Intro (Spoken)
Yo… this one’s for the block parties,
The brownstones, the bodegas,
The barbershops, the Sunday dinners—
Family first, always.
Uh, let’s go!
[Hook – 8 bars]
Family first, that’s the code, that’s the key,
Black love strong from the stoop to the street.
Hold your brother up, show your sister that peace,
We the roots, we the truth, never fall, never cease.
Family first, from the Bronx to BK,
Queens to Harlem — we shine every day.
Unity, strength, that’s the Black DNA,
Stand tall, hand-in-hand, we gon’ lead the way.
[Verse 1 – 16 bars]
I came up hearin’ soul food sizzlin’ on a Sunday,
Grandma sayin’ grace, preachin’ “stay the righteous runway.”
Uncle spinin’ vinyl — James Brown, Marvin Gaye,
Teachin’ me that melanin is power every day.
Mama had two jobs, Pops on the grind,
Still made time, “Boy, keep that spirit divine.”
Cousins in the cypher, spittin’ rhymes so tight,
Talkin’ love, talkin’ struggle, talkin’ fight for life.
See the system wanna break us, but they can’t define,
The bloodline of kings and queens in our spine.
We rise, we rebuild, every storm we weather,
’Cause when we move as one — can’t nobody sever!
[Hook – 8 bars]
Family first, that’s the code, that’s the key,
Black love strong from the stoop to the street.
Hold your brother up, show your sister that peace,
We the roots, we the truth, never fall, never cease.
Family first, from the Bronx to BK,
Queens to Harlem — we shine every day.
Unity, strength, that’s the Black DNA,
Stand tall, hand-in-hand, we gon’ lead the way.
[Verse 2 – 16 bars]
Auntie in the kitchen droppin’ jewels, sayin’ “Listen,
A family divided, that’s the devil’s ambition.”
So we build, not beef, talk real, not tweet,
Share meals, share dreams, keep love in the beat.
Big bro mentorin’ the youth on the block,
Little sis got degrees — now she runnin’ the shop.
Black excellence, that’s the hustle we own,
Every seed that we plant, that’s a legacy grown.
I seen tears in the eyes of my people in pain,
But like Harriet, we carry that torch through the rain.
No chains, no shame, we reclaim our name,
It’s that family bond — we the flame that remains!
[Bridge – 8 bars, soulful call & response]
(They can’t break us!) — “No way, no how!”
(They can’t fake us!) — “We the truth right now!”
(Stay united!) — “’Cause divided we fall!”
(One love, one blood!) — “Family through it all!”
[Hook – Final Refrain]
Family first, that’s the code, that’s the key,
Black love strong from the stoop to the street.
Hold your brother up, show your sister that peace,
We the roots, we the truth, never fall, never cease.
Family first, from the Bronx to BK,
Queens to Harlem — we shine every day.
Unity, strength, that’s the Black DNA,
Stand tall, hand-in-hand, we gon’ lead the way.
[Outro – Spoken]
From the projects to the suburbs,
From the ancestors to the unborn—
We all we got, we all we need.
Family first.
Peace.
