"I died by myself without a dime. My real worth reaches across time"

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Zora Neale Hurston was a celebrated writer and anthropologist known for her vibrant portrayal of African American life in the rural South, most famously through her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. A key figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston’s legacy highlights the richness of Black culture and the strength of Black womanhood. Born in 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama, and raised in Eatonville, Florida, she later studied anthropology at Barnard College, where she developed a lifelong interest in Black folklore and traditions. Hurston traveled extensively through the American South and the Caribbean to collect stories, songs, and religious practices of African-descended communities. She infused her fiction with the voices and experiences she encountered, creating works that celebrated Black life with authenticity and pride. Despite her literary contributions, Hurston faced challenges during her lifetime, including financial struggles and periods of critical neglect. Today, Hurston is recognized as a groundbreaking writer whose work paved the way for future generations of Black authors. Their Eyes Were Watching God and her other writings are studied widely for their powerful storytelling, rich language, and cultural significance. Zora Neale Hurston’s dedication to preserving Black heritage and portraying the complexities of Black womanhood continues to resonate and inspire.

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lyrics

The Suitors Zora feat A. Billi Free

I died by myself without a dime (no dime)

My real worth reaches across time (cross time)

Rooted in my truth let my imagination fly

If I only knew, I already knew

Big country vibes, a lil bit of city with it

Infuse words with a whole lot of feeling in em

Will not assimilate, clear positioning

Steeped in Blackness, to all of your benefits

I know how to wield language knife of tongue cut sharply

Feel the magic in my body

I love nature largely

Many tongues, mighty pen and the life of the party

A treasure, a novelty

Vivacious, fiery and feisty

For the folk and I studied anthropology

Who you know get to kick it with some zombies?

How I put it on display, how I alchemize the pain

And my legacy sustains, remains

Griot with no fiat

Mad mic drops for the future with my street talk

Too much sauce for the bougie kept the jawns shocked

Stayed stuntin on em with a grin, what a gem

Sparkle laughter through the mind and through the hand

I told em burn my papers, but there were other plans

I wasn’t writing the struggle du jour

I wrote of human things

Of love and in between

So tell my horse, Moses, the mule and the men

Every Tongue Got To Confess on de Law

Cause it’s dust tracks on the Road

And their Eyes are Watching God

I died by myself without a dime

My real worth reaches across time

Rooted in my truth let my imagination fly

If I only knew, I already knew

I died by myself without a dime

My real worth reaches across time

Rooted in my truth let my imagination fly

If I only knew, I already knew

Zora Zora Zora Zora Zora

Zora Zora Zora Zora

Music Written and Published by The Suitors Corp (ASCAP). Lyrics Written and Published by B. Drakeford for A. Billi Free (ASCAP). Recorded in New Mexico. Mixing Engineer Paolo Tsui.

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What’s up? My name is A. Billi Free. I’m checking in from the Indigenous lands of the Piro Manso Tiwa, also known as Las Cruces, New Mexico. My crews are the Mauga Atuatasi Clan, the Beast Fairy Clan, the Southwest Samurais, the Obvio Gang, and Next Little Crew. It felt very good to finish the track. I felt that I was honoring Zora Neale Hurston in a way and appreciating her in a way that I hadn’t done before. I really love the idea of these tracks giving honor to public figures, whether they are alive or in the ancestral realm. I picked Zora because I read a lot of Black literature as a young adult in high school, particularly from Black women writers, and Zora Neale Hurston’s style was just so unique—so novel. Her energy jumped off the page. I’m always the type of person to read about people and look them up after reading their work, and the things people said about her matched her style of writing. I also recognized that she was not always understood in her time, yet she continued to be herself, and that is something I definitely appreciate.