"You better stop foolin if you want to get along with me"
True
"We grew up on the block
and we know about poverty"
Do you?
Dear hip-hop
I apologize for how you've been treated
I should've fought for my culture
instead I retreated
The game is wounded
I stood and watched while they beat it
My culture starved
I refused to feed it
They sold you for a dollar like slaves in iron collars
A*R's chase you with bloodhounds and rottweilers
You went to the highest bidder
you was pissed on like kitty litter
But far from a quitter
but there's somethin to consider
Nah
after much deliberation
I decided I'm the hottest cat to ever receive rotation
I'm the foundation
one of the chief architects
of this dream we're all chasin
I had to speak up
Too much time was wastin WHOA! So here we go
I'm tired of the money talk and the
bitches and hoes
Everybody's always
soundin the same
I have to walk on water I can't
drown in the game
"They used to do it out in the park"
I remember your bar mitzvah
that burgundy label
Me and Jam Master had the battle of the big cables
Before the Serratos
real vinyls
real tables
Skills was the motto
no hype
no fables
You seemed so happy
you loved me so much
You popped off and went platinum
at my slightest touch
Oversized hoodies
Yukon trucks
20 years later
it's like lightning struck
They're worshipin the money
they're prayin to the bank
They danced on slaveship
slept as it sank
The devil made 'em do it
but only God do I thank
Because we aren't done yet
there's still gas in the tank
You look in a man's eyes
that's how you really tell his rank
Not the size of his account
check him
he might bounce
It's all on the line
this time it really counts
I'll bleed for this one
on down to the last ounce
They rent a crib they're frontin
they rent a car they're stuntin
They rent a chain they're bluffin
that's why the culture's sufferin
And even if you're a millionaire that don't mean nothin
unless you build your community and encourage some unity
Too much ego... too much posin
If he's so hot then
why's the culture frozen?
It's time for a change
the order needs to be rearranged
And this song was pre-ordained
After 2 long decades
LL still remains
And you can blame it on my spirit
not on my brains
Time to put on my armor
go to war for the game
Cause it's on its last leg
and that's more than a shame
This is a lifestyle homey
it's more than champagne
But I will make a toast to Flash reachin the Hall of Fame
I end it with a line
from the book of King James
Let there be light when I write graffiti on the train
Let us proclaim the mystery and fame
I pray the Lord my culture be saved
If hip-hop dies before I awake
May Jam Master Jay cut a LL break
