Harlem To Bedstuy

from A Tale of Cool Cities (pick your own price) by Ayoinmotion

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about

AYo explores the subject of gentrification and how it has affected the "predominantly" black neighborhoods of Harlem and Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bedstuy) in Brooklyn. As a Harlem resident, AYo takes us a journey that begins on the A train traveling from Harlem to Bedstuy. The result is a stream of thoughts and life-experiences reflected in rhyme. This insightful topical song and self-examination concludes with Francois, a French immigrant who resides in Harlem, sharing his story with AYo about Germans "gentrifying" his neighborhood in France as well.

lyrics

Chorus:
Harlem to Bedstuy
My thoughts ride
Harlem to Bedstuy
My thoughts ride

Verse 1:
So much on my chest like the crest on my shirt
Real life is a stress, Real life is a test
Forget the grade, i want to get paid just like them

Developers building, new owners moving
Neighborhood loosing, not by their choosing
Life is a cycle
Harlem is changing , everything ranges
on profit, pay up or forfeit
you ain't really gotta love it

New names like Soha
Call it a joke say no ha
But thats Noha
Real estate your place
New face new taste
Rent on the rise cant afford it
Bodega on the corner gone
men I use to love it
Feel some kind of way
Money rules the day
I don't have a say
All i got to say is:

Harlem to Bedstuy
My thoughts ride
Harlem to Bedstuy
My thoughts ride

Verse 2:
A train , riding to Bedstuy
Earphones in my ear
Trying not to care
Thoughts of last night
Keep ringing in my ear

She said it isn’t fair
I was quite selfish
Said i never shared
Something like a shellfish
in relation to emotion
I think she meant love
All we did was __
She really wanted more
But she really wasn’t sure
Hopped off the train
Standing in the rain
It stopped I walked
past brownstones in the corner
occupied by new owners

Barbershops gone, restaurants come
Barbershops gone, restaurants come

Bedstuy is leaving
Bedstuy is gone
Harlem! Bedstuy!
Harlem! Bedstuy!

Conversation with Francois begins about his thoughts on changes in the neighborhood

credits

from A Tale of Cool Cities (pick your own price), track released December 4, 2013
Rap vocals and all lyrics written by: Ayoinmotion (@ayoinmotion)
Production by: Youngr (@youngr_music )
Mixed/Mastered: George "Cylon" Casseus of Digital Harmonics (@cylonxx)
Recorded by TeV95 95Labs Brooklyn, NY
Cover Art Design by: Caleb Moss for INM0TI0N brand

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about

Ayoinmotion New York, New York

Pulsating Afrobeats, hip-hop, spoken-word, a hard-driving band, and dancers make Ayoinmotion in concert a captivating experience. Essence magazine said the Nigeria-born performer creates “unforgettable music that leaves a lasting impression on any audience.” He has made his name opening for such superstars as Davido, Teni The Entertainer and Talib Kweli & was recently spotlighted by the GRAMMYs. ... more