Hand On The Torch

Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
Groovy groovy jazzy funky pounce bounce dance
As we dip in the melodic sea
Rhythm keeps flowin', drip's the MC
Sweet sugar pop sugar pop rocks
Pop you don't stop til the sweet beat drops
I show and prove as I stick and move
Every poem's recited on top of the groove
Smooth, my, floatin' like a butterfly
Notes that I float, sung like a lullaby
Brace yourself as the beat hits ya, dip trip, flip fantasia

Feel the beat drop, jazz and hip-hop
Drippin' in your dome makes you zone and bop
Funk and fusion a fly illusion
Keeps ya coastin' on the rhythm ya cruisin'
Up down, round and round, rhymes profound
But nevertheless you've got to get down
Fantasy freak through the beat so unique
You move your feet and sweat from the heat
Back to the fact I'm the mack and I know that
The way I kick the rhyme some will call me a poet
Poem steady flowin', growin' showin' sights and sounds
Caught in the groove in the tale I found
Many tripped the tour upon the rhymes they saw
To an infinite height, to the realm of the hardcore
Here we go, off I take ya, dip trip, flip fantasia

Jump to the jam, boogie woogie jam slam
Bust the dialect I'm the man in command
Come flow with the sounds of the mighty mic master
Rhymin' on the mic I'll bring the suckers to disaster
Boukou ducks but I still rock Nike
With the razzle dazzle, star I might be
Scribble drabble scrabble on the microphone I babble
As I fix the funky words into a puzzle
Yes yes yes, on and on as I flex
Get with the flow, verbs manifest
Feel the vibe from here to Asia, dip trip, flip fantasia.

---

I Got It Goin' On
Hey yo check it out I got a hype rhyme for ya
That I'll rock from London England to the boondocks of Georgia
Intelligent, benevolent, super, all the qualities of H-I-C the alley-ooper
My main man and me we've been cool since day one
Scoopin' all the fly girls, havin' all the fun
Sport the dope threads and the hundred dollar kicks
Makin' power moves so get off my
Nah I won't say it, cos it's crystal, it's clear
I get the job done each and every year
Back in school I used to act the fool
But I rocked an A average so everything's cool
Tool, my pencil, the mic's my utensil
I wreck the mic check and you can write that in stencil
So you wonder why I made it and your shit is goin' wrong
Hey yo troop, I got it goin' on!

I'm like a mad man when I get the mic in my hand
I run loose at the mouth 'cos I really don't give a damn
I'm on a mission, chasin' a dream
When I hear the beats thump I shake like a fiend
And when the notes are blue I do the do with the Us3 crew
Right in the back log, Geoff and Melle Mel y'all
Chillin' on the track boy, mixin' up the schizmo, keepin' shit in fit form
They got it goin' on
Patterns in the poems get you open like a spliff
If you take a sniff you might end up like a stiff
'Cos it's funky, a hip-hop junkie is what I am
Straight from Brooklyn with a gun in my hand
I'm just kiddin', or should I say fibbin' or bare faced lyin'
It doesn't matter, you know what I'm implyin'
And if you still don't know what's goin' on
Yo G I got it goin' on!

Zoom-ga-zoom zoom-ga-zoom-ga-zay
Sit back relax and I'll make your day
Radical concepts that's my choice
Freak it to the music and flow through my voice
So let's face it, it's time to get back to the basics
Sing a simple song that goes on and on and on
I'm climbin' to the top just like King Kong
And guess what? I got it goin' on!

---

It's Like That
Hey yo kid bust this, it's time to drop the flavour
I'm fly as can be, I'm rhymin' on my good behaviour
From New York City kickin' dope rhymes that you savour
Take it from the top, I cut MCs just like a razor
It's time to kick 'cos I always do the trick
The shit that you always poppin' all amount to a flick
Stick nigga's up with the hype rhyme filled with ammo
Blast from the past bullets passin' through your abdomen
Rin tin tin I troop in on the bins
My friends is down in the dumps 'cos I cashed in on the wins
Hens and chickens layin' low, sucker nigga's don't know
That I can kick the mad ballistics plus I'm wreckin' every show
Sew it up, ya got static?
'Cos I'm better than the next chump so don't panic
'Cos I'm a wet you with my skills, still chill, got the crispy bills
'Cos it's like that the way it is, get off the dills
And it's like that.

You've got to give me props I'm on the way to the top
Stop. I think I just heard a pin drop
'Cos you're stunned by the way I came off my head Ted
Turn the packs to burner and I put heads to bed
Fed up but I'm still just too legit to quit
I sit in my girly's lap while I'm kissin' on her lips
Girls love to lick 'em up and up and down and all around
But only if their sexual history is sound
I'm a brown-skinned medallion, code name mic stallion
Takin' over brothers that are dillyin' and dallyin'
I'm rallyin' like Al Sharpton, militant youth
Booth built for the DJ, hooked up and sound proofed
Seein' is believin' yo believin' is my method
So believe me when I say that it's the party that I'm wreckin'
Sinbad the sailor couldn't take me out
And I hope your ass don't take that route
And it's like that

Steady as I flow I row row row your boat
I got a castle in Brackerlack with sharks in my moat
So use the drawbridge and pave way while I say
Hi-C and Rahsaan are down until the break of day
And like he man I have the power
I like my chicken from the china man but make it sweet and sour
Devour all other wack MCs
And when I windsurf nature gives me a breeze
'Cos it's a new jack kickin' rhymes like Jackie Chan
I got a year round tan, 'cos I'm a brother man
I'm travellin' in style I gotta pass the first class
'Cos it's time to give rappin' some pizzazz
So the B-boys from Brooklyn breakin' bones for the bucks
I never ever sell out but I still own a tux
Huh, I make short work of your crew
Hi-C the beast master kick the funky for you
And it's like that

---

Just Another Brother
My brother, take a rest from what you doin' sit back and listen
Listen to my song about some brothers on a mission
This one kid he never went to school
His teachers thought that he was crazy out acting the fool
But on a real, baby pa had nuff static
He had two little brothers and his mother was a crack addict
Papa bear was never there to give him hope
So one might ask himself how did this young man cope?
He started robbin' just to feed his peoples and that's a fact
Until one day he got caught in the act
Shacked up and jacked up and taken downtown
And to the judge he's just another brother on lockdown

Well this other nigga from the Fort was out to get his
Catchin' crazy wreck on the mic, that's word to Mizz
But until he struck the deal he had to sell the rock
Pack the glock doin' deeds at the end of the block
He had crazy fly robes and his daughter ate well
He never hit the blowpipe it was strictly the sell
These jealous brothers round the way wanted to rock his world
But instead they did the dirty shit and shot his girl
When he found out who did it he went awol
Stepped to the mall, he saw the punks and sprayed them all
But now he's doin' life for the suckers he shot down
And now he's just another brother on lockdown

Fresh outta school my man had it all
A dip crib, a fly girl, he was havin' a ball
But this other punk kid started to use him and abuse him
Slowly takin' all his loot and at the same time confuse him
When the smoke cleared my man lost his crib and his bank
May I ask a question, who'd he have to thank?
Well anyway, now he's on a mission to get his respect
He thinks the only way to get it is to catch his wreck
He saw the bastard in the Village, on Astor Place
My man balled up his fist and laid him to waste
Now he's getting' five years even though he got props now
But to you and me he's just another brother on lockdown

---

Cruisin'
Now and then I feel as though I wanna escape the real
And take a trip to the heavens to a world surreal
But I don't do drugs so the yea is out
Instead I use my mind power to move my spirits about
I might write my girl a poem showin' her how I love thee
Or just write myself a rhyme about why I'm so funky
This is how I escape the ignorance and hate being cooked up in this planet
About to disintegrate

(chorus)
I'm cruisin', cruisin' in the beat y'all

I cover my head as the media shower, I glance at my watch to check the hour
And it's half past a moonbeam, gleamin' as I daydream
I'm feelin' for the beat to make my mood complete
And when I got it I'm gone, gone in the rhythm
Kickin' the slang with the knowledge and wisdom
I may speak a scribbly doodle but I keep on track
'Cos if I didn't yo you wouldn't be sweatin' it

(chorus)

One to the two to the three to the four to the five
It's rardy-ardy-ar and I'm kickin' it live
On an ever present journey through the depths of time
I skip from beat to beat in the form of a rhyme
My vocal techniques are unique to my band
I'm a butterfly MC, smooth with much style G
My tongue-like quivers when I deliver the funk flow
The verbs expand with a ghettolistic glow
It's like that y'all

---

I Go To Work
Well it's me Hi-C and I'm about to wreck shop
I do damage when I rhyme so yo gimme nuff props
I go to work, I'm goin' beserk to dope beats
With strictly fly gear 'cos my style's unique
I'm trespassin'. All the girls heads that I'm gassin'
Fill her up son you'll get tipped for a job well done
I'm havin' fun, smooth sounds caress your eardrum
Flow 'cos I know mad styles and then some
Went to military school just like that movie Tap
So tip toe tap to my rap
Okay I know I'm bugged on the mic but I do what I like
Aye aye, I go pop just for you
I stay true to my people, where you at, where you at?
Let me hear ya say ho!
Yo that was crazy fat, bap-de-do-bap
Jazzy with the freaky words 'cos I'm toked up on a spliff

I have to say it felt great when I stepped to the plate
And I hit that home run just like a hall of fame great
I cast a spell like Merlin the magician
Brainstorm to the morn so relax and listen
I'm from Brooklyn fool so get the funk outta my face
Place all your bets on me 'cos I'm winnin' this race
I'm on top yes indeedy I took first prize
Do I see green with envy written 'cross your eyes
I hope not, 'cos this dope track's a sure shot
Us3 got my back and I pack a fat block
Nineteen I burst on the scene right quick
I'm out to make records and mad flicks

I'm slip slip slidin', I'm dip dip divin'
'Cos it's live in full effect and still it keeps climbin'
I'm a legend on the microphone, weak beat slayer
Bufferin' the talent all, I got you poppin' bayer
Step in to this boy you haven't got a prayer
I'm kickin' mad ballistics with the old school flavour
I love fly ladies and I love mad loot
They say love's gonna get ya but I don't give a hoot
'Cos it's time to get mine as I bust a fat rhyme
And like my man Dion says, these nigga's call me prime time
Fly the friendly skies I rise higher than the sun
I say peace to Zeke Love, my man who's getting' the job done
I'm a b-boy who don't play, comin' straight from the head
I strictly smoke the hay I stay away from the yea-o
And I'm out like shout I hope you like it a lot
It's full of flavour and good to the last drop

---

Tukka Yoot's Riddim
Because di riddim it cool, riddim it nice, riddim it sweet, riddim in check
'Cos some a dem a big up dem mout'
But dem know how fi check
'Cos mi cooler dan dem, cooler dan ice, cooler dan di north pole
'Cos dem want fi go test di rude bwoy but dem just can't do it
Whole heep dem want fi tackle and want fi impress
But you know say di artikal rude bwoy comin' live and direct

Because some a dem a big, some a dem small, some a dem kinda sweet
Nowadays girls dem just look how di Tukka eat
'Cos dem want see mi nice, want see mi sweet, want see mi now and everywhere
'Cos mi sit pon top a di riddim and just don't care
Because dem want see mi test, want see mi dis, want see mi now and like a dat
Because you know say di Tukka Yoot mi just a bubble pon di spot

Because you know say mi nice, know say mi sweet, know say mi better dan di rest
Who know see di Tukka Yoot, come catch him live and direct
Know mi all over town, know me six foot two, and mi come in a dance, you know mi do it for you
Cooler, cooler dan ice
Nicer, nicer dan breeze
Ready fi di nice up any dance because you know mi do wid ease
Follow mi now one, follow mi now
Follow mi now two, follow me
And three and four
'Cos you know say di Tukka Yoot mi come fi knock pon your door
But enuff a girls nowadays dem just like how mi chat
'Cos a riddim and blues, riddim and blues
Riddim and blues, riddim and jazz

---

Knowledge Of Self
Monkey see monkey do follow this when I cue you
The mic is my wine it helps me cast my voodoo spell
Hell 'cos I'm f-u-n-k-y
Suckers try to flex I say why oh why
'Cos I don't bother nobody, I chill and hardly party
Now and then I might go out, puff a blunt and sip bacardi
But if not I'm in my room pumpin' tunes
Waitin' for the payday, it's coming soon
Brooklyn is my home, better yet my war zone
Why did I say that? 'Cos it's a mutherfuckin' fact
Kids around the way know what's up, they can't front
Kids are getting' smoked up like blunts
All over nonsense brothers die constant
I'm looking for an answer, I can't find it
I think we need a little help, word
Brothers gotta find knowledge of self

(chorus)
I got mad knowledge of self
You gotta get with knowledge of self

Righteous I live, give props to my mom
Pops raised me like a oner never settled for smaller
I am a prince in this land, not 'cos I have a grand
Got knowledge in my dome
In command of my life, never ever live trife
Thanks to my man fifty grand money Spike
Now I'm on my road to riches and bitches
The world of fake hugs and fake ass kisses
Girlies wanna get with me, is it for me or because I MC?
I don't give a damn anyway, hey, skins are skins I stick 'em any day
But anyway enough about that
I think it's about time for drip to rip the rap
Let me pause for the cause 'cos the chorus comes first
And with the quickness the verse will disperse, like that

(chorus)

Some brothers think they're it when they really ain't shit
Talkin' 'bout their new car and that their pockets are thick
But c'mon, you don't have a job, I know you're frontin' hard
Borrowed the ride from mom
What's the reason for the teasin', who the hell ya think ya pleasin'?
You lack self-esteem so you try to front and cream
But that ain't workin' 'cos I'm smirkin' thinkin' how you're such a fool
I keep a stern face as you're fakin' moves
"I'm this I'm that I'm hip I'm phat"
Know what you are? Wick wick wack!
A brother with no colour 'cos all I see is grey
If you knew who you were this road you would not play
Around the way I must stay with my people
Chill at some clubs, though that was lethal
Now I got my mental health, word
I got mad knowledge of self

---

Lazy Day
Well it's the lazy days, what? The lazy days
I'm sittin' back in my lounge chair stone cold maxin'
Thinkin' 'bout the next MC I'm gonna wax
In concert, goin' beserk, but not today
Today I'm cold chillin' right around my way
A dip-dipperty-doo-dah-a dipperty-day
Say partner would you run to the store and buy me a philly
Roll up the ism and get illy
Coolin' while I rule 'cos I went to school
I'm lampin' with my girl travel round the world
I'm puffin' on the hay the nubian way
So parlez parlez parlez 'cos it's a lazy day

Well in 1991 I was out to have fun, but in 1992 I hit the rocks for a few
But now it's 1993 and kid it's all about me
And now I'm lampin' in the shade 'cos I'm P-A-I-D
On my way home one day I ran into this girl, she said
"Hi-C would you take me for a whirl in your beamer?"
I said nope 'cos she's a schemer
I stay away from hookers tryin' to take me to the cleaners
Rancho, Sanchero, I'm makin' mad De Niro
Ya don't like my style, huh, so check it
When I rock the mic kid ya better obey
And take heed to what I say 'cos it's a lazy day

Well I made it back to my crib in one piece
It never ceases to amaze when my vocal's released
Mom Dukes knocked on my door, she said "Go to the store
I need some greens and cornbread, and boy cut off those dreads"
So I went to the store then hopped to the barber shop
I told my man Ed to hook up the low flat top
This kid Boo was there, he said he had a sack
I said cool, chilly chill, we'll spark it on the way back
So hey rolled up the hey now you're talkin'!
Sparked the phillz nilz then we kept on walkin'
This is a normal day right around my way
So parlez parlez parlez 'cos it's a lazy day

---

Eleven Long Years
Mi tek off mi land down now in Jamaica
Callaloo, di box juice, and di sensimillia
Givin' thanks and praise to almighty jah jah
Glad fi reach now mi safe, mi have fi seen mi father
Di sun it a beat and mi a get well para
'Cos a many many tings a di Yoot man now I would like to know
Was he fat, was he slim, did he drink or did he smoke?
These are di type a di tings a weh a di Yoot man a want fi know

(chorus)
It's been eleven long years since mi seen mi father
Ay ay mi father
Thank God, bless God, mi a go see mi father

Now mi know mi reach know mi know mi safe
Now mi see mi father a come
'Cos a many many years since him gone
When him tek a tek a house and land
Fi go better himself, big up himself
For weh him did dream a weh did he plan
'Cos di ting I remember di most he was ambitious man
So him build up a house, build up a land, buy up a car and a minivan
Fi go settle himself and a wait fi di day when a Yoot man come along
So everything set, everything fly
Now mi know cool and go blow my mind
Because mi ready fi go see my father
And dat's di only thing upon my mind

---

Make Tracks
Makin' crazy tracks it's mellow with the music
Did you know that you have a mind so use it
Now this may sound confusin', yes yes indeed
You got what you want, well I got what I need
Walk down the block and say hi to the fellas
Lookin' at ya funny, maybe it's 'cos they're jealous
Don't let it hit the spot, 'cos they want what you got
To knock you out the box and fill ya empty slot
So hustle like a gigolo and go for what you know
If you need a lesson get tickets to my show
If you called the ho, yo there must be a reason
You caught some ill shit, now ya gotta stop the skeezin'
Get a job hooker, better yet pick up a book
Step in front the mirror and take a long look
This method of attack is opposite of wack
So if ya got the knack it's time to make tracks

Lookin' like the next man, is that who you are?
Copy cattin' nigga's won't take ya very far
So be your own man son, live your life grand
Be your own ruler of your own plot of land
Sellin' crystal meth aka the crack rock
Don't be too mad when ya find ya ass locked
Killin' off ya brothers, stringin' out ya mother
That may not be your case but it surely is for others
Doin' dirty deeds, and pullin' off the capers
Now you're lookin' gassed with ya picture in the papers
Far from being wack, yo if you're proud and black
You'll listen to the rap and then you'll make tracks

Bootleg tapes? Yo, what are you, crazy?
Knockin' niggas out, huh, that shit don't faze me
Don't let me catch you boy, I'll play you like a toy
Not tryin' to be a bully, but I'm quick to stop your ploy
There's better things to do, other ways of getting' paid
Illin', cold chillin', and layin' in the shade
Just look at Hi-C and Rahsaan for example
We're too legit to quit and our dough supply is ample
So if ya gotta brain or a head on your shoulders
Better use it quick 'cos you're only getting' older
It's knowledge that I kick, it's courage that you lack
Ya best to get it fast duke, and make tracks

---

The Darkside
Come take a trip through the eye of a black man
Lookin' out at life like he really doesn't give a damn
Feel the hate and anger of a punk gang banger
Mad gun slinger, better yet a worthless nigga
See the ills of life for what they are
Feel yourself pitched back from the world real far
Life is grimmer than it ever was
As your blood simmers you feel your brain buzz
People look at you like you're up to somethin'
You look right back like it ain't nuthin'
Ya don't give a fuck, life is a dream
If you die tomorrow then you won't be a fiend for the green any more
'Cos that's what keeps ya tickin'
And that's what keeps ya stickin' if not for that ya might be chillin'
You live in a hell-hole, you wanna get out
But the only thing you're seein' is doubt
On the darkside

As you walk down the street your mind is in a frenzy
You look out at the world like everybody's your enemy
'Cos where you come from a friendly face is a bad sign
That person's even not evil just fuckin' with your mind
So as you walk along you frown your face
Steppin' with the ghetto strut at a rhythmic pace
On a mission to nowhere, yet your walk determined
The devil's got your soul and your heart is burnin'
You couldn't give a damn about another man's life
That's how it is, you're livin' trife
You've seen enough blood spilt to fill up the Hudson
So the "peace dude" shit ain't sayin' nothin'
'Cos you couldn't give a damn if your own mama died
But if you had a child, then you would cry
It's like the 3 9's flipped to the 666
All praise is due to the upside down crucifix
The darkside

A day comes when you see the light
Your thoughts become clear and you're feelin' bright
You're happy like a kid again, it must be a dream
Is it a dream? So real it seems
You're on top of the world and you've reached the other side
Floatin' through the sky on the clouds you ride
You thought you'd escaped but it didn't last
'Cos now you're addicted to the sleepin' gas
On the darkside