Champagne Duane teams up with Brookfield Duece to deliver “Fly Free”, a powerful political statement over a Cee Goods beat. “Fly Free” highlights the injustices of oppression while offering enlightenment and encouragement to dismantle the chains and seek a higher plateau. Duane sets the tone with brooding messages for racists and bigots and takes a jab at political leadership for their insensitive rhetoric and forceful treatment of humanity. In the lines, “How do broken taillights turn into broken hearts/ that’s when you realize that it was broke from the start/ we put to bed by 12, hands up high like midnight,” he begins to outline the tragedies of senseless police brutality. He finishes the verse with clever wordplay on lines like “they just want to pop and lock and we just want to pop and lock/ we just want to wear our locks and they just want us wearing locks.” The beautifully sampled hook smoothens out to the sound of Duane offering a different perspective: Fly free, spread your wings. Fly free, better things. The baton is passed to Brookfield Duece who comes in swinging with metaphors: “Hard to fly free in this oil spill, they let us spread our wings with a Popeye’s deal, listen to the stress coming from my bill, all this for the birds if I’m being real.” He goes on to echo the sentiments of Champagne by examining the way citizens are harmfully treated and also makes a call to action to draw the line. On the final at bat, Duane picks up where Duece left off, letting it be known that “time’s up” and “we’re done apologizing” for the wrongdoings of others. He gives praise to those who also fought to lift that same burden. His line “went Bald for the Win, now they calling me James” speaks to the wisdom he’s gaining while simultaneously shining a light on James Baldwin’s contributions to activism. Among the others to receive a mention are Huey Newton, MLK, Malcolm X and Angela Davis. “Fly Free” embodies the roots of Hip-Hop in it’s creative depiction (and at times displeasure) of the cards that have been dealt to our communities and the mindset it takes to overcome and arrive at liberation.
LYRICS
Ok I’m off to the races
F*ck off the racists
Tomi Lahren, Megyn Kelly
Let’s nut off in they faces
Feed em d!ck, f*ck etiquette
Redirect their rhetoric
N see to it they never get
to re-erect Confederate
If they smuggling drugs
Why would you build a wall
Why don’t you just tell the country
Not to do drugs at all
God forbid we go clean
Water you so afraid of
No clean water for Flint
Yet you spray it on Natives
How do broken tail lights
turn into broken hearts
Thats when you realize
It was broke from the start
We put to bed by 12
Hands up high like midnight
I think they still upset them Isotoner gloves ain’t fit right
We just wanna pop n lock
They just wanna pop n lock
We jus wanna wear our locks
They jus want us wearing locks
Freedom ain’t free, to lose these chains
We losing change like stray dinero
Wanna live the straight n narrow
Boas made me straighten arrow
Fly free, spread ya wings
Fly free, better things
[Brookfield Duece]
Hard to fly free in this oil spill
they let us spread our wings with a Popeyes deal
Listen to the stress coming from my bill
All this for the birds if I’m being real
All this don’t matter if we go off skill
I feel like Carly Hailey, it’s a time to kill
Kill the narrative, it’s imperative the really feel
All the pain, it’s insane, how many y’all done killed
Got the acquittal, y’all working harder to make us little
when Malcolm got respect when he shot and stopped holding the dribble
got respect from the hungry trying to get to the vittles
Made us pick a side, we so noncommittal
I’m really just saying we need some action
I’m really just saying we need some passion
I’m saying we need to stop all this asking
We need to change to fly free from the past tense
Fly free, spread ya wings
Fly free, better things
Is y’all done colonizing?
Huh? Is y’all done wit da Columbinin…
Yeahhh. Y’all done with the sodomizing.
We done apologizing
This is hardly advising. This is more a demand.
I know it’s demoralizing how da boy forcing your hand.
Calling your bluff, all your lies point out the flaws in all your fans
This here’s a 10 Point Plan to come n end ya boy band
Got Damn! What’s gotten into Duane
I liked him so much better when he was poppin da pagne
Got Damn! Now I’m all in poppin is pain. Went bald for the win. Now they calling me James
Now Martin is in my veins, Malcolm is in the brain
You Falcons in the big game, I’m Falco in a big game
And the fake sh-t need a replacement
A face lift straight from the basement
Give you this game like I’m James Naismith
How to break chains like I’m A. Davis
Fly free, spread ya wings
Fly free, better things