Train Of Thought: Boosie BadAzz
"Black Heaven" Feat. Keyshia Cole and J. Cole
Words Dan Rys
Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of XXL Magazine featuring our 2015 XXL Freshman Class. Check out everything from our Freshman issue right here.

Verse One:
“Black Heaven is a place where
People like me go
Know Dr. King still preachin’ ’bout togetherness
But probably lookin’ down sayin’ it’s irrelevant
Whitney Houston, she was Heaven sent
A song bird probably smilin’ right now listenin’ to her own words
Rosa Parks, so much heart, she a OG
Know she smilin’ lookin’ at the Blacks in the front seat
Bernie Mac jokin’ right now, him and Richard Pryor
Trayvon probably lookin’ down sayin’ them niggas wild
I know who givin’ knowledge up there, 2Pac
He lookin’ down like, ‘What happened to this hip-hop?’
Biggie Smalls probably swagged out, laid back
Him and Eazy talkin’ ’bout how it was way back
Nate Dogg probably reminiscin’ ’bout the eight-track
Pimp sayin’ prayers that Bun and Jay stay strapped
Michael Jackson? He probably maxin’ and relaxin’
Him and Marvin Gaye makin’ a classic
In Black Heaven”

XXL: How did you come up with the concept for “Black Heaven”?
Boosie BadAzz: Basically, I was in the studio and I was like, Man, I want to make a deep record. I wanted to make a real deep record, so I was going through some beats and when I found that record, first I just did the verse and then right after that I came up with the hook. After that, man, I was just seeing who I was gonna get on it and I thought of Keyshia [Cole]. I wrote the hook and sent it over to Keyshia to get on it.

Lyrically, what were you going for?
It was basically a record I just wanted to make. It was based off of, I had been listening earlier to 2pac’s “Thugz Mansion,” and I just thought, I gotta make me a Black record for a lot of Black legends. So that’s what I went in there thinking. I just basically went on me knowing people in the game, Black stars and that. A lot of people got left off, you know, but those were the ones who were running through my mind at the time, those people. It was just one of those records that was just perfect timing. I just feel like when I make music it’s important for me to speak on it.

What do you think Tupac would be saying about today’s hip-hop?
You know ’Pac would be saying, Man, this damn hip-hop shit is weak. ’Pac would probably be beefing with half the muthafuckin’ rap game, you know how he was. That’s how I feel ’Pac would be. If ’Pac was up there as ’Pac was living he would say that. I couldn’t say, the age he would be now, if he’d still be with that. But from him back then, if ’Pac was here now he’d be like, “What the fuck?”

What made you come up with the line about Dr. King saying togetherness was irrelevant?
I just really think, if Dr. King was living right now, he would be like, “Man, they got Blacks and Whites together now.” Okay, but he never seen Blacks killin’ Blacks like this. So I just felt like he’d be like, “God damn, what done happened? I did all that...” I just don’t think he’d be pleased seeing Blacks killin’ Blacks like that. Police killin’ somebody, he done seen that. They know about that.

Check out more from our Train of Thought column from Big Sean, Gunplay, Big K.R.I.T., 2 Chainz, No Malice, and don't miss our latest feature on Boosie BadAzz right here.

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