Welcome
20th and Jackson
That empty building right across from Franz is
Where the last place I ever called home was
Four years, we watched a whole village grow up
C.D., Eri-ET, Hip-Hop
Community organizing on the block, what
Late nights, dirty dishes and injera runs
Candle-lit dinners after gates were locked up
That's why I jokingly called us an Abesh mafia
We smelled like onions and we eat with our hands
It's the first place that embraced all that I am
Under one roof, fully
And it always pulled me
Back to the kitchen when life was too much
If it wasn't for Rahwa
I don't even know what I'd be doing
Or if I'd eaten, slept, taught, organized another show, rocked
Lovework, manifest in a building
Filled with everything that life comes with
No exaggeration
Cause for celebration
We know shit'll never be the same again
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building on
A legacy that is strong
Deep
Jazz history on Jackson
Where night clubs used to be the attraction
Seattle's only historically Black neighborhood
Where Jimi's house sat in an empty lot
For hella years while community fought
To make a landmark on a relevant block
Instead of pushed out to Renton like the people that lived there
Gentrification's never been so clear
Police intimidate and businesses fear
"You could do what you want, but no hip-hop around here"
A cop told her on the day that she opened
Dubbed a mecca by the day that we closed it
The only venue that was on that street
With live music several nights of the week
The first shows for many an emcee
It filled a void that is still empty
The Hidmo
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building
Even when our buildings gone
We gon' keep building on
A legacy that is strong
And there's so much the Hidmo signified
Starting by respect where you occupy
Love, and be able to improvise
Provide what your people may actually need
It did a better job than any 501c3
With something simple as music and food
Good hearts and a couple of rooms
Real conversations
A world brand new
Is what it felt like
On a good night
Independence
No permission
Make it happen
You've got a dream
Well, here's a space
It is that simple
The world is a Hidmo
I'm starting to know, oh
The world is a Hidmo
I'm starting to know, oh
The world is a Hidmo
I'm starting to know
Thought you knew, you did know
Hidmo