This week’s featured song story comes to us from Sho Baraka. We’re excited to share with you the story behind his song “Here, 2016 feat. Lecrae,” which comes from a popular colloquial in urban culture, I’m here for that.
“When you see something you want to affirm or celebrate it’s like I’m here for that. I’m here for justice, I’m here for equality, I’m here for faith, I’m here for us fighting for politicans to be accountable.” – Sho Baraka
Click on the video interview below to hear Sho Baraka share the full story and meaning behind this track, and scroll down to listen and read the full lyrics of the song.
From the album The Narrative
“Here, 2016 feat. Lecrae” Lyrics
Drums make the folks go dumb
And make the folks go dumb
Horns make the people turn up
Yeah it make the people turn up
Turn up, turn up
We make the people turn up
Church keys make the church folks sing
Church folks sing, church folks sing
Love over hate, love over hate
I’m here for that
Real over fake, real over fake
I’m here for that
Truth and faith, truth and faith
I’m here for that
Beauty and grace, beauty and grace
I’m here for that
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (amen, amen)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (amen, amen)
Don’t be afraid this is the future
I know you ain’t met, I’ll introduce ya
They might be cool but we are cooler
We got class so let us school ya
Fresh to death, like a million bucks
I might just go a year in bow ties and chucks
I might just go to church in an all white tux
Yeah ya boy fly so you know what’s up
Can the church say amen?
I’m here for that
When the system don’t love us, justice for the brothers
Yeah, yeah I’m here for that
You can tell all the haters with no hesitation I’ll take the reparation
I’m here for that
And tell all the rappers with the pimpin’ pimpin’ murder sell drugs I ain’t feelin’ that
Woo, I just do it for the love, I do it for the love (I do it)
I do it for the nerds and the thugs, those overcoming drugs
I’m here for that
Give the children a little purpose
Tell the politicians they serve us
Make them nervous, I know they heard us
Tell ’em we came here for the turn up
Love over hate, love over hate
I’m here for that
Real over fake, real over fake
I’m here for that
Truth and faith, truth and faith
I’m here for that
Beauty and grace, beauty and grace
I’m here for that
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (amen, amen)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (amen, amen)
Yeah
What up Sho?
Just like old times, right?
Look, I’m here for the young’uns with they pants saggin’
And homies is flaggin, some say ‘What up ’cause?’ or ‘What’s bracking?”
Nothin’ lacking on the corner, bread stacking
Pray to God that nobody have to toe tag ’em
He ain’t be trapping in a minute
Use the re-up money for the tithes and the rent
Told his baby momma that he love her any minute
Pastor dipped him in that water after he repented
Granny told him he don’t need a souvenir in church
Straight up out the street, think he made the deacons nervous
We just tryna learn a word and keep from getting murdered
We be on that Kirk and Kendrick Sunday after service
You can call it worship, Tamir Rice done got us nervous
Innocent and killed like Christ is how they hurt us
But I’m here for that
Probably ain’t gonna get a lot of cheers for that
I just do it for the love, I do it for the love (I do it)
I do it for the broke and the poor, those all feel ignored
I’m here for that
Tell ’em we woke and we alert now
I promise there’s healing for your hurt now
Yeah, tell ’em we came to put in work now
Yeah, can I get a amen from the church now?
Love over hate, love over hate
I’m here for that
Real over fake, real over fake
I’m here for that
Truth and faith, truth and faith
I’m here for that
Beauty and grace, beauty and grace
I’m here for that
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love (can the church say amen?)
If you’re here for the love, if you’re here for the love, for the love
For my sisters who be fighting for that justice, uh, I’m here for that
Real fathers, loving on they wives and kids, I’m here for that
My wife is classy but a little ratchet, yeah I’m here for that
West coast feeling but I still live in the A homeboy, I’m here for that
When I walk on the courthouse judge feel the case out, definitely here for that
Y’know when that unexpected check comes in the mail, ’cause, I’m here for that
Always here for that
Uh, always I’m here for that
Gotta love it, gotta love it, gotta love it, gotta love it
It means to be broadened, y’know, beyond the understanding that black women are strong
Body and souls and so we’re not only strong, we are, we are helpers
We are lovers, we are fighters, y’know, we, we love strong
But we are also human, y’know that mean’s we are vulnerable
Y’know we are, we hurt, y’know we ache, like everybody else
We need somebody, to, to be strong for us when we are taking the bumps
The bruises we’re here on the frontlines, fighting so many battles
That many people are not privy to and so I think that
So y’know we are sisters, we are aunts, y’know we are deaconesses
We are leaders in our churches, y’know, we are speakers
We are writers, y’know we are corporate, y’know, CEO board executives
We are advocates, we need our brothers to stand up and defend black womanhood
Don’t silence us, y’know, be happy that we are here to enable you, to empower you
But we also need that empowerment to go both ways
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