Blood Orange & Ashlee Haze
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“By Ourselves” Is the intro track off Blood Orange’s thirdLP, Freetown Sound.
This song samples Ashlee Haze’s poem “For Colored Girls,” a tribute to Missy Elliot’s and her unwavering fearless, carefree attitude which has inspired many to be openly accepting of who they are.
[Verse: Blood Orange, Ian Isiah and Ava Raiin]
Oh, they took and skinned my name
Try to raise the feeling
I saw right through, tried to love them
They threw it in your face
Tell you what you're feeling
How could they know?
It's what they read
So when you see her cry
You know there's nothing new
It's how we could all by ourselves
[Spoken Word: Ashlee Haze]
I will show you a 26 year old woman
Who learned to dance until she felt pretty
Feminism wears a throwback jersey
Bamboo earrings, and a face beat for the gods
Feminism is Da Brat, Missy Elliott, Lil Kim, and
Angie Martinez on the “Not Tonight” track
Feminism says as a woman in my arena
You are not my competition
As a woman in my arena your light
Doesn’t make mine any dimmer
Dear Missy:
I did not grow up to be you
But I did grow up to be me
And to be in love with who this woman is
To be a woman playing a man’s game
And not be apologetic about any of it
If you ask me why representation is important
I will tell you that on the days I don’t feel pretty
I hear the sweet voice of Missy singing to me
Pop that pop that, jiggle that fat
Don’t stop, get it til your clothes get wet
I will tell you that right now
There are a million black girls just waiting
To see someone who looks like them
By Ourselves was written by Ashlee Haze & Charles Mingus & Kindness & Devonté Hynes.
By Ourselves was produced by Devonté Hynes.
Blood Orange released By Ourselves on Tue Jun 28 2016.