THATS HOW WE DO IT
Critics and cynics complain that it’s a fallacy
Claiming rap music has a lack of musicality
But in reality none of the critics can rap
So they don’t know the facts but they’re always on the attack see
Rhythm and poetry that’s what a rap is
It takes musicality, focus and practice
The rhythm is rapid like the notes of a jazz lick
Or if it’s a triplet it slows down like traffic
You might point out that it lacks a melody
But rap can be melodic like Ella or Della Reese
I don’t care about your musical pedigrees
Cos I’m the half breed of a jazz funk legacy
You better be on point when you diss it
Cos we know the critics of rap are all bigots
So dig it
This is how I kick it and it’s beautiful
Don’t ever try to tell me that my rap isn’t musical
That’s how it is
That’s how we do it
That’s why I love this hip hop music
The same critics talking trash and dissing rap
Listen to jazz, rhythm and blues and classical gas
Maybe they never studied the past or just don’t mind
That jazz wasn’t considered a music at one time
They don’t want to admit that it might last
A very long time like jazz and it’s no fad
Rap tracks continue to pack kiddies knapsacks
So listen to the sax sayin’ somethin and that’s that
Now I can rap alone spontaneous like a saxophone solo
Without a chaperone or a stack of poems
I’m deep like a baritone singing in catacombs
Back in the days I used to freestyle for accolades
What other musical genre besides rap
Crafts lyric gems just as rhythmic as hi-hats
What other music improvises up wisecracks
To make the crowd happily clap
And why’s that?
That’s how it is
That’s how we do it
That’s why I love this hip hop music
See I grew up in Philly listening to the Roots
And Black Thought taught me the rules of this rap sport
And now I’m hip-hoppin’ on planes taking it worldwide
To make the fellas clap and the beautiful girls sigh
And every now and then critics emerge
Telling me rap’s not a music and I think it’s absurd
Cos I transcribe the rhythms and I know that I’m right
And I show and prove my theory when I’m holding the mic
I know you might not respect what I do
But at least hear me out when I’m stepping to you
Cos I’m not your average cat waving a gat
When I rap I freestyle while I’m taking a nap
Making them clap to the music as I travel the globe
A representative
With my pen I give a sensitive consideration to my sentences
That’s the concept
Take it to the hook let me put it in context
KICK THIS
Now I got soul & I got goals & I got fans
Got plans for takin my team to the top and
Stands of people watch me when I kick this
My style’s so fly you could call it a discus
My skills are easy to see so don’t try to heckle me like a chimpanzee
I get paid to play and I’m good at my work
So let’s go toe to toe ‘cos I’m claiming the turf
Cos this is my craft don’t step on my team yo
Cos I’m a start kicking it like Ronaldinho
And get down to business and logistics
Here’s a hot beat check it out just kick it
Kick this!
It seems every time I turn around I’m on the ground
Why’s everybody kicking me when I’m down?
You can help me land but won’t give me a hand
Said it’s against the rules, cool I understand
He wants me to roll as long as he’s in control
But when he’s not he wants to stop me from reaching my goal
Even your soul/sole is hard and cold but I get it
And any minute you’re gonna be wanting to kick it
In this game I run to the rhythm and kick this
For you to intercept and as quick as a misfit
I’m gone without a trace got places to go to
A new mic to rock and a record to flow to
So let me sum it all up like this
When I got goals to reach my team don’t miss
My crew is coming and you know I come with it
You better step it up homeboy just kick it
Kick this!
Now we refuse to lose and we make our own rules
Cos my crew’s like the popular kids at school
So you think you’re cool and you like our team
And to kick it with us is your life long dream
Well we’re the in-crowd no scrubs allowed
Don’t cry foul, you’re running with the big boys now
Just like running the halls or playing the wall
When they come you either run or you’re taking a fall
But not us because we’re shaking and faking them all
My crew’s on the ball we don’t break down or stall
And ain’t afraid to brawl, all for one, one for all
So if y’all ain’t with it, forget it we can’t kick it
WAS IT LOVE?
Now this is the story of a sensitive nice guy
Who met a young woman even though he was quite shy
She had pretty eyes and original style
And a cute little face with a beautiful smile
They met up and had chicken tandoori
Walked around town til they both got horny
Went back to her place had a few drinks
And made love for three straight days I think, but anyway
She was happy he was happy as well
And they both felt the feeling that nobody can help
It was love and it was beautiful for all that it was
Had em both on a buzz like taking a drug
So they decided that this was great
They both became close and they found a place
He bought the bed she bought the plates
And they both lived together and they shared the space, but
Was it love?
What is love?
Well okay, everything was going as planned
She cooked an egg, he’d wash the pan
They made love like freaks for weeks
And told each other secrets while under the sheets
She was glad that he told the truth
Cos her last boyfriend was a nincompoop
And he loved how she always kept it real
She was his best friend but with sex appeal
Anyway a year later things were cool
He worked a job she went to school
But one day while walking to class
She met a grad student who was studying maths
She couldn’t help but find him cute
He had ambition and a three-piece suit
She looked up his email and played it mute
Because her boyfriend at home couldn’t handle the truth, but
Was it love?
What is love?
A month later she feels suffocated
She just graduated and she just can’t take it
She’s already going out on dates
Telling him that she’s staying at her girlfriends place
But Mr math grad student’s a joke
He’s all about drinking and sniffing up coke
She doesn’t want her loyal boyfriend to jet
But she still doesn’t want to settle down quite yet
But then her boyfriend sees the light
And he goes with all the fly women he likes
She gets jealous but it’s too late
Cos every day of the week he’s got a new date
And both lovers are now distressed
Cos they get so jealous when the other has sex
They want to find happiness but it’s complex
They don’t want to live with any regrets
HUFF & PUFF
You say you pack mad guns and ain’t afraid to use it
Killed over fifty people
But only in your music
I know a few died laughing listening to it
The truth is you couldn’t prove it
Foolish excuses
You say you aren’t scared of dying, always fighting
I say you aren’t violent it’s just a part of your rhyming
You say you’re hard as iron with the heart of a lion
I say you have no heart but right about the lyin’ part
You make lying an art and you’re Da Vinci
Painted a perfect picture and still couldn’t convince me
It’s so lifelike
But nothing like your life
Got sliced with a knife shot twice in one night
They should write a book about you, the stuff you been through
You grew up in a zoo, had a few black and blues
You say go and ask your crew they’ll say that it’s true
I believe it happened too
Just not to you
You’re huffin, puffin, ain’t sayin nothin’
You say this and that
I say you’re just bluffin
You’re huffin, puffin, ain’t sayin nothin’
You say this and that
I say you’re just frontin’
You say you’re from the street every chance that you could
Yeah, main street, fans just misunderstood
You say you stood on the corner always up to no good
You say you’re so hood
I say you’re so Hollywood
That’s where you rub elbows with the movers and the shakers
Heaven knows you’ll get exposed sooner or later
You say “I’m a hater”
I say you’re a faker
You say you’re a gangster
I say only on paper
It’s pathetic, I bet that you never been arrested
You say you got a record
Yeah, your label pressed it
They’re just protecting an image in which they invested
You’re just a method actor being badly directed
You’re studying your lines and put em in a rhyme
You never did time all your crimes were in your mind
And where’d you find that nine, a five and dime?
Put down that toy you look like a cowboy
You’re huffin, puffin, ain’t sayin nothin’
You say this and that
I say you’re just bluffin
You’re huffin, puffin, ain’t sayin nothin’
You say this and that
I say you’re just frontin’
Now here’s an open letter to the President
You say it’s under control, I’m not yet convinced
Ever since 9/11 you’ve been tryin to get em
Soldiers dying left and right trying to find your weapons
Here’s my suggestion, fight your own battles
Put your life on the line so we won’t have to
You say you’re patriotic, I say neurotic
But when asked about it you try to change the topic
You say “have you forgotten” we finally got him
Who Saddam? What happened to Bin Laden?
You say you been loyal but you been spoiled
People dying for you on foreign soil in this fight for oil
I mean freedom, we know the reason, don’t believe him
Let’s go impeach him, guilty of treason
For leading lambs to slaughter
But won’t answer for the sons and daughters
But still tell reporters lies your daddy taught ya
You’re huffin, puffin, ain’t sayin nothin’
“Sorry no questions”
And no weapons of mass destruction
You’re huffin, puffin, and still ain’t find nothin’
So why you got your finger on the button?
WHAT’S GOIN’ ON IN THE WORLD TODAY?
I had my eyes on the prize since I was five
Said look world I’ve arrived
I had the drive to make it out alive
But no matter how I tried to fake it
Realised that I couldn’t escape it
Put my foot to the pavement
Then I got to stepping
Ended up in the opposite direction from where I was heading
Regressing
The path I was led in had me guessing, asking questions
But the answers I’m getting only led into more questions
What lessons am I learning
The seconds keep on turning back reversing the hands of time
But I can’t rewind or change the past
People I asked laugh and said stand in line
We all wish we could
You should get out the hood
Cos staying would
Do you more harm than good
Unless you look past the stars you’ll never get that far
Facts are you’ll never make it in your own backyard
What’s goin on in the world today
Can’t find the words cos it’s hard to say
Just makes me wanna holler like Marvin Gaye
Got my eyes on the prize but it’s far away
Now what you gonna do when it comes to your last breath
And when it’s all over and you’re down in your casket
Looking back I know you might’ve saw it coming
But maybe not as quick as everybody still running the race
To find a cure for the universe suffering
With a real fix not a poem or a Bufferin
I wanna cuss cos it makes me disgusted
To see the fucked up way we struggle for justice
My great great grandfather grew up in bondage
My great grandfather died beaten unconscious
Both my grandfathers were dead when I came forth to this earth
And everybody living here’s hurt
And so I search for a deeper purpose beneath the surface
Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth it
All I’ve got is this pen at my side
My enemies lied, trying to hide genocide
What’s goin on in the world today
Can’t find the words cos it’s hard to say
Just makes me wanna holler like Marvin Gaye
Got my eyes on the prize but it’s far away
Well I finally made it out
Got a bank account, new car, new house, new spouse and a few doubts
Cos every time I depart and I start stepping forward
I take two steps back and things get outta order
It’s like I’m trying to keep my head above water
Due to cutbacks hours kept getting shorter
Now it’s my old house old wife, a new daughter
But I can’t support her cos I’m back on the corner
That’s life it’s gonna run out like a flashlight
And use you to make new people to clap right
You wanna know what the meaning of life is?
You might live to find out and die when you find it
But either way when you’re living today
You better behave as if it’s all withered away
Cos it’s all a small ripple in the ocean of time
But it shapes the size of a generation of coastlines
MUCH 2 MUCH
Now this world is curled up in a ball that’s set spinning
You gotta hustle to get by
But get children and eat right
Before you sleep tight in a pine box
You gotta find meaning in life before time stops
The truth is we all make stupid excuses
Trying to find truth but the truth is elusive
You gotta find peace
And the fact that it’s useless to seek real truth
Cos it’s just an illusion
But I don’t wanna seem overly jaded
I don’t know a thing but I really can fake it quite well
Enough that it sounds convincing
Like the so-called benefits of ginseng
But whatever happens I’ve abided
To try to live righteous I’ve decided
That this existence can’t be rushed
Cos it’s much 2 much 2 much 2 much
Just 2 much
It’s much 2 much for us
With so much to lose
Let me get ready to choose
There’s much too many rules, many people confused
And there’s much more to learn, much more to observe
Many must find a cure but it’s very obscure
Much of us lost and we must be found
Much of us up but we all come down til we’re dust under the ground
There’s much too many clowns when the circus is in town
Much too many frowns, too many to count
But it’s all part of the race
And we all rush to get a good place
But it’s much too much to react to and try to discuss in a short verse
Too much to say too much to rehearse
Too many words emerge to create sounds
That make crowds much too proud to get down
Move
Too many men and women frustrated and out of touch
It’s just too much
It’s much 2 much for us
Now there’s much too much difference in the haves and have-nots
Much too many jails, caged people in padlocks
Much too many mothers camped out in the crack spots
Much too many cats getting shot in the back
Pop! Pop!
Too many glocks, hip hop’s getting hard to watch
Too many gimmicks and it just won’t stop
Too many third world kids walking without socks
Living in boxes and the water is toxic
Too many dying too many crying too many lying
Eyeing you up and down and trying to snatch your crown
Too many pounds are wasted
Too many places are polluted so let’s face it
Too much to handle too much to cope with
Much 2 much info to maintain focus
And much of us can’t see the big picture
That all of us are really just brothers and sisters
But…
GIRLS U LIKE
Now I don’t need a girl with a perfect 10
But I need chemistry when I work with them
So I keep the lights dim when I’m on the grind
And if I got a few candles that’ll be fine
I’m a sucker for girls with a beautiful name
But I’d rather get a girl with a suitable frame
She’s gotta be sweet and a little petite
Or at least beneath me cos I stand six feet
I don’t like the girls that waste my time
They play hard to get but I ain’t waiting in line
I just call up another that knows the deal
Cos I don’t like to guess what another girl feels
I don’t wanna seem like a jerk
So I treat the women right and nobody gets hurt
Cos I aim to please and I do quite nice
With any fly woman that I please tonight
So what kinda girls you like?
I like pretty women that’ll treat me right
I don’t really care if they’re naughty or nice
Any girl that’ll like me that’s my type
So what kinda girls you like?
The silent type not too uptight
Nah, she could be rude she could be polite
As long as she’s taking me home tonight
Now me, I like a girl that likes a girl
Then I like to see how that night unfurls
But not the ones into S&M
Whips and chains?
No, several men, but then again
I’ll take em blind, crippled or crazy
If those (are) the only ladies that’ll date me
Or maybe one that’s pigeon-toed and limped to the show
Kinda like that one that’s in the front row
I like pretty girls with an ugly past
Plus a fast wit and a body that’s plastic (sic)
But I like a girl smooth to the touch
I don’t really feel silicone titties so much
I guess it all comes down to trust
If a girl’s not honest I get fed up
So hey lonely girl don’t feel so sad
Cos I’m a nice guy to bring home to dad
So what kinda girls you like?
I like pretty women that’ll treat me right
I don’t really care if they’re naughty or nice
Any girl that’ll like me that’s my type
So what kinda girls you like?
The silent type not too uptight
Nah, she could be rude she could be polite
As long as she’s taking me home tonight
I like a girl that keeps to herself
This way I can sleep with some one else
That’s the kinda girl I like
I like girls with freckles a lot
Cos when they’re asleep I play connect the dots
That’s the kinda girls I like
I like a girl who’s shy but blind in one eye
Why?
So she could only see my good side
That’s the kinda girl I like
Now I like a girl that’s into threesomes
But wait, not him, I don’t mind if she comes
That’s the kinda girls like
DON’T EVEN ASK
Jimmy has the worst marks in his class
Scars over half his body and an arm in a cast
“Oh that’s just a rash it’ll pass” Jimmy would say with a laugh
But his smile wouldn’t last cos it was only a mask
Hiding a past that was still present
And heaven knows what kind of future he must have
Next day two of his fingers are smashed
He says “don’t even ask”
Now Jimmy was a smart kid, always worked the hardest
So willing to learn
But teacher was a little concerned
Cos when it’s his turn to come to the front and read
He’d plead for someone else to take the lead
And teacher eventually agreed
Jimmy just smiled so relieved
Cos earlier he had a nosebleed and still had a smudge of blood on his sleeve
But he need not be concerned with that
They’re too busy staring at the burns on the back of his neck
He had no answer for that one yet
Luckily no-one asked about it
Bell rings, Jimmy grabs his bags and takes off in a dash, going nowhere fast
But tomorrow he would limp back into class
He’d say “don’t even ask”
Jimmy wears long shirts to hide the hurt
And for a while it worked
But his lies got worse
His smile now a smirk as he tries to search to find the words to tell the nurse
“Oh I just fell in the dirt”
But she didn’t look amused, more like confused
Cos this excuse he’d already used the last time his shoulder was bruised
And even then he refused medical attention
And so no-one made mention of his pension for fractured tendons
They just sent him back to class
With just a pat on the ass and a hall pass
He’s fine now but how long will it last?
What will he say next, car crash, whiplash?
Don’t even ask
Monday started out fine
Mother nature was kind as her sun shined down on all the kids standing in line
And so the class makes an entrance teacher takes attendance
Before handing out todays lesson
“Lester” “Here”, “Michelle” “Here”, “Adrian” “Here”
“Troy” “Here”, “Jimmy”… “Jimmy?”
Guess here’s not here
As they stare at his empty chair, no-one’s seen him anywhere
He wasn’t downstairs, not in the playground
Jimmy just ain’t around
Jimmy was later found in his bath with one of his wrists slashed
What could have led him down this path?
Why would Jimmy do something so rash?
Maybe if someone would have bothered to ask!
GET BUSY
I know you’ll never know the feeling that I’m feeling
A black jew trying to break through the glass ceiling
Light-skinned rapper with a lot of ambition
Making black music for the people that’ll listen
Isn’t it a novelty an anomaly
You paid for a ticket you can listen to the oddity’s virtuosity
When I’m rocking the mic
My pocket’s are light but still I’m provocative, right?
Hey don’t try to tell me that my style ain’t tight
My rhythm enlightens other rappers and it just ain’t right
That I get more drama than the next MC
Cos I’m not the average rapper up on MTV
So, you wanna put me to the test?
Let’s show the people who’s really the best
I don’t wanna battle you but if you insist
We can do this without written raps to spit
And just…
Get busy
Cos I don’t stop when I rock the spot
Who’s to say who’s better or worse
And who’s got the cleverest verse that’s never rehearsed
Who deserves the prize get ready to work
Cos you can’t win a battle with competitive words
Why does everybody wanna step to me
You best believe I’m never gonna rest in peace
We got the crowd acting as the referee
And they clap for whoever is the best MC
But who are they to judge our craft?
Maybe they just clap cos you’re making them laugh
And is that the real test of a dope MC?
What about rhymes and rhythms over this here beat?
Cos I’m ready to get it and set it in motion like the ocean
Into the commotion that’s hidden in rhythm and hocus pocus
I’m gone I got a song, sing it along and you can feel it
The lyrics appear and disappear as if it was a spirit as I
Get busy
Cos I don’t stop when I rock the spot
I don’t wanna stop what I’m doing
I just wanna rock to the music
But we got a lot of confusion
And we’re getting lost into music
If I had a wish I would use it
But I’ve only got an illusion
I can only find what I’m losing
And I’m getting lost into music
Listen to all these thoughts and concepts
I speak the truth but the truth’s too complex for you to grasp
And I can’t explain it
I’m just a man even if I’m famous
What does it mean to be respected
When we are not truly perceptive
Live for today and gone tomorrow
Choose the direction you can follow
And…
K.I.S.S.Y.O.U.
Come here love let me do what I do
I wanna k.i.s.s.y.o.u.
I know how to make you respond
Giving you what I wish when I wave my wand
I’m not afraid of what turns you on
So just take your time let me into your mind
I’m gonna give you a great massage
Make you wanna thank god cos you … so hard
We could talk for a while start forming a bond
Or just get busy, it’s whatever you want
Love I wanna be in your fantasy
I’m a do what you want can you handle me, huh?
I hope not I’d blow my top
Until I hit the spot love just don’t stop
Come here love let me do what I do
I wanna k.i.s.s.y.o.u.
I’m a freak in the sheets but I’m not in the streets
I won’t cease or retreat til you’re reaching your peak
I got technique I’m a sensual male
Keeping in shape and attending my nails
No sharp edges or dirt on my hands
No corny lines when I’m flirting with fans
No drugs needed to get me to jam
No lover that I had can do what I can do
I got moves like Bruce Leroy and I’m a B-Boy
Jewish like Leonard Nimoy but I’m not Spock
Just a nice guy you can trust
Whispering inside your ear trying to get you to blush
I’m a A-plus lover you deserve the best
Let me nibble on the cleft underneath your breast
Let me press my flesh up against your flesh
So you can feel my heart flutter inside my chest
It’s like…
Come here love let me do what I do
I wanna k.i.s.s.y.o.u.
I wanna have mind sex in the physical form
Can you move your body to the rhythm I’m on
This isn’t a porn picture but it’s making you warm
You wanna snuggle up to me while I’m singing my song
Love you’re gorgeous perfectly flawless
In my minds eye I’m painting your portrait
All the nice guys wanna visit the florist
You make little men grow big and enormous
So let’s see how can I please you?
You’re smelling so sweet any fella could eat you
You don’t need to worry cos I’m on the case
Get ready for my love just give me a taste
1-2-3-4-U
Live from the New York underground but I’m now London-bound
I come to town to light up the mic once the flight touches down
But it’s not just me it’s Us3 so it must be funky trust me
Fingers still dusty from digging in the crates for jazz breaks
Master tapes or acetates
Low fi so I use a high sample rate to compensate
Pure bass not from concentrate
Now you wanna taste so you salivate
Just grab a plate and dig in
We’re dishing food for thought from the soul kitchen
No chicken but the drumsticks are hitting the spot
Gotcha licking your chops
Don’t bite cos it’s sizzling hot
See we’re mixing a pot of gumbo
Funk, soul, with some hip hop and a little drop of jazz on top
Just add some rock some be-bop ah scooby doo
Guess what Europe, we love you too
And it’s just for you
Come on every 1
Who you’re listening 2
Us3 the crew
Playing just 4 you
Way down in the concrete jungle of Harlem
There was a young man on the road to stardom
He had many raps and it wasn’t a problem
To rock shows in winter, spring, summer and autumn
Now I don’t like dissing people like most do
I’d rather speak freely on the struggles we go through
So listen up close if you see me approach you
And just pay attention cos you know you’re supposed to
Too many people in this world are jobless
Or work long hours even though they’re impoverished
I’m not preaching I’m just trying to be honest
Cos it’s not for me to treat people like objects
Forget opinions let’s get to the facts
I’m trying to end world poverty like Jeffrey Sachs
So don’t try to tell me to relax
When we base our education on a property tax
Come on every 1
Who you’re listening 2
Us3 the crew
Playing just 4 you
Now keep in mind you’ll find this time it’s a live band
No hype man all I need on stage is a mic stand
And Wiseguy by my side, but now it’s Akil
And DJ First Rate on the wheels of steel
Cutting scratching but Gaston’s what’s happening
Just rapping for you cos you’re the main attraction
Time for me to punch in like Action Jackson
Crafting raps with a passion like I’m Gaston
But it’s Akil D and I know that you feel me
The real G’s chill on my block on 115th street
I rock beats for the people that cops beat
I’m on a hot streak and competitors got beef
ROUND THE GLOBE
Friends, countrymen, fellow Americans
I just came back from overseas
And they’re carrying on about how we don’t go out not travelling
They doubt we even leave the house
I’m not mad at them
Cos for real there’s still some places we haven’t been
In fact I’m in the airport now, I’m going back again
Time’s a wasting and I’m impatient
I ain’t waiting, I’ve been put in for vacation
Ain’t saying no more man I’m going to pack
And when I hit the road I don’t know how to act
And if I like it I ain’t going back
We’re going round the globe
When will it stop, no-one knows
We’re going round the globe
Round and round it goes
Now it’s noble to act global, but not staying local
Sorry not me, too many places to go to
Like Istanbul, not Constantinople
Can’t I show you the world
Get out man why don’t you
Hopefully if you won’t go with me
You’ll still want to see the world beyond TV
Well I got my passport I’m ready to blast off
I asked for the same seat I had on the last tour
Ain’t taking no bags just the clothes on my back
And when I’m on the road I don’t know how to act
And if I like it I ain’t going back
We’re going round the globe
When will it stop, no-one knows
We’re going round the globe
Round and round it goes
Now I don’t care if it’s long or if it’s a short visit
Just come, countries look more different when you’re in it
I’m going back to NY when the tour finishes
When I’m bored with it I’m back in a New York minute
Forget it stay stateside
I’m into the great wide open on the next thing smokin’
Took a train ride up to JFK
I just called to say bye
The place I’m going, wherever this plane flies
Ain’t taking no bag just my coat and my hat
And when I’m on the road I don’t know how to act
I don’t think I’m ever going back
