I Am Not My Hair (Featuring Akon) (Feat. Akon)

See I can kinda recall little ways back Small tryin' to ball always been black And my hair I tried it all I even went flat Had a gumdee curly top and all that crap now Tryin' to be appreciated Nappy headed brothers never had no ladies Then I hit by the barber shop real quick Had em give me little twist and it drove them crazy And then I couldn't get no job Cause corporate wouldn't hire no dreadlocks Then I thought about my dogs on the block Kinda understand why they chose a steal and rob Was it the hair that got me this far uh-huh All these girls these cribs these cars uh-huh I Hate to say it but it seem so flawed Cause success didn't come 'til I cut it all off uh-huh Little girl with the press and curl Age eight I got a Jheri curl Thirteen then I got a relaxer I was a source of so much laughter Fifteen when it all broke off Eighteen and then I went all natural February two thousand and two I Went on and did what I had to do Cause it was time to change my life To become the women that I am inside Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone Looked in the mirror for the first time and saw that Hey I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your ex-pec-tations no no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am the soul that lives within Good hair means curls and waves Bad hair means you look like a slave At the turn of the century It's time for us to redefine who we be You can shave it off like a South African beauty Or get in on lock Like Bob Marley You can rock it straight like Oprah Winfrey If it's not what's on your head It's what's underneath and say Hey I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am a soul that lives within Who cares if you don't like that With nothin' to lose post it with a wave cap And the cops tryin' to harass cause I got waves Ain't seen nothin' like that not in my days noo Man you gotta change all these feeling's Steady judging one another by their appearance Yes India I feel ya girl Now go ahead talk the rest of the world Oh oh oh Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person Whoa whoa whoa Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend Nooo Whoa whoa whoa Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity Whoa whoa whoa I am expressing my creativity Breast cancer and chemotherapy Took away her crown and glory She promised God if she was to survive She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh On national television Her diamond eyes are sparkling Bald headed like a full moon shining Singing out to the whole wide world like Hey I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am a soul that lives within I am not my hair I am not this skin I am not your expectations no I am not my hair I am not this skin I am a soul that lives within