You are a person;
the most complex living creation on earth; a human being.
Fearfully and wonderful made,
your brain is more powerful than any computer.
You think and reason.
You have emotions, feelings, and a spirit.
Your DNA and fingerprint are just like your gifts and talents:
they're unique to you.
You were created on purpose, for a purpose,
the Earth being the perfect distance from the Sun
with the perfect atmospheric conditions to sustain life;
the intricate design of human beings
and our complex body functions; life itself; space and time.
It's OK we don't have it all figured out,
and there just may be something to this God thing.
But let's table that for a future talk
and get back to us as individuals.
Mankind is a cool, diverse,
interconnected, interdependent puzzle.
Each of us, no matter our color, fame, economic background, or status,
is exactly one piece of that puzzle.
And as we serve one another,
we complete the puzzle, and we all benefit.
I used to think small growing up without a father,
my single mom working two jobs.
As I got older, every goal was self-serving.
But I began to realize, a commitment to a cause,
a group of people, a person, a faith,
those are the things that define me.
The shift from selfish to selfless thinking
grows us as people.
I am a hip-hop recording artist.
I hope to change your perception of what that is.
The man I am today understands that life, love, and relationships
require me to commit,
to be locked in, to be decisive and passionate,
to stand up against ignorance, apathy...
The man I am today understands
that life is what we decide it'll be.
I have to forget my past in order to focus on my future.
I'm a new man.
(Music plays with Malik's recorded voice)
Sometimes when you're grown up, you ain't grown up
XM: Normally I make music to make people jump up and down,
but I just want you guys to listen right now; listen.
I used to be young and kind of foolishness
I was into it so I tried to keep hanging
With dudes that I went to school with
And they were doing nothing so I was doing nothing
Productive at doing nothing, it was time to change something
'Cause of all my potential giving life to instrumentals
Was slipping between my fingers like sands in an hourglass
My road windy and rough, I made silly mistakes
And left a lot of heartache and heartbreak in my wake
And even in the middle of it, facing my toughest choice
I hear the words and the sound of my mother's voice
She sees greatness in me, underachieving
She knows the power of faith, and she's believing
One day I'd wake up and realize I'm wasting
A lifetime on all these good times that I'm chasing
I'm seeking something different, this ain't my life plan
I'm stepping to You and stepping out a new man
I keep on building, keep on moving
With each new day I keep proving
The past and future are not equal
The story is stormy, but there's a sequel
And if you don't recognize the man you see before your eyes
It's 'cause I'm a new man, 'cause I'm a new man inside
And the old man's gone away
I was a kid chasing the fame, young, chasing the game
Chasing these little friends, but then something changed
Did a full 180 from the days when I used to be shady
Figured out the importance of sticking to one lady
I won't dip in the club, run and rip in the club
I'm skipping the club, girls strip in the club
Dudes trip in the club, shots pop, blood drip in the club
No love, just troub' in the club and the streets so I'm done
Plus, we takin' vows, baby, I take 'em serious
These girls wanna take your place, must be delirious
We in this life forever, even through stormy weather
And we'd rather die and treasure every moment together
Since I put a ring around the fing', it ain't a fling
It's just the way I feel about you and the love we share and bring
To the table,
And stability minimizes mystery
This family's about to make history
I keep on building, keep on moving
With each new day I keep proving
The past and future are not equal
The story is stormy, but there's a sequel
And if you don't recognize the man you see before your eyes
It's 'cause I'm a new man, 'cause I'm a new man inside
And the old man's gone away
New days are ahead, old days are behind
New vision, new heights, and I'm no longer blind
Looking at my face, tell me what do you see?
It don't always reflect what's in me
Been blessed, and my face is still looking the same
But in my heart a whole lot has changed
My rear-view mirror is small, windshield big
And I don't forget it -- where I came from
But I focus on where I'm headed, yeah
I can't forget the lesson when walking in my blessing
Peep in the rear-view, but I keep a clear view
Of what's in front of me; my past is washed away
I let regret go and I focus on today
God forgive me, as these people remind me
Of the changes that I made and the past behind me
It was all for Your purpose, it was all for Your plan
I came into You broken, came out a new man
I keep on building, keep on moving
With each new day I keep proving
The past and future are not equal
The story is stormy, but there's a sequel
And if you don't recognize the man you see before your eyes
It's 'cause I'm a new man, 'cause I'm a new man inside
And the old man's gone away
Each man that's under the sound of my voice right now:
we are meant to be leaders, man.
We have to step up in our rightful place,
and treat our families, our community,
and our world like it matters,
and we're the leaders to make it happen.
So, men, let's stand up and be the men we're supposed to be.
I'm a new man.
(Applause) (Cheers)
Thank you, thank you.
Ladies.
Historically, you have been made to feel worthless or worth less.
You've had to fight for every right,
every bit of equality, every bit of fair treatment.
You've had to fight for it.
I just got done-- I'm following up a female astronaut
(Laughter)
scientists, rocket scientists, psychiatrists...
There was a time when we wouldn't have seen any of that.
And guess what?
There are still places in the world
where women don't even have those kind of opportunities.
But I'm here to say something that I think is really important
that you need to realize, ladies;
that you are so important and significant,
and your contributions have made the world what it is.
You're the cradle of life.
No matter how you've been violated, no matter how you've been treated.
I don't care what your past says,
the future and the past are not equal.
I just want to see a hand for every lady that knows
that her best days are ahead of her.
(Cheering)
We should hear more men applauding that, I'm just telling you right now.
(Applause)
Ladies, you're truly incredible.
(Music)
Yo.
This goes out to every lady under the sound of my voice.
Yo.
Society better make way,
'cause I hear a lot of powerful women out here.
Check it.
God's gift, so awesome
Look at the way the little girl blossomed
Incredible, underrated
And through the best and worst days, she made it
I see the pain and love in her eyes
A smile that's bright like a sunrise
The world wants to pull you down
But let's build you up and fill you up
With hope for the next chapter
Replace tears with smiles and laughter
I'm so inclined to say, "Never let the world define you."
You're a masterpiece, soft spoken
Strong love not easily broken
Every daughter, every mother, sister, wife
You're the ones with the power to carry life
I salute you and celebrate you
Forgive when we acted like we hate you
All things made new, new day
Past hurts, past scars fade away
Don't let a few bad decisions
Keep you from accomplishing your mission
You're a step above amazing, don't settle
Beautiful right where you are: incredible
I just really want you to know, to know
Listen, ladies...
One word describes you: incredible
The real men have to stand up and let these ladies know
that you're incredible.
Unconditional love, so patient, your strength my inspiration
Your contribution to our lives
You're my anchor, I thank you
You're the cradle of civilization; you're what's real; thank you, ladies.
You're incredible, you're incredible
All right, listen, let's take this a little deeper.
Uh-huh, hey lady
Have I told you you're incredible lately?
It's a holler or every sister's welfare
Xola cares, if don't nobody else care
And I gotta take a minute to tell you
I'm sorry for the way we failed you
'Cause you're more than a cute face plus curves
You're more than the lies you've seen and heard
I guess if no one wants to step up, speak truth
I'ma step up, speak truth, bring proof
You're one in a billion times seven
A handmade original from heaven
You were born to love, born to lead
Born to shine and succeed
They want to see you in a strip club on a pole
I'd rather see you in a boardroom in control
Achieving greatness
Some artists would rather exploit you, they hate this
They getting nervous as I expose them
And point you to your purpose
Even if you've been through hell in a cell
And you're still breathing, keep believing
You're a step above amazing, don't settle
Beautiful right where you are: incredible
I just really want you to know, to know
To every woman in the house that believes
that her best days are ahead.
One word describes you: incredible
One more time, let me see your hands.
Unconditional love, so patient, your strength my inspiration
And this time, men, I want you to stand up on your feet
and applaud every woman in this place.
Every man in this place, let's applaud these women.
Give them a standing ovation because they are truly incredible.
(Applause)
You guys, thank you so much for letting me share with you.
We had an amazing lineup of speakers, an amazing time today.
And I just wanted to say thank you guys for being open-minded, embracing hip-hop,
because I hope that my career will redefine what hip-hop can truly be.
God bless you and thank you.
(Applause) (Cheers)