1.Two ＆ Two
They wanna know (All you have to do)
Know how I do
Maybe you don't (All you have to do is call me... call me)
Why you playing, why you playing？
I be going like two and two
With some hot shit ready to spit for you
With the songs that you love just to get you through
Back in effect
I'm back to collect
Got the respect
Which will turn into the cash or a check
You can, pay me in fear, you can pay me with love
You can, pay me in tears or you can pay me in blood
Spray me with slugs, and the revolution live, I never die in
vain
The writer might be dead but the piece remain on the train (yea)
The music help you be true to yourself, accumulate wealth
So what I spit is the embodiment I do for self
As a teen it was kinda hard to find a job
I took over my writer's bloc and ran it like a spot
I'm Pimp C in this game nigga, I'm a hard
But I'm never feasting on it, keep speaking on it God
That's what they say when I'm building, I keep my dialogue
street
But still spiritual like we deep inside a mosque
Or the sin of God that don't preach or go where the sinners are
And keep the fire burning like a slum lord in the Bronx
Of course I will ''cause you know how I do
Maybe you don't (All you have to do is call me... call me)
I be going like two and two
With some more hot shit ready to spit for you
With the songs that you love just to get you through
Ma
Rhyme writer from nine to five
It's the 25 to lifers with the balance of the acrobatic high
wires
The pain of the slave with his back feeling like fire
''cause the whip talking to his ass like Knight Rider
Most of these rappers now days be sounding like liars
Got visions of guns in they head like the Pied Piper
When I bust they start to disappear like my lighters
''cause they shit is faker than the dreads on Mikah Phifer
The industry is in trouble
Plus these industry niggaz is fake, so they tend to be in a
bubble
So I hit the block where they're known to thicken the plot
Sticking up cops, kids be pocket-picking they Glocks (my man)
Balling outta control, don't be forgetting that niggaz is broker
than dishes at a Greek wedding
They might try to run up on you, take your life quick
It's like this when you walk the strip up on the night shift
Let 'em know
Of course I will ''cause you know how I do
Maybe you don't (All you have to do is call me... call me)
I be going like two ＆ two
With some more hot shit ready to spit for you
With the songs that you love to get you through
Ma
This right here the bare essentials with no extras y'all
I kept it raw from the school of thought where less is more
Brooklyn is cooking and I blessed it with the special sauce
I got the soul of a prophet and never take a loss
Fresher than kicks out the box, the kids on the block
That is street hungry trying to get that sweet honey out the
rock
Crack in the socks when they click the row thicker than sour sop
Listening to my black power rock
Music, of this hip hop we be rock to it
I'm a river, you a valley, watch me run right through it
You wanna learn how to do it, tell the truth in your single
first
Lil' Kim went to jail for what you do in every single verse
(free Lil' Kim)
Lyrics is perjury, your beats is more plastic than surgery
And we in the United States of emergency
One of the main reasons none of you lames worry me
Is I change lanes like I change planes and change currency
They wanna know, tell them (All you have to do is call me)
Of course I will ''cause you know how I do
Maybe you don't (All you have to do is call me... call me)
I be going like two and two
With some more hot shit ready to spit for you
With the songs that you love to get you through
Ma
2.Ms. Hill
Lyricist：Benjamin Kweller
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Ms. Hill, you got skills, that's a gift, it's real
Get ill, what you spit got the power to uplift and heal
I wish I could talk to Lauryn, I mean, excuse me, Ms. Hill
And let her know how much we love her, it's real
The industry was beatin' her up
Then them demons started eatin' her up
She need a savior that'll bleed in a cup, yup
We used to kick it in the salad days
When she look at me like she don't know me
When she see me nowadays
I nod, she nod back, that's how it stay
Her songs still better than anything out that hot or power play
Remember how they accused her of saying
She did her album without help
Then she went to Rome to sing and tell the Pope about herself
Just after she left the Fugees, started rolling with the Marleys
Got back with her crew at Dave Chapelle's Block Party
She made songs about Zion and trying to be faithful
Took Blackstar on tour to Europe, I was so grateful
Speaking for myself but I'm sure I could speak for Dante
I got to watch a show with Nina Simone and Harry Belafonte
We used to chill at Nkiru, her moms was a customer
She used to love to buy the books by Octavia Butler
Parable of the Sower, the main character's name was Lauren
What the album did for black girls' self-esteem was so important
I got concerned when she got sick on the road
She ain't heavy, I'm a brother
And I wish that I could pick up the load, but no
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Ms. Hill, you got skills, that's a gift, it's real
Get ill, what you spit got the power to uplift the heal
Got her assistant on the the phone, I need to talk to Lauryn
And I wanna walk through the storm
And I could be the umbrella when the rain is pouring
Please, this no disrespect to whoever your man is though
This relationship is strictly music like D'Angelo
I know you hate Babylon and wanna see it fall
But they won't let you read your poem at the BET awards
You give us hope, you give us faith, you the one
They don't like what you got to say but still they beg you to
come
Whoa, now that's powerful sis, it's black power
We get money, keep our eyes on the final hour
And no, I ain't saying you Christ, that would be sacrilegious
right？
Them raps the sisters recite with their black fist up
The devil's last wish is a queen who rise past bitches
We used to read Francis Crest or anything
By third world press will press
But what the power of the word suggest
Hatched ideas in our heads like birds in the nest
You gave birth to a new sound like Donda West, yes
Should I be saying all of this while the mic is on？
I might as well let it out because one day I might be gone
I write this song and hope you feel how much we love you
And you play it 'cause I really ain't got the words to say it,
but yo
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words, yeah, yeah
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Ms. Hill, you got skills, that's a gift, it's real
Get ill, what you spit got the power to uplift and heal
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
Another night slips away
In other words, I should say
There are no words you should say
There are no words
3.Fly That Knot
Lyricist：Robert A Deitch, Talib K Green, Eric Krazno, Daniel Dumile
Thompson
Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' 'bout
Yeah, we on fire
We gotta call the fire department
Let's go, yo, yo, yo
I don't know why people try to be live when they not
I gotta blow up they spot so I fly that knot
Yo, I know you like that
You like that, yeah, yeah
There's an E, true Hollywood story for the pluckin' it's ripe
How cats is stuck in purgatory for life
Tryin' to fight the enemy without sight
They in the dark swingin' right to left
Clingin' to the little bit of light that's left
And can't escape the room, you can't escape the tomb
You all wear a mask sometimes, I can relate to Doom
That make the whole world earthquake, shake and move
The beat create a mood or eat your whole plate of food
You can't come close like an order of protection
That this is myself in the pack was sort of my intention
Slaughter anybody testin' my callin', my profession
Anymore questions will born 'em a lesson
A demonstration of takin' it all the way home
While you stuck at first base and
It's like havin' relations without the penetration
Basically doin' nathin' you a waste of space and time
Always chasin' mine is how you lost your place in line
I don't know why people try to be live when they not
I gotta blow up they spot so I fly that knot
We got that uncut flow that bring the cops out
Pay and groan like young Mike and get knocked out
I don't know why people try to be live when they not
I gotta blow up they spot so I fly that knot
Yeah, free the radio population
Kweli and Doom the 1-2, the combination, let's go
About time you heard a rhyme flow with Doom and Kweli
To catch you with the combo, boom boom, Muhammad Ali
Versus Potsy cursin' Yahtzee at the crap table
Burstin' caps at a Nazi rap label
Oops, a pot of hot tea spilt on the cable
Evaporate an ice grill, read the seeds of Aesop fable
Children, come sit, gather face the rapid fire
Of the super slap shit outta liar
The end villain, the champ tramp
He cleaned his mask with a shoe mitt
And a little bit of her blue spit she told him you so stupid
Wiped it off, got dressed and left
Everybody instigatin', not just the ref
We can shoot the fire on the dirt ground
Rocks out live with the worst sound first round knock out
I don't know why people try to be live when they not
I gotta blow up they spot so I fly that knot
We got that uncut flow that bring the cops out
Pay and groan like young Mike and get knocked out
I don't know why people try to be live when they not
I gotta blow up they spot so I fly that knot
Yeah, free the radio population
Kweli and Doom the 1-2, the combination, let's go
4.Drugs, Basketball ＆ Rap
Lyricist：Khari Cain, Jason Green, Talib K. Greene, Jason Smith
That's what I'm talkin' about
S A S, size ain't shit, never dat
Strong arm steady, Talib Kweli
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Woah, I'm dealin' wit nuttin' but facts when I spit it though
You niggas superstitious, don't step on the cracks
Or split the poem, candle light, flickers so bright, I feel the
wick
Can kick a sicka flow and spill it like a liquor store
I spit the shit to make a cripple get up and dance
I spit the shit to make the average MC piss in his pants
I spit the shit to make a mothafucka call it a night
I spit the shit to see fuck wit C Delores Tucker sex like
I take a sip from my creative well, in this game for a minute
I play this well to win it, ya go to Africa like Cave Chappelle,
you finished
'Cause ya prehistoric raps is borin' the number of whack rappers
Soarin' like the percentages of teenagers who have abortions
These niggas meak, they lyrics weak and they beats is corporate
They try snitchin' on records their mouths is leakin' forces
Drippin' 'em over system than Chinese water torture
Rippin' a series of events more unfortunate than lemony snicket
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Yea, med alliance mind bless the mic for the gods
Teach the blind plus get a piece of mine
Release ya minds for each design
Due to this pork eatin' niggas of sort
Yo, you's a fuck face, burnt out loser that's always up late
Planet Ais the revolutionary slash nut case
A witchcraft black magic, data load up computers
A spread the message wrote to you where, when I show illusions
If all y'all niggas is killas then how ya write ya records？
How'd you find the time？ Stop lyin', ya minds infected
There's only a few and I ain't sayin' niggas
Don't put it down from you town, I'm talkin' 'bout you
Yea, the fake dude promotin' propaganda
And open on some fanna and out right snitchin' on them cameras
Planet Ais, gold chain black bandannas low
Steady gain click clack, rang, rang, there they go
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Yea, just a high skip and a jump away from gettin' everything
That I could possibly want and prostitutes front, get a 4 bar on
the roster
Scratch that, I'm talkin' about a full roster of raps, monstas
that rap
Buzzed out later check the cadence of the frequency
Uniquely, we strong arms strategically
Danelis
Or he probably wit Kweli, out in BK, we make it easy for the Djs
Like instant replays, conversation by the buttons
I talk and touch sumpin'
Straight shots of the luey, he flew me out to London
Crunchin' numbas, flippin' more dough like Siccisero
Next thing you know, we kissin' ya hoe, wit out the mistletoe
Strong arm steady, agony can sickly, Phil da rigglies
The big league niggas is droppin' indies let's go
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Niggaz gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We the shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know you best to fall back, woah
Talib Kweli, right about now
This what I'm feelin' right about now
And I invite you all to check it out wit me
Let's go, it's like
Niggas gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We da shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know, you best to fall back, woah
Niggas gettin' caught in the trap
For the cash it's the drugs basketball or the rap
There's more to us than that
We da shit consider the facts, after you analyze that
You know, you best to fall back, woah
5.The Beast
Lyricist：Talib Kweli, Willie Shamele Mackie, Keith Moore, Morton
Stevens
Dave, this a monster
When them boys wit the Tec's throwin' up they set
And the spot so hot the ceilin' start to sweat
Yeah, that's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the beast
When you just a little tipsy, you lookin' at them lips
And you lockin' up them hips, get the drillin' wit the tips and
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the
Knowledge is the founder of everything in existence
If you not droppin' knowledge about us, it's 'cause you ig'nant
A top-notch scholar wit honors, I'm so gifted
Life is the most vicious, honest and prolific
I drop diabolical brollic wit no gimmick
Astonish the flow critics, rhyme wit the most lyrics
I paint pictures, jot it and dot it but won't print it
My project is photogenic, I am the most vivid
Man, I got a brain the size of the most biggest
Wide as them cold rivers, wise as them old niggaz
Tired of this, though, half of you rhyme it but don't live it
Watch it and go spit it, stop it, I know physics
Breakin' yo physical, demolishin' yo spirit
The struggle got me thinkin' demonic and so wicked
Man, I'm so deep I'm bottomless, yo, kill it
Wise wit the flow, rhymin behind 'em it's so senseless
When them boys wit the Tec's throwin' up they set
And the spot so hot the ceilin' start to sweat
Yeah, that's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the beast
When you just a little tipsy, you lookin' at them lips
And you lockin' up them hips, get the drillin' wit the tips and
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the
Yeah, live New York rap, stay away from the pork crap
Actin' like you all that, get smacked if you talk back
Spiritual like Rakim on ice, like Kane with the females
Slick Rick and Biggie Smalls attention to detail
Political like PE, I'm spittin' fire like Ice Cube
Kweli and Ice do 'til you start fuckin' wit my fool
Rap 'll set the right mood, fin' to blow like a light fuse
You might lose, ya chance of winnin' slimmer than a size two
Plus, the shit you kick so wack, niggaz ready to fight you
Fuck rap, you better off wit spoken word kickin' Haiku
Or rhymes got teeth that'll bite you, make it clearer than white
booze
You ain't special, there's a million rappers like you
Far from clumsy but I drop lines and spill bars
Smoke more trees and be around more black chicks than Bill Maher
Peel a card off the deck, this that real hard hip-hop shit
Niggaz, feel y'all, it's real, y'all
When them boys wit the Tec's throwin' up they set
And the spot so hot the ceilin' start to sweat
Yeah, that's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the
When you just a little tipsy, you lookin' at them lips
And you lockin' up them hips, get the drillin' wit the tips and
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the
The beast is out when the police is out
They be pullin' out and really showin' you what peace about
Upholdin' the law that's designed to keep my people down
Bourgeois niggaz walkin' around like everything is equal now
I'm peepin' how from the beat cop to the interstate trooper
To the Feds who put a price on the side of head of Cuba
Be protectin' the property value over the people life
To take action against a foul government is the people right
But not too many ready to fight
It's like you'd rather be at home watchin' a flick or a fight
Or maybe 'Nick At Nite'
It's sick how I'm addicted to mics, become a flickerin' light
After I spark I'm always ready to write
Where I'm from？ They be watchin' us but we be watchin' them
And bust shots 'til the coppers bring the choppers in
The squad cars try to box me in
But I got knowledge of self and it's stronger
Than any cage you can lock me in
When them boys wit the Tec's throwin' up they set
And the spot so hot the ceilin' start to sweat
Yeah, that's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the beast
When you just a little tipsy, you lookin' at them lips
And you lockin' up them hips, get the drillin' wit the tips and
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out
That's when the beast come out, that's when the
Lot of different beasts or demons roamin' the planet
And they surface at any given time
You never know when they can surface and come right up out at
you
No matter how righteous you think you are
Situation could go down when you force to let the beast out
6.Supreme Supreme
Lyricist：William Jr Conti, Talib Kweli Greene, Dante Terrell Smith
Woo, we on fire tonight
Woo, yeah, we on fire tonight
Woo, Black Star in the house fo' sho'
Yo, now everybody go
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
Side to side
'Bout to slap box with the beat
The shit I spit is a snapshot of the street
You can see the crack spot in the backdrop
The heat in the stash box of the black drop
You wonder why there's more crime
Free food, or a check the only time niggaz on line
Getting information from the nigga net
The trickle down theory guess it ain't reached niggaz yet
I make a bigger bet
Kweli 'bout to be a bigger threat
'Cuz there's hardly any real niggaz left
What the fuck these niggaz talking 'bout？
Living a movie but the audience is walking out
I fight the temptation to rip the heart from your chest
'Til there's only five hard beats left, it's like a dead man
walking
I turn on the radio and I hear dead men talking
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
Yo', I got my headphones up like I'm listening close
Face blank with expression it isn't a joke
Start fire, sit back and spit it's smoke
To get it provoked, blow it back to get in your throat
Mad problems take all the niggaz you know
Add that number up with every nigga you don't
Final number, some total of the niggaz that won't
Break me down, shake me of my fame, my style
What time it is？ Crew you can hate me now
And ten minutes from then you gon' love me again
Buck town republic again writing on the wall trouble again
Intensify struggle and such Killers
Sade lovers deluxe sound garnered, for the wild hearted
Downtrodden, up-starters young violent, uprising
Cocaine, and gunpowder up North, or bus crowded
Daily vibes to thug mountain cold caves or peaks of high
Think you present but unclear, and know how to hide
If you wonder why you got so much on your mind
'Cuz your living in a troubling time, this is a puzzling time
Fall back without recovering time, and time's up
Brooklyn, put your dimes up
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
I put feeling inside of my rap
Hold it down for my side of the map
No matter what North, South East or West side of the mat
Bend a needle on the mind and it's back
Got a problem with that？ The holler back and the stars is black
We the New Era you just a Starter cap
Find out what happens when the artist in tact
Be sharp as a tack, fall back you smarter than that
Or perhaps you just ain't as smart as you think
Figure 8'n on the thin ice part of the rink
You a vessel that's promised to sink
Terra Firma ain't as hard as you think
Stare down, and you starting to blink
Like 182 this for fellas and the ladies who
Don't need to be spoon fed like baby food
I take a bite out the track like a Sabre-tooth
And spit out the truth 'til the cops come and spray the booth
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
Ghetto people it's time to ride
(Supreme, supreme)
Baby get involved go side to side
(Supreme, supreme)
It's all right with you it's all right with me
Do the damn thing what you wanna be
(Supreme, supreme)
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
(Supreme, supreme)
It's all right with you it's all right with me
Do the damn thing what you wanna be
(Supreme, supreme)
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
(Supreme, supreme)
It's all right with you it's all right with me
Do the damn thing what you wanna be
(Supreme, supreme)
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
(Supreme, supreme)
It's all right with you it's all right with me
Do the damn thing what you wanna be
(Supreme, supreme)
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
That's right, that's right that's right that's right
(Supreme, supreme)
7.Flash Gordon
Lyricist：Talib Kweli Greene, David Nathaniel West
Yeah, Kweli in the house
Dave West is what I'm talkin' about, you know？
Yea, yea, yea, yo, yea, yo, yea, yea, yea, yo, yea, yo
Yea, yea, yea, yooh, yooh
Make a joy for noise until the Lord people are floored
'Cause the pen is mightier than the sword
Leavin' the floor
'Cause my words cut deeper than a tissue massage
I got hooks and lines that sink y'all like a fisherman's rod
I'm on mission for God, He blessed me to spit it this hard
A lot of niggas start shit but they don't finish the job
I'm like Minister Farrakhan or Africans who finished a marathon
The pain in my voice is like Sarah Vaughn
No matter what playin' 'em on, I carry on
Even if the dawn lit overhead, I carry on
Like Flash Gordon the scar on my face is Brad Jordan
Passports splash with blood from the battle I last fought in
I want to cash all in or I start breakin' like glass jaw
I put the blast on 'em like my last tourin'
Or fast forward just to catch what I said
Yo, I say some shit like that just to mess with your head, come
on
Grabbin' the black steel bow in the hour of chaos
We ain't rappin' till they pay us, is that real？
We got babies, we got bills
Put your hands up in the air if you know how I feel
And let it out
(Let it out)
Get it out
(Get it out)
Work it up
(Work it up)
Sweat it out
I don't know if you know my history
I do it big
Like Notorious did
Get on and play like this according to kid
Gangster like knock out Ned like Little Zane slayed all on his
wiz
Crazy like the little hand on the seven, the big hand on the six
J-Lo, yo
Whether you all in the mix or if you stay low
Everybody say hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo
I don't know if you know my history
You don't know me
Choke the game till it's blue like a varicose vein
And I can't remember the last time I felt this terrible pain
And the whole shit blew up
Was it in vain？
They'll be lookin' through the rubble like they searchin' for
Hussein
I'm lookin' through the club, I'm really searchin' for who's
sane
The music got everyone crazy and who to blame
Be prepared think there'll be some ugliness up in here
End up in intensive care with the vegetables there, you know？
Grabbin' the black steel bow in the hour of chaos
We ain't rappin' till they pay us, is that real？
We got babies, we got bills
Put your hands up in the air if you know how I feel
And let it out
(Let it out)
Get it out
(Get it out)
Work it up
(Work it up)
Sweat it out
I don't know if you know my history
I do it big
It's the black hand bustin' the tech
Gettin' it wet without bustin' a sweat
Swingin' for the upper deck
It's the black man cuttin' a check
The nigger's the boss
The niggers want to test if they addicted to laws, I spit on the
floor
The right hook will get at your jaw
Make the track my baby mama when I'm hittin' it raw, I rap
through
Wars and tours and whores on the floors I did it for force
So I spit at all the shit that I saw
I party with super models who wanna take of they clothes
The ones who smokin' cocaine so they don't fuck up they nose
I walked the slums of Soweto and the streets of Havana
Takin' pictures with kids who never seen a camera
From the land of the Alabama since the night in the Cali
Bumpin' gangster music like a freedom's song in the rally
Out the back of yo' Dinnali give you the skinny like Ally McBeal
It's the black steel, Brooklyn know the deal, what？
Grabbin' the black steel bow in the hour of chaos
We ain't rappin' till they pay us, is that real？
We got babies, we got bills
Put your hands up in the air if you know how I feel
And let it out
(Let it out)
Get it out
(Get it out)
Work it up
(Work it up)
Sweat it out
I don't know if you know my history
I do it big
8.Right About Now
Lyricist：Talib Kweli Greene, Charles Njapa
Yeah, this that new Kweli
I'ma give it to you before the bootleggers get hold of it
You know what I'm sayin'？
I figure I put it out first, make some money wit' it
Why not, right？ Okay, 1, 2
Yo I'm Brooklyn like the '90s
Brownsville and Bushel keep it grimey
When I'm from flatbush, that's where you'll find me
In Brooklyn, Tek wit' Justin and Sadat
Always catch me wit' Juju and Rubiks, we was truant kids
Dollar band nooseses, jump bell, run, and never look back
Mr. Man kept the hammer in his bookbag
Rubiks introduced me to Black and Forte
DJ Enuff on Avenue K, I go back a long way
Wit' Super Nat in Washington Square freestylin' everyday
Peformin' at Lyricists' Lounge who ate off Jean Grae
Fuckin' wit' Mood is how I met Hi-Tek
Black Star came in effect when Elijah gave my tape to Mos Def
Reflection Eternal was next on deck
My crew the best and we proved it
We knew our music was the Vanguard of a movement
Every Rawkus release was bangin', they on the come up
They was like fuck the radio 'til Pharoahe said 'Get the fuck
up'
Flex listened, jabbin' at Bryant
The next position was right about now we need the
Radio hit written while I hit the road
On tour to support the records since the day it was sold
Corey had me followin' the example of De La Soul
Common and The Roots to me, these the sickest niggaz
Get my figures wit' the Okayplayers and the Spitkickers
Rawkus got a deal with MCA, this the gray area
But let it stir for Music Cemetery of America
They tried to fool you by switchin' the name to Geffen
Now they Interscope's bitch and every artist who had a chance
left 'em
Ain't no big surprise, wasn't no love there
Jimmy Iovine never signed me, I just kinda ended up there
But fuck that, literally it was my way or the highway
Hit the road with the Beastie Boys and toured Europe with Kanye
Gotta thank 'em for the love on the album, I knew out on
'Electric Circus', he'd get it by any means necessary like
Malcolm
I dropped a single, shot a video, took control of my situation
Got a label poppin', it's a celebration, bitches
Yo boy Free, I had to get out
I put you on, that's where I'm at right about now
And if you're sayin' it's my time, you right about now
This what's goin' through my mind, right about now
Hey yo, hey yo, it's time to write about now
And if you lookin' you can find it right about now
I put you on, that's where I'm at right about now
This what's goin' through my mind, right about now
Yo, hey yo, it's time to write about now
And if you lookin' you can find it right about now
That's right bitches, Talib Kweli
One of the baddest motherfuckers you've ever seen
That's right bitches, Talib Kweli
You're now rockin' with the best, I said it
The best, the best, that's right bitches
You're now rockin' with the best, the best
Talib Kweli, where's, where's my snares？
9.Who Got It
Let's go, let's go, let's, let's
Let's go, let's go, let's, let's
Let's go, let's go, let's, let's
Let's go, let's, c'mon
Ask anybody that you bump into
Who got it poppin when it come to these rhymes (who got it？)
We got the sound that you jump into
You automatically pressin rewind (jump up!)
They call him Kwe' for short, really talk to the children
But too many people feel him and they might, try to kill him
Try to test me I survive, like your grandma recipe
(Survive) like a Child with a Destiny
Survive like a Cuban holdin piece of wood floatin to Miami
like, Elian Gonzalez cause they back with the family
Survivin in the streets of Brooklyn, that's where you find me
Survivin like somebody mommy clutchin a palm tree in a tsunami
Who woulda thunk that would ever happen？
Rootin for Kweli cause he brung back clever rappin
Sister - heads wrapped in fabric of the standard music
Chicks - with their tits, made of plastic look, dancin to it
In this arena I balance, your boy stand alone
and win it cause these rappers is more annoying than camera
phones
Maybe it's me, it could be hard to move me
But these niggaz got me trippin like a white girl in a horror
movie!
Do you like the way he jumped on it？
Take a step back, you don't want it
Do you like the way he jumped on it？
Take a step back, you don't, you don't
Yeah... this the one right here, put it on everything
Drop it heavy then get in the wind like a weather vane
Let it rain, let it pour, metaphor so let it off
Like the 38th special edition of 'Set it Off'
Yo the trap, got you blastin your heat
It's hot ones like shotguns from the passenger seat
The mic booth, the district where they be packin the meat
Cause they kept it raw as the jump off, I hop, back on the beat
Back on the street like an ex-con
with enough in his pocket for a tip at a restaurant
It's a cold world, dress warm
Cuttin through the bullshit record labels and the shady deals
Ladies feel the beat when they out clubbin like baby seals
Let me chill out cause the raw image to focus on
Get back to my point, this joint is jumpin like a circus song
Yeah, to break it down to the basic components
They don't want it so I'm runnin out of worthy opponents, whoa
Even when I be sleepin my brain it keep goin deep inside
A street poem with rhymes that keep blowin your mind
with a unique flow and heat showin
Grown men weepin in the open, tears leak into the ocean
Today is (Training Day), I passed the test like Ethan Hawk and
I'm droppin signs like Craig G, or Stephen Hawkins
Y'all don't rhyme, y'all speak in quotes of MC's that sleep in
coffins
Latchin on like a leech and eatin off 'em, you weak and soft and
Jump, jump, jump - Brooklyn jump up
Jump, jump, jump - Harlem jump up
Jump, jump, jump - yo, West coast jump up
Jump, jump, jump - everybody jump up
Jump, jump, jump - Queens jump up
Jump, jump, jump - {？} jump up
Jump, jump, jump - Midwest jump up
Jump, jump, jump - here we go (everybody like) yeah
10.Roll Off Me
Yeah, back in effect, let's go
Ahem, aiyyo, e'rybody goes through feelin like
the walls is closin in on you and you just stress the hell out
(yeah they do)
And you feel like you gon' explode, youknow'msayin？ (uh-huh)
This right here is for, all y'all to know that
I know what y'all goin through man (yeah, yeah)
I feel it myself (yeah, yeah I do)
I could relate, yeah turn this one up
Sometimes life make you wanna attack and go off G
You wanna step back and I let it roll off me
Brooklyn, New York B, ain't nothin soft G
Yeah I get stressed but I let it roll off me
Flirtin with the fame but I let it roll off me
They love it when I'm losin but I let it roll off me
Dirt on my name but I let it roll off me
Always keep it movin and I let it roll off me
Do it for my niggaz with letters, let's set it off B
Cops don't protect us, protestors just get ignored B
Played out like musical theater with best support
The investors and bankers havin sex in expensive orgies
I'm rappin on the corners like Abbey, Abdul and Common
Born when they was robbin the grave at Tutankhamun
Way before Bush the USA been bombin
Cause whether ratchets or needles know the shootin ain't stoppin
Niggaz lootin, we ain't coppin a thing
And if I'm locked in the bing, a nigga not gonna sing
I got a lot of things on my mind, dollar signs, life on the line
What I write's so right for the time
The revelation like sight for the blind like when God cypher
divine
hand you lessons; or when you in the church havin confession
Or when you kneelin on the pew, catchin the Holy Ghost
Or the cult, so fanatic they think suicide's the only hope (no)
They used to ask you 'Who ya master？' Now they ask you 'Who your
pastor？'
It's your allegiance that they truly after
They used to ask you 'Who ya master？' Now they ask you 'Who your
pastor？'
It's your allegiance that they truly after
That make you wanna go off B
But I step back and I let it roll off me
Brooklyn, New York B, ain't nothin soft G
Yeah I get stressed but I let it roll off me
Talk the talk but to walk the walk is costly
Niggaz got on they +Game+ face like Black Wall Street
Every single move I make is ballsy
Cause the shit it used to be a, silent movie now it's a talky
The Feds cheesin like Milwaukee when shit is Brew-in
When these niggaz stage a coup for the president I'm a shoo-in
But, ain't no political aspirations I'm persuin
I hate to ruin your dream but music is what I'm doin
I've touched more people in a verse than you do in 20 speeches
Whether state's blue like the water or redder than white people
on sunny beaches
Sometimes I don't be understandin it
They looked at me and said that's why you the perfect candidate
Standin at the pulpit with a full clip
What I say real talk, turn around and walk away with your
bullshit
I'm like breed, yo I ain't to be fucked with
Only write the realest, can't lie to the public
The sharp wick cut quick, killin 'em softly
They try to take me there but you could never force me
Brooklyn, New York B, ain't nothin soft G
Yeah I get stressed but I let it roll off me
Flirtin with the fame but I let it roll off me
They love it when I'm losin but I let it roll off me
Dirt on my name but I let it roll off me
Always keep it movin and I let it roll off me
11.Rock On
C'mon let's go! Yeah
It's beautiful, c'mon, keep marchin
Everybody say HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY (HEY, HEY!)
Now if you got toast, you keep your shots low
You hug the block close, we rock on and on
Now if you got dough, your shit is not low
You duck the five-oh, we rock on and on (ladies!)
Now if you real fly, fuck with a real guy
Give them your real eye, we rock on and on
You keep yo' heels high, keep it real tight
Who gettin real high？ We rock on and on
Yeah, I flow beautiful like a Zab Judah blow
(Traffic) like Benecio, (Suspect) is (Usual)
Cut checks like cuticles, bust tecs at funerals
My sound freak you out like rough sex in the studio
I blow the back out the track when I black out
Got the spot maxed out, people in the front pass out
Security carry that ass out
Get in the zone when I'm stoned like I live in a glass house
Last bout I was in started to get real serious
Homeboy got dropped and spazzed out like mysterious
The boy in the hood with the furious style
We in the age of Aquarius now, yo
I show pain in the manner of Coltrane's 'Alabama'
Niggaz wanna blaze a hammer
'Real girls get down on the flo'' like David Banner when I
handle my shit
I go banana clips you walkin where the animals live
Now everybody say (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY!)
Yo, the way I spit is ghetto
Like when niggaz pray over beef like Khalil and get the metal
'til the shit is settled
I pull strings like Geppetto did Pinocchio
Y'all niggaz sing to po-po like, K-Ci and JoJo or Sisqo and
Nokio
LeLe and Coco y'all, Sisters With Voices
Y'all, lyrics are pointless
My lyrics annoint like, oils and ointments
I had a big death but I missed my appointment
Y'all walkin through the valley while I run through it
Every party we come through makin the 'Gun Music'
Practice the (Art of War), don't make me Sun Tzu it
I put them knots in yo' head 'til you can't undo it
You can't unscrew it, ladies wanna take it off
All they want is piece of mind so I break 'em off
I grab the game by the balls until I made it cough
And made these bitch ass niggaz take they make-up off
Everybody say (HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY, HEY!)
Yeah, get it right, Talib Kweli
12.Where Ya Gonna Run
We gonna do this one a little different. tryna test the waters
(where you gonna run)
(where you gonna run)
I write underground climb up, this a new line up
Niggaz fight your way through
If you're not ready to lose may I suggest that you let us the
fuck through
Everybody clap your hands now, tear the walls down
Dance like Rudy Huxtable scoring a touchdown, you know
Hands in the air, knees in, knees out
Drop a little symbol on them this time, no doubt, let's go
I write ten years deep and tenure's still deep
My bad I'm sorry I don't like when phrases repeat
I meant for the decades almost passed and spaceball was the
least
And I'm struggling still hustle to eat
I must be built with Adam and Eve skin
While y'all motherfuckers where you flushed in
With your heart poking through on your arm stupid
Drop more bombs than on Saddam's house unarmed
My mouth's a weapon I shout like Armguard steppin'
Didn't need to get loud, no disrepect
But you know the Jean is threat to your checks
Niggas heart burning no prowl though sec to stop the attack
Ya neck back's gettin hot on every drop on the track
And now I finally got some heat is good, let it be known
I'll still be here after all this shit is done said and gone
Can't keep running the same formula, I'm imploring ya
To quit fucking the game up, before it fucks all of ya up
Where you gonna run
Where you gonna run
Where you gonna ruuuuuun
Where you gonna ruuuuuun
Where you gonna hide
Where you gonna ruuuuuun
Where you gonna ruuuuuun
(Kweli)
Yeah come on, yeah come on
Watch these niggas start to run soon as I hit the track
What get the sack, eyes low like Friskin' cat
My flow get cap throw they gun like official Nas
I'm draftin you niggas hard quick fast like tiptonat
Diamond cut lyrics so sharp the spit split the glass
Your mouth writing a check that you ask and quick to cash
Screaming how you quick to shoot don't even know the screenplay
Niggas rappin black and white and rappers shakin' Jean Grae
Sick of niggas licking boots I pick and choose my battles when I
spit the truth it's hot
Let the pride and move the cattle
Y'all don't really want no beef, that's too real you want veal
You baby sheep hanging in the air and tend to raffle me
Me？ I don't like the taste this shit's gamey
Like magazines telling lies and Star Wars like Dick Chaney
It sucks though they losing they flavor like Now and Laters
When I bust them niggas run for the hills like Al Queda
She lacks delivery, really, nigga I pack rap symmetry and send
it to ya dorm
Why y'all iggin' me for sure
Jean is synonymous to chivalry
Open doors but I step through first
Test the waters and I pee in them got no network
But now everyone's a rapper and everyone'll shoot you dead
Only led I strapped with a razor sharp pencil that could write
but it could stab you rapid
It's all ass backwards, you're all mall performers, actors
What tho？, come on let's race to where the cash is
Get mauled like Roy the alter boy
I'll jet through you like a Jet through flight, I'm unemployed
You still cared to touch me, I gotta keeps the rap level
You face screwed ugly
I'm chasing all you club bunnies
And racing you tackle you down
Take your money with your chest on the ground
I know it's foul, what you gonna do now
(I think it's time you gave it up!)
13.Murderous
14.So Good
Yeah...
As we continue on..
Yeah (We recordin' in the house)
Ladies and gentlemen
This the soundtrack (In the natural sound)
Do not be alarmed (Children playin')
Don't panic, be calm, yeah... (Crickets chirpin')
We gon' hit you with... with the words
We gon' hit you with the music (We in Fort Greene right now)
'Course we gonna hit you with that Kweli shit
One of these days a change gon' come
For you and I and our children
Where you can live and just have fun
Don't nobody trip on where you come from
Everything is good yeah it's all love
It's freedom in the hood for all to get some
It's every woman to a man
To a child to a fam
With all us on a higher level of understanding
But if it's gonna take a while I'll chill
I can bask in the glory on that day
And if I gotta chill then boy I will
It's no problem for me because yo I be
B-Boy position standing here
Anticipatin' patiently just waitin'
To grind out for my dream
And you (you) can't stop me boy
Listen...
Ladies and gentlemen don't be alarmed
This is the soundtracks of what's goin' on
And if you want you can get it
I promise you if you let it
The rhythm'll be good to you
Yeah, let the rhythm be good to you
I promise baby it'll be so good to you
And now, you 'bout to witness the sound
Of these Words, Musiq, and Kweli
Community blocks waitin' 'til my opportunity knocks
But the door is usually locked because it's usually cops
Most of wish we had a car and jewelry shop
But spend my days tryin'a fuck or find a movie to watch
Talkin' big plans to live large and move from the block
Your only option from your moms is to move to ya pops
Cigarettes tryin'a hold on to the few that you got
Price is crazy high for you to give up a loosies a lot
Areas we from you scared you don't run
Don't care what you've done
Be wary of tongue snitchin' 'n' hope the jury is hung
Tryin' to go from zero to one like a hero becomes
While here air in my lungs ideas I share with my sons
People down here so shady they could stare at the sun
Can't wait 'til that unemployment check clear once it comes
Daily routine, but my only theory when young
Was get money, get a job and hope her period comes... it's real
life
Walkin' the block at night I, stopped at rhyme cypha
Circle of rhyme writers broken up crime fighters
They said we loiterin' started orderin' us around
We ain't jump at the sound of they voice,
They said 'Get on the ground!'
This cuz we black or what？
I'm sick of cops harassin' us
Probably because we ain't degrade ourselves fast enough
The people passin' us stopped 'n' the cops start actin' right
Somebody had my back tonight
Off they go in a flash of light
You try to see the future take a mental picture of it
City life is hard when your apartment don't fit in your budget
You need to get a room like people who kiss in public
Plus you tempted to say 'Fuck it' until you kick the bucket
There's more to life than appears it ain't no crystal stair
As nails'll stick out 'n' snare you and this is crystal clear
Ain't no officials in chairs or fans that scream your name
It ain't a game but it's still a challenge just the same
But if it's gonna take a while I'll chill
I can bask in the glory on that day
And if I gotta chill then boy I will
It's no problem for me because yo I be
B-Boy position standing here
Anticipatin' patiently just waitin'
To grind out for my dream
And you (you) can't stop me boy
15.Tryin' To Breathe
16.7：30
| 
