Word.

[The Pro]
What I learned this summer is how to be librarian,
Notice the weight you're carrying,
Resources for everybody more like humanitarian,
Service for every race arabianto afrycaryan,
European Latino Asian Indian American,
African aboriginals demographics are varying,
We all gotta eat no matter vegan or vegetarian,
Or carnivores we all need to consume, 
Knowledge you’re seeking may be contained in one room,
Like Jason Stathamwe get it transported,
For those who want it imported the information is sorted,
Document is recorded, new agenda reported,
My peoples voices important it’s dissing if they’re distorted,
In addition no different ditching the pitching that was sported,
If we’re building up a building you gotta know it’s supported,
Wishes are granted from a grant a wish is afforded,
No acting but in my academy everyone's awarded, so
Don’t ever take it for granted work is continuous,
To eat you plan it homies don’t even know where the menu is,
Or what dinner is,
My homie E knows what a winner is,
I cook in that kitchen yallget it free because I'm generous,
Giving a stack platter,
If ignorant or running your mouth you should track data,
It’s funny how people can talk and yet we lack chatter,
Seems like we gotta get out the planet for black matters,
We’re losing our black matter,
For cold massive corruption I’ll jack it it’s for all the beans,
Playing my cards all the kings, queens, and all the teens
Measure means highlighting homes to head,
On anyone to impede at the location just like Khalid,
Forget the credit APR I got the deed with deeds,
Pulling weeds so I can feed the seeds,
You don’t got to bleed in greed indeed agreed,
Plead in speed we’re freed to proceed into what you need.

[chorus]
Writing hooks even stacking any books you read,
Off the hook giving you all the looks to lead,
Gotta cook tell em what it took to succeed,
And I know a lot are shook,
But tell us what you need!

[Soodo]
Life is a struggle,
Needed a new hustle,
Heard there was an internship that needed new muscle,
So I signed right up,
Thought it was an easy way to get a couple bucks,
Improve my craft and become unstuck,
Cuz I was so unsure about my future coming up,
Where I wanna go,
Where I wanna be,
Who I wanna see,
My eternity,
My destiny,
My identity,
Gained serenity,
Now I got new skills, 
Got more connections,
Nerves of steel,
Aiming for perfection,
Work that's real, 
Going for profession
I get the feel like Natural Selection,
I still have questions, 
SooDo taken over by a library obsession.

[chorus]

Yeah this my book yeah they might gone hate
You better read this what the title say
Raised onna book is your life okay?
Pack more heat than a microwave
Young bad boys take ya life away
Thinking bout the kids that we might could save
You could never take my rights away
Always make sure that my guys okay
I need to get me a charger 
I’m closer to winning the race
People will do you wrong harder
And turn around grin in ya face
I honestly feel like a martyr
They trying to rain down on my faith
My brother can never escape
They too busy running from Jakes
That’s why we stay on everything right now that’s why we on honor role
All I do is honor code 
Trying to make sure these problems gone
And we can never solve em slow, you not enrolled, you gotta go 
Too focused on diamond flows
And all of these college loans

That’s why I been cooking things up it’s the recipe 
On the right path to my destiny
Ion need no one to mess with me
Always find a way that’s my specialty 
Can you please share your last breath with me 
Though I don’t wanna see no one Rest in piece 
If you got a problem then let me be
Not on board no chess with me

Grind for the future, I see it all sooner, it’s looking familia
I use to be running, when I was a youngin, just reading Amelia Bedelia 
It’s too many I been staying a float but not sinking I’m right on the pillar
I been through a lot, I been stuck in a box, so believe I’ll tell you I feel ya
I wanna see all of my people go do it, go get it it’s not for the feeling 
If you hate em you gotta forgive em
The first step always started from healing
I feel like I’m bad as a Jackson whenever you realer you always the villain
That’s why I been treating this life like a college recruit cause you know I’m Commited
On what 

Leave on a more sense 
I gotta contribute my portion
We tryna be great like we Jordan
We not tryna lose in no forfeit
I love all my people, we cannot be evil, we gotta move on from extortion 
We all gotta know who the lord is
I promise this stuff is important 
Too many youngins, who was up & coming, and had to lay down in they corpses
Let’s find a home for the orphans 
Might have to invite them to office
I just do my part, so I speak from the heart, every time that I hop on recordings 
Disappointment we cannot afford this
Gotta find what you like and explore it 
Look, I don’t really mess with Embarrassing guys
Live with love and live like we American Guys
I could never put you down we eat American Pies
So make sure when you do you get a Very Big Size 
On what

[WATCH] Eli's music video for "Committed".

[LISTEN] to the rest of Eli's album, "The (Note)book of Eli".

I'm in a zone boy,
and I got that chrome boy.
I get A's and B's homie,
straight up out the dome boy.
I got a tremendous brain,
I use words like comprehension,
not to mention the same thing,
when I speak my slang.
Change of the game,
bringing fame to my name.
Maxing my potential,
by expanding my brain.
Exchanging the truth,
while buildin' with my fellow youth.
Yeah son its true,
I reign from the drive I don't waste time.
Strivin' to stay alive,
beamin' like the sun on the day.
Lettin my light shine,
and avoiding the shady.
Yeah its true, you feel me,
but guess what I don't let it fade me.
Keepin' my eyes on the prize,
its best that you recognize.

It’s a struggle to be black.

2015, at war. Just yesterday we was talkin’ ‘bout blacks an’ whites.

It’s a struggle to be black.

Having to wake up every morning worryin’ about what’s gonna happen. Having to be a color and get picked on about it. Having to speak your mind and worryin’ about who’s gonna care or not. Scared to walk outside ‘cause you think you gonna get shot or arrested.

It’s a struggle to be black, and white people don’t understand, we struggle with our skin color.

It’s a struggle to be black.

If a white person was to shoot at us and we shoot back, we get the tickets, we get in trouble, and we get the sentence. The police is at it again and they’re killin’ the innocents.

It’s a struggle to be black.

In the United States of America, blacks are the top rank you hear about every day. We are tryin’ to make peace, we get nothing. We’re doin’ all this negative stuff, you see us on the news, Facebook, and all this other stuff.

It’s a struggle to be black.

Having to go to a all-white school and have to sit in class and talk about back in the days when we were slaves. How the white people look at you.

It’s a struggle to be black, but how we gonna change if we don’t try? It’s like we always feel like a target. I know it’s my skin color, what do you call it?

It’s a struggle to be black. It makes me feel uncomfortable.

It’s a struggle to be black. We scream for justice and we get nothing. I need answers. Every day we struggle, cry, and beg for forgiveness and ax God “why us?” but we still are left with no answer. We beg for our freedom. And what people don’t understand is the police is nothing without that badge and that gun. They are no different from us, and we are at it again and again. We beg for justice and still get nothing. They bleed like we bleed, so why in the world do they think they’re better than us? Bodies drop but we don’ know why.

It’s a struggle to be black.

Having to walk down the street and getting called names. Nigga this, nigga that, thug this, thug that. But we still get no answers. Why every chance they get they kill us when they feel uncomfortable? In The United States of America, we need answers of why it is a struggle to be black. In 2015, white and black are at it again, but why? Why is it a struggle to be black? It’s like a black on black crime, but only blacks understand how it feel to be treated like that.

It’s a struggle to be black.

August 28, 1963. Many people joined the MLK speech. “I have a dream, that one day the nation will rise up and live out to its true meaning of its creed, statements, and beliefs. We hold the truths as self-evident – that people are all created the same.”

It’s a struggle to be black.

Killin’ blacks aren’t the answer. Establish fact before propaganda. These regular people have regular lives. Badges should come with a body camera. Why every chance they get they feel the need to feel us when they feel uncomfortable? This is some bullshit, and it’s dysfunctional.

Why do we feel like a target? I know it’s my skin color, what would you call it?

It’s a struggle to be black. Only blacks understand.

• On display at Central Library through January 2016.

I can’t believe shes being ripped out of
my house again, and there is absolutely
nothing I can do. Did I fail as a parent?
Why is this happening to me again? When is
all of this going to stop. I still can't believe
how far everything went. Did I do something
I shouldn't have? Or is there something else
I could have done? I'm so sick of
feeling broken.

Dear, spiders how ugly and Nasty
you are how Big and small
8 legged freak I want to stomp
all over you intil every Spider
is killed intil you are wiped
of the planet of Earth. Sitting
on your weB sucking the life
out of what ever land’s
in you web well let
me tell you something when
you get to the ground you
will Be on my shoe
crushed. So intil then
you better stay in that 
web of your's.

You took that one little girl and turned her into
something she is not. You took away my innocence 
and all of my relationships with my family, made
me care about being in a haze more than
what was actually going on that day. You drained
the life from me and left me with nothing
but yourself. You made me feel like you were the
only thing out there and blinded me of what
I actually have. You made me do unthinkable
things and left me for dead. I'm moving on
without you, you did nothing but hurt me.
Goodbye old friend you won't be here till the
end.

Dear Mom, how loving you are
the unconditional love that you give
to me. The warm hugs
and the wet kisses. You and
me some things can be
grizzly bears and screaming and
yelling at each other like
we despise each other sometimes
we can be the best of
friends.

As I wake up in the morning to
cries and the laughter of my
loving bady mother in the kitchen
water whipping up the pancakes
my sister on her phone talking loud
just don't give a blank need a
break in the back in the AM
with uncle tank as we spit flows
and blowing smoke just to get my
mind straigh sometimes I feel
like it can be a better day but
I miss my daughter my girlfriend
and my mother as she whip it up
like ani-may T.V. Blasting readio
blasting loud that’s gasing love
it’s in the air sometimes I wish
that the love was still there.

My momma’s crib feels like, home, love, happiness, freedom potentual its smells like chicken, greens, cornbread, smash potatoes fish, porkchops, It reminds me of thankgiving when I sit with my brothers and sisters and eat It reminds me of Christmas when I ran to open up my presents it reminds me of the summer’s when we throw parties and the house is blasting with music and when we BBQ