Follow The Leader (1988)

• Follow The Leader
• Microphone Fiend
• Lyrics Of Fury
• Eric B. Never Scared
• Put Your Hands Together
• To The Listeners
• No Competition
• The R
• Musical Massacre 

Follow The Leader lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

[Verse One:]

Follow me into a solo

Get in the flow - and you can picture like a photo

Music mixed mellow maintains to make

Melodies for MC's motivates the breaks

I'm everlastin, I can go on for days and days

With rhyme displays that engrave deep as X-rays

I can take a phrase that's rarely heard, FLIP IT

Now it's a daily word

I can get iller than 'Nam, a killin bomb

But no alarm - Rakim will remain calm

Self-esteem make me super superb and supreme

But for a microphone still I fiend

This was a tape I wasn't supposed to break

I was supposed to wait, but let's motivate

I want to see who can keep followin and swallowin

Takin the making, bitin it and borrowin

Brothers tried and others died to get the formula

But I'ma let ya sweat - you still ain't warm

You a step away from frozen, stiff as if ya posin

Dig into my brain as the rhyme gets chosen

So follow me and were ya thinkin' you were first?

Let's travel at magnificent speeds around the Universe

What could ya say as the Earth gets further and further away

Planets are small as balls of clay

Astray into the Milky Way - world's outasight

Far as the eye can see - not even a satellite

Now stop and turn around and look

As ya stare in the darkness, ya knowledge is took!

So keep starin soon ya suddenly see a star

You better follow it cause it's the R

This is a lesson if ya guessin and if ya borrowin

Hurry hurry step right up and keep followin

The Leader

[Verse Two:]

This is a lifetime mission, vision of prison

Aight listen

In this journey you're the journal I'm the journalist

Am I Eternal? Or an eternalist?

I'm about to flow long as I can possibly go

Keep ya movin cause the crowd said so

Dance - cuts rip ya pants

Eric B on the blades, bleedin to death - call the ambulance

Pull out my weapon and start to squeeze

A magnum as a microphone murderin' MC's

Let's quote a rhyme from a record I wrote

(follow the leader) Yeah - dope

Cause everytime I stop it seems ya stuck

Soon as ya try to step off ya self-destruct

I came to overcome before I'm gone

By showin and provin and lettin knowledge be born

Then after that I'll live forever - you disagree?

You say never? Then follow me!

From century to century you'll remember me

In history - not a mystery or a memory

God by nature, mind raised in Asia

Since you was tricked, I have to raise ya

From the cradle to the grave, but remember

You're not a slave

Cause we was put here to be much more than that

But we couldn't see it because our mind was trapped

But I'm here to break away the chains, take away the pains

Remake the brains, reveal my name

I guess nobody told you a little knowledge is dangerous

It can't be mixed, diluted; it can't be changed or switched

Here's a lesson if ya guessing and borrowing

Hurry hurry, step right up and keep following

The leader

[Verse Three:]

A furified freestyle, lyrics of fury

My third eye makes me shine like jewelry

You're just a rent-a-rapper, your rhymes are minute-maid

I'll be here when it fade to watch you flip like a renegade

I can't wait to break and eliminate

On every traitor or snake - so stay awake

and follow and follow, because the tempo's a trail

The stage is a cage, the mic is a third rail

I'm Rakim the Fiend of a Microphone

I'm not HIM, so leave my mic alone

Soon as the beat is felt, I'm ready to go

So fasten your seatbelt, cause I'm about to flow

No need to speed slow down to let the leader lead

Word to daddy, indeed!

The R's a rollin stone, so I'm rollin

Directions is told, then the rhymes are stolen

Stop buggin', a brother said, dig em, I never dug 'em

He couldn't follow the leader long enough so I drug 'em

into danger zone, he should arrange his own

Face it, it's basic, erase it, change ya tone

There's one R in the alphabet

It's a one-letter word and it's about to get

More complex from one rhyme to the next

Eric B be easy on the flex

I've been from state to state, followers tailgate

Keep comin but you came too late, but I'll wait

So back up, regroup, get a grip, come equipped

You're the next contestant - clap ya hands, you won a trip!

The price is right - don't make a deal too soon

How many notes could you name this tune?

Follow the Leader is the title, theme, task

Now ya know, you don't have to ask

Rap is Rhythm And Poetry, cuts create sound effects

You might catch up if you follow the records E. wrecks

Until then keep eatin and swallowin

You better take a deep breath and keep followin

The leader.

Microphone Fiend lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

I was a fiend before I became a teen

I melted microphone instead of cones of ice cream

Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated

Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated

'Cause I grabbed the mic and try to say, " Yes y'all!"

They tried to take it, and say that I'm too small

Cool, 'Cause I don't get upset

I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet

Back to the lab ...without a mic to grab

So then I add all the rhymes I had

One after the other one, then I make another one

To dis the opposite then ask if the brother's done

I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine

But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean?

I'm raging, ripping up the stage and

Don't it sound amazing 'cause every rhyme is made and

Thought of, Cuz it's sort of...an addiction,

Magnatized by the mixing

Vocals, vocabulary, your verses, you're stuck in

The mic is a drano, volcanoes erupting,

Rhymes overflowing, gradually growing

Everything is written in the cold, so it can coin-

cide, my thoughts to guide,

48 tracks to slide

The invincible, microphone fiend Rakim

Spread the word, 'cause I'm in

E-F-F-E-C-T

A smooth operator operating correctly,

But back to the problem, I gotta habit,

You can't solve it, silly rabbit

The prescription is a hypertone that's thorough when

I fiend for a microphone like herion

Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix

Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix

And I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of

unawareness? Beware, it's the reanamator!

A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon

An assasinator, if the people ain't stepping

You see a part of me that you never seen

When I'm fiending for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend...

[Verse 2:]

After 12, I'm worse that a Gremlin

Feed me Hip-hop and I start trembling

The thrill of suspense is intense, your horrified

But this ain't the cinemas of "Tales From the Darkside",

By any means neccesary, this is what has to be done

Make way 'cause here I come....

My DJ cuts material....

Grand imperial.

It's a must that I bust any mic you're hand to me,

It's inherited, it's runs in the family

I wrote the rhyme that broke the bull's back,

If that don't slow 'em up, I carry a full pack.

Now I don't want to have to let off, you should of kept off

You didn't keep the stage warm, step off!

Ladies and Gentleman, You're about to see

A pasttime hobby about to be

Take it to the maximum, I can't relax see, I'm

Hype as a hyperchrondriac 'cause the rap be one-

Hell of a antidote, something you can't smoke

More than dope, you're trying to move away but you can't, you're broke

More than cracked up, you should have backed up

For those who act up need to be more than smacked up

Any entertainer, I got a torture chamber

One on one and I'm the remainder!

So close your eyes and hold your breath,

And I'm a hit'cha wit the blow of death

Before you go, you'll remember you seen

The fiend of a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend

The microphone fiend...

Lyrics Of Fury lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

[Verse one:]

I'm rated "R"...this is a warning, ya better void,

Poets are paranoid, DJ's D-stroyed,

Cuz I came back to attack others in spite-

Strike like lightnin', It's quite frightenin'!

But don't be afraid in the dark, in a park,

Not a scream or a cry, or a bark, more like a spark;

Ya tremble like a alcoholic, muscles tighten up,

What's that, lighten up! You see a sight but,

Suddenly you feel like your in a horror flick,

You grab your heart then wish for tomorrow quick!

Music's the clue, when I come your warned,

Apocolypse Now, when I'm done, ya gone!

Haven't you ever heard of a MC-murderer?

This is the death penalty,and I'm servin' a

death wish, so come on, step to this

hysterical idea for a lyrical professionist!

Friday the thirteenth, walking down Elm Street,

you come in my realm ya get beat!

This is off limits, so your visions are blurry,

All ya see is the meters at a volume,

pumping Lyrics of Fury!

it's a ....fearified freestyle!

Terror in the styles, never error-files,

indeed I'm known-your exiled!

For those that oppose to be level or next to this...

I ain't a devil and this ain't the Exorcist!

worse than a nightmare, you don't have to sleep a wink,

the pain's a migraine every time ya think,

Flashbacks interfere, ya start to hear:

The R-A-K-I-M in your ear;

Then the beat is hysterical,

that makes Eric go get a ax and chops the wack,

soon the lyrical format is superior,

faces of death remain,

MC's decaying, cuz they never stayed,

the scene of a crime every night at the show,

the fiend of a rhyme on the mic that you know,

It's only one capable, breaks-the unbreakable,

melodies-unmakable, pattern-unecscapable,

a horn if want the style I posses,

I bless the child, the earth, the gods and bomb the rest,

for those that envy a MC it can be,

hazardous to your health so be friendly,

a matter of life and death, just like a ethch-a-sketch,

shake 'till your clear, make it disappear, make the next,

after the ceremony, let the rhyme rest in peace,

if not, my soul'll release!

the scene is recreated, reincarnated, updated, I'm glad you made it,

cuz your about to see a disasterous sight,

a performance never again performed on a mic:

Lyrics of fury!

a fearified freestyle!

the "R" is in the house-too much tension!

Make sure the system's loud when I mention

Phrases that's fearsome...

You want to hear some sounds that not only pounds but please your eardrums;

I sit back and observe the whole scenery,

then nonchalantly tell you what it mean to me,

strictly business I'm quickly in this mood,

and I don't care if the whole crowd's a witness!

I'm a tear you apart but I'm a spare you a heart,

program into the speed of the rhyme, prepare to start,

rhythm's out of the radius, insane as the craziest

musical madness MC ever made, see it's

now an emergency, open-heart surgery...

open your mind, you will find every word'll be

furier than ever, I remain the furture,

battle's tempting...whatever suits ya!

For words the sentence, there's no resemblance,

you think you're ruffer, then suffer the consequences!

I'm never dying-terrifying results,

I wake ya with hundreds of thousands of volts,

mic-to-mouth resuscitation, rhythm with radiation,

novicane ease the pain it might save him,

if not, Eric B.'s the judge, the crowd's the jury...

How do I plead to homicide?

Lyrics of Fury!

they're getting furier! a fearified freestyle!

Eric B. Never Scared lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

[Bone Crusher talking]

Yea! This nigga think we hoez or somethin' my nigga...

Sheeeit, man what the... lemme talk to the mo'fucca

How hard we really mo'fuccin is in this biaaaatch... nah'm sayin?

Fuck nigga... sheit man, ole punk ass kids, we out the club nigga...

That don't mean nuthin nigga! I'm gon fuck this nigga up, my nigga!

Sheeeeit, lemme show this mo'fucca how hard this shit really is!!!

[Chorus]

So I'm outside of da club and you think I'm a puuuuuuuunk

So I go to my loaded tech 9 that's off in the truuuuuuuunk

I told that muthafucka

I ain't never scared (eastside!)

I ain't never scared (westside!)

I ain't never scared (southside!)

I ain't never scared (northside!)

I ain't never scared (southside!)

I ain't never scared (eastside!)

I ain't never scared (westside!)

[Verse 1: Bone Crusher]

Let a choppa go PLOOOOOOWWW! to yo melon

Now the plasma is oozin outta yo cerebellum

AttenSHUNNNNN! Fuck nigga, now you swellin

You ain't talkin hardcore, now is ya? Lil' bitch!

Got'em runnin scared of a... BIGGA NIGGA!

Cuz I put the heat to his ummm... HILFIGER!

Now on dat drank and on some of dat dank

Pistols gettin bursted now I need somethin to drank

[REPEAT CHORUS]

[Verse 2: Killer Mike]

I got a hot 4 fever, call it bitch Benita

Knock the apple off any bum or the hollow heat seaker

Ran 'cross bitch niggaz, fuck the pint, she take blood by the liter

I'll never leave her, my viscous vixen

On liquor, send dat ass to God quicker

No matter yo religion, you Muslim, Hebrew or Christian

She indiscriminate with punishment, she send'em missin

My gun's my favorite bitch and

And she got permanent PMS so she stay bitchin!

[REPEAT CHORUS w/ ad libs by T.I.]

[Verse 3: T.I.]

Noooooo, I ain't bad, just don't kiss no ass or take shit

And I'm a grown man, find you somebody to play wit

If you'on like me when you see me, betta not say shit

I'll choke yo ass out like Dre did that bitch

You betta tell these pussies they ain't fuckin wit no rookie

I'm a Bankhead nigga, I'll take yo cookiez!

So don't make it a me or you situation

I'll have yo partner down and I'll see you visitation

Like, hope for the best, but I'on think he gon make it

Not the way he was shiverin and shakin on the pavement

I'll tell you wha, if you make it, call'em grace cuz he amazin

Find out these verses wasn't the only thang blazin and

Just when you thought that I was done I was savin the

Best for last, nigga kiss my ass

Like ??? they my folkz, itz best you just let'em be

Cuz I do the shit precincts and them FED's just ain't never see nigga!

[REPEAT CHORUS]

[Bone Crusher yelling]

YEA NIGGA! Just break'em off muthafucka!

We the real niggaz! All you hatin' muthafuckaz, underachieverz...

Step back, hoe nigga! Listen closely...

We ain't neva scared of none of you niggaz!

T.I., Bone Crusher, Killer Mike, just break'em off niggaaaaaaaaaaa!

[REPEAT CHORUS x2]

Put Your Hands Together lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

[piano playing for 1:02 before the beginning of the main song]

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched [x6]

[Rakim] Put your hands together... clap your hands

[Verse One: Rakim]

This is for thousands of people who came

A show from road to road you're entertained

I don't even have to say my name

Cause when the place is ripped in half, I'm to blame

Masses of posses packed up schemin

Ladies lovely and keep on screamin

Go Rakim, go Rakim, go

It won't be long then it's on with the show

I'm late, so hit the brakes and park the Benzito

Double oh seven, incognito

Sneak in the back door, lookin for the stage

When I get on you react in a rage

People from side to side and front to back

won't dance, if the MC's wack

The crowd go psycho even if I don't move

Some like the groove cause I'm so smooth

Then somethin happens, feet start tappin

You can't hold back when Rakim's rappin

The man you've been waitin for, rougher than ever

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched [x8]

[Rakim] Clap your hands

[Verse Two: Rakim]

I create em, take em, shake em, then make em clap to this

Most of you rappers, can't even rap to this

I made it faster, you tried to master

Syncopated styles, words flowin after

Measures of metaphor definitions of more than one

Take it both ways, I'll be here when you're done

Remember as the rhyme goes on it's rougher

Soon as I stop, you had enough of

Followin footsteps, you better turn back soon

Sucker MC's suck rhymes like vacuums

The style remains the same, the words is changed

Bitten, rewritten, recited and rearranged

Sing along if your tongue is strong, it gets sore

Sing when I'm gone and it'll break your jaw

Wisdom flows so swift, I'm Asiatic

Is it a gift, or automatic

Static, I don't cling

I got a tip of my own and I don't sing

Don't understand, here's an example

and why MC's and DJ's sample

Cause we don't have a band, it's just my voice and his hands

That's what hip-hop was, it still stands

The records we use are from mom's and pop's collection

Find a break from a dope selection

And go to the store, then buy one more

So my DJ can mix cause that's what his hands are for

Years later hip-hop got contracts

The chance to put actual facts on wax

A mind's the coach, the physical form's the team

The top's the destination, I'm the cream

And still I rise with somethin pumpin and somethin clever

Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched [x7]

[Rakim] Clap your hands... clap em, clap em

[Verse Three: Rakim]

Now who's the man with the masterplan?

With stacks of verbal attacks so clap your hands

Rhyme written in graffiti xeroxed on blueprints

Students influenced are now a nuisance

You couldn't fight it, you had to clap to this

You got excited, you almost snapped your wrist

The rhymes was written for the crowd's enjoyment

When I'm with this you can't toy with

The def jam juicer rough rhyme producer

Loads of lyrics get you loose, then looser

The man so smooth and world so rough

Eric is throwin and sewin rippin restitchin the cuts

Microphone your majesty, no one's bad as me

Seems the tragedy, Rakim had to be

Thinkin of some def view of a video

Visions are vicious, and I'll let the city know

Whoever's frontin they know, nothin to say though

so lay low, musical forms are kickin' like Kato

Don't get near it, hard as you ever hear it

I know it's fearified, but don't fear it

And try to predict which rhyme you can kick

You're quick to pick your best, for the mic is lit

Instead of goin with the flow like you're supposed to go

And enjoy the show and yo, put your hands together

[Eric B] "Clap your hands" cut and scratched [x6]

[Rakim] Clap your hands... put your hands together

CLAP YOUR HANDS! *echoes*

To The Listeners lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

It's to the listeners [whispered x4]

[musical interlude]

It's to the listener

[repeat interlude and line x4]

[Verse One: Rakim]

It's to the listeners, for those that have a ear for this

State of the art, engineered for the mix

Eardrums are playing along to what I'm sayin you're singin a song

Stevie Blass on the keyboard, swingin along

But you don't have to dance, play it cool and listen

My DJ's mixin, and I'll do the quizzin

Cause who is number one if not best then better

Here's a hint: the 18th letter

The rhymes is sportable, microphone is portable

For any immortal man, swords is not affordable

Never take a loss cause I'm hard to beat

I ain't cheap but don't sell me a dream I don't sleep

I'm Paid in Full, so save the bull

This ain't a stick-up, you don't have to wave until

you feel Sure, and you want more then wipe your sweat

Cause I just wanted to see how hype you could get

Cause when I came in the door steppin hard enough to shake the floor

I just started but the others can't make no more

Runnin out of beats breaks and out of time

If I was gone, you'd be runnin out of rhymes

I improve, record don't have to be long

If it's understood and the story is strong

You can speak out and hold the crowd as prisoners

The people is peepless, it's to the listeners

[Verse Two:]

I'm the Lord, for somethin you can absorb

Try and control and be cautious but the cut's in a cord

Make me deeper than down, I make the crowd, crowd around

People are peepless, cause the soloist found

Phrases, thoughts, made by the R of course

One thing I do is keep em different, and far from yours

You keep talkin, when will all the damage be done?

You say you're rulin but when I'm in the place you don't come

Maybe you're waitin, to see what I'm makin

One more style gets taken, then I'ma be breakin

If the patterns are causes, piano is soft

But make it hard for you to start, where I left off

You find yourself, till the point is across

You hit reverse to rewind it, that's when you hit the pause

I set the scene, first you hear mixin

Then the microphone fiend's in effect, still listenin?

Pay close attention, never before mentioned

Listen up I got a brand new invention

Made from a musician it's notes are played crisp

But listeners listen to what I wrote on a disc

Copywritten but still bitten they almost sound like

Almost pumpin, but it ain't down like

A record's supposed to sound, watch as it go around

Records are broken, smashed into the ground

That ain't My Melody, brothers keep runnin up and tellin me

Others are trying to flow smooth and steadily

Potholes are left in my path then I crash and bruise

Whoever refuse and cruise right past em

Cause I just left to do it for easy whatever

Death, till I get back you better stay in step

After speaking you'll stare, if I was there your description is

Letters full of poetical medicine, this is for the listeners

No Competition lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

No competition

...

No competition

...

Competition is none, I remain at the top like the sun

And I burn whoever come in the chambers of torture

I caught ya, you shoulda brought ya

Neighborhood to support ya

No one in my path will withstand

Under pressure the wrath of a swift man

You name the day, the grounds to be neutral

Speak your piece, the feeling's mutual

We can go topic from topic whenever I drop it

Try to stop it

In other words, what the brother heard

He tried to catch it, but what occurred

Was too much weight for one brain to take

Try to concentrate maintain then elevate

Program an ounce from pound to pound

The matter of weight can't hold my mind down

Permanent damage, I do away with

No time for fun, cause I don't play with

Competitors, there's only one when I'm done

Competition is none

...

No competition

...

Competition is none, I'm the soul survivor

MC's get live but I get liver

It ain't a Memorex, live in concert

At every network, the R the expert

Whoever goes against causes friction

Introduction music where's the mixing

Ra will never die, tools they never try

To beat or defeat me, because whenever I

Put poetry in motion

From the Nile, then out into the ocean

Three-fourths of water makes seven seas

A third of land three-sixty degrees

I circulate and remain to rotate

Seven days a week at a quake or a slow rate

Be prepared whenever I come

Competition is none

...

It's no competition

...

Creator, the alphabets let's communicate

When I translate the situation's straight

No dictionary's necessary to use

Big words do nothing but confuse and lose

From the first step, a concept was kept

To the end of the rhyme, it get more in-depth

All thoughts I come across, my mind's the source

Made by the R, of course

Seven holes in my face as I'm lookin out my window

Speak with the beat and it seem like the wind blows

Through the speakers, I hear it so pump this

And we can fill up the whole circumfrence

With competition, on an impossible mission

Comin up with nothin, keep fishin

No runner up, just lost or forfeits

They all get butterflies, soon as the dog gets

Unlocked, lines for blocks and blocks

Might be triflin, to call the cops

Bring along paramedics

But that won't help you, not even calisthetics

I'm God, G is the seventh letter made

Rainin on rappers, there's no parade

So if you ain't wise, then don't even come

Competition for this inter mixin is none

...

It's, no competition

...

Competition is none

The R lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

Whoever underestimated, still waited

Pumping the radio, finally they played it

You wondered how come the album was late

I was giving you time to get the last one straight,

The show must go on, I got something to dance to

Slow it down and romance to and give me a chance to

Keep you in tune and up to par.....

Then you're doing it with the R...

Doing it wit the R....

Something new and to keep you doing what'cha doing

This is for you and your crew and for who in

The vicinity, I don't need no identity

I see hands in the air that means many be

Cooperating, I can't stop relating

Hip-hop is making more sense when I'm stating

Paragraphs of potential to prevent you

From using my instrumental, keep in mind I meant to

Illustrate another iller break immediately

Hurry up and learn the words and repeat it wit me

Then soon you're in tune and up to par

And then you're doing it wit the R...

Keep doing it, you keep doing it wit the R....

In the Summertime, pockets bulging

Somethings's happening then I'm indulging

Music is mine, Gucci seats reclined,

Gold grill, a paint job will shine..

Pull up in the park and then pop the trunk

Turn up the bass and let the system thump

A block party starts to form, people start to swarm

Loud as a ghetto blaster, word is bond

Records remind you of a madness

The moment it's played, you get gladdest

The return of the brother, keeping you up to par

And you're doing it wit the R.....

Shout outs.................

Musical Massacre lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

How could I keep my composure

When all sorts of thoughts fought for exposure?

Release, then veins in the brains increase

When I let off, make a wish and blow the smoke off my piece

Unloadin, unfold and the rhymes are explodin

And the mic that I’m holdin’s golden

Cordless cause the wire caught fire like a fuse

Gunpowder and the slightest bruise is a friction

The outcome is there so listen

Here’s the brief description

A boom then flame then smoke, ashes a dust to dust

Contact is compact when I bust

Mc’s are now in a massacre

A disaster a... master at fashion a beat to death

To a pulp, till it can’t pump

Speakers ain’t sayin nothin

Now the ball can thump

As I’m lookin’ I stand like great buildings in brooklyn

Then the stage is took then

Havoc struck that could product a whole court

Keep in touch with the mic when you’re holdin y’all

Sumpin and pumpin and slobbin and droolin

Nothin’s pumpin, who do you think ya foolin?

Tommy tucker, the neighborhood sucker

What you oughtta do.... is pick up a tempo

From what I invent, so hard not to bite, but you can’t prevent so

You start to kidnap

I watch the kid rap

When he get off he know he shouldn’t a did that

Minor, old-timer, weak-rhymer, stay-in-liner

You won’t be inclined to go so yo

Maybe later, you’re gonna be

But for now, you’re almost one of me

Now the immature imitations taken from originations

Made by tracin and a little arrangin

So perform, if ya still ain’t warm maybe after

A roast by the host with the most it’s a musical massacre

Never tired, don’t even try it, keep quiet

Like a storm, you could rain...but a riot

Remains, the gangs power just like the towerin inferno

The beat’s gonna burn so

Distance I kept, ou better watch your step

Volunteers go from here and get

Ya out of the flames

Appreciate the temperature change

Anywhere within the range of celcius

Fahrenheit on the mic, mic melts see it

Burns soon as it’s felt see it’s torchin, scorchin

Mic’s pipin hot, steamin who’s schemin now ya not

James brown must a been dusted

Disgusted, now he can’t be trusted

Embalmed with fluid

Static can cause an explosion, in fact impact’s closin in

Time was up, so I don’t need a time bomb

Beat gives me a heat-stroke when I rhyme calm

Pull out the tool, sometimes I wanna break fool

But I was cool, like one in the chamber

Lets play a game of rhymin roulette

And put me up to your brain and name a rhyme about ya clout

One mistake... ya out

If this imitation it can’t be the same show

Maybe what you’ll find somewhere over the rainbow

Courage, heart, brain, you need rhyme

Turn on your mic, snap your fingers three times

We gone, or the story won’t end the same

And you’ll feel the flame

The potion was weak, make another antidote

Whats the science? why can’t ya quote?

Elements for musical intelligence

Rhymes are irrelevant, no development

And that settles it

Go manufacture a match, send me after a blast

From the master that has to make musical massacre

Paid In Full (1987)

• I Ain't No Joke
• My Melody
• I Know You Got Soul
• Move The Crowd
• Paid In Full
• As The Rhyme Goes On
• Chinese Arithmetic
• Eric B Is President 

I Ain't No Joke lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

I ain't no joke, I use to let the mic smoke

Now I slam it when I'm done and make sure it's broke

When i'm gone no one gets on cuz I won't let

Nobody press up and mess up the seen I set

I like to stand in a crowd and watch the people wonder damn

But think about it then you'll understand

I'm just an addict addicted to music

Maybe it's a habit, I gotta use it

Even if it's jazz or the quiet storm

I hook a beat up convert it into hip-hop form

Write a rhyme in graffitti in every show you see me in

Deep concentration, cuz I'm no comedian

Jokers are wild if you wanna be tamed

I treat you like a child then you're gonna be named

Another enemy, not even a friend of me

Cuz you'll get fried in the end when you pretend to be

Competin' cuz I just put your mind on pause

and I complete when - you compare my rhyme wit yours

I wake you up and as I stare in your face you seem stunned

Remember me, the one you got your idea from

But soon you start to suffer, the tune'll get rougher

When you start to stutter that's when you had enuff of

Biting, it'll make you choke, you can't provoke

You can't cope, you should've broke because I ain't no joke

I got a question, as serious as cancer

Who can keep the average dancer

Hyper as a heart attack nobody smiling

Cuz you're expressing the rhyme that I'm styling

This is what we all sit down to write

You can't make it so you take it home, break it and bite

Use pieces and bits of all the hip-hop hits

Get the style down pat then it's time to switch

Put my tape on pause and add some more to yours

Then you fake it you're ready for the neighborhood chores

The E-M-C-E-E don't even try to be

When you come up to speak, don't even lie to me

You like to exaggerate, dream and imaginate

Then change the rhyme around, that can aggravate me

So when you see me come up, freeze

Or you'll be one of those 7 MC's

They think that I'm a new jack but only if they knew that

They who think wrong are they who can't do that

Style that I'm doing, they might ruin

Patterns and paragraphs based on you and

Your offbeat DJ, if anything he play

Sound familiar, I'll wait til E say

Play 'em, so I'ma have to diss and bro

You could get a smack for this, I ain't no joke

I hold the microphone like a grudge

B'll hold the record so the needle don't budge

I hold a conversation cuz when I invent

I nominated my DJ to president

When I'm see I'll, keep a freestyle, going steadily

So pucker up and whistle my melody

But whatever you do, don't miss one

They'll be another rough rhyme after this one

Before you know it, you're following and fiending

Waiting for the punchline to get the meaning

Like before the middle of my story I'm telling

Nobody beats the R so stop yelling

Save it, put it in your pocket for later

Cuz I'm moving the crowd and B'll wreck the fader

No interruptions til the mic is broke

When I'm gone, then you can joke

Cuz everything is real on a serious tip

Keep playing and I varies quick

And take you for a walk through hell

Freeze your dome then watch your eyeballs swell

Guide you out of triple stage darkness

When it get dark again then I'ma spark this

Microphone cuz the heat is on, you see smoke

then I finish when the beat is gone, I'm no joke

My Melody lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

Turn up the bass, check out my melody, hand out a cigar

I'm letting knowledge be born and my name's the R

A-K-I-M not like the rest of them, I'm not on a list

That's what I'm saying, I drop science like a scientist

My melody's in a code, the very next episode

Has the mic often distorting, ready to explode

I keep the mic at Fahrenheit, freeze emcees then make 'em colder

The listener's system is kickin' like solar

As I memorize, advertise like a poet

Keep you going when I'm flowing, smooth enough, you know it

But rough, that's why the mural on my story I tell will be

Nobody beats the R, check out my melody

So what, I'm a microphone fiend, addicted soon as I seen

One of these four emcees so they don't have to scream

I couldn't wait to take the mic, blow into it to test

Then let my melody play, then the record suggest

That I'm dropping bombs, but I stay peace and calm

Any MC that disagree with me, wave your arm

And I'll break, when I'm through breaking, I'll leave you broke

Drop the mic when I'm finished and watch it smoke

So stand back, you wanna rap, all of that can wait

I won't push, I won't beat around the bush

I wanna break upon those who are not supposed to

You might try but you can't get close to

Because I'm number one, competition is none

I'm measured with the heat that's made by Sun

Whether playing ball or bobbing in the hall

Or just writing my name in graffiti on the wall

They shouldn't have told me you said you control me

So now a contest is what you owe me

Pull out your money, pull out your cut

Pull up a chair, and I'ma tear shit up

My name is Rakim Allah, and R and A stands for "Ra"

Switch it around, it still comes out "R"

So easily will I E-M-C-E-E

A repetition of words, just check out my melody

Some bass and treble is moist, scratching and cutting a voice

And when it's mine that's when the rhyme is always choice

I wouldn't have came to set my name and run the same weak shit

Putting blurs and slurs and words that don't fit in a rhyme

Why waste time on the microphone

I take this more serious than just a poem

Rock from party to party, backyard to yard

Now tear it up, y'all, and bless the mic for the gods

The rhyme is rugged, at the same time sharp

I can swing off anything even a string of a harp

Just turn it on and start rocking, mind no introduction

'Til I finish dropping science, no interruption

When I approach, I exercise like a coach

Using a melody and add numerous notes

And with the mic and the R-A-K-I-M

It's attached, like a match, I will strike again

Rhymes are poetically kept and alphabetically stepped

Put in a order to proceed with the momentum, except

I say one rhyme out of order, a longer rhyme shorter

Or pause, but don't stop the tape recorder

I'm not a regular competitor, first rhyme editor

Melody arranger, poet et cetera

Extra events, the grand finale like bonus

I am the man they call the microphonist

With wisdom, which means wise words being spoken

Too many at one time, watch the mic start smoking

I came to express the rap I manifest

Stand in my way, and I'll veto all the word's protest

Emcees that wanna be best, they're gonna

Be dissed if they don't get from in front of

All they can go get is me a glass of Moet

A hard time, sip your juice and watch a smooth poet

I take seven emcees put 'em in a line

And add seven more brothers who think they can rhyme

Well, it'll take seven more before I go for mine

Now that's twenty-one emcees ate up at the same time

Easy does it, do it easy, that's what I'm doing

No fessing, no messing around, no chewing

No robbing or buying, biting—why borrow?

This slob will stop trying, fighting to follow

My unusual style will confuse you a while

If I was water, I'd flow in the Nile

So many rhymes, you won't have time to go for yours

Just because of applause, I have to pause

Right after tonight is when I prepare

To catch another sucker duck emcee out there

'Cause my strategy has to be tragedy, catastrophe

And after this you'll call me your majesty

My melody

Marley Marl synthesized it, I memorized it

Eric B. made a cut and advertised it

My melody's created for emcees in the place

They try to listen 'cause I'm dissin' them, so pick up your face

Shook off your neck as you try to detect my pace

Now you're druggin', almost buggin' off my rhyme, like bass

The melody that I'm styling, smooth as a violin

Rough enough to break New York from Long Island

My wisdom is swift, no matter if

My momentum is slow, emcees still stand stiff

I'm genuine like leather, inclined to be clever

Emcees you beat the R, I'll say "oh never"

So Eric B. cut it easily and

Check out my melody

I Know You Got Soul lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you

Without a strong rhyme to step to

Think of how many weak shows you slept through

Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you

Thinking of this, you keep repeating you miss

The rhymes from the microphone soloist

And you sit by the radio, hand on the dial, soon

As you hear it, pump up the volume

Dance wit the speaker 'till you hear it blow,

Then plug in the headphone 'cause here it go

It's a 4 letter word when it's heard, it control

your body to dance (You got it) soul,

Ditects the tempo like a red alert

Reaches your reflex, so let it work

When this is playing, you can't get stuck wit

The steps, so get set and I'm a still come up wit

A gift to be swift, follow the leader, the rhyme will go

Def wit the record that was mixed a long time ago

It can be done but only I can do it

For those that can dance and clap your hands to it

I start to think and then I sink

Into the paper like I was ink

When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines,

I escape when I finish the rhyme...

I got soul

You got it [x4]

I know you got soul

Picture a mic, the stage is empty

A beat like this might tempt me

To pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain

Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train

But I'll wait 'cause I mastered this

Let the others go first so the brothers don't miss

Eric B. break the sticks (you got it)

Rakim will begin when you make the mix

I'll experiment like a scientist

You wanna rhyme, you gotta sign my list

'Cause I'm a manifest and bless the mic I hold

You want it next? then you gotta have soul

'Cause if you ain't got it, I'm a make an encore

Take the mic, make the people respond for

The R, 'cause that's the way it'll have to be

If you wanna get on after me

Think about it, wait, erase your rhyme

Forget it and don't waste your time

'Cause I'll be in the crowd if you ain't controlling it

Drop the mic, you shouldn't be holding it

This is how it should be done

This style is identical to none

Some try to make it sound like this but you're getting me

So upset that I'm wet 'cause you're sweating me

I drip steam like a microphone fiend

Eager to MC is my theme

I get hype when I hear a drum roll

Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul

You got it [x5]

I got soul (you got it) that's why I came

To teach those who can't say my name

First of all, I'm the soloist, the soul controller

Rakim gets stronger as I get older

Constant elevation causes expansion

I write my rhyme while I cool in my mansion

Then put it on tape and in the city I test it

Then on the radio the R's requested

You listen to it, the concept might break you

'Cause almost anyone can relate to...

Whoever's out of hand, I'm give him handles

Light 'em up, blow 'em out like candles

Or should I just let him melt?

Then give him a hand so they can see how it felt

I'm not bold just cuz I rock gold

Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul

You got it [x4]

Now I'm a stop to see what you got

Get off the mic before I get too hot

I want to see which posse can dance the best

It should be easy 'cause the beat is fresh

Now if your from Uptown, Brooklyn- bound,

The Bronx, Queens, or Long Island Sound,

Even other states come right and exact,

It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at

Since you came here, you have to show and prove

And do that dance until it don't move

'Cause all you need is soul self-esteem will release,

The rest is up to you, Rakim 'll say peace

You got it [x10]

Move The Crowd lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

[Verse one:]

Standing by the speaker, suddenly I had this

Fever, was it me or either summer madness

Cuz I just can't stand around

So I get closer and the closer I get, the better it sound

My mind starts to activate, rhymes collaborate

Cuz When i heard the beat, I just had to make

Something from the top of my head

So I fell into the groove of the wax and I said

How could I move the crowd

First of all, ain't no mistakes allowed

Here's the instruction, put it together

It simple ain't it but quite clever

Some of you been trying to write rhymes for years

But weak ideas irritate my ears

Is this the best that you can make?

Cuz if not and you got more, I'll wait

But don't make me wait too long coz I'm a move on

The dancefloor when they put something smooth on

So turn up the bass, it's better when it's loud

Cuz I like to move the crowd

Move the crowd...

[Verse two:]

Imagine me wit the heat that's made by solar,

It gets stronger everytime I hold a

Microphone, check the tone to get started

The line for the microphone is departed

So leave it up to me, my DJ is mixing

Everyone is moving or eager to listen

Your hands in the air, your mouth, shut!

Cuz I'm on the mic and Eric B is on the cut

For those that know me, indeed I like to flow

Especially when the music's going slow

It gives me a chance to let everybody know

It's time to bust out the Rakim show

I'm the intelligent wise on the mic I will rise

Right in front of your eyes cuz I am a surprise

So I'ma let my knowledge be born to a perfection

All praise due to Allah and that's a blessing

Wit knowledge of self, there's nothing I can't solve

At 360 degrees, I revolve

This is actual fact, it's not an act, it's been proven,

Indeed and I proceed to make the crowd keep moving

Move the crowd...

Paid In Full lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

Yo Rakim, what's up?

Yo, I'm doing the knowledge, E., man I'm trying to get paid in full

Well, check this out, since Norby Walters is our agency, right?

True

Kara Lewis is our agent, word up

Zakia and 4th and Broadway is our record company, indeed

Okay, so who we rollin' with then? We rollin' with Rush

Of Rushtown Management

Check this out, since we talking over

This def beat right here that I put together

I wanna hear some of them def rhymes, you know what I'm sayin'?

And together, we can get paid in full

Thinkin' of a master plan

'Cuz ain't nuthin' but sweat inside my hand

So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent

So I dig deeper but still comin' up with lint

So I start my mission, leave my residence

Thinkin' how could I get some dead presidents

I need money, I used to be a stick-up kid

So I think of all the devious things I did

I used to roll up, this is a hold up, ain't nuthin' funny

Stop smiling, be still, don't nuthin' move but the money

But now I learned to earn 'cuz I'm righteous

I feel great, so maybe I might just

Search for a nine to five, if I strive

Then maybe I'll stay alive

So I walk up the street whistlin' this

Feelin' out of place 'cuz, man, do I miss

A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of

Me and Eric B, and a nice big plate of

Fish, which is my favorite dish

But without no money it's still a wish

'Cuz I don't like to dream about gettin' paid

So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made

So now to test to see if I got pull

Hit the studio, 'cuz I'm paid in full

Rakim, check this out, yo

You go to your girl house and I'll go to mine

'Cause my girl is definitely mad

'Cause it took us too long to do this album

Yo, I hear what you're saying

So let's just pump the music up

And count our money

Yo, well check this out, yo Eli

Turn down the bass down

And let the beat just keep on rockin'

And we outta here

Yo, what happened to peace?

Peace

As The Rhyme Goes On lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

Knowledge will begin until I finish this song

'Cuz the rhyme gets rougher as the rhyme goes on

You sweat as you step about to get hype

Or should you just listen to the man on the mic

You're physically in this with me but how could you tell

If it's meant to be hip-hop if you're not mentally as well

Ready to absorb the rhyme that I just poured

Into the mic and so unite and this won't be so bored

If you just keep kickin' listen - to the mix

And think you'll sink into the rhyme like quicksand

Holds and controls you 'til I leave

You fall deeper in the style - it's hard to breathe

The only time I stop is when somebody drop and then

Bring 'em to the front 'cuz my rhymes' the oxygen

Then wave your hands - when you're ready I'll send you

Into your favorite dance so let the rhyme continue

And so on and I'ma go on simultaneously

And even if I stop - the rhyme remains to be

Rising to the top - and I came to drop it

Catch it and quiz it - is my topic

Universual 'cuz I move everybody to come

By exercising your mind you'll coincide as one

You look around and see how packed the party starts to get

I draw a crowd - like an architect

The five borroughs react and all the islands attract

And every state can't wait - so they attack

off a spot on the floor - squeeze in cuz it's packed

It'll be more room if MC's play the back

I'm the R the A to the K-I-M

If I wasn't, then why would I say I am

The microphone fiend if I was a fake

Whoever said it's just buggin' off the rhymes I make

I had you biting your tongue for what I brung and recite

Sung it on stage some said it don't sound like

The voice on the record - I see what you mean

Because the system was wack, so I had to scream

So just - give me a mic if it's loud I'll blow it

If not - into the crowd I'll throw it

Pull out my cordless mic and entertain you well

Before I let go I'ma spark your brain cells

I took time to write - tonight I will recite

So poetically inclined when the mic is held tight

Rhymes start flowin' kisses are blowin

MC's are knowin' that's why they're goin

Home to tell a friend when the party ends

"Yo, man you know Rakim? That brother struck again"

Cuz mic by mic and stage by stage,

Tape by tape and page by page,

When the crowd is moving I compete with the mix

The rougher the cuts - the rougher the rhyme gets

Deeper and Deeper - I hope you understand it

I made it up myself and I planned it

For other MC's who waste time

Writing jokes, riddles, and maybe a rhyme

I cross my arms and I was waiting - but I was hating

The rappers on the microphone was fronting - just faking

They wasn't breakin', which means I was achin'

To get up on the microphone and then start takin'

Control of the mic - uptight when I grabbed it

So hug the speaker- your ear's a magnet

Attracted to a freestyle put in effect

You listen to my man while you're sippin' Moet

So Eric, pick up the needle (yeah) put it in the middle (ahhight)

Give me a scratch, turn my Mic up a little,

I want you to hear this perfectly clear

Catch what I'm sayin'? You get the idea?

I hope you knowledge the beginning cuz I'm finished this song

The rhyme gets rougher as the rhyme flows on...

Chinese Arithmetic lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

It's not your situation

I just need contemplation over you

Over you

I'm not so systematic

It's just that I'm an addict for your love yeah

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only girl

(Never should have told you/me)

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only world

Just think how long I've known ya

It's wrong for me to own you lock and key

Lock and key

It's really not confusin'

I'm just a young illusion can't you see, yeah, well

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only girl

(Never should have told you/me)

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only world

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls, yeah

Oh, oh, kissed the girls, um hmm

Oh, oh, oh

It's not your situation

I just need contemplation over you

Over you

I'm not so systematic

It's just that I'm an addict for your love, yeah

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only girl

(Never should have told you/me)

I'm not the only one that holds ya

I never ever should have told ya

You're my only world

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls, yeah

Oh, oh, kissed the girls, um hmm

Why ya wanna make them

Oh make them cry (No)

Oh, whoa whoa (Why)

Kiss the girls

Why ya wanna

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls and made them cry

Georgy Porgy puddin' pie

Kissed the girls, yeah

Oh, oh, kissed the girls, um hmm

Eric B Is President lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim

I came in the door, I said it before
I never let the mic magnetize me no more
But it's biting me, fighting me, inviting me to rhyme
I can't hold it back, I'm looking for the line,
Taking off my coat, clearing my throat
The rhyme will be kicking it until I hit my last note
My mind remains to find all kinda ideas
Self-esteem makes it seem like a thought took years to build
But still say a rhyme after the next one
Prepared, never scared, I'll just bless one
And you know that I'm the soloist
So Eric B, make 'em clap to this

I don't bug out or chill or be acting ill
No tricks in '86, it's time to build
Eric B easy on the cut, no mistakes allowed
Cuz to me, MC means move the crowd
I made it easy to dance to this
But can you detect what's coming next from the flex of the wrist
Say "Indeed" then I proceed cuz my man made a mix
If he bleed he won't need no band-aid to fix
his fingertips, so I rhyme until there's no rhymes left
I hurry up because the cut will make him bleed to death
But he's kicking it cuz it ain't no half steppin'
The party is live, the Rak can't be kept inside
if he's eruptin' just like a volcano
It ain't the everyday style or the same old rhyme
Cuz I'm better then the rest of them
Eric B is on the cut and my name is Rakim

Go get a girl and get soft and warm,
Don't get excited, you've been invited to a quiet storm
But now it's out of hand cuz you told me you hate me
And then you ask what have I done lately
First you said all you want is love and affection
Let me be your angel and I'll be your protection
Take you out, buy you all kinds of things
I must of got you too hot and burned off your wings
You caught an attitude, you need food to eat up
I'm scheming like I'm dreaming on a couch wit my feet up
You scream I'm lazy, you must be crazy
Thought I was a donut, you tried to glaze me

Funky...