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The Roots
The Roots


Background information
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genre(s) Hip-hop
Jazz
Soul
Rock
Funk
Years active 1987—present
Label(s) Def Jam Recordings
Geffen Records
Interscope Records
Island Def Jam Music Group
MCA Records
DGC Records
Website Website
Members
Black Thought
Questlove
Kamal Gray
F. Knuckles
Captain Kirk Douglas
Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson
Owen Biddle
Former members
Ben Kenney
Kenyatta "Kid Crumbs" Warren
Josh "Rubberband" Abrams
Malik B.
Rahzel
Scott Storch
Martin Luther
Scratch
Dice Raw
Hub



Music World  →  Lyrics  →  T  →  The Roots  →  Albums  →  Rising Down

The Roots Album


Rising Down (04/29/2008)
04/29/2008
1.
The Pow Wow
2.
Rising Down (feat. Mos Def & Styles P)
3.
Get Busy (feat. Peedi Peedi & DJ Jazzy Jeff)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Criminal (feat. Truck North & Saigon)
8.
I Will Not Apologize (feat. Porn & Talib Kweli)
9.
I Can't Help It (feat. Porn & Mercedes Martinez)
10.
Singing Man (feat. Truck North)
11.
Unwritten (feat. Mercedes Martinez)
12.
Lost Desire (feat. Talib Kweli)
13.
The Show (feat. Common)
14.
Rising Up (feat. Wale & Chrisette Michele)
15.
Birthday Girl (bonus track)
16.
The Grand Return (bonus track)
. . .

The Pow Wow

[No lyrics]

. . .


Hello hello hello hello...

(MOS DEF)
Every anywhere heights plains peaks or valleys
Entrances exits vestibules and alleys
Winding roads that test the firm nerve
fortune or fatal behind the blind curve
The engine oil purr lights flash to a blur
speed work through the earth make your motor go scurrr
tonight at noon watch a bad moon rising
identities in crisis and conflict diamonds
blindin staring at lights till they cryin
bone gristle popping from continuous grindin
grapes of wrath in a shapely glass
ingredients influential on your ways and acts
zero tolerance to raise the tax
it don't matter how your gates is latched
you aint safe from the danger jack
made it way before they made the map
or a GPS this is DEF leader

(DICE RAW)
I know where I'm goin even when its dark and being led down that road
Hello hello hello hello...
you don't see that somethings wrong earth's spinnin outta control
Hello hello hello hello...
Everything's for sale even souls someone get God on the phone
Hello hello hello hello...
Northside nigga Southside
Hello hello hello hello...
shits poppin off Worldwide
Hello hello hello hello...

(BLACK THOUGHT)
Between the greenhouse gases and earth spinnin off its axis
got mother nature doin back flips the natural disasters
its like 80 degrees in Alaska you in trouble if u not an Onasis
it aint hard to tell that the conditions is drastic
just turn on the telly check for the news flashin
how you want it bagged paper or plastic
lost in translation or just lost in traffic
yo I dont wanna floss I done lost my passion
and I ant trying to climb yo i lost my traction
they makin me break my contents under pressure
do not shake I'm workin while the boss relaxin
here come Mr. tax man he leavin a fraction give me back some
matter fact next pay check it's like that son
I'll f**k around and have to hurt a few men
They probably chalk it up as a disturbing new trend hello

(DICE RAW)
I know where I'm goin even when its dark and being led down that road
Hello hello hello hello...
you don't see that somethings wrong earth's spinnin outta control
Hello hello hello hello...
Everything's for sale even souls someone get God on the phone
Hello hello hello hello...
Northside nigga Southside
Hello hello hello hello...
shits poppin off Worldwide
Hello hello hello hello...

(STYLES P)
Should I say hello or should I say that hell is low
And my nigga are niggero I'm an African American
They sell drugs in the hood but the man he move the medicine
He'll prescribe you Augmen for everything
a little stuffy nose tell you get some Claritin
you know I'm hip to it and its hard to claim the land
when my great great great grands were shipped to it
look at technology they call it downloading
I call it downsizing somebody follow me
Does a computer chip have an astrology
And when it f**k up could it give you an apology
Could it
Should it say hello or should it say goodbye
Try to understand how smart and how hood am I, It don't matter though
until we learn that the world don't turn right ,we all oughta the scatter though

(DICE RAW)
I know where I'm goin even when its dark and being led down that road
Hello hello hello hello...
you don't see that somethings wrong earth's spinnin outta control
Hello hello hello hello...
Everything's for sale even souls someone get God on the phone
Hello hello hello hello...
Northside nigga Southside
Hello hello hello hello...
shits poppin off Worldwide
Hello hello hello hello...

. . .


Look my squad's half mandrill half Mandela
my band bout seventy strong just like fela
yeah part melly mel part van halen
and we represent illadel where they still rebellin
a yo sicko show like mike moore’s
my city aint nothing like your’s
slippin into darkness like WAR, nightcrawl
with the lights off, you see a lot of life loss for the white horse
regardless, the charges makin us all targets
all on the red carpet, guns from the black market
ay who got the polititians in they back pocket ?
pimp slap pump that gimmie that profit
when you make contact gimmie that gossip
if you break contract you'll be that hostage
they getting busy in the city it's raw
better deadbolt the door it aint safe no more

Southside get busy ya’ll
Northside get busy ya’ll
Westside get busy ya’ll
Worldwide get busy ya’ll

Approach with caution be cautious when talking to bosses
I feel I’ve been through a metamorphis
I’m mutated by unknown forces
the feelin of course is something thats hard to describe I’m half dead never felt more alive
reborn removed the gold coins from my eyes
I’ve been down but now i'm back up
bout to act up boy you better back up
when you see me set up shop know to pack up
I crack up when a rapper gets slapped up
number one reson ya’ll should give rap up
Dice it's mine, I got it all wrapped up
I’m kindda W.E.B. Dubois meets Heavy D and the boys smooth as a Rolls Royce built like a tank smoking on gank
I’m walking through the Guggenheim Raw Life Black Ink

Southside get busy ya’ll
Northside get busy ya’ll
Westside get busy ya’ll
Worldwide get busy ya’ll

Now on your mark get set
go cop everything you ever heard by P.Crack Dice Raw and Black
f**k the internet buy a baseball bat break a bootlegger leg all I listen to is vets, your fresh of the step
I come directly at your OG neck
I’m used to the one two check not the one two step
um strapped I’ll leave every cat among you wet
now lets GO! you know i'm politically incorrect
at the show I start it with a can I get a ho and the hoes go retarded
the popo tape off the stage for caution, its badlands north philly get it in!
its crack man, used to backspin now I spend stacks in sack's and uncle sam tryin to tax all my hard earned raps damn! we makin yin, pesos, euros, we representin'..

Southside get busy ya’ll
Northside get busy ya’ll
Westside get busy ya’ll
Worldwide get busy ya’ll

. . .


The name of the brother to blame
It's quite plain, it's not the rain
But a brother who don't claim or aim
To be a preacher or ordained
I have Black Thoughts, therefore my name's the same

Don't question my ability, in a studio facility
As I utilize my God-given utility
On time, I get behind and push along a rhyme of mine
Which I design, with what? The mind

Leave MC's blind with amnesia
Chop 'em into salad and my name ain't Caesar
Think twice before you approach
Get benched by the coach like exit post

I wrote murder, so you can say it's Murder He Wrote
You think I'm Hell sent, so you repent to the Pope
Don't walk when the sign says not to
And don't talk when Black Thought's about to

When I say, ?Maestro? and bro starts to play it
If you got a rhyme in your mind, then don't say it
Save it for the weaker, pack your portable speaker
And utilize the treads on your sneaker

Take your sorry crew back an' forget about rappin'
Forget you ever saw me and forget this ever happened
'Cause you might have nightmares of MCs bein' slain
And I'll be to blame when you go insane

. . .


I'm from the land of them straight razor face beard niggas
With hammers on their waist, yeah, waste rare niggas
And I race scared niggas, them snake head niggas
That take care of niggas who don't break bread with us
Niggas make dead niggas and hate black niggas
Brown niggas hide yellow niggas and them red niggas
No telling when the bullet coming, be prepared niggas
Cuz when it do it coming land, sea and air niggas
That's everywhere niggas, Am I the muthafucking legendary?
Yeah niggas, make it very clear niggas
Been looking at y'all in my rearview
Mirror niggas want to be a millionaire, I'm already there niggas
I'm the definiere nigga, a bear taking more than my share
Lookee here, yeah, I know it ain't fair nigga
Neither is a bar even with a hair trigger
Haystack, try and find a needle up in there nigga
Leave you up in there nigga, show me the puppet
That don't need a puppeteer nigga, shed another tear nigga
I'm in the field with a shield and a spear nigga
I'm in your girl with her heels in the air nigga
I am such a fair nigga, you in a battle telling
Me you not ready like you figured I'ma bear with you
I don't care nigga, you now listening to the sounds
Of the money making jam trillionaires nigga
Gentlemen of an extraordinary league
You never see me blowing on no ordinary weed
What I'm smoking ain't a product of no ordinary seed
Your boy is heavy treed, I'm feeling merry
As a Tyler Perry scene, that monetary gang green
We tried to launder the cash and never came clean
So now I'm in the story with all the cats before me
And smoke purgatory for doing the same thing
And them niggas ain't change, them niggas can't change
Their moms shake their heads saying it's such a dang shame
?? to the buck, did another dang plan
My stage and my government ain't the same name
I'm a rock star, love it that my wallet chain hang
I'm a modern day saint; I'm a modern day king
My definition I can finally explain
Cold smooth like that dud Sean Connery was playing
I just got to be the man, I'm the father figure and
When I spit it's something like a psychology exam
If you stand where I stood, you could probably understand
How that mic feeling like a million dollars in my hand
It's the silence of the lamb, go and cop another gram
And twist with your zanny, work your set, work it down
What's your net working plan? You better look alive
Cuz them niggas outside looking desperate again nigga
And the blunts and liquor killing our lungs and liver
The asthmatic drug addict I function with it
I put a rapper in a hole where the dust will sit
for spitting played out patterns that once was hitting
I got news for you all, let me show you how to ball
See the legendary fall? I ain't heard of that
Y'all niggas is off the wall like Aresnio Hall
I'ma put you right back where the dirt is at
450 fahrenheit on the thermostat
Somebody starving like a white girl ?? that
But she not a earner yet, she couldn't put in no work,
not earning that, the black microphone murder vet
I'm in a class of my own,
If I got beef with you, you the last one to know
I arrive on time, I'm never fashionable
You late, I'm already international-able
I done toured to Berlin, banged in Beijing
You never seen nothing can't say the same thing
Tell somebody Black Thought, yeah you know the name ring
So give him the game ring for bringing what them niggas can't bring
My hustle is long, my muscle is strong
My man put the paper in the duffle I'm gone
Y'all still a light year from the level I'm on
Just a pawn stepping right into the head of the storm
You been warned, I will blow y'all niggas and disintegrate
I'm a rebel, renegade must stay paid

. . .


The son won't face the father
The gun won't erase the drama
While you're waitin' the time's up

. . .


[Chorus]
Monday they predict the storm
Tuesday they predict the bad
Wednesday they cover the grass
And I can see it's all about cash
And they got the nerve to hunt down my ass
And treat me like a criminal

[Black Thought]
Look, it is what it is
Because of what it was
I did what I did
'Cause it does what it does
I don't put nothin' above
What I am, what I love
My family, my blood
My city and my hood
Hater for the greater good
I'm back from Hollywood
And I ain't changed a lick
Though, I know I probably should
But, what I'm doin' is not a good look
I never did it by the good book, as a lifetime crook
All the petty crime took a toll on me
I look around at my homies that's gettin' old on me
But still somethin' gotta hold on me
Maybe it's faith
If it's comin', yo I'm willing to wait
I'm not runnin', I done ran through the mud
I done scrambled and such
I done robbed an odd job and gambled enough
Till I'm put up in handcuffs
And pissin' in a cup
If there's a God,
I don't know if he listenin' or what

[Chorus]

[Truck North]
Yeah, it is what it is
And that's how it go
Get treated like a criminal
If crime is all you know
Get greeted like a nigga
If a nigga saw your show
A public enemy, to send a eye in the scope
My city like a island where you can't find a boat
Have you wishin' for a raft
And prayin that hope flows
So real ???
Who lookin' for a chair and some real strong rope
Just to end it all here
Screamin' "f**k the mayor"
He see the faces at the bottom of the welfare
They act like I'm somethin' to fear
Trapped in urban warfare
And pullin' triggers at a college career
Can't ignore the call of the wild
That's drawin' 'em near
Try to make fast money last long some years
Try to laugh it off
Still couldn't lose the tears
To the rules, I will not adhere
Break the law, yeah... {echoes}

[Chorus]

[Saigon]
Who wanna challenge mine?
I'm sick of St. Valentine
I did the violent crimes
That's why I got this style of rhyme
Seek repentance to spittin’ them sentences
To senseless experience is the difference
You can't convince this
In a crime sense, niggas is infants
I'm like a senior citizen
Still livin' but gettin' benefits
Put emphasis on hittin' my nemesis in high percentages
Crooked ass cops is the reason for my belligerence
And it gets deeper than that
Remember nights I used to sleep wit a gat
With a package of crack under my sneaker strap
D's sneak attack and raid me
It took a week for that
Beat the rat, but you're sayin' "look, he think he the mack"
F**k ya'll!
Niggas who thinkin' they might try us
Watch us inside riots
Blue cars and light fires
We already been knocked, scrutinized
Plus, cops rush to brutalize us
America's polluted by lust
Who could I trust?
If I can't trust you, then I might touch you
If I ain't got love for you
Then f**k you!

[Chorus] x2

. . .


(feat. Dice Raw, P.O.R.N., Talib Kweli)

[Chorus: (Dice Raw) Talib Kweli]
(I will not apologize) I will not apologize
(I will not apologize) I will not apologize
This is for all of my peoples who understand and truly recognize
Some won't get it for that I won't
(I will not apologize) I will not apologize
(I will not apologize) I will not apologize
This is for all of my peoples who understand and truly recognize
Some won't get it for that I won't apologize

[P.O.R.N.]
I'm so sick cause I'm infected but but I don't need a medic
Need a liquid anesthetic, let me show you how I get it
I don't got it but I bet it, I don't worry, I don't sweat it
You can bitch, you can dead it, you can take it there like FedEx
Nothing sweet diabetic, big dog can't pet it
Pack an L then I wet it then I fill it till it's pregnant
(Take the high back) face it everybody got a favorite
I embrace it like I date it but my grandma think I chase it
(Like oh yeah) I told her that her baby moving slower
Cuz the world is on his shoulders then I woke up out that coma
(And got right back) at it with a little black 'matic
Lay you down craft-matic, then I'm gone, black magic
(To the hideout) you don't want to gamble with the devil
Especially when them chewy blueys got me on another level
Cuz my teacher think I'm slow but my momma think I'm special
But even she know I'm coming back like an echo.

[Chorus: (Dice Raw) Talib Kweli]

[Dice Raw]
For the statements I'm about to make I will not apologize
Niggas talk a lot of shit, really need to stop the lies
Jewels rented, cars rented, homie that ain't authentic
Acting tough on TV but to me you seem a little timid
Don't blame the nigga, blame America, it's all business
Acting like a monkey is the only way to sell tickets
Shit I can dig it, niggas gossip silly digits
White kids buy it, it's a riot when we talking about pimping
Or sipping on old English brew or whatever they think we do
Spraying double Uzis cuz you know they think we live in zoos
The problem is with this everyone seems to be real confused
The niggas on the streets to the old people that watch the news
And watch BET and the crazy shit they see
They associate with you do the same shit to me
When you look at me you see just a nigga from the projects
But can't understand this nigga's mind set but still

[Chorus: (Dice Raw) Talib Kweli]

[Black Thought]
Yo, a revolution's what it's smelling like, it ain't going be televised
Governments is hellified, taking cake and selling pies
I ain't got a crust or crumb, to get some I'd be well obliged
Murder is comodified, felon for the second time
Never was I into chasing trouble I was followed by
Facing trouble with no alibi, had to swallow pride
Vilified, victimized, penalized, criticized
Ran into some people that's surprised I was still alive
Look into my daughter's eyes, wonder how can I provide
Got to get from A to B but how can I afford to drive?
Messed around, tried to get a job and wasn't qualified
Had to see a pal of mine, got to get the lightning rod
Now I'm in the black Impala looking for the dollar sign
Palms get the itching man I got to get the calamine
Before I fall behind, guess the grind will be my 9 to 5
I will not be conquered by, I will not apologize

[Chorus: (Dice Raw) Talib Kweli]

. . .


{Chorus} (Mercedes Martinez)
I..I.. I can't help it, I..I.. I can't help it,
I can't help it.. I can't help... I can't help it.. I can't help it
I..I.I.. I can't help it, I..I..I can't help it,
I can't help it.. I can't help it, I can't help it.. I can't help it

(Malik B)

Live with it, thats how i survive with it,
talk jive with, you take dive with it,
connive with it, depart and arrive with it,
harsh thrive thats why its part I with it
I did it, make rhymes in 5 minutes,
mind of a dentist, crimes of the diminished,
press rewind see what you find in my image,
take you nigga's back to that line of a scrimmage,
Riq you know we pull a freak with the flow,
talks cheap thats why we speak with the dough,
ill techniques sure im sleek with the flow,
its cold outside niggas sleep with the snow,
i tweak in the low tone,freak when the o-zone,
i can't help hiding my seat oh its so known,
i only do what got to becuase its possible,
and climbing over whatevers known as an obstacle.

{Chorus}

(Black Thought)

I can't help it, maybe I'm selfish,
maybe the way im running is becoming a hell freeze,
all I can see is smoke from tortoise shells that sell shit
50's I feel like im making a sales pitch,
my head already so heavy its making the scales tip,
i got my own pressure and got everyones elses,
im rehabilitating and still feeling rebellious,
candidate of heart failure more pills than elvis,
in a layer cake, half chocolate half velvet,
im listening to some howe Melvin,
i got so many options theres so many toxins yo,
didn't really tell what we killing ourselves with,
I lit a cigarette and then held it,
im thinking of some rhymes more illa than a threatin illment,
im on some bomb threat in the mail shit,
because of all things i dealt with, nigga I can't help it...

{Chorus}

(Porn)

I never said I'm ready to die, but I accept it,
never said i"m ready for war, but I'm protected,
I don't even know when its coming but I expect it,
lost thoughts innocent hopes an now I'm left with
nervous conditions, addictions, in addition
to prisons that mixed in to the wrong crowd,
My life is on a flight that going down,
My mother had an abortion for the wrong child,
With the time I felt loved, thats gone now,
Thats replaced with purples rays some storm clouds,
Misery love Misery, so why make friends lets make enemies,
An now I got a habit thats wasn't meant for me,
Now im in a marriage that wasn't meant to be,
One more reason to change identity,
The cars, the crime, K's, penalties.

{Chorus}...

I can't help it... I Can't help it
I can't help it... I Can't help it
I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I...I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it
I can't help it
I can't help it
I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I can't help it.. I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it
I.I.I..I..I can't help it...

. . .

Singing Man

[No lyrics]

. . .


[Mercedes Martinez]
When I think about perfect times
I think about yesterday
You can asked me about the future
I don't know what to say
Tomorrow's story's unknown
So listen
It's almost anyone's guess
Unwritten

When I think about perfect times
I think about yesterday
You can ask me about the future
I don't know what to say
It's almost anyone's guess

[Black Thought]
Yo
It was a cold night
Not cold like the winter
Just cold like a energy was in the air
I generally don't like
The driver had to dip, so he left me in the whip
Turned around and said, ("You know you're on your own, right?")

[PAUSE]

I'm the zone like
There's pictures on the wall of my own life
Just like a drive-in
Only it's live, and this a montage of the places I been
My sixth sense taste the problem
The sus-pense had my heart racin', throbbin'
Just like a young punk with a tape revolver
Pointed at the driver of a car, faced to rob him
The cigarettes chased the vodka
The nigga just chased the dream but won't taste the monster
The son won't face the father
The gun won't erase the drama
While you're waitin', the time's up
[GUN COCKS]

. . .


===== Chorus x2 ========
It's the lump in your heart
Or the pain in your mind
No one cares what the truth is
Cause a fortress built on lies

====== Malik B. =========
I'm exhausted but never ever forfeit
Y'all just bullshit while I knock a nigga off quick
Y'all start speaking in tongues and reaching for guns
A militant will put this heat in your lungs
The street and the slums, the weekend is done
The local class always show you what [?] is become
The seasons are done, and reasons are none
People dyin' bullets flyin' cause they schemin'[?] for fun
It's all of a nightmare, that's right there
They hopin' that somebody in the hood just might care
With all this protestin' and rallyin'
Death toll tallyin'
Foul smells around them [?] in the alley and
Corner filled with teddy bears, cause they killed a child again,
They sing about murder, so it ain't a song it's [?
Get off the choir with your soft attire,
Niggas out here don't give a f**k, cause they lost desire

=======Chorus x2=====

======Talib Kweli=========
My city's full of heartbreakers and stargazers
Who puff [?]
So they gone with the wind, like Clark Gable,
Breathin' like Darth Vader, believin' in dark angel
Yeah, we got flags, but they not star-spangled
We not patriotic, the heroes are not them,
Ghetto griots like rims, you stop, they still spin,
Tall tales at the bar, witnessed after dark,
And we still stop in and chicken and [?]
And listen to Rakim
With the [?] that y'all been
For realla, I hadn't been schemin' to [?]ply in
You fear us? Fear is self, personified
Payin' homage to homicide
Prayin' to the dollar sign
It's idle[idol] worship
The rebel forces
Bodies lie at the foundation of the fortress
This is war, we expect some losses
And we comin' for the heads of the bosses

========Chorusx2=========

======Black Thought========
We on some casualties of war shit,
What you stand for, kid?
We in the city where they definitely lost it
You open your eyelids and capped in the ribs
Your funeral they have your 12th grade portrait
Pretty corpse in casket, bell-shaped orchids
Said he 19 and left a self-made fortune
And left three orphans
Now he in a box with the same chain and watch
That never came off him
It's a shame what it cost him
Where he come from it ain't nuthin'
It's a everyday thing, that's a problem
It's chambers revolving
Bustin' like Russian roulette
With a full set, then change what the odds is,
Flames in the mosque, and
People held hostage
Everyday I struggle, try to get up out the mosh-pit
Homicide for profit, tell me how we not sick?
This shit is out of control, they can't stop it

=====Chorus=========

. . .



Intro:

Ladies and gentlemen
The greatest stage show you've ever witnessed
Appearing live, from out the 2-1-5, The Roots crew

Verse 1:

Big respect to the Get fresh, yes
Have you ever seen a show and fellas on the mic
make one minute rhymes that don't come out right
(They bite) Aiyo, they never write (That's not polite)
Word up, am I lyin? (Nah, you're quite right)
Well tonight on this very mic you're about to hear
We swear, the illest star rappers of the year
So so, cheerio, yell, scream "Bravo"
Also, if you didn't know it's The Roots Show

Verse 2:

Yo Rahzel (Wassup?), put your Wallies on
(Yo 'Riq, I was about to but I need a shoehorn)
Why's that? (Cos these shoes always hurt my corn)
Six minutes, six minutes, six minutes Roots crew, you're on
Uh uh on, uh uh on, uh uh-uh uh-uh uh uh on
Uh uh on, uh uh on, uh uh-uh uh-uh uh uh on

Here we go, (here we go), come on, (come on)
Here we go, (here we go), come on, (come on)

(Yo 'Riq, where's Malik?) Aiyo, the brother is late
Told him the time, oh, I forgot the date
(Man, you did it again) Oh no!
(Here we go), come on
(Here we go), come on
(Here we go, did we miss the show?)
No, no no nono, no we didn't, w-w-w-word
No nono nono nono, no we didn't, w-w-w-word
No we didn't, (Well don't get us wrong)
Excuse but um, excuse but umm, excuse Roots crew you're on
Uh uh on....

Verse 3:

Well it, started on Osage Avenue
When we came up with the squad that's called The Roots crew
It was me, Qwest Kemal, Hubbard and my man Malik-
B, and Rahzel from the NYC
Who used ta, scratch and sing, make sounds and things
For example, check out this telephone ring

*telephone ring*
(Hello? Hello? Can I speak to Rahzel?
(No, he's not in right now)

Well anyway, no more delay
Just peep out the ill my man display
But'cha gotta be (fresh), Rahzel'll rock (fresh)
like D-O-U-G-I-E (fresh)
And I'm known for the.......
and not for the........
Rahzel the Godfather, the entertainer
No other title could fit me plainer
In the past generation, I am the remainder
And I'm also known as the beatbox trainer
Cashin cheques, makin sound effects
After I finish rockin, Black Thought is up next

Well here's a lil' sometin that needs to be heard
Rah, I was headin Uptown, (Word 'Riq), word
(Chillin) and all alone, no one to be with
Hopped up on the train headed for 2-5th
and saw this pretty girl (what?), so I sat beside her
Then she went (*roar*) like she was Tony the Tiger
I said "Oh no, there's been a mistake
Love, my name is Black Thought, not Frostie Flakes"
(Oh, golly wally) Well, she was raisin hell
She said "Aah, my name is Maggie but call me Michelle"
*something in reverse*
Check it out, Roots crew and yeah, we rock the house, y'nahI'msayin?
And when I'm on the mic, there won't be no delayin
So bust a move, we show and prove
Yo Rahzel, do that record Jam on the Groove

Outro:

As you can see, most definitely
The Roots are....
Come up Rahzel, come up Illa Del
Come up ?UESTLOVE, and then come on up Hub
Come up Malik B, and then behind him D
Come up Dice Raw, the 5th Dynasty
and Black Thought sendin out a shout to the Get Fresh Crew

. . .


Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying,
yesterday I saw a B-girl crying
I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…
so I told her I got something you’ve been waiting for, I got something you’ve been waiting for

Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying, I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that
the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…
So get your glass lift it up in the toast position
We getting paper like John Travolta get it
Cause we focused wit it we supposed to get it
You know me and my whole squad we so committed
We not the kids coolin out on the sofa wit it
We about to dominate the globe like Oprah did it
We getting paper like John Travolta nigga
Well I’m a downtown shoota who that?
The crown ruler is back
He congruent to the shape of a mack
Look how I do it yo I’m takin you back
This how you rise down to the foundation how sacred is that? I’m from the number one place on the map
The generational gap with yet another sensational track
And we don’t stress for nothing I just press the button
It’s as simple as just makin it hap
To all the frauds stop fakin relax
And to the broads if you cakin
Then clap then shake it without breakin your back
I know the world been waitin for that you been aching fa that
Cause what they playin on the station is wack
And I’m a legend in the flesh that dress to impress
The best is that which I accept and nothing less
My stacks is grotesque my squad is so fresh
You know its Black Thought and your boy the Bro Quest, But…

Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying, yesterday I saw a B-girl crying
I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…
So get your glass lift it up and in toast position
We getting paper like John Travolta get it
Cause we focused wit it we supposed to get it
You know me and my whole squad we so committed
We got the kids coolin out on the sofa wit it
We about to dominate the globe like Oprah did it
You getting paper like John Travolta nigga so lets go…

Hip-Hop aint dead casue the pulse is in us
I got the everclear flow they mimosa wit it
We are the hope of the culture they posed to listen
And I’m posed ta pivot like i'm a forward in the league, im oden wit it
yet dont owe them niggaz nottin but potent lyrics
But if you aint gotta dance they revoke your spinnin
So good rappers aint eatin they olsen twinin
but im so committed, they have grown familiar
With the counterfit hitters they soso wit it but they a sosa wit it.
they Mark McGuire wit the writtin I’m Rodriguez
on the road to riches this is the fork im hittin
this is the trial and error era no co defendant
I push the seed every time like I’m Cody wit it
I said they one hit wonders pneumonia to us
I don’t know you niggas hit the road my nigga

Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying, yesterday I saw a B-girl crying
I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…
So get your glass lift it up and in toast position
We getting paper like John Travolta get it
Cause we focused wit it we supposed to get it
You know me and my whole squad we so committed
We got the kids coolin out on the sofa wit it
We about to dominate the globe like Oprah did it
You getting paper like John Travolta nigga so lets go…

where my grimey figures at? look lively addressing the captain
show me where your first impression is at
And where your dedication to the true profession is at
How you laugh answer me what kind of question is that
I’ll show you where my rare essence is at the adolescence of rap
The real muscle in the message of that
my name trouble I’m a blessin to rap
and you can check my stats cause worldwide they attesting to that
so nigga listen you can probably learn a lesson perhaps
how I’m like bobby DeNiro Joe Pesc and them cats
am I the unsung hero oh yes if you askin anybody that’s aware of the classics
they'll tell you I’m a legend in the flesh that dress to impress
The best is that which I accept and nothing less
My stacks is grotesque my squad? so fresh
You know its Black Thought and your boy the BroQuest, But…

Yesterday I saw a B-girl crying, yesterday I saw a B-girl crying
I walked up and asked what’s wrong, she told me that the radio’s been playing the same song all day long…
So get your glass lift it up in the toast position
We getting paper like John Travolta get it
Cause we focused wit it we supposed to get it
You know me and my whole squad we so committed
We not the kids coolin out on the sofa wit it
We about to dominate the globe like Oprah did it
We getting paper like John Travolta nigga!sv so lets go…

. . .


[Patrick Strump]
What is it we wanna do?
Now that I'm allowed to be alone with you
Birthday Girl its your birthday
Wherever you wanna go
Now you are old enough to go and see the R-rated show now
R-rated show
[Black Thought]
Yo, She said she was a magazine editor named Jenning
Backstage in high heels and painted on jeans
Probably had the most devious eyes I'd ever seen
Told me she was twenty-two she was only seventeen
She had sumthin' to hide she snuck in from outside
And got everybody gassed like the car I drive
With all that grown lady ass and my for rap vibe
She said she came to see them roots boy fallout live
But listen,

[Chorus]

Verse 2 [Black Thought]
You see the girls look good but they brains not ready
I talk to a woman, he mind more steady
Probably something in the way they designed just more steady
I just let you recite cause the line so heavy
But I shoulda known better cause now I feel like America's underbelly
R. Kelly got a smart better less, internet predators, chat-room irregulars
This not my twist
You trying to send me to the therapist

[Chorus]

Verse 3: [Black Thought]
Now she told me cheddar cheese grits
Two tomato fried fish
Cause she heard its my dish
Tryna be my sidekick
All the people all around thinking she was my chick
Saying DAMN the girl thick
But she aint no twenty-six
Looking at me like am up to sumthin' on the funny tip
Like I ever been the one to honey jib
Its your birthday so let me know the gift you wanna get
In fact blow out the candles on the cake and make a wish for me

Hook [Patrick Strump]
They can't really seem to look away
So they tried asking her to stay
Fake I.D. you won't get turned away
You look lovely tonight
Now you are old enough to buy a gun
So many better ways of having fun
Right now I can only think of one
You look lovely tonight.

[Chorus]

. . .


The streets talk,
And they hear
And They watch,
So stay clear
Cuz they need,
The streets feed
A street thief
and what they need

[Dice Raw]
And everybody get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up.
Everybody get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up.
Everybody get up.

[Black Thought]
Uh, I get up.
Read the mornin' paper,
Kiss my baby girl.
Tell my lady friend I'm gone till I save the world.
Jump in my hotrod wheel,
Lookin' super thorough.
Rockin' a long black cape like the Duke of Earl.
My cool don't drop,
I spit where the future twirl.
I smash glass in my hands to produce a pearl.
I do the james on stage, then I do the ??.
You can tell I'm bonafide live, cuz I'm too fo' real.
So the truth prevail, I never fail.
Ask me to key the blaze in the trail.
I never tell,
Like the digits on the check in the mail.
I give 'em hell,
With the clever rhymes in the squad situated ??.
White on white ?? throwin' elbows.
You wanna holla, you can do the rebel yell bro.
I'm not concerned,
When will y'all learn.
Roots Crew muthafuckas,
It's the Grand Return.

The streets talk,
And they hear
And They watch,
So stay clear
Cuz they need,
The streets feed
A street thief
and what they need

[Dice Raw]
And everybody get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up.
Everybody get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up.
Everybody get up.

. . .


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