[Intro: Brother Ali]
Two dudes, right?
[Chorus: Brother Ali]
We're ships passing in the night
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
Crash in the midlife
We're ships passing in the night
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
This'll be one take, by the way
[Verse 1: Brother Ali]
Oh my God, I'm on stage having a moment
A hole in the wall in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Rocking luxury homeowners and broke snowboarders
Before Kanye came and built a studio on it
First rap shindig in this cowboy bar
There's a damn stuffed pig starin' at me at the door
Never been here beforе, it's a party for a magazine
Bunch of models and actors on the scеne
My one and only job is to bring this disjointed mob
All together on one common vibe
Manicured nails in the sky
Right beside the guy with calluses from tiling her personal spa
Waving all side to side, it's not pride or a lie
But all five hundred had the time of their lives
I got lights in my eyes and I'm already blind
And no security, I'm tryna watch my behind
Then this whole other beat starts bleeding through the system
I'm squinting at my DJ, tryna see what he's mixin'
But the needle ain't dropping, it's a skinny white guy
Hat down over his eyes, caught himself beatboxing
Hell to the nizzo, no to the wizzay
I snatched the mic from him, escorted him off the stizzage
Ask the DJ, "Why you let him have his way?"
That was none other than the great Justin Timberlake
[Chorus: Brother Ali]
We're ships passing in the night (Big mistake)
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
Crash in the midlife
We're ships passing in the night
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
Crash in the midlife
[Interlude: Brother Ali]
Yo, my man, I mean, obviously, I'm a fan
Part of being albino is I can't see, I mean, you understand
I wasn't expecting to see you here, especially not in all that plaid
I'm so honored, please come back on this stage and rock this jam
[Verse 2: Brother Ali]
I'm on tour, Rock the Bells
De La Soul and Nas and Tribe as well
The godfathers of my style, I'm live as hell
Gotta track KRS-One down, I might as well
I got a photo on my phone from when I was thirteen
And saw him give a lecture like Martin Luther King
But I also had a dream, so my hand was raised
I asked him a question and he brought me on stage
And my whole life changed, zero exaggeration
I rap and give lectures and my name's no longer Jason
It's been two decades since that fateful occasion
I waited by his trailer just to kiss the ring and thank him
I said, "Blastmaster, pardon me
I just have to tell you, I'm Brother Ali"
And he looked at me and said, "Yes, you are"
Um, okay
"You brought me on stage the first time we met"
His eyebrows high, he said, "And you never left
You're still rockin'"
Am I being punked or something?
I showed him the image on my phone
And he walked away with it and he wouldn't let it go
So once I finally struggled it away
I spent the rest of the day bumpin' Brother J
[Chorus: Brother Ali]
We're ships passing in the night (I love you anyway)
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
Crash in the midlife
We're ships passing in the night
Tryna navigate right
Distracted by the city lights
Crash in the midlife
[Outro: Brother Ali]
I don't really see the purpose of you talkin' to me like this
You're supposed to be the teacher, you're actin' more like a bully
I'ma tell Chuck D on you because this is totally unnecessary
