar on my soul is armor
Fist in the air, I’ma talk my shit
’Cause skin color don’t mean shit

rap, Gritty R&B / rap hybrid with female vocals; moody Rhodes keys and sub-heavy drums, detuned vocal chops in the hook. Verses ride a swung, head-nod groove with tight 808s and subtle guitar swells; chorus widens with stacked harmonies and airy pads. Ad-libs slice through with saturation and slapback, last hook lifts with octave-doubled lead and extra percussion for a defiant, victory-lap feel., r&b