0:00:00.703,0:00:02.684
Today,

0:00:02.684,0:00:04.494
a baffled lady observed

0:00:04.494,0:00:06.316
the shell where my soul dwells

0:00:06.316,0:00:09.117
And announced that I'm

0:00:09.117,0:00:11.794
"articulate"

0:00:11.794,0:00:13.842
Which means that when it comes

0:00:13.842,0:00:15.697
to annunciation and diction

0:00:15.697,0:00:17.193
I don't even think of it

0:00:17.193,0:00:19.870
‘Cause I’m “articulate”

0:00:19.870,0:00:22.026
So when my professor asks a question

0:00:22.026,0:00:24.129
And my answer is tainted with a connotation

0:00:24.129,0:00:25.747
of urbanized suggestion

0:00:25.747,0:00:27.943
There’s no misdirected intention

0:00:27.943,0:00:29.180
Pay attention

0:00:29.180,0:00:31.588
‘Cause I’m “articulate”

0:00:31.588,0:00:35.175
So when my father asks, “Wha’ kinda ting is dis?”

0:00:35.175,0:00:37.953
My “articulate” answer never goes amiss

0:00:37.953,0:00:41.469
I say “father, this is the impending problem at hand”

0:00:41.469,0:00:43.136
And when I’m on the block

0:00:43.136,0:00:44.821
I switch it up just because I can

0:00:44.821,0:00:47.129
So when my boy says, “What’s good with you son?”

0:00:47.129,0:00:52.539
I just say, “I jus’ fall out wit dem people but I done!”

0:00:52.539,0:00:54.271
And sometimes in class

0:00:54.271,0:00:57.051
I might pause the intellectual sounding flow to ask

0:00:57.051,0:01:00.865
“Yo! Why dese books neva be about my peoples”

0:01:00.865,0:01:03.012
Yes, I have decided to treat

0:01:03.012,0:01:05.162
all three of my languages as equals

0:01:05.162,0:01:09.021
Because I’m “articulate”

0:01:09.021,0:01:11.631
But who controls articulation?

0:01:11.631,0:01:14.645
Because the English language[br]is a multifaceted oration

0:01:14.645,0:01:16.524
Subject to indefinite transformation

0:01:16.524,0:01:19.957
Now you may think that it is[br]ignorant to speak broken English

0:01:19.957,0:01:23.374
But I’m here to tell you that[br]even “articulate” Americans

0:01:23.374,0:01:25.254
sound foolish to the British

0:01:25.254,0:01:28.363
So when my Professor comes on[br]the block and says, “Hello”

0:01:28.363,0:01:31.006
I stop him and say “Noooo…

0:01:31.006,0:01:33.144
You’re being inarticulate…

0:01:33.144,0:01:35.517
the proper way is to say ‘what’s good’”

0:01:35.517,0:01:39.272
Now you may think that’s too hood, that’s not cool

0:01:39.272,0:01:42.240
But I’m here to tell you that[br]even our language has rules[br]

0:01:42.240,0:01:44.512
So when Mommy mocks me and says

0:01:44.512,0:01:47.054
“ya’ll-be-madd-going-to-the-store”

0:01:47.054,0:01:51.756
I say “Mommy, that sentence is not following the law

0:01:51.756,0:01:55.447
Never does the ‘madd’ go before a present participle

0:01:55.447,0:01:58.077
That’s simply the principle of this English”

0:01:58.077,0:02:00.025
If I had the vocal capacity I would

0:02:00.025,0:02:01.994
sing this from every mountaintop,

0:02:01.994,0:02:04.064
From every suburbia, and every hood

0:02:04.064,0:02:07.503
‘Cause the only God of language is[br]the one recorded in the Genesis

0:02:07.503,0:02:09.370
Of this world saying “it is good"

0:02:09.370,0:02:11.791
So I may not always come before you

0:02:11.791,0:02:13.185
with excellency of speech

0:02:13.185,0:02:15.716
But do not judge me by my language and assume

0:02:15.716,0:02:17.235
That I’m too ignorant to teach

0:02:17.235,0:02:18.785
‘Cause I speak three tongues

0:02:18.785,0:02:19.933
One for each:

0:02:19.933,0:02:21.678
Home, school, and friends

0:02:21.678,0:02:23.882
I’m a tri-lingual orator

0:02:23.882,0:02:25.851
Sometimes I’m consistent with my language now

0:02:25.851,0:02:27.810
Then switch it up so I don’t bore later

0:02:27.810,0:02:29.687
Sometimes I fight back two tongues

0:02:29.687,0:02:31.622
While I use the other one in the classroom

0:02:31.622,0:02:33.547
And when I mistakenly mix them up

0:02:33.547,0:02:37.290
It feels crazy like…I’m cooking in the bathroom

0:02:37.290,0:02:41.632
I know that I had to borrow your language

0:02:41.632,0:02:44.637
because mine was stolen

0:02:44.637,0:02:48.147
But you can’t expect me to speak your history wholly

0:02:48.147,0:02:49.879
while mines is broken

0:02:49.879,0:02:51.398
These words are spoken

0:02:51.398,0:02:53.705
By someone who is simply fed up with

0:02:53.705,0:02:56.325
the Eurocentric ideals of this season

0:02:56.325,0:02:59.808
And the reason I speak a composite[br]version of your language

0:02:59.808,0:03:03.560
Is because mines was raped[br]away along with my history

0:03:03.560,0:03:07.790
I speak broken English so the[br]profusing gashes can remind us

0:03:07.790,0:03:10.062
That our current state is not a mystery

0:03:10.062,0:03:15.258
I’m so tired of the negative images[br]that are driving my people mad

0:03:15.258,0:03:19.501
So unless you’ve seen it rob[br]a bank stop calling my hair bad

0:03:19.501,0:03:23.157
I’m so sick of this nonsensical racial disparity

0:03:23.157,0:03:25.710
So don’t call it good unless your hair is known

0:03:25.710,0:03:27.255
for donating to charity

0:03:27.255,0:03:32.432
As much as has been raped away from our people

0:03:32.432,0:03:36.121
How can you expect me to treat[br]their imprint on your language

0:03:36.121,0:03:38.945
As anything less than equal

0:03:38.945,0:03:40.767
Let there be no confusion

0:03:40.767,0:03:42.421
Let there be no hesitation

0:03:42.421,0:03:44.625
This is not a promotion of ignorance

0:03:44.625,0:03:48.089
This is a linguistic celebration

0:03:48.089,0:03:52.669
That’s why I put ‘tri-lingual’ on my last job application

0:03:52.669,0:03:55.740
I can help to diversify your consumer market

0:03:55.740,0:03:57.372
is all I wanted them to know

0:03:57.372,0:03:59.105
And when they call me for the interview

0:03:59.105,0:04:00.595
I’ll be more than happy to show that

0:04:00.595,0:04:01.530
I can say:

0:04:01.530,0:04:02.733
“What’s good”

0:04:02.733,0:04:03.948
“Whatagwan”

0:04:03.948,0:04:06.692
And of course…“Hello”

0:04:06.692,0:04:09.126
Because I’m “articulate”

0:04:09.126,0:04:10.899
Thank you.

0:04:10.899,0:04:12.284
(Applause)