Brown Skin Lady Lyrics

[Chorus: Mos Def & Talib Kweli]
Brown skin lady, hey hey
Yes
Where you goin'?
This goes to the brown skin ladies, yo
Brown skin lady
Indigenous women of the planet Earth
What you doin'?
Givin' birth to the brown skin ladies first
Brown skin lady
For what it's worth, from me to you
How do you feel?
From me to you, watchin' you

[Bridge: Mos Def & Talib Kweli]
I like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the, I like the, I like the, I like the way you walk
I like the way you move, when you do that dance
Yes, I like the way you move
I like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the, I like the, I like the, I like the way you walk
I like the way you move, when you do that dance
Please, won't you do that dance?


[Mos Def & Talib Kweli]
And everybody on the avenue I know, when they see her say Ow
On the block
Everybody on the avenue I know, when they see her say Ow
There she is!
[Verse 2: Mos Def]
Ooooh! Damn, baby girl, look at you!
Comin' on the block, lookin' fresh and brand new
Ooooh! Head wrap cover your hairdo
Pretty feet peekin' through open-toed shoe
Ooooh! No limit to what I would do
Make love to you like long interview
Whooh! Is she for real? Me like you
Good look, champion, win the title
True, many man try invite you
Shot down lyric each time they cyph' you

Jewel, what man, ya get born inside zoo?
Feet, they walk way and just let she pass through
Ooooh! Can't be a next one like you
Famous like tapes made by DJ Clue
I tighten up my game as I approach you
Yo, check her, she the nectar the bee get close to

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3: Talib Kweli]
I don't get many compliments, but I am confident
Used to have a complex about gettin' too complex
You got me, willin' to try, looked me in the eye
My head is still in the sky, since you walked on by, I'm feelin' high
Got my imagination flickerin' like hot flames is how it seems
You make me wanna ride the Coltrane to A Love Supreme
My brown lady, create environments for happy brown babies
I know it sounds crazy

But your skin's the inspiration for cocoa butter
You provoke a brother, we should get to know one another
I discover when I bring you through, my people say "True!"
All I can say is all praise due, I thank God for a beauty like you

[Chorus: Mos Def & Talib Kweli]
Brown skin lady, hey hey
Yes
Where you goin'?
This goes to the brown skin ladies yo
Brown skin lady
Indigenous women of the planet Earth
What you doin'?
Givin' birth to the brown skin ladies first
Brown skin lady
For what it's worth, from me to you
How do you feel?
From me to you, watchin' you

[Bridge: Mos Def & Talib Kweli]
I like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the, I like the, I like the, I like the way you walk
I like the way you move, when you do that dance
Yes, I like the way you move
I like the way you walk, when you walk on by
I like the, I like the, I like the, I like the way you walk
I like the way you move, when you do that dance
Please, won't you do that dance


[Refrain: Mos Def]
And everybody on the avenue I know, when they see her say Ow
On the block
Everybody on the avenue I know, when they see her say Ow
There she is!

[Outro: Mos Def]
She's a brown skinned lady!
Such a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady!
She's a brown skinned lady
She's a brown skinned lady!
She's a brown skinned lady

[Outro: Talib Kweli]
Baby, what you mean you don't think you look good?
You know what some people put themselves through
To look just like you?
Dark stockin', high heels, lipstick, alla that

You know what?
Without makeup, you're beautiful
Whatcha you need to paint the next face for?

We're not dealin' with the European standard of beauty tonight
So turn off the TV, put the magazine away

In the mirror, tell me what you see
See the evidence of divine presence

Women in the Caribbean, they got the, golden sun
I know women on the continent got it
Nigeria and Ghana, you know they got it
Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique
And Botswana, to let it speak
How 'bout Latinas, Colombianas
Cubanas, Dominicanas, Tahinians
Of course, the Brooklyn women walk that walk
And the Bronx women walk that walk
Hunnies from Queens walk that walk
NYC, ATL, LA, Cincinnati, the Bay Area
Got the cocoa butter brown skinned ladies doin' their thing
In London and Paris, cocoa butter brown sk...

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About

Genius Annotation

This is a song from the 1998 album Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star.

It sampled Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s “We Almost Lost Detroit”

This song is about Mos Def and Talib Kweli’s admiration and appreciation of brown skin ladies, which include but aren’t limited to Latinas, Indigenous women and African American women.

Q&A

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

What did Black Star say about "Brown Skin Lady"?
Genius Answer

Almost exactly 22 years after the release, Talib Kweli posted a picture of himself writing the lyrics to the song in studio on Instagram:

Credits
Produced By
Mixing Engineer
Recording Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Copyright ©
Recorded At
Bobalicious Studios, Sherman Oaks, CA
Release Date
September 29, 1998
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