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Cost Of Melanin

by Amarii Davu

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about

The Cost of Melanin was released on July 3, 2015 at 6:15PM via SoundCloud.com by Nashville hip hop artist Amarii Davu. Along with the release Amarii attached the caption, “There’s black blood watering flowers in a street near you. How many gardens must grow before we revolt?”

In this song, Amarii brings some of the issues of dark people across cultures to the ears of those who will listen. The song was inspired by numerous injustices in the American legal system, Amarii’s personal experiences with law enforcement, and the stereotypes that come along with being Black in America.

Amarii spoke on the song in a feature with KnockTurnal.com by saying, “I wrote ‘Cost of Melanin’ because of the injustices that I see in the world around me. I felt that it was my duty as an Artist to document the things in my world and express them in not only a creative way but in a way that people won’t feel that its coming off too preachy.”

“The Cost of Melanin” is a promotional single for an upcoming project entitled “Khepri” that Amarii will be releasing in the Fall of 2015.

The song samples Dream Koala’s “We Can’t Be Friends” and Doja Cat's "No Police" and is produced by Canis Major.

lyrics

[Hook: Amarii Davu]
Maybe if I was light enough
They would think I was bright enough
Maybe if I was light enough
They would think I was bright enough

[Verse 1]
Maybe if I was light enough
They would think I was bright enough
Look at here, got your lights up
Mr. Officer, I'm just
Being who I'm destined, fuck arresting
I got a question
I ain't got no damn weapon
Why you killers in my presence hounding?
Bullydogging on my brothers and sisters
Pushing hope or pushing dope
You just see niggas and niggas
You see targets for triggers, you see gangstas and bitches
I see pussies with pistols and badges, hidden intentions
If they kill me for that sentence, sorry that you was guilty
I cannot hide the truth, man
When you feel it, you feel it
What?
I'm blasting music to escape all the ig'nance
Looking out the bus window, seeing all this division
It hit my mind, you either pimped or you pimpin'
I hit the grind, these coppers can't catch me slippin'
Got a pound of that cocaín in my throat when I'm spittin'
And now they're telling me freeze
Freedom of speech is a bitch and
Damn

[Hook]
Maybe if I was light enough
They would think I was bright enough
Maybe if I was light enough
They would think I was bright enough

credits

released July 3, 2015
Produced by Canis Major

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Amarii Davu Nashville, Tennessee

Amarii Davu is an American hip hop recording artist from Nashville, TN. At the tender age of 12, Davu began writing poetry to express himself and escape the reality that he lived in. He initially started doing "gangsta rap", but felt that he wasn't being true to himself so he began making music with a message. Davu is currently working on a project entitled, "Khepri". ... more

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