X had delivered to that time. The political message of the speech was beyond the teachings of the Nation of Islam. Some of the themes touched on by Malcolm X in "Message to the Grass Roots" were familiar ones. The distinction between the Black revolution and the Negro revolution, and that between the house Negro and the field Negro, had become common features of his speeches. Regarding the March on Washington, theologian James H. Cone writes that "Malcolm's language was harsh, but it was the truth". According to Cone, the march was controlled by the Black bourgeoisie and the white liberals who financed it. The organizers forced John Lewis to rewrite his speech because it was considered offensive to the Kennedy administration, and James Baldwin was not allowed to speak out of fear for what he might say. Legacy Public Enemy edited two samples from "Message to the Grass Roots" for the introduction to their 1987 song "Bring the Noise", making it sound like Malcolm X said "Too black, too strong." In 1988, an edited quote from the speech was used at the beginning of the song "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour: And during the few moments that we have left, we want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand. Gang Starr used part of "Message to the Grass Roots" for the beginning of their song "Tonz 'O' Gunz" from their 1994 album "Hard to Earn". Composer Hideki Naganuma sampled the "too black, too strong" excerpt for the final boss theme of the 2005 video game Sonic Rush, "Wrapped in Black". Key excerpts "We want to have just an off-the-cuff chat between you and me, us. We want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand." "It's just like when you've got some coffee that's too black, which means it's too strong. What you do? You integrate it with cream, you make it weak. If you pour too much cream in, you won't even know you ever had coffee. It used to be hot, it becomes cool. It used to be strong, it becomes weak. It used to wake you up, now it'll put you to sleep." References Notes Sources cited External links Message to the Grassroots, King Solomon Baptist Church, Detroit, November 10, 1963 1963 in politics Speeches by Malcolm X 1963 speeches