Eric B.& Rakim - Gold [compilation] (2005) by Eric B.& Rakim (보컬) on maniadb.com

I came in the door, I said it before
I never let the mic magnetize me no more
But it's biting me, fighting me,
inviting me to rhyme
I can't hold it back, I'm looking for the line,
Taking off my coat, clearing my throat
The rhyme will be kicking
it until I hit my last note
My mind remains to find all kinda ideas
Self-esteem makes
it seem like a thought took years to build
But still say a rhyme after the next one
Prepared, never scared, I'll just bless one
And you know that I'm the soloist
So Eric B, make 'em clap to this

I don't bug out or chill or be acting ill
No tricks in '86, it's time to build
Eric B easy on the cut, no mistakes allowed
Cuz to me, MC means move the crowd
I made it easy to dance to this
But can you detect what's coming
next from the flex of the wrist
Say "Indeed" then I proceed
cuz my man made a mix
If he bleed he won't need no band-aid to fix
his fingertips,
so I rhyme until there's no rhymes left
I hurry up because the cut will
make him bleed to death
But he's kicking it cuz it ain't no half steppin'
The party is live, the Rak can't be kept inside
if he's eruptin' just like a volcano
It ain't the everyday style
or the same old rhyme
Cuz I'm better then the rest of them
Eric B is on the cut and my name is Rakim

Go get a girl and get soft and warm,
Don't get excited,
you've been invited to a quiet storm
But now it's out of hand
cuz you told me you hate me
And then you ask what have I done lately
First you said all you want is love
and affection
Let me be your angel
and I'll be your protection
Take you out, buy you all kinds of things
You caught an attitude,
you need food to eat up
I'm scheming like I'm dreaming
on a couch wit my feet up
You scream I'm lazy, you must be crazy
Thought I was a donut, you tried to glaze me

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you
Without a strong rhyme to step to
Think of how many weak shows you slept through
Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you
Thinking of this, you keep repeating you miss
The rhymes from the microphone soloist
And you sit by the radio, hand on the dial, soon
As you hear it, pump up the volume
Dance wit the speaker 'till you hear it blow,
Then plug in the headphone 'cause here it go
It's a 4 letter word when it's heard, it control
your body to dance (You got it) soul,
Ditects the tempo like a red alert
Reaches your reflex, so let it work
When this is playing, you can't get stuck wit
The steps, so get set and I'm a still come up wit
A gift to be swift, follow the leader, the rhyme will go
Def wit the record that was mixed a long time ago
It can be done but only I can do it
For those that can dance and clap your hands to it
I start to think and then I sink
Into the paper like I was ink
When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines,
I escape when I finish the rhyme...
I got soul

You got it (4x)
I know you got soul

Picture a mic, the stage is empty
A beat like this might tempt me
To pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain
Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train
But I'll wait 'cause I mastered this
Let the others go first so the brothers don't miss
Eric B. break the sticks (you got it)
Rakim will begin when you make the mix
I'll experiment like a scientist
You wanna rhyme, you gotta sign my list
'Cause I'm a manifest and bless the mic I hold
You want it next? then you gotta have soul
'Cause if you ain't got it, I'm a make an encore
Take the mic, make the people respond for
The R, 'cause that's the way it'll have to be
If you wanna get on after me
Think about it, wait, erase your rhyme
Forget it and don't waste your time
'Cause I'll be in the crowd if you ain't controlling it
Drop the mic, you shouldn't be holding it
This is how it should be done
This style is identical to none
Some try to make it sound like this but you're getting me
So upset that I'm wet 'cause you're sweating me
I drip steam like a microphone fiend
Eager to MC is my theme
I get hype when I hear a drum roll
Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul

You got it (5x)

I got soul (you got it) that's why I came
To teach those who can't say my name
First of all, I'm the soloist, the soul controller
Rakim gets stronger as I get older
Constant elevation causes expansion
I write my rhyme while I cool in my mansion
Then put it on tape and in the city I test it
Then on the radio the R's requested
You listen to it, the concept might break you
'Cause almost anyone can relate to...
Whoever's out of hand, I'm give him handles
Light 'em up, blow 'em out like candles
Or should I just let him melt?
Then give him a hand so they can see how it felt
I'm not bold just cuz I rock gold
Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul

You got it (4x)

Now I'm a stop to see what you got
Get off the mic before I get too hot
I want to see which posse can dance the best
It should be easy 'cause the beat is fresh
Now if your from Uptown, Brooklyn- bound,
The Bronx, Queens, or Long Island Sound,
Even other states come right and exact,
It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at
Since you came here, you have to show and prove
And do that dance until it don't move
'Cause all you need is soul self-esteem will release,
The rest is up to you, Rakim 'll say peace

You got it (10x)

I ain't no joke, I use to let the mic smoke
Now I slam it when I'm done and make sure it's broke
When i'm gone no one gets on cuz I won't let
Nobody press up and mess up the seen I set
I like to stand in a crowd and watch the people wonder damn
But think about it then you'll understand
I'm just an addict addicted to music
Maybe it's a habit, I gotta use it
Even if it's jazz or the quiet storm
I hook a beat up convert it into hip-hop form
Write a rhyme in graffitti in every show you see me in
Deep concentration, cuz I'm no comedian
Jokers are wild if you wanna be tamed
I treat you like a child then you're gonna be named
Another enemy, not even a friend of me
Cuz you'll get fried in the end when you pretend to be
Competin' cuz I just put your mind on pause
and I complete when - you compare my rhyme wit yours
I wake you up and as I stare in your face you seem stunned
Remember me, the one you got your idea from
But soon you start to suffer, the tune'll get rougher
When you start to stutter that's when you had enuff of
Biting, it'll make you choke, you can't provoke
You can't cope, you should've broke because I ain't no joke

I got a question, as serious as cancer
Who can keep the average dancer
Hyper as a heart attack nobody smiling
Cuz you're expressing the rhyme that I'm styling
This is what we all sit down to write
You can't make it so you take it home, break it and bite
Use pieces and bits of all the hip-hop hits
Get the style down pat then it's time to switch
Put my tape on pause and add some more to yours
Then you fake it you're ready for the neighborhood chores
The E-M-C-E-E don't even try to be
When you come up to speak, don't even lie to me
You like to exaggerate, dream and imaginate
Then change the rhyme around, that can aggravate me
So when you see me come up, freeze
Or you'll be one of those 7 MC's
They think that I'm a new jack but only if they knew that
They who think wrong are they who can't do that
Style that I'm doing, they might ruin
Patterns and paragraphs based on you and
Your offbeat DJ, if anything he play
Sound familiar, I'll wait til E say
Play 'em, so I'ma have to diss and bro
You could get a smack for this, I ain't no joke

I hold the microphone like a grudge
B'll hold the record so the needle don't budge
I hold a conversation cuz when I invent
I nominated my DJ to president
When I'm see I'll, keep a freestyle, going steadily
So pucker up and whistle my melody
But whatever you do, don't miss one
They'll be another rough rhyme after this one
Before you know it, you're following and fiending
Waiting for the punchline to get the meaning
Like before the middle of my story I'm telling
Nobody beats the R so stop yelling
Save it, put it in your pocket for later
Cuz I'm moving the crowd and B'll wreck the fader
No interruptions til the mic is broke
When I'm gone, then you can joke
Cuz everything is real on a serious tip
Keep playing and I varies quick
And take you for a walk through hell
Freeze your dome then watch your eyeballs swell
Guide you out of triple stage darkness
When it get dark again then I'ma spark this
Microphone cuz the heat is on, you see smoke
then I finish when the beat is gone, I'm no joke

[Eric B]: Yo Rakim, what's up?
[Rakim]: Yo, I'm doing the knowledge, E., I'm trying to get paid in full
[E]: Well, check this out, since Nobry Walters is our agency, right?
[R]: True
[E]: Kara Lewis is our agent
[R]: Word up
[E]: Zakia/4th & Broadway is our record company
[R]: Indeed
[E]: Okay, so who we rollin with?
[R]: We rollin with Rush
[E]: Of Rushtown Management. Check this out, since we talking over
this def beat that I put together, I wanna hear some of them
def rhymes, know what I'm sayin? And together, we can get
paid in full...

[Rakim]
Thinkin of a master plan
Cuz ain't nuthin but sweat inside my hand
So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent
So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint
So I start my mission- leave my residence
Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents
I need money, I used to be a stick-up kid
So I think of all the devious things I did
I used to roll up, this is a hold up, ain't nuthin funny
Stop smiling, be still, don't nuthin move but the money
But now I learned to earn cos I'm righteous
I feel great! so maybe I might just
Search for a 9 to 5, if I strive
Then maybe I'll stay alive
So I walk up the street whistlin this
Feelin out of place cos, man, do I miss
A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of
Me and Eric B, and a nice big plate of
Fish, which is my favorite dish
But without no money it's still a wish
Cos I don't like to dream about gettin paid
So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made
To now test to see if I got pull
Hit the studio, cos I'm paid in full

Turn up the bass, check out my melody, hand out a cigar
I'm lettin knowledge be born, and my name's the R
A-k-i-m, not like the rest of them, I'm not on a list
That's what I'm sayin, I drop science like a scientist
My melody's in a code, the very next episode
Has the mic often distortin', ready to explode
I keep the mic at Fahrenheit, freeze MC's to make 'em colder
The listener's system is kickin' like solar
As I memorize, advertise, like a poet
Keep you goin' when I'm flowin', smooth enough, you know with the rough
That's why the moral of my story I tell'll be
Nobody beats the R, check out my melody

So what, I'm a microphone fiend addicted soon as I seen
One of these four MC's so they don't have to scream
I couldn't wait to take the mic, flow into it to test it,
Let 'My Melody' play, then a record suggest it
I'm droppin bombs, but I stay peace and calm
Any MC that disagree with me wave your arm
And I'll break, when I'm through breakin' I'll leave you broke
Drop the mic when I'm finished and watch it smoke
So stand back, you wanna rap? All of that can wait
I won't push, I won't beat around the bush
I wanna break upon those who are not supposed to
You might try but you can't get close to
Because I'm number one, competition is none
I'm measured with the heat that's made by sun
'Cause I'm playin ball or bobbin' in the hall
Or just writin my name in graffiti on the wall
You shouldn't have told me you said you controlled me
So now a contest is what you owe me
Pull out your money, pull out your cut
Pull up a chair, and I'm a tear shit up
My name is Rakim Allah, and R and A stands for Ra
Switch it around, it still comes out R
So easily will I e-m-c-e-e
My repetition of words is check out my melody
Some bass and treble is moist, scratch in and cut in a voice
And when it's mine that's when the rhyme is always choice
I wouldn't a came and said my name and run same weak shit
Puttin' blurbs and slurs and words that don't fit
In a rhyme, why waste time on the microphone
I take this more serious than just a poem
Rockin party to party, backyard to yard
I tear it up, y'all, and bless the mic for the gods

The rhyme is rugged, at the same time sharp
I can swing off anything even a string of a harp
Just turn it on and start rockin, mine, no introduction
'Til I finish droppin science, no interruption
When I approach I exercise like a coach
Usin' a melody and add new verse(?) and notes
So when the mic and the R-a-k-i-m
It's attached, like a match I will strike again
Rhymes are poetically kept and alphabetically stepped
Put in a order to pursue with the momentum except
I say one rhyme out of order, a longer rhyme shorter,
A pause, but don't stop the tape recorder

I'm not a regular competitor, first rhyme editor
Melody arranger, poet, etcetera
Extra event, the grand finale-like bonus
I am the man they call the microphonist
With wisdom, which means wise words bein' spoken
Too many at one time watch the mic start smokin'
I came to express the rap I manifest
Stand in my way and I'll veto on the word's protest
MC's that wanna be vissed(?), they're gonna
Be dissed if they don't get from in fronta
All they can go get is me a glass of Moet
A hard time, sip your juice and watch a smooth poet
I take 7 MC's put 'em in a line
And add 7 more brothas who think they can rhyme
Well, it'll take 7 more before I go for mine
Now that's 21 MC's ate up at the same time
Easy does it, do it easy, that's what I'm doin'
No fessin', no messin' around, no chewin'
No robbin', no buyin', bitin', why bother
This slob'll stop tryin', fightin' to follow
My unusual style will confuse you a while
And if I was water, I'd flow in the Nile
So many rhymes you won't have time to go for yours
Just because of applause I have to pause
Right after tonight is when I prepare
To catch another sucka duck MC out there
'Cause my strategy has to be tragedy, catastrophe
And after this you'll call me your majesty
My melody

Yes, my melody
Eric B.

Marley Marl synthesized it, I memorize it
Eric B. made a cut and advertised it
My melody's created for MC's in the place
They try to listen cuz I'm dissin them so pick up your face
Shook off your neck cuz you try to detect my pace
Now you're buggin', almost doggin' off my rhyme-like bass
The melody that I'm stylin', smooth as a violin
Rough enough to break New York from Long Island
My wisdom is swift, no matter if
My momentum is slow, MC's still stand stiff
I'm genuine like leather - reclined to be clever
MC, you'll beat the R, I'll say "Oh never"
So Eric B., cut it easily and
check out my melody...

Follow me into a solo
Get in the flow - and you can picture like a photo
Music mixed mellow maintains to make
Melodies for MC's motivates the breaks
I'm everlastin, I can go on for days and days
With rhyme displays that engrave deep as X-rays
I can take a phrase that's rarely heard, FLIP IT
Now it's a daily word
I can get iller than 'Nam, a killin bomb
But no alarm - Rakim will remain calm
Self-esteem make me super superb and supreme
But for a microphone still I fiend
This was a tape I wasn't supposed to break
I was supposed to wait, but let's motivate
I want to see who can keep followin and swallowin
Takin the making, bitin it and borrowin
Brothers tried and others died to get the formula
But I'ma let ya sweat - you still ain't warm
You a step away from frozen, stiff as if ya posin
Dig into my brain as the rhyme gets chosen
So follow me and were ya thinkin' you were first?
Let's travel at magnificent speeds around the Universe
What could ya say as the Earth gets further and further away
Planets are small as balls of clay
Astray into the Milky Way - world's outasight
Far as the eye can see - not even a satellite
Now stop and turn around and look
As ya stare in the darkness, ya knowledge is took!
So keep starin soon ya suddenly see a star
You better follow it cause it's the R
This is a lesson if ya guessin and if ya borrowin
Hurry hurry step right up and keep followin
The Leader

Verse Two:

This is a lifetime mission, vision of prison
Aight listen
In this journey you're the journal I'm the journalist
Am I Eternal? Or an eternalist?
I'm about to flow long as I can possibly go
Keep ya movin cause the crowd said so
Dance - cuts rip ya pants
Eric B on the blades, bleedin to death - call the ambulance
Pull out my weapon and start to squeeze
A magnum as a microphone murderin' MC's
Let's quote a rhyme from a record I wrote
(follow the leader) Yeah - dope
Cause everytime I stop it seems ya stuck
Soon as ya try to step off ya self-destruct
I came to overcome before I'm gone
By showin and provin and lettin knowledge be born
Then after that I'll live forever - you disagree?
You say never? Then follow me!
From century to century you'll remember me
In history - not a mystery or a memory
God by nature, mind raised in Asia
Since you was tricked, I have to raise ya
From the cradle to the grave, but remember
You're not a slave
Cause we was put here to be much more than that
But we couldn't see it because our mind was trapped
But I'm here to break away the chains, take away the pains
Remake the brains, reveal my name
I guess nobody told you a little knowledge is dangerous
It can't be mixed, diluted; it can't be changed or switched
Here's a lesson if ya guessing and borrowing
Hurry hurry, step right up and keep following
The leader

Verse Three:

A furified freestyle, lyrics of fury
My third eye makes me shine like jewelry
You're just a rent-a-rapper, your rhymes are minute-maid
I'll be here when it fade to watch you flip like a renegade
I can't wait to break and eliminate
On every traitor or snake - so stay awake
and follow and follow, because the tempo's a trail
The stage is a cage, the mic is a third rail
I'm Rakim the Fiend of a Microphone
I'm not HIM, so leave my mic alone
Soon as the beat is felt, I'm ready to go
So fasten your seatbelt, cause I'm about to flow
No need to speed slow down to let the leader lead
Word to daddy, indeed!
The R's a rollin stone, so I'm rollin
Directions is told, then the rhymes are stolen
Stop buggin', a brother said, dig em, I never dug 'em
He couldn't follow the leader long enough so I drug 'em
into danger zone, he should arrange his own
Face it, it's basic, erase it, change ya tone
There's one R in the alphabet
It's a one-letter word and it's about to get
More complex from one rhyme to the next
Eric B be easy on the flex
I've been from state to state, followers tailgate
Keep comin but you came too late, but I'll wait
So back up, regroup, get a grip, come equipped
You're the next contestant - clap ya hands, you won a trip!
The price is right - don't make a deal too soon
How many notes could you name this tune?
Follow the Leader is the title, theme, task
Now ya know, you don't have to ask
Rap is Rhythm And Poetry, cuts create sound effects
You might catch up if you follow the records E. wrecks
Until then keep eatin and swallowin
You better take a deep breath and keep followin
The leader.

I was a fiend before I became a teen
I melted microphone instead of cones of ice cream
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated
'Cause I grabbed the mic and try to say, " Yes y'all!"
They tried to take it, and say that I'm too small
Cool, 'Cause I don't get upset
I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet
Back to the lab ...without a mic to grab
So then I add all the rhymes I had
One after the other one, then I make another one
To dis the opposite then ask if the brother's done
I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine
But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean?
I'm raging, ripping up the stage and
Don't it sound amazing 'cause every rhyme is made and
Thought of, Cuz it's sort of...an addiction,
Magnatized by the mixing
Vocals, vocabulary, your verses, you're stuck in
The mic is a drano, volcanoes erupting,
Rhymes overflowing, gradually growing
Everything is written in the cold, so it can coin-
cide, my thoughts to guide,
48 tracks to slide
The invincible, microphone fiend Rakim
Spread the word, 'cause I'm in
E-F-F-E-C-T
A smooth operator operating correctly,
But back to the problem, I gotta habit,
You can't solve it, silly rabbit
The prescription is a hypertone that's thorough when
I fiend for a microphone like herion
Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix
Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix
And I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of
unawareness? Beware, it's the reanamator!
A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon
An assasinator, if the people ain't stepping
You see a part of me that you never seen
When I'm fiending for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend...

(Verse 2:)
After 12, I'm worse that a Gremlin
Feed me Hip-hop and I start trembling
The thrill of suspense is intense, your horrified
But this ain't the cinemas of "Tales From the Darkside",
By any means neccesary, this is what has to be done
Make way 'cause here I come....
My DJ cuts material....
Grand imperial.
It's a must that I bust any mic you're hand to me,
It's inherited, it's runs in the family
I wrote the rhyme that broke the bull's back,
If that don't slow 'em up, I carry a full pack.
Now I don't want to have to let off, you should of kept off
You didn't keep the stage warm, step off!
Ladies and Gentleman, You're about to see
A pasttime hobby about to be
Take it to the maximum, I can't relax see, I'm
Hype as a hyperchrondriac 'cause the rap be one-
Hell of a antidote, something you can't smoke
More than dope, you're trying to move away but you can't, you're broke
More than cracked up, you should have backed up
For those who act up need to be more than smacked up
Any entertainer, I got a torture chamber
One on one and I'm the remainder!
So close your eyes and hold your breath,
And I'm a hit'cha wit the blow of death
Before you go, you'll remember you seen
The fiend of a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend

The microphone fiend...

I'm rated "R"...this is a warning, ya better void,
Poets are paranoid, DJ's D-stroyed,
Cuz I came back to attack others in spite-
Strike like lightnin', It's quite frightenin'!
But don't be afraid in the dark, in a park,
Not a scream or a cry, or a bark, more like a spark;
Ya tremble like a alcoholic, muscles tighten up,
What's that, lighten up! You see a sight but,
Suddenly you feel like your in a horror flick,
You grab your heart then wish for tomorrow quick!
Music's the clue, when I come your warned,
Apocolypse Now, when I'm done, ya gone!
Haven't you ever heard of a MC-murderer?
This is the death penalty,and I'm servin' a
death wish, so come on, step to this
hysterical idea for a lyrical professionist!
Friday the thirteenth, walking down Elm Street,
you come in my realm ya get beat!
This is off limits, so your visions are blurry,
All ya see is the meters at a volume,
pumping Lyrics of Fury!

it's a ....fearified freestyle!

Terror in the styles, never error-files,
indeed I'm known-your exiled!
For those that oppose to be level or next to this...
I ain't a devil and this ain't the Exorcist!
worse than a nightmare, you don't have to sleep a wink,
the pain's a migraine every time ya think,
Flashbacks interfere, ya start to hear:
The R-A-K-I-M in your ear;
Then the beat is hysterical,
that makes Eric go get a ax and chops the wack,
soon the lyrical format is superior,
faces of death remain,
MC's decaying, cuz they never stayed,
the scene of a crime every night at the show,
the fiend of a rhyme on the mic that you know,
It's only one capable, breaks-the unbreakable,
melodies-unmakable, pattern-unecscapable,
a horn if want the style I posses,
I bless the child, the earth, the gods and bomb the rest,
for those that envy a MC it can be,
hazardous to your health so be friendly,
a matter of life and death, just like a ethch-a-sketch,
shake 'till your clear, make it disappear, make the next,
after the ceremony, let the rhyme rest in peace,
if not, my soul'll release!
the scene is recreated, reincarnated, updated, I'm glad you made it,
cuz your about to see a disasterous sight,
a performance never again performed on a mic:
Lyrics of fury!

a fearified freestyle!

the "R" is in the house-too much tension!
Make sure the system's loud when I mention
Phrases that's fearsome...
You want to hear some sounds that not only pounds but please your eardrums;
I sit back and observe the whole scenery,
then nonchalantly tell you what it mean to me,
strictly business I'm quickly in this mood,
and I don't care if the whole crowd's a witness!
I'm a tear you apart but I'm a spare you a heart,
program into the speed of the rhyme, prepare to start,
rhythm's out of the radius, insane as the craziest
musical madness MC ever made, see it's
now an emergency, open-heart surgery...
open your mind, you will find every word'll be
furier than ever, I remain the furture,
battle's tempting...whatever suits ya!
For words the sentence, there's no resemblance,
you think you're ruffer, then suffer the consequences!
I'm never dying-terrifying results,
I wake ya with hundreds of thousands of volts,
mic-to-mouth resuscitation, rhythm with radiation,
novicane ease the pain it might save him,
if not, Eric B.'s the judge, the crowd's the jury...
How do I plead to homicide?
Lyrics of Fury!

they're getting furier! a fearified freestyle!

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched 6X
[Rakim] Put your hands together... clap your hands

Verse One: Rakim

This is for thousands of people who came
A show from road to road you're entertained
I don't even have to say my name
Cause when the place is ripped in half, I'm to blame
Masses of posses packed up schemin
Ladies lovely and keep on screamin
Go Rakim, go Rakim, go
It won't be long then it's on with the show
I'm late, so hit the brakes and park the Benzito
Double oh seven, incognito
Sneak in the back door, lookin for the stage
When I get on you react in a rage
People from side to side and front to back
won't dance, if the MC's wack
The crowd go psycho even if I don't move
Some like the groove cause I'm so smooth
Then somethin happens, feet start tappin
You can't hold back when Rakim's rappin
The man you've been waitin for, rougher than ever
Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched 8X
[Rakim] Clap your hands

Verse Two: Rakim

I create em, take em, shake em, then make em clap to this
Most of you rappers, can't even rap to this
I made it faster, you tried to master
Syncopated styles, words flowin after
Measures of metaphor definitions of more than one
Take it both ways, I'll be here when you're done
Remember as the rhyme goes on it's rougher
Soon as I stop, you had enough of
Followin footsteps, you better turn back soon
Sucker MC's suck rhymes like vacuums
The style remains the same, the words is changed
Bitten, rewritten, recited and rearranged
Sing along if your tongue is strong, it gets sore
Sing when I'm gone and it'll break your jaw
Wisdom flows so swift, I'm Asiatic
Is it a gift, or automatic
Static, I don't cling
I got a tip of my own and I don't sing
Don't understand, here's an example
and why MC's and DJ's sample
Cause we don't have a band, it's just my voice and his hands
That's what hip-hop was, it still stands
The records we use are from mom's and pop's collection
Find a break from a dope selection
And go to the store, then buy one more
So my DJ can mix cause that's what his hands are for
Years later hip-hop got contracts
The chance to put actual facts on wax
A mind's the coach, the physical form's the team
The top's the destination, I'm the cream
And still I rise with somethin pumpin and somethin clever
Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched (7X)
[Rakim] Clap your hands... clap em, clap em

Verse Three: Rakim

Now who's the man with the masterplan?
With stacks of verbal attacks so clap your hands
Rhyme written in graffiti xeroxed on blueprints
Students influenced are now a nuisance
You couldn't fight it, you had to clap to this
You got excited, you almost snapped your wrist
The rhymes was written for the crowd's enjoyment
When I'm with this you can't toy with
The def jam juicer rough rhyme producer
Loads of lyrics get you loose, then looser
The man so smooth and world so rough
Eric is throwin and sewin rippin restitchin the cuts
Microphone your majesty, no one's bad as me
Seems the tragedy, Rakim had to be
Thinkin of some def view of a video
Visions are vicious, and I'll let the city know
Whoever's frontin they know, nothin to say though
so lay low, musical forms are kickin' like Kato
Don't get near it, hard as you ever hear it
I know it's fearified, but don't fear it
And try to predict which rhyme you can kick
You're quick to pick your best, for the mic is lit
Instead of goin with the flow like you're supposed to go
And enjoy the show and yo, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched 6X
[Rakim] Clap your hands... put your hands together
CLAP YOUR HANDS! *echoes*

Whoever underestimated, still waited
Pumping the radio, finally they played it
You wondered how come the album was late
I was giving you time to get the last one straight,
The show must go on, I got something to dance to
Slow it down and romance to and give me a chance to
Keep you in tune and up to par.....
Then you're doing it with the R...
Doing it wit the R....

Something new and to keep you doing what'cha doing
This is for you and your crew and for who in
The vicinity, I don't need no identity
I see hands in the air that means many be
Cooperating, I can't stop relating
Hip-hop is making more sense when I'm stating
Paragraphs of potential to prevent you
From using my instrumental, keep in mind I meant to
Illustrate another iller break immediately
Hurry up and learn the words and repeat it wit me
Then soon you're in tune and up to par
And then you're doing it wit the R...
Keep doing it, you keep doing it wit the R....

In the Summertime, pockets bulging
Somethings's happening then I'm indulging
Music is mine, Gucci seats reclined,
Gold grill, a paint job will shine..
Pull up in the park and then pop the trunk
Turn up the bass and let the system thump
A block party starts to form, people start to swarm
Loud as a ghetto blaster, word is bond
Records remind you of a madness
The moment it's played, you get gladdest
The return of the brother, keeping you up to par
And you're doing it wit the R.....

Shout outs.................

I'm the arsenal
I got artillery, lyrics of ammo
Rounds of rhythm
Then I'm 'a give 'em piano
Bring a bullet-proof vest
Nothin' to ricochet
ready to aim at the brain
~Now what the trigger say
Tempos triflin'
Felt like a rifle
Massage 'n' melodies
Might go right through
Simultaneously like an Uzi
Nothin' can bruise me
Lyrics let up when lady say don't lose me
So re-load quickly
And you better hit me
While I'm lettin' this fifi get wit me
You steppin' with .007
Better make it snappy
No time to do your hair, baby
Brothers are bustin' at me
Beats and bullets pass me
None on target
They want the R hit
But wtch the god get
Quicker, the tongue is the trigger
'Cause I'm real fast
Let off some rhythm at 'em
Let 'em feel the blast
Penetrate at a crazy rate
This ain't no .38
Hit 'em at point blank range
And watch 'em radiate
Runnin' out of ammunition
I'm done wit' em
You ask me how I did 'em
I let the rhythm hit 'em

I push a power that's punishable
Better be a prisoner
The hit man is the
Brother wit' charisma
Showing you that I have
Powerful paragraphs
Followers will become leaders
But without a path
Ya mentally paralyzed
Crippled ya third eye
Rhymes are blurred
Then it occurred that you heard I
Reduced the friction with crucifixion
Let loose the mix then
Boost the piston
Eric hit 'em with' some of that
Cut like a lumberjack
And me gettin' hit back
It won't be none of that
I'm untouchable
You see me in 3-D
When I let the rhythm hit another M.C.
Lyrics made of lead
Enters your head
Then eruptions of a mass production
Will spread when
Music is louder
Full of gunpower
Microphone machinery
When I see a crowd of
Party people pumpin'
Their fist like this
Ya hide in the back
Thinkin' that I might miss
But the R is accurate
Plus I'm packed up with
Educated punch lines that
I have to hit
Whatever I aim at
I line 'em up
Ya body is weak, feel with pain
That time is up
You been hit with somethin'
Different, isn't it?
Rakim is gonna radiate and nothing's equivalent
Nothin' can harm me
Why try to bar me
You couldn't come around THE RA with aN army
You'll get wrecked by the architect
So respect 'em
I disconnect 'em, soon as I inject 'em
With radiation
Put 'em by the basement
Bust his chest open
Bash his face in
Let it split 'im
Since he brought his main man wit' 'im
He ask me how I did 'im
I let the rhythm hit 'im
Let it hit 'im

Dance floor's dangerous
Packed in like a briefcase
Rhyth with ral rough rhyme
Beats with deep bass
Girls with tight pants
Maybe they might dance
Tonight if the Rs on the mike
There's a slight chance
The crowd is crucial
M.C.'s grounds are neutral
Now that you're here let me introduce you
Get ready
I'm hard read like graffiti but steady
Science I drop is real heavy
Radiant energy, that'll be the penalty
Touch the third rail on the pain of remedy
The prescription's one every hour
Now it's a HABIT
Ya need another hit from the freestyle fanatic
Attention: follow directions real close
Keep out of reach of children
Beware of overdose
Too many milligram
NO ONE made a iller jam
My rhyme is the rhythm of thoughts
That kill a man
Ideas for the ear to fear
Might split 'im
He'll never forget 'im
He'll rest in peace wit' 'em
At least when he left he'll know what hit 'im
The last breath of the words of death
Was the rhythm

Now throw you hands in the air and yo, go
Rakim will do the rest of this slow
If I speed they know you'll blow the hell up
If I slow up, THEY'LL catch up, hell no
Wicked as I kicked it
Don't need to remix it
'Cause I prefixed it
Reversed and switched it
To perform to perfection
Section for section
Rhymes keep connectin'
Ya guessin' what's next an'
Blood pressure rises, ya damn near lost it
Ya hit the ground burnin' and woke up frostbit'
'Cause when I explained ya can't complain for pain
Travel through the brain hit a vein
Then remain, let it radiate
Vibes will vibrate
Why did you violate
Now I'm 'a have to let the style brak
Moans now the tone is ingrown
After this here's thrown, gimme another microphone
Before I get that fifi I met
Whisper I wanna reach HER intellect
Kiss her 'cause I wanna give her the most respect
So I shine and let the write reflect
Hold 'er, mold 'er, make 'er feel older
Lay her on my shoulder
EEverything I told her
Makes her feel secure whenever I'm wit' 'er
And you know how I did 'er
Me and the rhythm hit 'er

I'm the Alpha, with no Omega
Beginning without the, end so play the
eye inside, no extended version
Next episode be smooth as a Persian
Rhyme everlastin, there'll be no part two
Knowledge is infinite, once I start to draw
a better picture for your third eye, if you're blind
You know with a mic, I'm a black Michaelangelo
I'm the brother who ID ideas are colorful
Givin em insight, but givin em trouble to
comprehend cause they thoughts won't blend in
They're pretendin, while I'm extendin
You bite like a parasite, said that it you attacks
But you won't strike, cause you ain't no match
You need more light cause yours got dim
Then you get sparked by the Lord Rakim
What's the matter G, check your battery
Go get charged up, then come battle me
You try hard and Die Hard, you ain't Eveready
When they check the pulse, you'll be Dead as Freddie
SHOP AT SEARS for new ideas
Check your engine and ask your engineers
to equalize, try to disguise it
If that don't work yo, then MIDASIZE it
You need more power, better bring Battlecat
But this ain't Grayskull, and you ain't rippin jack
Don't drop the mic and jet for your tooley
("Bring it to me!")
We can go rhyme for rhyme til the mic stop the
workin
Then I'ma leave you behind the Iron Curtain
and you'll remain backstage
Your book is over, I ripped your last page
Changed the endin, at least you went out rappin
Now I'ma tell em what happened
I filled the mic with explosives, and lit it up
It was too heavy to hold, he couldn't pick it up
Pass the mic, let him try to get paid
He hit the stage, it went off like a hand grenade
Now scrape him off the floor and off my list
I ain't a soloist, I'm an arsonist
Sprayed up, he said he was gonna do what?
Played up, MC Grand but Pooh-Butt
Stole his lady, and drove her crazy
You asked me why - cause her man tried to play me
I sent her back a nervous wreck
and tried to put her back in check
My speciality is masterin the female species
I specialize in her, until she sees
where I come from, and why I came
I tame the train til she manifest my name
Fill her with life until she burst with energy
Then leave her restless, cause a lot of women be
tryin to drain us, and leave us stripped dry
Put holes in our pocket, but you ain't that fly
I clipped your wings and bring you down to Earth
and tell you what life is worth
It ain't rings and things that's materialistic
You wanna pip on, imperialist with
food for thought, cause I'm the shelter
I'll be your clothes, keep you warm and help ya
not to be hot to trot by a haunt
And why do y'all got to flaunt?
("You gotta use what you got
to get what you want")
Cool, I heat you up like a black mink coat
Hug your neck like a fat gold rope
Words I speak and my DJ's cuts will warm ya ears
like mink earmuffs
So Eric show em how fast your hand'sll go
so the people in the stands'll know
that you don't scratch your cuts in the grave
Moves in waves to my rhyme displays
Float, evoke, my tempo jets
Expressions express when you kick steps
Keep em, energetic, so let it
pound in your head til what I said is embedded
Don't forget it's copastetic, set it
Anywhere you want your poetry's pathetic
You gets.. no.. credit.. til you get it straight
Let's motivate
No intermissions cause it ain't commercial
If you wanna break then I'll reimburse you
I won't let go so my mic won't drop, cause
("I can't.. stop!")
Vocabs is endless, vocals exist
Rhyme goes on, so no one can stop this
Especially when I start to say the
rhymes with no omega

No omega
No omega

("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") *scratched*

("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") *scratched*

("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")

("I can't.. stop!")

("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") *fades*

Planet Earth was my place of birth
Born to be the SOLE controller of the universe
Besides the part of the map I hit first
Any a rhyme that I can adapt when it gets worst
The rough gets going, the going gets rough
When I start flowing, the mic might bust
The next state, I shake from the power I generate
People in Cali used to think it was earthquakes
'Cause times was hard on the Boulevard
So I vote God and never get scarred and gauled
But it seems like I'm locked in hell
Looking over the edge but the R never fell
A trip to slip 'cause my Nikes got grip
Stand on my own two feet and come equip
Any stage I'm seen on, I'M LIKE A PHENOM
I stand alone and need nothing to lean on
Going for self wit a long way to go
So much to say but I still flow slow
I come correct and I won't look back
'Cause it ain't where you're from, it's where
you're at
Even the (ghetto)

I learn to relax in my room and escape from New York
And return through the womb of the world as a
thought
Thinking how hard it was to be born
BEING EQUIPPED wit no physical form
Millions OF CELLS wit one destination
To reach the best part, it's life creation
9 months later, a job well done
Make way, 'cause here I come
Since I made it this far, I can't stop now
There's a will and a way and I got THE know-how
To be all I can be and more
And see all there is to see before
I'M Called and go back to the essence
It's alot to learn so I study my lessons
I thought the ghetto was the worst that could
happen to me
I'm glad I listen when my father was rapping to me
'Cause back in the days, they lived in caves
ExileD from the original man, a straight way
Now that's what I call hard times
I rather be here to exercise the mind
Then I take a thought around the world twice
From knowledge NEWBORN back to knowledge precise
Across the desert, that's HOT AS THE ARABIAN
But they couldn't cave me in 'cause I'm the Asian
REaching for the city OF Mecca, visit Medina
Visions of Neffertiti then I seen a
Mind keeps traveling, I'll be back after I
Stop and think about the brothers and sisters in
Africa
Return the thought through the eye of a needle
For miles I thought and I just fought the people
Under the dark skies on a dark side
Not only there but right here's an apartheid
So now is the time for us to react
Take a trip through the mind and when you get back
Understand you're third eye seen all of that
It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at
Even the (ghetto)
Even the (ghetto)

No more props, I want property
In every borough, nobody's stopping me
Because I'm thorough, rhymes are making real estate
for me to own
Wherever I bless a microphone
007 is back and relaxing
On POINT N' reactin' and ready for action
I'm so low key that you might not see me
Incognito and taking it easy
Quiet, it's kept on a hush hush
In front of a crowd, I get loud, there's a bumrush
Be calm, keep a low pro, and play the background
HOPIN' the wack rapper'LL put the mic back down
So rip it, break it in half, go head and slam it
'Cause when it's time to build, I'm a mechanic
I'm bonding and mending, attaching and blending
So many solos, there is no ending
People in my neighborhood, they know I'm good
From London to Hollywood, wherever I stood
Footprints remain on stage ever since
As I walk the street, I leave fossils and dents
When I had sex, I left my name on necks
My trademark was left throughout the projects
I used to get rich when I played celo
When I rolled 4, 5, 6, they go we know
So I collect my cash then slide
I got my back, my gun's on my side
It shouldn't have to be like that
I guess it ain't where you're from, it's where
you're at
Even the (ghetto)
I'm from the (ghetto)
Word up, peace

Here I go again, ready to flow again.
Better HOPE my mic don't blow again.
Warned by alarms when the mic gets warm.
Crowd'll get critical, can't keep calm.
Jet for the exit, why hang around?
Words that I found make the mic melt down.
If you stay, better cooperate, cuz I amputate,
and whoever don't break, I'm-a suffocate.
Leave 'em with asthma, you better pass the
mic to the massacre master who has the
power to build and destoy at the same time,
so track the wack at the right, and exact could
shine. (?)
Meant to beat overheat, but I won't stop,
so evacuate the spot when the mic's hot.
Switch it from one hand to another,
and that's a hint, my brother, run for cover.
Cuz I'm armed, my brain contains a bomb,
as if I escaped from Vietnam.
Some people label me lethal, lyrics I made then put
beats to.
Format, collapse your lungs twist your tongues,
you can't bump your gums off of none of the drums.
Words that I made'll create an iller scene,
Eric B. is the fly human being on the guillotine.
Hook 'em up to a respirator, cuz it's the Mista
Suffocator.
What I write is like shovin' a mic down your
windpipe.
Don't let him bitE rhymes Rakim write.
No mic-to-mouth resuscitation is neccessary;
no obituary, and NOTHING LEFT TO BURY.
As it strikes on the same mic twice and then,
cut it on, and I'm-a strike again.
I meditate off the breaks, till the place shakes,
then I make rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.
Speak the truth, tear the roof off the mother.
The stage is stompin' grounds -- run for cover.

(scratching)

Evacuate the building, danger, cuz I came to
explain the
strategy that'll be tragic automatically,
havin' me to cause another catastrophe.
All you gotta do is give Rakim the
microphone and the crowd'll yell "Timber."
Buildings collapsin', rappers gettin' trapped in,
areas closed off, no one gets back in.
So set up roadblocks, barrIcade the doors,
fade, put a detour sign on the stage.
Hold my microphone as evidence, the weapon I use
and been usin' ever since
the days in the park when, rap was an art then.
Plus I was dominant, determined and dark-skinned.
Makin' it hard to walk the streets at night
for those who talk the weak beats on the mic.
Whoever's livin' large better wear camouflage.
Prepare to be bumrushed when I yell charge.
Surround by sound of the beat-down another brother,
this is stompin' grounds, run for cover.
Wheels or foot, better not stay put.
Whole place shook till the mic's unhooked.
Then you've got seven minutes to vacate the
premises.
Lyrics'll echo soon as the break finishes.
Don't act wild, single file to the door.
No need for an encore, just clear the floor.
Cuz my mic's about to self destruct,
the stage'll blow up when my rhymes erupt.
So make sure the place is cleared out and abandoned,
cuz minutes from now it won't be standin'.
Then send out and A.P.B.: All Poets Beware of a
brother like me.
Now how many rhymes could your man manufacture?
How many bitin' MCs can I capture?
Trap rappers who try to run off at the mouth;
take over their route, play 'em out like a Cub
Scout.
So leave troopin' for MCs at war,
and if it's a battle let the crowd keep score.
Cuz me and the drummer make drama, and that's word
to mother...run for cover.

Me and Eric B was coolin' at the Paladium
Seen a all-world covered girl, I said "Hey lady I'm
Sorry if You're in a rush - Don't let me hold ya up
Or interveen or interrupt, but. . .
You got the look - I wanna get to know ya better
I had to let her know - but yo, I didn't sweat her
'Cause if you woulda seen what I was seein'
Almost looked Korean, but European.
When she spoke, her accent was self-explanatory -
Even her body language told the story
Her name was Mahogony - twin's name was Ebony
I said "My name is Ra - and this is Eric B"
Since the music was loud, I said "let's take a walk,
So we could talk and see New York.
Show time doesn't start until one o'clock
And once I entered your mind I wouldn't wanna stop
Caressin' ya thoughts till we was thinkin' the same
Calm ya nerves, massage ya brain
Each mic is a mineral, poetry's protein
Verse is a vitamin - Affects like Codine
So tell me how you feel and I'll reveal
A pill that'll heal ya pain - 'cause I'm real
She musta OD'd 'cause she couldn't resist
She spoke slowly when she told me this, she said

Chorus:

Over Me, She's goin' crazy
She'll rub me on my chest and call me Mr. Sexy
She said she'd have my kids and help me make my next G
Tell me I ain't finesse Mahogony . . .


Verse Two:

So I prescribed her, something to revive
And surprise her, she's liver and much more wiser
Than the light I shine when my brain cells spark,
Come to me so we can glow in the dark
And soon, you can represent the moon
As long as I keep ya in tune
I'll tell ya who ya are and why ya here
Take it in stride 'cause it might take a year
It's funny - how time flies when ya havin' fun
We got close and it was almost one
She kissed me slow, but you know how far a kiss can go
F*ck around and miss the show
So I told her to hold that thought real tight
We can finish where we left off later on tonite
Back to the scene of the crime on time
As they introduced the 'Fiend of the Rhyme'
She stood with a birds-eye view of me
Thinkin' of later on of what she would do to me
The back of the room I could see her eyes gloom
Patient, but hopin' that the show was over soon
As the place was ripped in half, she made her way to the front row
So I said "let's go"
I packed my mic as they screamed for an encore
The speakers were blown, plus my mic was sore
Besides I got places to go, ladies to see
And she could tell me how crazy she was over me
We drove off - she said she liked the way that I performed
And couldn't wait to get 'soft and warm', I said,
"I've been watchin' you, watchin' me
Looks I received made it hard to MC
I can take a hint, so I knew that she
Wanted my "Agony Agony Ag-on-y" in her bod-y
Showed her some sights, then I took her to the Condo
She was pipin' hot, but I kept my calm So
She asked how come I don't smile
I said, "Everything's fine, but I'm in a New York state of mind!"
As we reached the kingdom, she said bring some
Champagne, she'll entertain then sing some
Sentimental, songs real gentle,
It hit the spot and you know where it went to
As we embraced I felt her heart pumpin'
I knew she was in the mood for somethin'
So I laid on my back and relaxed
It wasn't the Perignon that made her collaspe
Over me

Double oh seven is back..
Double oh seven is back..

Double oh seven is back..

[Rakim]
I don't stress my day cause it's best to parlay
I guess you could say I've been away
I wake up slow when I'm hot but I destruct the plant
and fourteen hands comb New York for fans
They make waves as they wiggle in my waterbed
Pull back the leather covers and silk bedspread
A mornin massage turnin into a real rough rubdown
so I figured I'll lay around
They keep me wet with a juice called Tahiti
It make the room steamy, so soon they couldn't see me
They know more than calisthetics as they worked up a sweat
It wasn't even ten o'clock yet
Scrub down, then I get moist, they never treat me mean
They sweetly keep me squeaky clean
I chill as they filled the jacuzzi
I said, "I'm tight from a real long flight, could you soothe me
Support my thoughts, cause I got a lot of writing to do"
They said, "Cool," and just enjoyed the view
It ain't hard cause it's miles from the sidewalk
I'm overlookin every borough in New York
The entire, Empire, State to concentrate
for every rhyme I make
So at exactly noon they played my favorite tune
And just before they all cleared the room
they said, "We're glad you're home from tour, now we feel secure
We wish you didn't have to leave no more"
But they wanna go to war, they even tried to shoot up the door
Double oh seven is back..
Rest assured

Double oh seven is back..
Feel secure
Double oh seven is back..

I'm fillin up the page when I'm steppin on stage
Got the people in a rage with they hands in the air
Fellas sayin HOE, everybody yellin GO
Fly ladies in the house all screamin "awww yeah"
That's how they react when I attack the mic
In fact it's like a stack of dynamite, powerful and bright
Girls love to squeeze me real tight
Double oh seven is back..
Ra has returned, to romance em, better than Johnny Handsome
When I was young, women said, "Damn son"
Ain't nuthin change but the year and I'm still here
C'mere dear and let me whisper in your ear
Hug my words so I can taste your lips
I set up hips like domino chips
but I don't let em hit the floor
And if you got sore, then feel secure
Where's the pain, is it the spot you set us in
Almost magic, better than medicine
Take one of these and put your mind at ease
I get more work than a lot of M.D.'s
If I'm hawkin New York, or out on tour
I express the raw dialect and explore
But don't get fooled by metaphor
Double oh seven is back
Rest assured

Feel secure
Rest assured
Rest assured
Yo, feel secure

What's going on?

What's happening it's been so long what's going on
And what's going wrong? The good old days are gone
You forgot your plot and your plans as a young man
You invented a scam even you don't understand

You rig the enigma can't figure it out
You change the route now you're in doubt
You use to cut class smoked grass still passed
Figured you was all that but that ain't last;

The times is harder, the drugs is heavier
You say whatever, the more, the merrier;
Smoke chokes your dreams and blurs your scenes,
Now a young man fiend change his plan to schemes;

No more good times, no more time,
Too far to find, you're almost blind,
You can't see what spot that the trap is in
(Hey bra!)What's happening!

You had it mapped out, your plans get torn,
You stayed up for days and now your dreams are gone
You said you quit, stated your word is bond
(Hey bro) what's going on?

What's going on?

My neighborhood don't look so good
I'll find a way out.. yeah, I would if I could,
But the government is doing a project
so I live in the projects;

Where we fight for elbow room to the doom,
Try to live long but you die too soon,
I might not be alive to see 25,
Taught at ten to make money and strive;

I sold tapes at school and made some ends
Met a lot of skins and even made some friends,
Cool, 'cause now I got a crew to run wit,
Break a couple of rules, have crazy fun wit;

But every now and then, they give my knuckle game a test,
But I won't fess, I just get rid of the stress!
And then shake hands like a man,
'Cause it's a family thing, only the crew would understand!

But you had a one on one fight wit drugs,
When we ain't cool no more, we buss slugs,
Clip after clip, until one of us is gone
(Hey bra!) what's going on?

Yo, what's going on?

The crime rate in New York State elevate,
A city filled wit hate, more deaths accumulate,
Drug wars daily, a lot of blood spilt,
Kids on the playground shot down and kilt!

Nobody wants to live on the 1st floor no more
'Cause stray bullets explore!
We're killing ourselves off slowly but surely,
And at the end of the year, I'm sure many more'll be

Rubbed out in a quest for clout
The rest'll be drugged out, this is bugged out!
Half of the projects is dead or locked up,
Kids getting kidnapped and then found chopped up.

Human abortion create distortions
And that's just a portion, you know that we're lost when
Babies are addicted to drugs when they are born!

(Hey bra!) what's going on?
(Hey bra!) what's going on?
(Hey bra!) what's going on?

* - Originally appeared on the Juice sndtrk

Sip the juice cuz I got enough to go around,
And the thought takes place uptown
I grew up on the sidewalk where I learned street talk,
And then taught to hawk New York-
I go to Queens for queens to get the crew from Brooklyn,
Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken,
Go Uptown and the Bronx to boogie down,
Get strong on the Island, recoupe, and lay around.
Time to bulid my juice back up-
Props back up, suckers get smacked up
Don't doubt the clout, you know what I'm about
Knocking niggaz off, knocking niggaz out
Shaking em up, waking em up
Raking em up, breaking em up...
Standing on shaky grounds too close to the edge
Let's see if I know the ledge

Corners' trifling 'cause shorty's here
I get cock-d liffin' forty's of beer;
Here's a sip for the crew that's deceased,
If I get revenge, then they rest in peace.

Somebody's got to suffer, I just might spare one-
And give a brother a fair one!
Stay alert and on "p's".
And I do work with these- like Hercules,
Switch to southpaw, split your right jaw
'Cause I don't like y'all, I'm hype when night fall.
Smooth but I move like an army
Bulletproof down in case brothers try to bomb me,
Putting brothers to rest like Elliot ness
'Cause I don't like stress
Streets ain't a place for innocent bystanders to stand
Nutting's gonna stop the plan
I'll chill like Pacino, kill like DeNiro
Black Gambino, die like a hero
Living on shaky grounds too close to the edge
Let's see if I know the ledge!

Shells lay around on the battleground
Dead bodies are found throughout the town.
Tried to put shame in my game to make a name, I'm a
Put it on a bullet, put it in your brain.
Rip the block like a buckshot,
Who cares where it goes, just keep the casket closed,
No remorse when a life is lost
I paid my dues- paid the cost!
...And my pockets are still fat,
Wherever I'm at, I get the welcome mat.
Even if my crew steep with one deep
I attract attention, people like to peep
So come say hi to the badguy
Don't say goodbye, I don't plan to die!
'Cause I get loose and I got troops
And crazy juice!
In control of many like Ayatollah Khomeini
Hang out wit Smith and Wesson, don't try to play me.
I'm at war alot, like Anwar Sadat..
But no warning shot, my gun is warm alot.
When I cook beef, the smoke will never clear,
Areas in fear but this here's a fear!
Living life too close to the edge
Hoping that I know the ledge....

A brand new morn, no time to yawn
Shower's on, power's on
Late for school, I catch the train
Girls sip "Cristal" and whisper my name
I push up like an exercise,
Check the intellect and inspect the thighs
Select the best one, pull her to the side
Keep her occupied for the rest of the ride
Read my resume she's know I'm 'ready cool
Just meet me after school,
We can moan and groan until your mom come home ,
And you be calling me Al "dope" Capone.
Sweatin' me, she didn't want to let me loose-
Come get me, that's if you want to sip the juice
Cause the streets await me, so I take my gun off safety
Cause alot of niggaz hate me
Coming out of the building, they set me up
Sprayed wit automatics, they wet me up
In a puddle of blood, I lay close to the edge
I guess I didn't know the ledge.....

Casualties of war; as I approach the barricade
Where's the enemy? Who do I invade?
Bullets of Teflon, bulletproof vest rip
Tear ya outta ya frame with a bag full of clips
Cause I got a family that waits for my return
To get back home is my main concern
I'ma get back to New York in one piece
but I'm bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets
Sky lights up like fireworks blind me
Bullets, whistlin over my head remind me...
President Bush said attack
Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back
Missile hits the area, screams wake me up
from a war of dreams, heat up the M-16
Basic training, trained for torture
Take no prisoners, and I just caught ya
Addicted to murder, send more bodybags
They can't identify em, leave the nametags
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor
CASUALTIES OF WAR! (4X)

Day divides the night and night divides the day
It's all hard work and no play
More than combat, it's far beyond that
Cause I got a kill or be killed kind of attack
Area's mapped out, there'll be no, Stratego
Me and my platoon make a boom wherever we go
But what are we here for? Who's on the other side of the wall?
Somebody give the President a call
But I hear warfare scream through the air
Back to the battlegrounds, it's war they declare
A Desert Storm: let's see who reigns supreme
Something like Monopoly: a government scheme
Go to the Army, be all you can be
Another dead soldier? Hell no, not me
So I start letting off ammunition in every direction
Allah is my only protection
But wait a minute, Saddam Hussein prays the same
and this is Asia, from where I came
I'm on the wrong side, so change the target
Shooting at the general; and where's the sergeant?
Blame it on John Hardy Hawkins for bringing me to America
Now it's mass hysteria
I get a rush when I see blood, dead bodies on the floor
CASUALTIES OF WAR! (4X)

The war is over, for now at least
Just because they lost it don't mean it's peace
It's a long way home, it's a lot to think about
Whole generation, left in doubt
Innocent families killed in the midst
It'll be more dead people after this
So I'm glad to be alive and walkin
Half of my platoon came home in coffins
Except the general, buried in the Storm
in bits and pieces no need to look for em
I played it slick and got away with it
Rigged it up so they would think they did it
Now I'm home on reserves and you can bet
when THEY call, I'm going AWOL
Cause it ain't no way I'm going back to war
when I don't know who or what I'm fighting for
So I wait for terrorists to attack
Every time a truck backfires I fire back
I look for shelter when a plane is over me
Remember Pearl Harbor? New York could be over, G
Kamikaze, strapped with bombs
No peace in the East, they want revenge for Saddam
Did I hear gunshots, or thunder?
No time to wonder, somebody's going under
Put on my fatigues and my camoflouge
Take control, cause I'm in charge
When I snapped out of it, it was blood, dead bodies on the floor
CASUALTIES OF WAR! (4X)

Don't sweat the Technique(2x)

Let's trace the hints and check the file
Let see who bit to detect the style
I flip the script so they can't get foul.
At least not now, it'll take a while
I change the pace to complete the beat
I drop the bass,'till mc's get weak.
For every word they trace, it's a scar they keep...
'Cause when I speak, they freak
To sweat the technique
I made my debut in '86
Wit a melody and a president's mix
And now I stay on target and refuse to miss
And I still make hits
wit' beats, parties, clubs, in the cars and jeeps
My underground sound vibrates the streets
MC's wanna beef then I play for keeps
When they sweat the technique

Don't Sweat the Technique

They wanna know how many rhymes have I ripped in rep., but
Researchers never found all the pieces yet
Scientists try to solve the context
Philosophers are wondering what's next
Pieces are took to last who observe them
They couldn't absorb them, they didn't deserve them
My ideas are only for the audience's ears
For my opponents, it might take years
Pencils and pens, are swords
Letters put together form a key to chords
I'm also a sculpture, born with structure
Because of my culture, I'm a rip and destruct the
Difficult styles that'll be for the technology
Complete sights and new heights after I get deep
You don't have to speak just seek
And peep the technique

But don't sweat the technique

I speak indiscreet cause talk is cheap
Then I get deep and the weak then complete their
Pull with a seat, never weak or obsolete
They never grow old techniques become antiques
Better then something brand new 'cause it's radiant
And the wild style'll have much more volume
Classical too intelligent to be radical
Masterful, never irrelevant: mathematical
Here's some soothing souvenirs for all the years
They fought, and sought, the thoughts and ideas
It's cool when you freak to the beat
But don't sweat the technique

Don't sweat the technique (2x)