1
00:00:00,703 --> 00:00:02,684
Today,

2
00:00:02,684 --> 00:00:04,324
a baffled lady observed

3
00:00:04,324 --> 00:00:06,316
the shell where my soul dwells

4
00:00:06,316 --> 00:00:09,457
And announced that I'm

5
00:00:09,457 --> 00:00:11,364
"articulate"

6
00:00:11,364 --> 00:00:13,702
Which means that when it comes

7
00:00:13,702 --> 00:00:15,697
to annunciation and diction

8
00:00:15,697 --> 00:00:16,703
I don't even think of it

9
00:00:16,703 --> 00:00:19,390
‘Cause I’m "articulate"

10
00:00:19,390 --> 00:00:21,970
So when my professor asks a question

11
00:00:21,970 --> 00:00:24,129
And my answer is tainted with a connotation

12
00:00:24,129 --> 00:00:25,477
of urbanized suggestion

13
00:00:25,477 --> 00:00:27,943
There’s no misdirected intention

14
00:00:27,943 --> 00:00:28,920
Pay attention

15
00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,258
‘Cause I’m “articulate”

16
00:00:31,258 --> 00:00:34,815
So when my father asks, “Wha’ kinda ting is dis?”

17
00:00:34,815 --> 00:00:37,953
My “articulate” answer never goes amiss

18
00:00:37,953 --> 00:00:41,469
I say “father, this is the impending problem at hand”

19
00:00:41,469 --> 00:00:42,796
And when I’m on the block

20
00:00:42,796 --> 00:00:44,491
I switch it up just because I can

21
00:00:44,491 --> 00:00:47,129
So when my boy says, “What’s good with you son?”

22
00:00:47,129 --> 00:00:52,539
I just say, “I jus’ fall out wit dem people but I done!”

23
00:00:52,539 --> 00:00:54,131
And sometimes in class

24
00:00:54,131 --> 00:00:57,060
I might pause the intellectual sounding flow to ask

25
00:00:57,060 --> 00:01:00,725
“Yo! Why dese books neva be about my peoples”

26
00:01:00,725 --> 00:01:02,890
Yes, I have decided to treat

27
00:01:02,890 --> 00:01:04,952
all three of my languages as equals

28
00:01:04,952 --> 00:01:08,950
Because I’m “articulate”

29
00:01:08,950 --> 00:01:11,371
But who controls articulation?

30
00:01:11,371 --> 00:01:14,525
Because the English language
is a multifaceted oration

31
00:01:14,525 --> 00:01:16,344
Subject to indefinite transformation

32
00:01:16,344 --> 00:01:19,957
Now you may think that it is
ignorant to speak broken English

33
00:01:19,957 --> 00:01:23,114
But I’m here to tell you that
even “articulate” Americans

34
00:01:23,114 --> 00:01:25,114
sound foolish to the British

35
00:01:25,114 --> 00:01:28,363
So when my Professor comes on
the block and says, “Hello”

36
00:01:28,363 --> 00:01:31,000
I stop him and say “Noooo …

37
00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:33,144
You’re being inarticulate …

38
00:01:33,144 --> 00:01:35,307
the proper way is to say ‘what’s good’”

39
00:01:35,307 --> 00:01:38,922
Now you may think that’s too hood, that’s not cool

40
00:01:38,922 --> 00:01:41,900
But I’m here to tell you that
even our language has rules


41
00:01:41,900 --> 00:01:44,512
So when Mommy mocks me and says

42
00:01:44,512 --> 00:01:46,770
“ya’ll-be-madd-going-to-the-store”

43
00:01:46,770 --> 00:01:51,756
I say “Mommy, no, that sentence is not following the law

44
00:01:51,756 --> 00:01:55,447
Never does the word "madd" go 
before a present participle

45
00:01:55,447 --> 00:01:57,950
That’s simply the principle of this English”

46
00:01:57,950 --> 00:01:59,620
If I had the vocal capacity I would

47
00:01:59,620 --> 00:02:01,674
sing this from every mountaintop,

48
00:02:01,674 --> 00:02:03,950
From every suburbia, and every hood

49
00:02:03,950 --> 00:02:07,503
‘Cause the only God of language is
the one recorded in the Genesis

50
00:02:07,503 --> 00:02:09,220
Of this world saying “it is good"

51
00:02:09,220 --> 00:02:11,791
So I may not always come before you

52
00:02:11,791 --> 00:02:13,185
with excellency of speech

53
00:02:13,185 --> 00:02:15,716
But do not judge me by my language and assume

54
00:02:15,716 --> 00:02:17,235
That I’m too ignorant to teach

55
00:02:17,235 --> 00:02:18,785
‘Cause I speak three tongues

56
00:02:18,785 --> 00:02:19,933
One for each:

57
00:02:19,933 --> 00:02:21,678
Home, school and friends

58
00:02:21,678 --> 00:02:23,882
I’m a tri-lingual orator

59
00:02:23,882 --> 00:02:25,851
Sometimes I’m consistent with my language now

60
00:02:25,851 --> 00:02:27,810
Then switch it up so I don’t bore later

61
00:02:27,810 --> 00:02:29,687
Sometimes I fight back two tongues

62
00:02:29,687 --> 00:02:31,622
While I use the other one in the classroom

63
00:02:31,622 --> 00:02:33,547
And when I mistakenly mix them up

64
00:02:33,547 --> 00:02:37,040
I feel crazy like … I’m cooking in the bathroom

65
00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:41,632
I know that I had to borrow your language

66
00:02:41,632 --> 00:02:44,477
because mines was stolen

67
00:02:44,477 --> 00:02:48,377
But you can’t expect me to speak your history wholly

68
00:02:48,377 --> 00:02:49,879
while mines is broken

69
00:02:49,879 --> 00:02:51,398
These words are spoken

70
00:02:51,398 --> 00:02:53,705
By someone who is simply fed up with

71
00:02:53,705 --> 00:02:56,325
the Eurocentric ideals of this season

72
00:02:56,325 --> 00:02:59,808
And the reason I speak a composite
version of your language

73
00:02:59,808 --> 00:03:03,560
Is because mines was raped
away along with my history

74
00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,790
I speak broken English so the
profusing gashes can remind us

75
00:03:07,790 --> 00:03:10,050
That our current state is not a mystery

76
00:03:10,050 --> 00:03:15,258
I’m so tired of the negative images
that are driving my people mad

77
00:03:15,258 --> 00:03:19,501
So unless you’ve seen it rob
a bank stop calling my hair bad

78
00:03:19,501 --> 00:03:23,157
I’m so sick of this nonsensical racial disparity

79
00:03:23,157 --> 00:03:25,710
So don’t call it good unless your hair is known

80
00:03:25,710 --> 00:03:27,255
for donating to charity

81
00:03:27,255 --> 00:03:32,182
As much as has been raped away from our people

82
00:03:32,182 --> 00:03:36,121
How can you expect me to treat
their imprint on your language

83
00:03:36,121 --> 00:03:38,735
As anything less than equal

84
00:03:38,735 --> 00:03:40,607
Let there be no confusion

85
00:03:40,607 --> 00:03:42,421
Let there be no hesitation

86
00:03:42,421 --> 00:03:44,485
This is not a promotion of ignorance

87
00:03:44,485 --> 00:03:47,930
This is a linguistic celebration

88
00:03:47,930 --> 00:03:53,009
That’s why I put "tri-lingual" on my last job application

89
00:03:53,009 --> 00:03:55,740
I can help to diversify your consumer market

90
00:03:55,740 --> 00:03:57,372
is all I wanted them to know

91
00:03:57,372 --> 00:03:59,105
And when they call me for the interview

92
00:03:59,105 --> 00:04:00,615
I’ll be more than happy to show that

93
00:04:00,615 --> 00:04:01,350
I can say:

94
00:04:01,350 --> 00:04:02,563
“What’s good”

95
00:04:02,563 --> 00:04:03,548
“Whatagwan”

96
00:04:03,548 --> 00:04:06,452
And of course …“Hello”

97
00:04:06,452 --> 00:04:09,126
Because I’m “articulate”

98
00:04:09,126 --> 00:04:10,899
Thank you.

99
00:04:10,899 --> 00:04:12,284
(Applause)