[Black Thought] We go wow, ba-da-da-dow-da-dah-ow Either stand tall, just sit the fuck down All the way from the 2-1-5th to Bucktown Brace yourself, it's about to go down
[Mos Def] Runnin one on one and only hip-hop bound Yo Tariq (whassup) how your micraphone sound (It sound tight) well aight, show em what it's about
[Black Thought] We got to blow up the spot, because they must have forget We double (trouble) bubble (bubble) bubble (bubblin hot)
Well it's like smack the track up and leave dents in it The vocalist, bustin this blunt, instrument spit The magnificent, rapper's run from it All fly girls, nipples and toes, numb from it MC's in my circumference, is confronted son Get your growth stunted from this, you don't want it (What nigga?) The Black Thought and M-O-S Def done it Who the ultimate? Yo my man speak up on it
[Mos Def] Aiyyo I stop fools and drop jewels but never run it Rock mics so nice I make you stock price plummet All you high noon riders better rally at the summit It's me and Tariq and your fleet outnumbered Cross the membrane barkin big game and get hunted Eyewitness account, say it happened so sudden Just slid off to the side, didn't really say nuttin Then BLAOW, blew away the 1900th
[Black Thought] You better get your rest cause the next day comin Oh yes, and MC's they scared to say sum'tin Stop frontin, I'm in the cut just onlookin Your get your kings, your rooks, rings and pawns tooken
[Mos Def] Aiyyo, keep your tape on us so you catch the revolve of the Black Thought and the black man from Black Star Illadelph and Vietnam we conference, accomplish Even with stakes inclined, I get mine, regardless
[Black Thought] Yo, a lot of Smurfette MC's carry purses And rock, uniforms, that's made for nurses I burst your verses, your words is worthless Only touchin surface, the FUCK's the purpose?
[Mos Def] I shot the sherriff, the deputy, and head of bank treasury So mounties in the county got a BIG bounty stressin me But tell 'em to hold off, they too short to measure me Mos and Black Thought blast forth with the weaponry
[both interwined] Like blaow-ba-dow-da-da-dow-da-dah-ow Either stand tall or sit the fuck down All the way from the 2-1-5th to Bucktown Brace yourself, it's about to go down
[Mos Def] Yo Tariq (whassup) how your micraphone sound (It sound tight) well aight, show em what it's about
[both intertwined] We got to blow up the spot, because they must have forget We double (trouble) bubble (bubble) bubble (bubblin hot)
[Mos Def] Yeah, now check your stove top before you take a listen And make sure beans don't burn in the kitchen These gased up niggas just ain't fuel efficient I play the winter breeze then choke hold your prisoner Now you niggaz can't make pole position Classy, chasis, can't hold the transmission Crew pit, useless, they got they tools missin Watch me, grand prix, champy for wealth driven
[Black Thought] Yo, you go one for my hustle (hustle) Two to rock rhyme (two to rock rhyme) From the muscle kid I'm one of the illets of all time I swing from chandeliers and wall climb And specialize in warfares of all kind A lot of MC's said I'm a run it down rhyme But half the time, they run it down one of mine Thought suffocatin em with yet another stunnin line You dumb and blind kid, it's enlarged and underlined
[Mos Def] What I memorized leave your whole staff pressurized Melt down all of your artificial lies Y'all niggaz is faker than Yellow No. 5 Swine like mono and diglyceride My vocals got texture, you just texturized I'm nicer than your writtens even when I'm improvised Step into my zone get flown like fly by the b-boy Lazarus who just won't die
[Black Thought] Yo, me and Kamal and Leanord Hubbard, ?uestlove and Malik We go back to dollar holdings and Tahitian Treat Or like toast in the oven with government cheese bubblin Me and Dante like Marvin, The Troublemen travellin Give me the mic, we on that again b-boy business, off the top actin and battlin Servin them cats that forgot But don't get too close, because you might get shot
[both interwined] Like blaow-ba-dow-da-da-dow-da-dah-ow Either stand tall or sit the fuck down All the way from the 2-1-5th to Bucktown Brace yourself, it's about to go down
[Mos Def] Yo Tariq (whassup) how your micraphone sound (It sound tight) well aight, show em what it's about
[both intertwined] We bout to blow up the spot, because y'all must have forget We double (trouble) bubble (bubble) bubble (bubblin hot)
We go blaow-ba-dow-da-da-dow-da-dah-ow Either stand tall or sit the fuck down All the way from the 2-1-5th to Bucktown Went from _Do You Want More?!??!!_ to what you want now?
[Mos Def] Yo Tariq (whassup) how your micraphone sound (It sound tight) well aight, show em what it's about
[both intertwined] We bout to blow up the spot, because y'all must have forget We double (trouble) bubble (bubble) bubble (bubblin hot)
[Mos Def] Say here's a little story that must be told About two young brothers who got so much soul They takin total control, of the body and brain Flyin high in the sky, on a lyrical plane It's just two bad brothers who will never quit Mos Def and Tariq from the 2-1-5th They rock beginnin to end, on a spiritual blend And everybody who forgot then baby tell em again It's just me and Tariq, with Ahmir on the beat The Roots crew baby yo we got to make it unique We got the soul-shockinest, body-rockinest Non-stoppinest, _Fortified Live_ survive the apocalypse Rhymes we say, the perfect blend Because we know how to rock when the beat come in Like zen-zen-zen-zen-zen Zen-zen-zen-zen-zen, zen-zen, zen-zen Zen zen-zen, ZEN zen zen ZEN zen zen Zen zen, ZEN zen zen-zen Zen-zen-zen, ZEN zen ZEN zen Here we go, here we here we here we go Zen zen-zen, ZEN zen zen ZEN zen zen Zen zen, ZEN zen zen-zen Zen-zen-zen-zen-zen, zen-zen, zen-zen Let the poppers pop, and the breakers break Then zen-zen-zen-zen-zen Zen-zen-zen-zen-zen, zen-zen, zen-zen Two years ago, a friend of mine Zen zen, ZEN zen, zen-zen zen-zen...
What? Hip-Hop y'all, to the top y'all Hip-Hop check it out It's like that, and it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life We bout to take it to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the check it out Yo, what? And it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life I'm bout to take it to the top, what? Hip-Hop (hip-hop love) To the top (to the top) hip-hop, check it out It's like, word up, and it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life (of my life)
[Black Thought] The anticipation arose as time froze I stared off the stage with my eyes closed and dove into the deep cosmos The impact pushed back, the first five rows But before the raw live shows I remember I'se a little snot-nosed Rockin Gazelle, goggles and Izod clothes Learnin the ropes of ghetto survival Peepin out the situation I had to slide through Had to watch my back my front plus my sides too When it came to gettin mine I ain't tryin, to argue Sometimes I wouldn'ta made it if it wasn't for you Hip-Hop, you the love of my life and that's true When I was handlin the shit I had to do It was all for you, from the door for you Speak through you, gettin paper on tour for you From the start, Thought was down by law for you Used to hit up every corner store wall for you We ripped shit, and kept it hardcore for you I remember late nights, steady rockin the mic Hip-Hop, you the love of my life
So tell the people like that y'all (that y'all) And it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life We bout to take it to the top..
[Common] Yo, yo I was speakin, to my guy 'Riq and How she was desperately seekin to Organize in a Konfusion Usin, no protection, told H.E.R. on _Resurrection_ Caught in the Hype Williams, and lost H.E.R. direction Gettin eight/ate in sections where I wouldn't eat H.E.R. An under the counter love, so _Silent_-ly I _Treat_ H.E.R. Her Daddy'll beat H.E.R., eyes all Puff-ed In the mix on tape, niggaz had her in the buff When we touch, it was more than just a fuck The Police, in her I found peace (like who?) Like Malcolm in the East Seen H.E.R. on the streets of New York, trickin off Tried to make a hit with H.E.R. but my dick went soft Movin weight, losin weight, not picky - with who she choose to date To confuse the hate, with her struggle I relate Close to thirty, most of the niggaz she know is dirty Havin more babies than Lauryn, she started showin early As of late I realized, that this is H.E.R. fate Or destiny that brings the best of me It's like God is testin me In _Retrospect_ I see she brought _Life_ and death to me Peace to us collectively, live and direct when we perform It's just coffee shop chicks and white dudes Over H.E.R. I got into it with that nigga Ice Cube Now the fight moved to in life, makin the right moves Besides God and family, you my life's jewel Like that y'all Hip-Hop.. *echoes*
[whispered] Take it to the top, what? Hip-Hop (hip-hip) To the top, hip-hop (hip-hop) check it out
[Black Thought - louder] It's like, word up, and it sounds nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life, what? Bout to take you to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the, yo Fifth Dynamite, and it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life I'm bout to take you to the top love Hip-Hop, word up, to the top (to the top) Hip-Hop, check it out It's like that, what? And it sounds alright Hey, cause you the love of my life I'm bout to take you to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the, check it out What? Yeah, and it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life Bout to take you to the top love Hip-Hop (hip-hop) to the top (to the top) hip-hop (hip-hop) Fifth Dynamite, and it sounds alright Hey, cause you the love of my life I'm bout to take you to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the To the to the to the to the, check it out, yo Ye-yeh-yo, yo, and it sounds so nice Hip-Hop, you the love of my life We bout to take you to the top love, hip-hop (hip-hop) To the top (to the top) hip-hop (hip-hop) Check it out, it's like, yeah, and it's sounds alright Hip-Hop, you the love of my life We bout, take it to the to the to the *vocals fade*
[Black Thought] Uh, what what, yo yo P-5-D uncut Check it out, yo yo, S-P uncut Yo yo, what P-5-D uncut, yeah yeah it's that Philly shit Yo yo, check it out, yo yo
[Chorus - 2X] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Black Thought] Mesmerizing, state of the art caffeine It's over head like Omniverse screen I'm not the average savage that curse queens I'm something from his worst dreams First we handling first things, I'm subsurface un-seen Grat'll hold planet by purse strings MC's are earthlings, not built to hurt things Speakin the words of weaklings, nothin but sweet things
[Malik B] Man each world, it ain't no time to recline Act up, get clapped up, my mind is the nine Shine like jewels that spark, swimmin wit sharks Never caught speakin to NARC's, that's weak in the parks I'm the type to sit back and analyze the prize Grip it up and flee the scene wit a different disguise Take a detour, I be all that I can be whore Talkin to this *bitch* life, had to make her my wife Live twice, got seven more lives to live I'm all out, takin things to the fullest extent Help me get it down and we can split one-hundred percent Run a rapper through a maze like a experiment Word up, you know the legendary Roots crew, yo
[Chorus - 2x] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Dice Raw] The Raw Dice rise like a creature from out the swamp Wit my blood-thirsty clergy that's on the hunt for conk Who pumps your heart, I made you wanna rhyme from the start You should be more alert, then you wouldn't get hurt Get off your horse and on your P's and beware Of images you seein, did deceiving, you're scared And even more shook up than the scenes that's near I'm Dice Raw, sting the inside of your mouth like a cold sore Who wanna piece, well it's Round One, let's begin I got a gun that's don't bust, it just suck niggaz in I got shit that'll have you beggin me to shoot ya I'm the professor, you rock a dunce cap, go get a tutor
[Black Thought] Yo, Okay Computer, Radiohead's knock to the Future Shock like Kurtis, at your service None other than, the Fifth governing playin the cut again Y'all clueless to what the fuck is up again Yo, hard times and sufferin What, my peoples in the crevices strugglin 'Nuff of them ?untie? soldier thespian But I'm from the next e-on, supreme being that's unseen for MC'n
[Chorus - 2X] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Malik B] Yo, they all around me 'round me On my head, they got a bounty I'm tryin to get this bell up so I can flee your county Triple-six, come in my mix, flood it wit tricks I'm sharper than rough spoons for icepicks Niggaz price bricks till dawn, if the money is long Cats who play strong will inhale, then go play bong You wrong son, you thought I wasn't droppin a ton Sit and think about the way I wanna tally a sum
[Dice Raw] Aiyyo I sneakfully snuck up from behind and got you From over there in them bushes, I chilled and watched you Dancin all dolly as you pussy for them folly I knock you out wit one punch from me you been Ali-ed I float like hovercrafts and sting like vaccinations WHen my name said out loud, you'll lose your concentration Dice Raw, D-I-C-E-R-A-W, you wanna take it Otherwise, fuck you gon' do? That's what I thought, nada, nothing, caput, zero Rough as sandpaper but still smooth as a tiptoe Raw's takin over, baby don't tell me you ain't know A lot of kids can rap but you fuckin wit the pros
[Black Thought] Namsayin, y'all know the legendary Roots crew, it's like
[Chorus] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Black Thought] Uh, what what, yo yo P-5-D uncut Check it out, yo yo, S-P uncut Yo yo, what P-5-D uncut, yeah yeah it's that Philly shit Yo yo, check it out, yo yo
[Chorus - 2X] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Black Thought] Mesmerizing, state of the art caffeine It's over head like Omniverse screen I'm not the average savage that curse queens I'm something from his worst dreams First we handling first things, I'm subsurface un-seen Grat'll hold planet by purse strings MC's are earthlings, not built to hurt things Speakin the words of weaklings, nothin but sweet things
[Malik B] Man each world, it ain't no time to recline Act up, get clapped up, my mind is the nine Shine like jewels that spark, swimmin wit sharks Never caught speakin to NARC's, that's weak in the parks I'm the type to sit back and analyze the prize Grip it up and flee the scene wit a different disguise Take a detour, I be all that I can be whore Talkin to this *bitch* life, had to make her my wife Live twice, got seven more lives to live I'm all out, takin things to the fullest extent Help me get it down and we can split one-hundred percent Run a rapper through a maze like a experiment Word up, you know the legendary Roots crew, yo
[Chorus - 2x] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Dice Raw] The Raw Dice rise like a creature from out the swamp Wit my blood-thirsty clergy that's on the hunt for conk Who pumps your heart, I made you wanna rhyme from the start You should be more alert, then you wouldn't get hurt Get off your horse and on your P's and beware Of images you seein, did deceiving, you're scared And even more shook up than the scenes that's near I'm Dice Raw, sting the inside of your mouth like a cold sore Who wanna piece, well it's Round One, let's begin I got a gun that's don't bust, it just suck niggaz in I got shit that'll have you beggin me to shoot ya I'm the professor, you rock a dunce cap, go get a tutor
[Black Thought] Yo, Okay Computer, Radiohead's knock to the Future Shock like Kurtis, at your service None other than, the Fifth governing playin the cut again Y'all clueless to what the fuck is up again Yo, hard times and sufferin What, my peoples in the crevices strugglin 'Nuff of them ?untie? soldier thespian But I'm from the next e-on, supreme being that's unseen for MC'n
[Chorus - 2X] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
[Malik B] Yo, they all around me 'round me On my head, they got a bounty I'm tryin to get this bell up so I can flee your county Triple-six, come in my mix, flood it wit tricks I'm sharper than rough spoons for icepicks Niggaz price bricks till dawn, if the money is long Cats who play strong will inhale, then go play bong You wrong son, you thought I wasn't droppin a ton Sit and think about the way I wanna tally a sum
[Dice Raw] Aiyyo I sneakfully snuck up from behind and got you From over there in them bushes, I chilled and watched you Dancin all dolly as you pussy for them folly I knock you out wit one punch from me you been Ali-ed I float like hovercrafts and sting like vaccinations WHen my name said out loud, you'll lose your concentration Dice Raw, D-I-C-E-R-A-W, you wanna take it Otherwise, fuck you gon' do? That's what I thought, nada, nothing, caput, zero Rough as sandpaper but still smooth as a tiptoe Raw's takin over, baby don't tell me you ain't know A lot of kids can rap but you fuckin wit the pros
[Black Thought] Namsayin, y'all know the legendary Roots crew, it's like
[Chorus] You Don't See Us, but we see you You stuck on sleep, get on your P's and Q's Cuz you will get crept, wit no discrept You know the rep, we keep the flows in check
This beautiful blend, I knew her through a mutual friend She was a work of art, a part of my heart from back then A brown skin singer, with a knack for actin Alana's whole attraction Just fractionally based on surface I got into her mental on purpose And with alertness, as I flirt with her emotion Walls we built up out of nervousness was broken I reminisce on how this Black Thought had her open Wit da energy that got the whole summertime smokin Very hypnotized When it was time we spent time It's no way to rewind or prevent Time from slipping away like day, into the dark And the way that things fall apart, will make some start To feel more, weak or insecure But for whatever reason our relationship remain mature Even when she caught feelings cuz I stay on tour As I reflect on before, and recap the situation I guess from experience, comes education We set on a path to opposite destinations It's best to chalk it up and add it to the elevation Then eventually flow on to lost communication I called but lost all information And with time forgot it, it's not like I'm all in tears about it But the fact still remains that I miss the Hypnotic
You're a shinin' star No matter where you are For the world to see What you truly be You're a shinin' star No matter where you are For the world to see What you truly be
She was the hypnotic, and potent as a narcotic The bizarre logic of it all, is why the clock tick Pages of the calendar flip, we can't stop it Time will either tell the tale, or turn a love toxic Now was she real, or an illusion of this optical Confusion with the accent of ancient Egypt Or could it be that she's the one I was supposed to be with And together walked this twisted Staircase is somethin realistic Damn, her lips having me addicted to her presence Front page material on essence, a queen Imperial before her adolescence And as she grew into a woman she became refine I never knew another like her in my lifetime So now I travel through a tunnel of space, without a place On the face of this earth, with this pain gettin worse Drivin me insane, or release I'm touchin the brink, of sanity Tto think of how I can link, or contact her I was a fool before, but more wise after the fact I'm analyzin how I'm wantin her back And wonderin exactly where she could be on the map I'm just sittin here spinning the world on one finger Reoccuring thoughts of this brown skin singer Yo, the psychotic, the hypnotic, yo check it out The most melodic hypnotic, yeah
You're a shinin' star No matter where you are For the world to see What you truly be You're my shinin star No matter where you are Dont know what to say Was it true to be
[Black Thought] Well it's the raw regees, thoroughbred from Philly My name Black Thought, my girl's the Black LILIES Some people try to front like "I ain't feelin it really" But that's silly, cuz how the fuck you can't feel me? When I first felt it, I knew it had to be dealt wit Alot of ice-grillin in the house got melted Some tried to put up a fight, but they was helpless You ain't try to turn that loose, you too selfish Gimme that, guess who bringin the "Get busy" back Women say the sound of my voice, the Afrodeziac Okayplayer.com, where you can hit me at E-me and when I'm in your town, come see me The Real World for real, this ain't your MTV The illest INNERVISIONS since Stevie on wax My vocal like serve-o forty-eight tracks The fact of the matter is a matter of fact That it's the Black Thought, controllin like Ike Turner You wanna get wise, you best to be a fast learner Or just relax and peep how it's done And boogie ya ass to what's about to come because
[Chorus: Jaguar] [singing] The Lesson, now it's now, we close shop We got it locked, it's over now
[Dice Raw] Aiyyo Dice's flows, hit idiots like crossbows Knock em out the atlas, push em off the atlas I'm laugin, lookin down from off top the totem Hop off my pedastall, grab my scrotum Aiyyo y'all niggas ain't FUCKIN wit this shit (I told em) Aiyyo y'all ain't FUCKIN wit the Roots crew (I told em) The rap is a riot yeah cuz my family bouncin Soon as the name, Dice Raw is announced in The arena, the grass is greener on the other side I hit the stores, twenty-five thousand die Now tell who the best in off the top in the world I'll give you a hint, the same guy that's fuckin your girl I just didn't have parents, The Roots found me in the trash But still, a nigga got a lot of class Trick wit my pinky-finger up off the glass Keep talkin shit homeboy, that's your ass
[Chorus]
[Malik B] It's just the simple part of the gam(e) I guess it's just the art of the scam Check for your soul cuz it departed again M-ill-i-tant is atomic, you fall from the sky just like a comet Move out till the bottom of my shoes out How many tracks do you bout? How many of these niggas you doubt? How many of these ladies makin you shout? You on a mission so listen to this Ask yourself what condition is this Sick in the ?wist?, I rap on a satellite disk You gotta like this, askin me about the way that I stroll About the way I enfold, in scrambling mode You're like that, don't bark cat, bite back What up Blood? Is things still the same in the hood? While I sit I gotta get dub, and wish I could plug They thoughts'll leave em stiff in the mud, you wannabe thug In section eight, houses were hush up under the rug The shit I spit is hummin wit slugs, get soaked in the suds
