Students were asked to read LOSE YOURSELF by rapper Eminem and build a rap poem that avoided the usual sex drivel associated with rap to see if they could build something really nice.
NNEKA UMEH
LOVE LOST
(Intro)
What do you do when you loose your love?
The only one who understood you? Do you learn to walk away?
Or do you hold on to the memories you had?
Why you yawing, it’s only six in the morning
No sleeping for me, no longer freaking dreaming
Yelling and screaming, you suddenly scheming
Are you trying to let this go, if you are please let me know?
Life is a maze; our love seemed like a phase
Infatuation I no longer crave, I felt like your freaking slave
It was our world, we made it spin,
You want to play the game; I’ll make sure you can’t win
Our relationship was hot, just in case you forgot
Life isn’t a dream, no matter how its seems
CHORUS
I got some things to say, so don’t you turn away
I need you here to stay; there are no more games to play
You could have left me for more, but you left without even saying what for
I gave everything up for you, what did I ever do?
We were once good, doing everything we should
But you chose to move on, look what I’ve become since you’ve gone
You and I were happy, now it seems like life is crappy
Yeah, you were bad for me, yeah; it was too late to see
At least I see what you made this to be, at least now I can run free
Free from the tears, a freaking waste of three years
I don’t want to make things right, to keep you in my sight
With you I’ve lived and learned, this love we had feels like a fresh burn
All you did was take and take; these three years seem so fake
When I looked after my shoulder, the world seemed a little bit colder
I took you there, the feelings are clear
You abused my love, I gave you all the above
Why does it all have to end, we were obviously more than friends
I deserve more; you felt our relationship turn into a bore
CHORUS
I got some things to say, so don’t you turn away
I need you here to stay; there are no more games to play
You could have left me for more, but you left without even saying what for
I gave everything up for you, what did I ever do?
Where our love would go, only you and I would know
I was your love, your one and only star, our love has vanished, crept so far
I need to get away, my heart telling me not to stay
To let go of the memories, that will be the best therapy
I’m on to the next one, you may have lost but I just won
You had me at my best, now I must get it off my chest
I felt as if what you put me through was a damn test; now leave me alone to rest
It was supposed to be just us, why did you have to mess things up
Now where do we go from here, you always seem to leave me in tears
Life should be easy with you, but I know what is best to do
CHORUS
I got some things to say, so don’t you turn away
I need you here to stay; there are no more games to play
You could have left me for more, but you left without even saying what for
I gave everything up for you, what did I ever do?
Baby I long to get away, and throw out the troubles for another day
HANNAH TYNDALL
There she stands, stage ready, pulse racing, heart beating
This is the one shot, the only chance she has
She wants this feeling to stay, to linger, to last
So many months work all for these few moments
It better pay off, that painful work cannot be a loss
She has sacrificed far too much, far too much for
Plis, tendus, fouetts, battements, piroutts and such
Too many bloody toes, sweat stung eyes, popped hips, ankles and shoulders
For it to end here.
Too much green given out in return for dangerous pink satin
Too many dreamed filled nights of glory for it to not happen
Nights when she almost gave in, around her head these memories spin
The tears of pain, joy, hope and want was all that kept her going
It wasnt like she had the beaming smiles of parents gloating
They didnt care because they didnt know
They didnt care because they didnt see
There little girl grew up in a different light
And no she isnt going to stand there again and fight
Only to be scorned, insulted and shunned from their sight
She has been on her own long enough
She always knew the difference from right and wrong
But she had a goal, she had a dream
And for those reasons she had to leave
She ditched the school uniform for leotard and tights
Hoping for the big stage and the bright lights
But she had the courage and strength like no other
It pulled her forward and made her unstoppable
But an ultimate failure right here and now could make her inconsolable
She tries to not think and just move
She tries to let her subconscious take over
Since this is a dance she has done over and over
This fear she must overcome, and then the struggles will all be done
Those doubters and mockers will be put to shame
She is going to work hard and make a name
The point is to achieve the Pointe
To master and be victorious over it and die a legend
Have an empty spotlight represent her
If only these butterflies would cease and stomach not to churn
It will not get easier from here, but the success will be known
Rather than the memories of never-ending classes scattered and thrown
The adagios so long the legs tremble in pain
And the slaps on the stomach that now seem so mundane
Hour after hour, leap after leap
She had it down in her breath, her mind, her sleep
The muscles on her body know it as well as her brain
Her mind is not cloudy, distracted or stained
The lights do not blind her
The cold does not affect her
This moment cannot scare her
No matter the risk she is taking
It is worth more than the faking her parents wanted her to do
She dances with fire and she smiles with pride
Along the stage she floats and glides
If this is her time then why not enjoy it?
No other feeling in the world can replace it.
It is her triumph and her victory
Only she can write her own story and create her own history.
IMAN HABEL
Heart is racing, short breath, feet are heavy
Its been a bil-mile chase already, grandpa’s racial burden
Tired, but on the run looks fit and steady
No cover, none, and he keeps on, keeps on running
From the dogs of the world
and the birds that tower sky high in the nights’ dim lights,
nights covered with the dim deep, deep dim darkness
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
Inside, case is dirty, case is filthy,
Blood on the land, hatred on the mind,
Differences, too, too, too much, so its covered with
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
ready as ever, to spot the madness, stop the hatred,
and face the fact, cz this aint his-tory
deal with it, unbury it, uncover it,
never disappeared, never disappear, unless we uncover it
deal with it in the day light, chase it in the sunlight,
face the facts, and deal with the man, who says he’s the man
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
Inside, case is dirty, case is filthy,
Blood on the land, hatred on the mind,
Differences, too, too, too much, so its covered with
Diamond finish, Golden rep and a Silver lining
Opponents, too weak to fight,
So we take, and we kill, for we want, what they have,
Cz we have non of it.
justify, mass murder, cz WE, wanna keep
Our,
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
While Inside, the case is dirty, case is filthy,
We’ve got blood on the land, blood on our hands
hatred on the mind, so we kill,
for wha-they got, cz we just wan it,
cnt handle it, cz we’ve got
Differences, too, too,too many differences,
so we cover it with a
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
Diamond finish, Golden rep, Silver lining
Inside, case is dirty, case is filthy,
Blood on the land, hatred on the mind,
Differences, too, too, too much, so its covered with
Diamond finish, Golden rep and a Silver lining
FRANKEES SAMAD
W.A.R
We are Rong
War, Huh, what is it good for, nothing but the killing of innocent children
The backdrop to political agenda, until you surrender
To the man with the gun, whose occupation is shooting for fun
No where to run, your occupation has just begun
In Iraq Over 100,000 thousand civilians dead, at the hands of the Americans
Now who’s the terrorist? A word so overused I cant believe I’m saying this
Our leaders agenda, his vendetta, got us in this mess to begin with
There was no need to meddle into another countries business, but it’s
the business of politics, to get in everyone’s business
This is our Vietnam, and I’m ashamed we haven’t joined hands and
condemned this wrong
We’re consumed with our consumerism, television, music and the division
Between us is sickening, we’re all human, a right to live and die honorably
Not savagely killed by people in either armies
What if these were our mother and children, dead
Will you then make some noise?
Sit in silence while their world is destroyed
Soul by Soul
And we never think twice about what we’re told
This debate is getting old, they’re tired and cold
Its all our fault, we’re only chasing the gold
From Iraq, then to Afghanistan, They say a people in distress,
Afghanistan needs our help they confess
US. exploiting the women to get what they want, because all of a
sudden we’re feminists
We set them free from the Taliban, and occupy their land
A ploy by the US government, here’s a history lesson for those ignorant
In the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, The US hated communism,
and wanted to lend a hand, or so they said
Their biggest enemy, commies, wanted them gone so they trained and armed
The Mujahideen, Meaning soldiers of Jihad, fighting for a cause
“freedom fighters” as Ronald Ragan administration would applause
The US and Mujahideen, trained together and fought
After the communists fell, the US interest in Afghanistan did as well
They left a war-torn country they helped wreck, to fight each other neck to neck
Then came the Afghan civil war, while America celebrated their defeat
of the Soviet war
Afghanistan was left to corruption and the US turned a blind eye to
this destruction and disruption
The Mujahideen and yes even the Taliban all funded by US arms and put
civilians at harm
Before the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 there was never a
suicide bomb, it was quiet and calm
But when you’re occupied, you have no will to live and chose to die
Rather than living an imprisoned life
What if these were our mothers and children, dead
Will you then make some noise?
Sit in silence while their world is destroyed
Soul by Soul
And we never think twice about what we’re told
This debate is getting old, they’re tired and cold
Its all our fault, we’re only chasing the gold
Speaking of Imprisoned life, that’s Palestine’s strife
The Gaza strip, the biggest open-air prison by Israel
Supposedly protecting its citizens from terrorists, But they’re the
real terrorist
Killing thousands in the Gaza massacre of 2008, and more to date
Not letting in any aid, in a place they’ve put a block-aid
They let the Palestinian people die, and occupy their land
Before your state of Israel 1948, Palestine did stand
Innocent killings day by day, by Israel’s army who’s not afraid
Of anything cuz we’re their allies here in the powerful US of A
Each organ they find of a Palestinian child, sold in the black market
Apparently organ trafficking isn’t a crime when it’s against those
living in Palestine
But as of late
People are coming to know the truth,
Lately with condemning the Freedom Flotilla Israeli killings May 31st
of 2010, where people from around the world came to save the day, by
trying to bring
Humanitarian aid, to the people of the Gaza blockade
When Israel’s army came aboard the ship using helicopters
Killing 10 and wounded 30 in international waters, it was a raid
How can we just sit here and pretend it will all fade?
No life is less than the one we’re living
So how can we sit back and let this injustice keep giving
What if these were our mothers and children, dead
Will you then make some noise?
Sit in silence while their world is destroyed
Soul by Soul
And we never think twice about what we’re told
This debate is getting old, they’re tired and cold
Its all our fault, we’re only chasing the gold
HANNAH OBANI
Fresh-man of Davis
Now this is the story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I’d like to take a minute
To just remiss
I’ll tell you how I came to love a town called Davis
In West Manteca born and raised
On my friends couch was where I spent most of my days
Hangin’ out smokin’ relaxin’ all cool
And driving around just actin’ like fools
When a couple of years
Of high school passed by
Started filling out apps and saying my good-byes
I got in one UC and my dad was in bliss
He said “you’re movin’ with your roommate to a town called Davis”
I went shopping for a bike, and when it appeared
The tires were flat and there was no fender in the rear
If anything I can say no bike should look like this
But I thought ‘Man forget it’ – ‘yo home to Davis’
I pulled up to the dorms about seven or eight
And I yelled to my dad ‘yo pops smell ya later’
I looked at my bike
I was finally here
In the town of Davis for my freshman year.
I studied and partied with friends day after day
But it didn’t even out I should have been sent on my way
I got my grades in and then my dad blew his lid
I went out too much and he knew just what I did
I headed towards Shields and when I came near
A bike almost hit me, it had broken gears
I passed the egg head and went through the doors
To study for finals made my way to the third floor
I woke up the next day about seven or eight
Set my alarm clock so I wouldn’t be late
Took my test
It was finally done
My freshman year was hella fun.
Ryan Mendoza
Using Marijuana and Drinking While Under the Legal Limit
Listening to Dre’s Bitches Ain’t Shit while I take another hit
Such a pro, just so legit, I can barely feel it.
Toke, toke, fill your lungs every single bit,
Rips from the bong, hold it in pretty long,
Strong ass dank like King Kong,
Let out the smoke then write this song.
Shotgun, French inhale, crawls as slow as a snail.
Feeling kinda faded, time for more,
Open the door for the liquor store.
Eyes drooping, stone red like the sun
Use my fake to buy a Mickey’s, a 5th, and gum before I’m done
Living fun like an excursion with John Wayne
Cowboy shooting insane, a grain of rice no longer tastes plain.
I’m floating on a cloud, back to Cuarto park,
My spark in the bowl gives comfort in the dark.
People strolling by, but I DGAF about everything
Laugh at sky, the graph of constellations.
No tomorrow, just today, sweet deliberation
Is this Heaven or is it truly sinning.
Lightheaded, dorm room is spinning.
Cup of noodles, nice taste, although
Even paste would have this taste in the state I’m faced.
Crossed, hitting up that gnarly Marley beat
Gotta take a seat, standing is too big of a feat.
Living that college life, ahhh fuck
The morning is gonna suck, hit by a truck
Eh always been full of luck, maybe it’ll pass
I only gotta get off my ass for D.R.’s poetry class
SEAN NEWELL
Lets explore the universe
With one verse we can mentally indulge
In performance well rehearsed
Our roles reversed
Try not to be terse, I’m but attempting to immerse
You in a culture that might reveal your inner worth
So take a second, reflect on your past
Slow down, there’s no reason to act so fact
What happened to the man I used to know?
Always trying to joke while he takes a toke, feeling lifted off the marijuana smoke
Together we would float through a life of lies
A plain disguise faker than government corporate ties
‘
My path is laid before me
An evil want to employ me
Just a boy walking straight, but academics often toy with me
A crazy mind will become charcoal in due time
Listening to chili peppers, zepplin and sublime
Open to all genre, my name is Sean, armed and dangerous
I’m not afraid to unleash my mind on ya
A man who just
Is just tryin to stay real
Wishin if I could explain how I feel it could earn me a free mean
But no deal, that’s just my Achilles heel
‘
Style like Presley, I’m flyer than Lisa Leslie
I try to act shy in class so pretty girls might sit next to me
Try to have hard on the streets so gangstas don’t mess with me
I’m in ecstasy, the world is my own
This school is my castle, my room in my throne
Honed skills lead good students to pop blue pills
Education elevates, but boredom kills
Boredom kill, and spare time connects to ill thrill
Previous decisions and now were forced to live them
Yet in success we live less, short of what we consider best
Because we cant compare to all the rest
So in jest let me continue to confess
Cant put it together, my rhymes are not relevant
I will induce a confused you just for the hell of it
Bombs explode synchronized to my flow
Don’t call me a baller, I have zero dough
And just an announcement for those who don’t know
Together we are stronger in joy than in woe
So hold ya head up, stick with it don’t let up
We’ve been ahead of the rest since the get up
Don’t act fed up, theres nothing to lose
Life is a king’s court and we are but God’s fools
Its getting dark, our morals are withering
Goodness is hidden, we acting fowl like Slytherine
Back to the beginning, before eating fruit forbidden
I]m at Hell]s gate but the devil wont let me in
So I find myself in purgatory, writing chalked lines
On God]s chalkboard, after-life detention I]m fined
For crimes committed, broken promises to which I was committed
Heart of steel, you cant hurt me
Just a white kid from the little city Berkeley
Roamin’ around blowing trees with the homies
If you cop the swisher, I’ll fill up the bleez
A life of ease, from view-spot to view-spot
Listening to local beats, everyone’s deciding who’s hot
And who’s not on the next rotation
Cutting heads rolling by the police station
If green is purple, then purple is fire
The Berkeley tree inside me makes a man feel higher
Like the frost? Like the Kush? What is your desire?
Get a job, get a wife, make some money and retire?
Don’t be a liar, every man’s got dreams
Of owning two houses and a stretch limousine
Some make stacks, others simply fiend
And if you put me on a graph I’d be somewhere in between
CORY HASKELL
Belly rumbles, vision shaky
Scanning signs, hopefully something
Can beggars be choosers, the hungry eat for free?
Drive’n down the 65 heading to town
Three hours in, nothing but sardines in an empty tin
Stomach starting to rebel, something out of a story book fable
Scanning the signs, looking for something
The clown, the King, the antenna topper, they all sound lame
Then I see it, I tell the others to beat it.
The Pancake house, hunger ready to be doused
I swerve madly, the five lane merger
Ignoring the birds, the honks, and faces
You don’t win by ignoring the bases
A warrior on a quest, can’t be beaten least
The kingdom fall into the hands of bums
Earthquakes shake’n the belly, look a deli!
Foundations cracking, why the restaurants here lacking!
Feels like I’m trudging through the mud, even the road kill looks good
Pull into the parking lot, knocking over signs, bins, and rocks
Run in the door, throw the old ladies dawdling into the floor
Sit at the counter with a glare like a bouncer
The waitress comes up, menu in hand,
I open it up and the first thing I see, the special…looks tasty
Give me the damn pancakes for goodness sakes
Looking startled, then surly, the waitress shouts angerly
Get this jerk some pancakes, before I smack his carcass across the lake
Sitting there waiting, patience is fading
The waitress smiling as she walks past
Ignoring the empty drink, the glares, just working in the sink
Ages past, just skin and bones
The pancakes appear, I just leer
Cramming the cakes in the mouth, I forget to chew, and swallow whole
The next thing I remember Is waking in the ward, with colors that remind me of
November
Apparently I choked, Passed out, and nearly croaked.
The waitress laughed and left me on the floor
Moral of the story, chew your food and don’t piss off the waitress Dory.
MATTHEW VALERIOTE
Starship Enterprise
If you ever found yourself suddenly
Standing in front of a crowd of Klingons
What would you think? Would you be in that crowd?
My name is Captain James T. Kirk, I’m here for play, not work
I like the green women from Orion, I’m not lyin
I fly through the stars, past Saturn and Mars, go faster I’m dyin!
The impulse engines are makin’ waves from ions!
Cuz’ this is the starship of love, cuttin’ through the Heavens above
Have I said enough? These space women are pretty tough.
When push comes to shove, between you and me, they know how to get rough.
It’s pretty tiring being me, lemme tell you, phew!
I run a tight ship; my crew don’t give me no lip
I get Scotty on intercom
He’s not doin well with the engines
He needs more power!
I tell him we got Klingons on our backs, he tells me he cannae break the laws of
physics.
I say we need warp speed in a snap, he tells me that’ll take at least 10 minutes.
I tell Sulu we need shields and we need ‘em fast, he says they’re being strained to
their limits.
I yell to Spock that the shields aren’t gonna last, he says “Captain, there may be a
strategy in this.
If we get positioned right there’s just a chance, the Klingon phasers can power our
engines. Although that’s mostly just my opinion.”
I look at him like he’s crazy,
As we were runnin’ outta time, then Bones chimed in “Spock, are you out of your
Vulcan mind?!”
This is the Starship Enterprise, don’t you see
It’s you and me, here in the 23rd century.
We go where we’re told to go by the boys back at Starfleet
NCC-1701 is our number in the registry.
There was no time to think about the danger, out here in space I was the Lone Ranger,
I said “Sulu, stand by to take a hit from the phasers.”
He said “Yes, sir” and dropped the shields keeping them at bay,
Then faced the Klingon ship with the main deflector array.
If there was a will, then this was the way, as we stared down the Bird of Prey.
They fired phasers and hit right on target, the whole ship shook from the direct hit.
Scotty came in “Captain, they’ve powered up the engines!”
Then the bussard collectors, they started a-spinnin.
Just then the Klingons launched a torpedo hail
I say “Sulu, warp 9, we better sail!”
With the warp engine firing on all pistons
The ship took off into the starry distance.
Captain Kirk out.
CATHERINE STOBIE
Intro:
Listen, when was the last time you felt the need
To settle down with your time and amp down the speed?
Would you do it if you could? Would you take the chance?
Verse 1:
Your heart is racing, too much pressure—you’re pacing
Can’t stop, keep moving, you got these tests to be acing
One down, two to go, it keeps goin on and on
Just want to stop and relax and start singing a song
Some people’s time just worth a dime,
But to you it’s worth hundreds more
Just hold out to see what you’ve got waiting in store.
When your life begins, what are you waiting for?
It takes time to go to law school,
Hard work and dedication.
Who wants to wait that long to work through all the frustration?
Not me.
But I do it anyways, even if it makes crazed,
I care so much, sometimes I’m left confused and dazed.
I wonder what’s the point, I could be out at a concert, smoking a joint.
Who knows what’s out there?
Well I sure don’t.
Can’t wait to get out there instead of sit around and moan.
Someone hand me a loan, so I can get out and roam,
See the world for myself instead of through the hole of this sheltered cone.
Chorus:
You need to find yourself through not knowing, not knowing
What you’ve got to come ahead, to just let it go.
You only got one life, one youth, one chance to know
What it is to be truly free and let it all go
Verse 2:
This mind is going crazy, trying to think in a world that’s so hazy
This world that will soon be ours,
When we all drive Mercedes, BMW’s and speedy cars
Or so they say
But for today, I just wanna stop and smell the flowers,
I don’t want to think about money and power
Just wanna feel the breeze, do something to ease
This pressure, so constant beating down on my back
Sometimes its so much its like I’m about to crack.
So afraid that I’ll lack, what I need to make my way,
Don’t want to go back to my parent’s basement and stay.
So instead of rebelling I just say okay,
Okay I’ll let my youth get away, spending time preparing for another day
A day I can’t hear, smell, or even see
A day which just simply won’t let me be
An education they say, well that’s the key
Chorus:
You need to find yourself through not knowing, not knowing
What you’ve got to come ahead, to just it let go.
You only got one life, one youth, one chance to know
What it is to be truly free and let it all go
Verse 3:
No more complaining, try restraining,
Be thankful for the life that I have and pretend to be glad
But even still these feelings well up, like water out of a cup
Need to get out, get in, go here and there,
Try this, try that, hell maybe even swear.
But would I dare? Dare not to care?
To move out into the place that from my desk I stare.
Got talents and gifts I’ve had since I was just a child
But now they’ve been tamed, put down, turned mild
Wanted to write, write stories about things
Just sitting there dreaming, swinging on the swings
Can sing too, but does anybody know?
Hide it so well, insecurities are starting to grow
Love to climb, but don’t have the time
Need someone to send me a sign, of when to stop all this stressing
In my mind it never stops, forever with my life it’s messing
Hints of the future keep caressing, saying soon it’ll be worth it
But what if that doesn’t happen, what if it never comes?
Should be singing, writing, dancing, hell even play the drums
2012 coming soon, who knows what that means
Maybe a sign to just stop, restart, and go to follow your dreams
Chorus:
You need to find yourself through not knowing, not knowing
What you’ve got to come ahead, to just it let go.
You only got one life, one youth, one chance to know
What it is to be truly free and let it all go
NICOLE WHITMAN
Harry’s Revenge
His wand is ready, trunk
packed, locked and steady
Kids running around crazy like
Freddie and George teasing him already
He hasn’t got a clue, but everyone
thinks he seems good and ready
To cast spells, but they keep on forgettin
He was a baby when it all went down
When evil Voldy came around
And killed the only family
he ever had
Its just Hagrid and Sirius now
Asking himself why and how
Their time had come, no moments to spare
life over, wow!
Flash forward to real life, Oh it’s a tragedy
Oh back comes Voldy,
he failed,
He’s so mad, but he wont give up that easy,
no, he knows his horcrux
is what’s keepin him alive
He knows that,
but he is weak
He’s so desperate that he knows
When back to his death eaters
that’s when its back to the graveyard
this whole scheme better work out
he better plan well
third times a charm!
You better prove yourself
In the duel, the spellscast,
You rock it, you better never let him win
You only got seven books,
do not miss your chance to avenge
the parents you never even got to know!
Death eaters escaping
through Azkaban hating
Back to Voldy running crazy
Making him master, moving toward
a fresh revolt,
Muggle life is dull sure,
but wizards gotta fight all night
As he only grows stronger,
only grows badder,
Accio! And Avada Kedavura over and over
using Crucio all day
Magicals to Mugles,
he’s called
he who must not be named!
You better prove yourself
In the duel, the spellscast,
You rock it, you better never let him win
You only got seven books,
do not miss your chance to avenge
the parents you never even got to know!
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