Express Yourself Lyrics

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

A Dr. Dre solo number that samples and updates Charles Wright’s 1970s song of the same name. Notable for being one of the controversial group’s “clean” songs, and for Dre’s lyrical disavowal of weed, only a few years before his album-long celebration of the drug.

There was also an extended mix which was used in the music video and features additional verses from Ice Cube and Ren over a harder beat:

Side Note: Although Eazy-E is often described as Charles Wright’s nephew or son, Charles Wright himself has denied any relation.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did N.W.A say about "Express Yourself"?
Genius Answer

MC Ren broke down the song for HipHopConnection in December of 1989:

A lot of people can’t really deal with themselves I mean, they cuss at home and in public they’re somebody else. A lot of brothers wear the Africa medallions and the high top haircuts but they know shit all about why they’re doing it, just that it looks good. Why not dig deeper and not just wear things because it’s fashionable. I’m not downing any race but I’ve got a track coming out soon called “Overnight Black Man” describing these people.

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