Get all 8 Baba Bomani releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
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1. |
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INTRO
(Daddy, can you play the grow today song)
W’zup y'all. This is Baba Bomani broadcasting to you from Baba Bomani’s BeatBox Basement. Here’s what I need. At the count of three I need everyone to say peace and throw up the deuces. 1, 2, 3, PEACE. I’m here with Mama Iya and Salaam to make sure everyone has a wonderful day of learning and growing.
BRIDGE
We’re going to learn and grow with friends
And I love all of the time that we spend
CHORUS
A new day to learn and play
Discover new ways, let’s grow today
A new day to learn and play
Mistakes are okay, let’s grow today
A new day to learn and play
Let’s all say “yay!” Let’s grow today
BRIDGE
VERSE
New day y’all, here we go again
I get to grow some more, let the good times begin
Even if tumble i give it a positive spin
As long as I learn i win
Feeling good as I’m stepping out
I feel my body and my brain stretching out
I got to learn today so check it out
Listen to the teacher, see what they talkin’ bout
And get time to spend with my buddies
I learn from them, and they learn something from me
Feeling lovely, old games new discoveries
I love learning and i love me
BRIDGE
CHORUS
BRIDGE
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2. |
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CHORUS
Why do we practice? So, we can learn the way
How oftenoften do we practice? We practice everyday
We make mistakes when we practice. Yea, but that’s okay.
We’ll get better at what we do in school and at play.
So, we practice. Yea we practice
Keep doing it again, until we got this
Yea we practice. Yea we practice.
Keep doing it again, until we got this
VERSE 1
In order to get better, you really gotta do it
Mistakes are a ok
I haven’t done this rhyme yet so it’s not coming out right
Relax and don’t worry, we’re gonna help you through it!
Training is important. Ummm (you got it)
Something and something, learn how to walk you (you got it)
I made a mistake, but uhhhh (don’t even worry about it)
If you fail and don’t succeed, try try again
VERSE 2
In order to get better, you really gotta do it
Mistakes are a path on the road to improvement
Challenges make you better. It depends on how you view it
Relax and don’t worry, we’re gonna help you through it!
Training is important. You shoulda dabba dabba do
Aww man, I messed up
Now let’s see if we can improve on the next verse (aight let’s go, we’ve got this)
If you fail and don’t succeed, try try again
CHORUS
VERSE 3
In order to get better, you really gotta do it
Mistakes are a path on the road to improvement
Challenges make you better. It depends on how you view it
Relax and don’t worry, we’re gonna help you through it!
Training is important. You should do it a lot
Do one step at a time until you learn how to walk
Everybody makes mistakes, but that’s not where it ends
If you fail and don’t succeed, try try again
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3. |
Bouncing Ball
05:31
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INTRO
Y’all hear this beat? I want you to clap with me to this beat. Y’all ready to try this? Here we go! It goes Clap! Yeah, you got it. This beat is bouncing. It feels like it’s bouncing like a ball. A big rubbery bounce ball. Have you ever played with a big bouncing ball? One that bounces of the ground, bounces off the wall, bounces on the ceiling? i want you to imagine yourself as a big bouncing ball. What would that feel like? I want you ball up yourself into a big ball. Now I want you to bounce like you’re a ball. Aight, I’m going to do it with you. If you can hear this song i need you bouncing like a ball. You ready to try this? Here we go.
CHORUS 3x
Bounce like a ball, bounce like a ball
Bounce bounce like a ball, bounce like ball
Bounce bounce like a ball, bounce like ball
Bounce bounce…wait a minute!
VERSE 1
Aight, y’all know how to bounce a ball. Now let’s see if you can kick a soccer ball. Do you know what a soccer ball looks like? Let me see you put a soccer ball on the ground and kick it. Y’all ready? Here we go. (you’ve got to kick it).
Kick the ball, kick kick the ball
Kick the ball, kick kick the ball
Kick the ball, kick kick the ball
Kick the…wait a minute (you’ve got to kick it)
Kick with your left, kick with your right
Kick with your left, kick with your right
Kick left, kick right, kick left, kick right
Kick left, kick right… wait a minute
VERSE 2
Aight. Let’s try a baseball. Have you ever seen a baseball? It’s a small ball that fits in the palm of your hand. When you throw a baseball, it’s called “pitching” the ball. Let’s try to pitch the ball (you’ve got to pitch it).
Pitch the ball, pitch pitch the ball
Pitch the ball, pitch pitch the ball
Pitch the ball, pitch pitch the ball
Pitch the…wait a minute (you’ve got to pitch it)
Pitch with your left, pitch with your right
Pitch with your left, pitch with your right
Pitch left pitch right, pitch left, pitch right
Pitch left, pitch right… wait a minute
VERSE 3
Next, we’re going to hit a tennis ball. When you do that, you have to have a tennis racket in your hand, and you swing it at the ball and hit the ball. Are y’all ready to hit the ball? Let’s do this (you’ve got to hit it).
Hit the ball, hit hit the ball
Hit the ball, hit hit the ball
hit the ball, hit hit the ball
Hit the…wait a minute (you’ve got to kick it)
Hit with your left, hit with your right
Hit with your left, hit with your right
Hit left pitch right, hit left, hit right
Hit left, pitch right… wait a minute
VERSE 4
Okay. Now let’s do a basketball. A basketball is a big ball that you bounce. When you bounce the ball that is called dribbling the ball. Can you dribble the ball? Let’s try to dribble the ball (you’ve got to dribble it).
Dribble the ball, dribble dribble the ball
Dribble the ball, dribble dribble the ball
Dribble the ball, dribble dribble the ball
Dribble the…wait a minute (you’ve got to kick it)
Dribble with your left, dribble with your right
Dribble with your left, dribble with your right
Dribble left pitch right, dribble left, dribble right
Dribble left, dribble right… wait a minute
Great job! You have kicked a soccer ball, pitched a baseball, hit a tennis ball, and dribbled a basketball. One last time I want everyone to bounce like a ball. Here we go.
CHORUS
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4. |
Puddles
02:01
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CHORUS
Puddles, puddles, puddles,
Puddles, puddles, puddles,
Puddles, puddles, puddles,
Puddles, puddles
VERSE
I am a toddler walking, rhotacism talking
Off the jungle gym busy rain puddle stalking
Living life like a firecracker barely over two
Mom still dresses me in pink or baby boy blue
old or young, boy or girl, it just don't matter
When I see puddle guaranteed it gets splattered
can’t let a puddle go by,
that’s why I'm never dry
CHORUS
VERSE 2
I’m too young for school
I don’t need no pool
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I make messes out of pudding
And if I see a puddle, I just put my foot in
My life is messy but messy is life
A puddle is like a Pied Piper on his pipe
Some puddles are big, some puddles are small
They all look big to me because I’m two feet tall
I love it when it rains because look what I’ve got
A bunch off muddy water in what was a dirt spot
I’m a duck that don’t quack, my mother stands back
When I’m done stomping puddles, we go home for a snack
Madness, insanity, oh the humanity
A muddy, dripping mess is what I plan to be
I’m loving this world that I live in
Best of luck if you’re babysitting
CHORUS
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5. |
Wash, Rinse, Repeat
03:19
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INTRO
I’m known for hardcore yet clean songs.
Ha…let’s do this…
VERSE 1
The reason for this recital
Is to be like a disease and go viral
Hand washing is our biggest weapon
here’s your hand washing lesson
Do the whole thing there’s no half steppin
It should take about 20 seconds
Turn the water on yeah
Put some soap all in your palms yeah
Make sure you get a good lather
hands are where bacteria gather
mucus splatter, fecal matter
Soap and water make virus scatter
Help you fight disease yeah
Intertwine your fingers like you’re saying please yeah
Same thing to the back of each hand like this
Then you wipe down both of your wrists
Wash each finger make sure you don’t miss
Then give each thumb a twist
Rinse your hands off yeah
Dry With a towel, hopefully soft yeah
Do this every time you eat, handle vegetables or meat
come in off the street, take shoes off your feet
come near a toilet seat,
Wash rinse repeat
CHORUS
You never know what viruses you might have
From the many things that you might grab
When you sneeze or when you cough make sure you dab
And when you can wash sure your hands
Wash your hands, wash rinse repeat (8x)
VERSE 2
Wash your hands several times each day
It works best if you do it that way
For at least 20 seconds that’s what experts say
Let’s do it right now while the breakdown plays…
Turn the water on yeah
Put some soap all in your palms yeah
Make sure you get a good lather
Intertwine your fingers like you’re saying please yeah
Same thing to the back of each hand like this
Then you wipe down both of your wrists
Wash each finger make sure you don’t miss
Then give each thumb a twist
Rinse your hands off yeah
It should take about 20 seconds
CHORUS
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6. |
Cab Calloway
04:03
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INTRO
let me tell jazz story from back in the day
about a great band leader named cab Calloway
a time when, sad to say, black and white children couldn’t play
and from certain parts of town, they were told to stay away
and people would wonder why black people act a certain way
but Cab loved black music and words black people say
cab toured the USA, and was all over the airwaves
He made changes in the culture that still stand today
scooba dooba dooby day
CHORUS
let me tell jazz story from back in the day
about a great band leader named Cab Calloway
he loved black music and words black people say
Scooba dooba dooby day
VERSE 1
Christmas day, 1907, the first time anyone heard
the famous voice of Cabell Calloway the III
Way back in America’s segregated past
In the world where black people created jazz
his father was a lawyer, his mother was a teacher
and he grew to be a singer and a jazz band leader
he would direct the band while he sang his song
like Fats Waller, Count Bassie, and Louis Armstrong
wherever black people were that’s where it was at
and he taught the whole world how to do the scat
“The scat? what’s that?” it’s when you make up words
they don’t have to be nouns, adjectives, or verbs
just sounds you make that go to the song
as the band plays you can scat along
CHORUS
VERSE 2
Born in Rochester NY, moved to Druid Hill
A black neighborhood in Baltimore where people had skills
Went to college in the south side of Chicago
his sister Blanch led a band Cab decided to follow
then he got a chance to make the music he loved
in Harlem NY playing at The Cotton Club
every city he was in was always segregated
blacks and whites were separated, culture highly concentrated
and musicians for sure can be cultural ambassador
when it comes to black culture Cab wasn’t an amateur
he proved that jazz music could be for everybody
first black recording artists to sell a million copies
loved the dance, the dress, the music, and vocabulary
he spread it to the world he even wrote a hepster dictionary
on recordings, in books and on stage live
cab Calloway made sure you were hip to the jive
CHORUS
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7. |
Break Freeze Dance
03:52
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8. |
Hip Hop Party: The DJ
01:38
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CHORUS (2X)
H-I-P H-O-P
I’ve got a DJ and a MC
Plus some breakers so we got all three
That we need for this Hip Hop Party
VERSE
If I need head nodding drums and bass lines to rock me
I go find a DJ, that’s short for Disc Jockey
South Bronx, New York City, early 1970’s
A kid, Kool Herc, influenced the culture heavily
South Bronx was going through a lot at the time
Rising arson, drug use, gang wars and crime
But being Hip Hop is making the most of what you have
Since Herc played his sound system on Sedgwick Ave
known as a no faker, no stuff taker, dope party maker
like they did in his home of Jamaica
To do his block parties he’d hack the streetlights
Or his basement jams would bring the people each night
all of New York came for Kool Herc’s spinnin
And most say that this was Hip Hop’s beginning
These parties in the South Bronx are why we say
The first element of Hip Hop is the DJ
CHORUS (2X)
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9. |
Hip Hop Party: Breaking
02:40
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CHORUS (2X)
H-I-P H-O-P
I’ve got a DJ and a MC
Plus some breakers so we got all three
That we need for this Hip Hop Party
VERSE
To understand the dances and the style they were portraying
You must understand the DJ’s and the music they were playing
The hottest funk records were in heavy rotation
As Parliament Funkadelic toured the nation
Plus, James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, that’s right man
With the JB’s, you should’ve seen him at his height man
bass, guitar, keys, a drummer on his left and right hand
4 horns, 3 singers, 3 dancers, and a hype man
One part made the party go wild and the ground shake
When they all stopped but the drummer, this was called the break
grandmaster flash developed new techniques
To make sure they gave the people their beats
He would get two copies of the same record
On two record players, a turntable double decker
He put a mixer between each record player
Which includes many buttons including a crossfader
He would line up the records to the same place
Where the break beat started and put on his game face
The records going at the same rate he’d let the first rotate
Switch at the right time, release the record with style and grace
He did this for as long as he wanted the break to last
The dancers went crazy, they really had a blast
They’d break into James Brown inspired moves
Groups of kids would get together and be dance crews
Created B-Boy and B-Girl stances, the Freeze, and footwork
With some acrobatic moves, if you fail it could hurt
But this was all history in the making
The style they created is now called Breaking!
CHORUS (2X)
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10. |
Hip Hop Party: The MC
02:53
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CHORUS (2X)
H-I-P H-O-P
I’ve got a DJ and a MC
Plus some breakers so we got all three
That we need for this Hip Hop Party
VERSE 1
The master of ceremony is on the microphone
At events like graduations or where people might perform
In Hip Hop, while the DJ moves the groove around
MC means “microphone controller” or “move the crowd”
Before their lyrical recitals or battling their rivals
Their role was really vital as the DJ flipped his vinyl
turntables aren’t like cd players or iPod
You can’t make a playlist, these days that seems quite odd
Not a problem, until you wanna go from one song to the next
At a party, but you don’t want the crowd to get vexed
They used “Call and Response” a very old tradition
giving “shout outs”, or “toasting”, was part of their mission
They would make the crowd move to what he or she say
use their microphone skills to promote the DJ
They changed music as we know it, it’s easy to see
my favorite element of Hip Hop is the MC
CHORUS 2X
BRIDGE
CHORUS 2X
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11. |
Hip Hop Party: Graffiti
01:31
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CHORUS (2X)
H-I-P H-O-P
I’ve got a DJ and a MC
Plus some breakers so we got all three
But can’t forget about Graffiti
VERSE 1
We’re persistent, painting on walls since dawn of human existence
So, no need for resistance when Hip Hop has its instance
The kids doing Hip Hop were using spray cans
On everything they can, giving the Bronx a spray tan
Weren’t born with silver spoons, so instead they used they use their brains
The city was their gallery the building and the trains
Graff writers would leave their mark, call them “burners” or “tags”
Dope pieces gave you swag, puff out your chest and brag
the whole city would see it, be enraged, or impressed
Writers would be pressed to see who tagged the best
A graffiti epidemic took over New York city’
art can be witty but breaking laws isn’t pretty
Vandalism isn’t legal so only try this stuff at home
But since the early days of Hip Hop this art has grown
The bombers and the galleries have made a peace treaty
Modern art recognizes the skill and talent of graffiti
CHORUS (2X)
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12. |
Speak for Me
04:55
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INTRO
This is Baba Bomani, and you know you I like to teach
Through storytelling, let me tell you about a speech
By Frederick Douglass, it’s the first he ever made
One of the reasons America is what it is to day
He told the story in his book, this is the Hip Hop version
I rap as Frederick Douglass, that means first person
Douglass said he was scared, but he was prepared
He knew slavery was wrong and he wanted people aware
CHORUS (2X)
Imma speak for me
Imma tell you how it is and how it’s supposed to be
Imma speak up for myself and for my community
Until everyone is free, Imma speak for me
VERSE 1
Before the tours of Europe with the reviews that were flattering
Before all the fresh pictures ‘cause I’m posing for the camera men
I was a laborer, digging, cutting, hauling, hammering
Before my first time on stage st st st stammering
REWIND! 1841 New Bedford Massachusetts
newly runaway slave, I stayed muted and secluded
I had an opportunity that was exclusive
You see I read the Liberator about slavery’s abuses
An abolition paper by William Lloyd Garrison
‘cause you can’t fight the problems until people are aware of them
He argued that slavery was immoral and embarrassing
Against everything that it meant to be American
Went to see him at a convention in Nantucket
Before he poured wisdom in our bucket, they asked me to share a nugget
As the only black man there I couldn’t duck it
I was nervous and afraid but, in the end, I said…sure
I’m an expert on the subject, I fought through the hesitating
my hands full of perspiration, the way my limbs were shaking
they found me fascinating ‘cause I was self-advocating
I’m different than Garrisons, I say this without hating
no matter the years of fighting slavery under his belt
Or the words he could speak in ways that could make your heart melt
A white man never dealt with what I dealt
He’ll never feel what I felt so I will speak for myself
CHORUS 2X
Before my first article and first book I became an
Advocate for abolition for my fellow African
Before I went out there, I made sure I had a Game plan
Wrote down all my ideas like I was doing a Brain scan
I’d pick up book after book and keep reading it and reading it
My appetite for knowledge I kept feeding it and feeding it
Throughout my life I kept believing it and achieving it
People around world were receiving it changing how they were perceiving it
It was easy for me I spoke about my passion
I want people to feel compassion for my people taking lashings
Living in impoverished fashion, living off meager rations
Ending slavery would be my ultimate satisfaction
After I do this reading and research
I need an audience of peers to try it with first
my safe space on earth, where I could rehearse
My speaking career was birthed in the Sunday school of the AME church
AME stands for African Methodist Episcopal
Founded by Richard Allen based on a basic principle
A church for Blacks who to white churches were inadmissible
a foundation for blacks both spiritual and political
Here I found my safe space to brainstorm and practice
I hope you feel the same in all your writing classes
You’ll get better with each repetition over time passes
To write a short passage, or speak out to the masses
CHORUS 2X
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13. |
Got to Practice
03:21
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CHORUS
You really need to practice (repetition)
Whether an actress or gymnastics (competition)
Or to be ready for your math quiz (long division)
Best tactic be proactive (position for your mission)
You really need to practice (repetition)
Like a fanatic, don’t get distracted (pay attention)
Stay on point just like a cactus (condition)
Best tactic be proactive (position for your mission)
VERSE 1
If you really want to be number one (1st pick)
Or make your favorite hobby more fun (here’s the trick)
Used by sprinters when they run and singers when they’ve sung
It adds up to getting the job done (arithmetic)
To be the best you must be prepared (ready)
So, when it goes down, you’re never scared (cool, calm, and steady)
Nothing catches you unaware, you feel like you’ve been there
Opponents will think it isn’t fair (nervous and sweaty)
CHORUS
VERSE 2
If there’s a goal and you gotta have it (y’all listen)
Prep for it every day and make it a habit (it’s a system)
You must refine your talent so reaction can be rapid
So, when opportunity comes you can grab it (you won’t miss’em)
So, ask yourself what your goal is worth (what do you love)
To get your harvest get your hands in the dirt (get it out the mud)
It’s hard but it won’t hurt if you really want the perks
The dictionary the only place success comes before work (that we know of
CHORUS
VERSE 3
Improving is not coincidental (let’s be greater)
There’s a formula to this, it ain’t a riddle (this is major)
You master fundamentals, it’s boring just a little,
No quitting in the middle because you’re programing your mental (second nature)
Yeah, it’s gone taking some time (like counting stars))
But you know how to grind (it’s who you are)
Repetition makes your mind, and your body combine
It intertwines and comes out fine, that’s how i made this rhyme (baba got bars)
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14. |
Go Getter
02:53
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CHORUS
They say if you believe then you will achieve
But if it at first you don’t succeed, do you pack up your bag and leave
Scratched elbows and skinned knees with your hands empty
Do you really have what it takes to be a go getter?
I’m brilliant (go getter) I’m resilient (go getter)
My will to learn is on a billion (go getter)
I blaze a trail (go getter) Then tell the tale (go getter)
I’m ready to get it because I’m not afraid to fail (go getter)
VERSE
The things you build are a combination of skill
and strength of will to never stand still and keep on climbing up that hill
You won’t like everything that you make, some things will fail somethings will break, you’ll come up short when the games at stake you’ll miss all the shots you don’t take
The gains you earn, you feel the burn,
be an intern waiting your turn win or lose you always learn
Get rid of the worries you have that it will be bad
Or people will laugh one word at a time becomes a paragraph
Go ahead and write that bad first draft
CHORUS
VERSE
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Baba Bomani Washington, D.C.
Baba Bomani, aka the Watermelon man has been using hip-hop, poetry and multi-media disciplines to teach fun and informative workshops with all ages from kindergarteners to graduate students for well over 15 years Bomani . Here you can find his hip-hop music for kids as well as teaching materials showing students the writing process through hip-hop! ... more
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