Let The Rhythm Hit Em lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
I'm the arsenal
I got artillery, lyrics of ammo
Rounds of rhythm
Then I'm 'a give 'em piano
Bring a bullet-proof vest
Nothin' to ricochet
ready to aim at the brain
~Now what the trigger say
Tempos triflin'
Felt like a rifle
Massage 'n' melodies
Might go right through
Simultaneously like an Uzi
Nothin' can bruise me
Lyrics let up when lady say don't lose me
So re-load quickly
And you better hit me
While I'm lettin' this fifi get wit me
You steppin' with .007
Better make it snappy
No time to do your hair, baby
Brothers are bustin' at me
Beats and bullets pass me
None on target
They want the R hit
But wtch the god get
Quicker, the tongue is the trigger
'Cause I'm real fast
Let off some rhythm at 'em
Let 'em feel the blast
Penetrate at a crazy rate
This ain't no .38
Hit 'em at point blank range
And watch 'em radiate
Runnin' out of ammunition
I'm done wit' em
You ask me how I did 'em
I let the rhythm hit 'em
I push a power that's punishable
Better be a prisoner
The hit man is the
Brother wit' charisma
Showing you that I have
Powerful paragraphs
Followers will become leaders
But without a path
Ya mentally paralyzed
Crippled ya third eye
Rhymes are blurred
Then it occurred that you heard I
Reduced the friction with crucifixion
Let loose the mix then
Boost the piston
Eric hit 'em with' some of that
Cut like a lumberjack
And me gettin' hit back
It won't be none of that
I'm untouchable
You see me in 3-D
When I let the rhythm hit another M.C.
Lyrics made of lead
Enters your head
Then eruptions of a mass production
Will spread when
Music is louder
Full of gunpower
Microphone machinery
When I see a crowd of
Party people pumpin'
Their fist like this
Ya hide in the back
Thinkin' that I might miss
But the R is accurate
Plus I'm packed up with
Educated punch lines that
I have to hit
Whatever I aim at
I line 'em up
Ya body is weak, feel with pain
That time is up
You been hit with somethin'
Different, isn't it?
Rakim is gonna radiate and nothing's equivalent
Nothin' can harm me
Why try to bar me
You couldn't come around THE RA with aN army
You'll get wrecked by the architect
So respect 'em
I disconnect 'em, soon as I inject 'em
With radiation
Put 'em by the basement
Bust his chest open
Bash his face in
Let it split 'im
Since he brought his main man wit' 'im
He ask me how I did 'im
I let the rhythm hit 'im
Let it hit 'im
Dance floor's dangerous
Packed in like a briefcase
Rhyth with ral rough rhyme
Beats with deep bass
Girls with tight pants
Maybe they might dance
Tonight if the Rs on the mike
There's a slight chance
The crowd is crucial
M.C.'s grounds are neutral
Now that you're here let me introduce you
Get ready
I'm hard read like graffiti but steady
Science I drop is real heavy
Radiant energy, that'll be the penalty
Touch the third rail on the pain of remedy
The prescription's one every hour
Now it's a HABIT
Ya need another hit from the freestyle fanatic
Attention: follow directions real close
Keep out of reach of children
Beware of overdose
Too many milligram
NO ONE made a iller jam
My rhyme is the rhythm of thoughts
That kill a man
Ideas for the ear to fear
Might split 'im
He'll never forget 'im
He'll rest in peace wit' 'em
At least when he left he'll know what hit 'im
The last breath of the words of death
Was the rhythm
Now throw you hands in the air and yo, go
Rakim will do the rest of this slow
If I speed they know you'll blow the hell up
If I slow up, THEY'LL catch up, hell no
Wicked as I kicked it
Don't need to remix it
'Cause I prefixed it
Reversed and switched it
To perform to perfection
Section for section
Rhymes keep connectin'
Ya guessin' what's next an'
Blood pressure rises, ya damn near lost it
Ya hit the ground burnin' and woke up frostbit'
'Cause when I explained ya can't complain for pain
Travel through the brain hit a vein
Then remain, let it radiate
Vibes will vibrate
Why did you violate
Now I'm 'a have to let the style brak
Moans now the tone is ingrown
After this here's thrown, gimme another microphone
Before I get that fifi I met
Whisper I wanna reach her intellect
Kiss her 'cause I wanna give her the most respect
So I shine and let the write reflect
Hold 'er, mold 'er, make 'er feel older
Lay her on my shoulder
Everything I told her
Makes her feel secure whenever I'm wit' 'er
And you know how I did 'er
Me and the rhythm hit 'er
No Omega lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
No Omega
I'm the Alpha, with no Omega
Beginning without the, end so play the
eye inside, no extended version
Next episode be smooth as a Persian
Rhyme everlastin, there'll be no part two
Knowledge is infinite, once I start to draw
a better picture for your third eye, if you're blind
You know with a mic, I'm a black Michaelangelo
I'm the brother whoSE ideas are colorful
Givin em insight, but givin em trouble to
comprehend cause they thoughts won't blend in
They're pretendin, while I'm extendin
You bite like a parasite, ? you attacks
But you won't strike, cause you ain't no match
You need more light cause yours got dim
Then you get sparked by the Lord Rakim
What's the matter G, check your battery
Go get charged up, then come battle me
You try hard and Die Hard, you ain't Eveready
When they check the pulse, you'll be Dead as
Freddie
SHOP AT SEARS for new ideas
Check your engine and ask your engineers
to equalize, try to disguise it
If that don't work yo, then MIDASIZE it
You need more power, better bring Battlecat
But this ain't Grayskull, and you ain't rippin jack
Don't drop the mic and jet for your tooley
("Bring it to me!")
We can go rhyme for rhyme til the mic stop the
workin
Then I'ma leave you behind the Iron Curtain
and you'll remain backstage
Your book is over, I ripped your last page
Changed the endin, at least you went out rappin
Now I'ma tell em what happened
I filled the mic with explosives, and lit it up
It was too heavy to hold, he couldn't pick it up
Pass the mic, let him try to get paid
He hit the stage, it went off like a hand grenade
Now scrape him off the floor and off my list
I ain't a soloist, I'm an arsonist
Sprayed up, he said he was gonna do what?
Played up, MC Grand but Pooh-Butt
Stole his lady, and drove her crazy
You asked me why - cause her man tried to play me
I sent her back a nervous wreck
and tried to put her back in check
My speciality is masterin the female species
I specialize in her, until she sees
where I come from, and why I came
I tame the train til she manifest my name
Fill her with life until she burst with energy
Then leave her restless, cause a lot of women be
tryin to drain us, and leave us stripped dry
Put holes in our pocket, but you ain't that fly
I clipped your wings and bring you down to Earth
and tell you what life is worth
It ain't rings and things that's materialistic
You wanna pip on, imperialist with
food for thought, cause I'm the shelter
I'll be your clothes, keep you warm and help ya
not to be hot to trot by a haunt
And why do y'all got to flaunt?
("You gotta use what you got
to get what you want")
Cool, I heat you up like a black mink coat
Hug your neck like a fat gold rope
Words I speak and my DJ's cuts will warm ya ears
like mink earmuffs
So Eric show em how fast your hand'sll go
so the people in the stands'll know
that you don't scratch your cuts in the grave
Moves in waves to my rhyme displays
Float, evoke, my tempo jets
Expressions express when you kick steps
Keep em, energetic, so let it
pound in your head til what I said is embedded
Don't forget it's copastetic, set it
Anywhere you want your poetry's pathetic
You gets.. no.. credit.. til you get it straight
Let's motivate
No intermissions cause it ain't commercial
If you wanna break then I'll reimburse you
I won't let go so my mic won't drop, cause
("I can't.. stop!")
Vocabs is endless, vocals exist
Rhyme goes on, so no one can stop this
Especially when I start to say the
rhymes with no omega
No omega
No omega
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") [scratched]
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") [scratched]
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!")
("I can't.. stop!") [fades]
In The Ghetto lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
Planet Earth was my place of birth
Born to be the SOLE controller of the universe
Besides the part of the map I hit first
Any a rhyme that I can adapt when it gets worst
The rough gets going, the going gets rough
When I start flowing, the mic might bust
The next state, I shake from the power I generate
People in Cali used to think it was earthquakes
'Cause times was hard on the Boulevard
So I vote God and never get scarred and gauled
But it seems like I'm locked in hell
Looking over the edge but the R never fell
A trip to slip 'cause my Nikes got grip
Stand on my own two feet and come equip
Any stage I'm seen on, I'M LIKE A PHENOM
I stand alone and need nothing to lean on
Going for self wit a long way to go
So much to say but I still flow slow
I come correct and I won't look back
'Cause it ain't where you're from, it's where
you're at
Even the (ghetto)
I learn to relax in my room and escape from New York
And return through the womb of the world as a
thought
Thinking how hard it was to be born
BEING EQUIPPED wit no physical form
Millions OF CELLS wit one destination
To reach the best part, it's life creation
9 months later, a job well done
Make way, 'cause here I come
Since I made it this far, I can't stop now
There's a will and a way and I got THE know-how
To be all I can be and more
And see all there is to see before
I'M Called and go back to the essence
It's alot to learn so I study my lessons
I thought the ghetto was the worst that could
happen to me
I'm glad I listen when my father was rapping to me
'Cause back in the days, they lived in caves
ExileD from the original man, a straight way
Now that's what I call hard times
I rather be here to exercise the mind
Then I take a thought around the world twice
From knowledge NEWBORN back to knowledge precise
Across the desert, that's HOT AS THE ARABIAN
But they couldn't cave me in 'cause I'm the Asian
REaching for the city OF Mecca, visit Medina
Visions of Neffertiti then I seen a
Mind keeps traveling, I'll be back after I
Stop and think about the brothers and sisters in
Africa
Return the thought through the eye of a needle
For miles I thought and I just fought the people
Under the dark skies on a dark side
Not only there but right here's an apartheid
So now is the time for us to react
Take a trip through the mind and when you get back
Understand you're third eye seen all of that
It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at
Even the (ghetto)
Even the (ghetto)
No more props, I want property
In every borough, nobody's stopping me
Because I'm thorough, rhymes are making real estate
for me to own
Wherever I bless a microphone
007 is back and relaxing
On POINT N' reactin' and ready for action
I'm so low key that you might not see me
Incognito and taking it easy
Quiet, it's kept on a hush hush
In front of a crowd, I get loud, there's a bumrush
Be calm, keep a low pro, and play the background
HOPIN' the wack rapper'LL put the mic back down
So rip it, break it in half, go head and slam it
'Cause when it's time to build, I'm a mechanic
I'm bonding and mending, attaching and blending
So many solos, there is no ending
People in my neighborhood, they know I'm good
From London to Hollywood, wherever I stood
Footprints remain on stage ever since
As I walk the street, I leave fossils and dents
When I had sex, I left my name on necks
My trademark was left throughout the projects
I used to get rich when I played celo
When I rolled 4, 5, 6, they go we know
So I collect my cash then slide
I got my back, my gun's on my side
It shouldn't have to be like that
I guess it ain't where you're from, it's where
you're at
Even the (ghetto)
I'm from the (ghetto)
Word up, peace
Step Back lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
See if you can step to this
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab"]
Now try to do this step ("Back to the lab")
and make sure the pace is kept
and this ain't as smooth as I'ma get
Nice and easy but hard to catch on to
Move with melodies, rhymes to respond to
The mic's in front of me, so you know it's gonna be
rough and rugged, plus I'm smooth as I wanna be
I'm somethin like sippin on Dom Perignon
So absorb the song, til the rhyme's all gone
My beats and speech original, you can't find these
Eighty-nine is mine, so is the nineties
Tellin you what you need to know and more
You're unsure? On tour, I explore
From street to street, to speak, from beat after beat
My cypher's complete, when I build with people I meet
So here's the info straight from the source in fact
Paid the cost to be the boss, STEP BACK
give me room to exercise the mind
Three-hundred and sixty degrees'll be fine
The weight of the world is what we hold
That's a six, followed by twenty-one zeroes
Six ?? sums is a lot of weight
My truth is the strength and my thought won't break
What it take, concentration, to rebuild our
nation but we got to have mind power
And we can make it work, because I know we can
And if somethin go wrong, make another plan
It's up to us, so strive and be wise and
when we reach the top, don't stop risin
And I'll keep comin up with more of
the most requested songs that you all love
Reach out and touch the mic, take control
Still gettin +Paid+ and I still got +Soul+
And the only thing I ever wanted you to follow was poetry
Mind takes X-rays, so listen closely
From the darkness came the light, clear out of a dark night
Now I'm here to spark the mic
Send out truth, for other groups and substitutes
with run-on rhymes and weak dubs and loops
They'd rather hear the arsonist, they insist
No need to reminisce, see if you can step to this
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab"]
Step back
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab"]
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab, without a mic to grab"]
So just step
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab"]
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab, without a mic.."]
Just step, the rhymes create energy
Charged up, by the cut, and it's sendin me
for a trip through the mind so I can locate
a laid back rap at a slow rate
It ain't hard at all, cause I invented it
As the days go on, you hear them with it
Brother bustin braincells, thinkin of a rap
with the same old style, we had enough of that
We all need somethin to step to
And don't forget to, cause I won't let you
dance without hopin that this come on next
And if it go off, the DJ can't flex
Cause here's the tempo, I'ma regulate the pace
Here's the step, go find some space
And what we gonna do is in unison, KICK
Shake your head, you're influenced with music
By now you're intoxicated, cause I prove I made it
the pep your step so soon you get rejuvenated
From side to side, you pause and clap
But if you came to rap.. (step back)
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab, without a mic to grab"]
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab, without a mic to grab"]
[Eric B. cuts up the phrase "Back to the lab"]
[continues to fade]
Run For Cover lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
[Gunshots and explosions]
[Scratching: Run DMC sample: "Run"]
Run for cover.
Here I go again, ready to flow again.
Better HOPE my mic don't blow again.
Warned by alarms when the mic gets warm.
Crowd'll get critical, can't keep calm.
Jet for the exit, why hang around?
Words that I found make the mic melt down.
If you stay, better cooperate, cuz I amputate,
and whoever don't break, I'm-a suffocate.
Leave 'em with asthma, you better pass the
mic to the massacre master who has the
power to build and destroy at the same time,
so track the wack at the right, and exact could
shine. [?]
Meant to beat overheat, but I won't stop,
so evacuate the spot when the mic's hot.
Switch it from one hand to another,
and that's a hint, my brother, run for cover.
Cuz I'm armed, my brain contains a bomb,
as if I escaped from Vietnam.
Some people label me lethal, lyrics I made then put
beats to.
Format, collapse your lungs twist your tongues,
you can't bump your gums off of none of the drums.
Words that I made'll create an iller scene,
Eric B. is the fly human being on the guillotine.
Hook 'em up to a respirator, cuz it's the Mista
Suffocator.
What I write is like shovin' a mic down your
windpipe.
Don't let him bitE rhymes Rakim write.
No mic-to-mouth resuscitation is neccessary;
no obituary, and NOTHING LEFT TO BURY.
As it strikes on the same mic twice and then,
cut it on, and I'm-a strike again.
I meditate off the breaks, till the place shakes,
then I make rain, hail, snow and earthquakes.
Speak the truth, tear the roof off the mother.
The stage is stompin' grounds -- run for cover.
[scratching]
Evacuate the building, danger, cuz I came to
explain the
strategy that'll be tragic automatically,
havin' me to cause another catastrophe.
All you gotta do is give Rakim the
microphone and the crowd'll yell "Timber."
Buildings collapsin', rappers gettin' trapped in,
areas closed off, no one gets back in.
So set up roadblocks, barrIcade the doors,
fade, put a detour sign on the stage.
Hold my microphone as evidence, the weapon I use
and been usin' ever since
the days in the park when, rap was an art then.
Plus I was dominant, determined and dark-skinned.
Makin' it hard to walk the streets at night
for those who talk the weak beats on the mic.
Whoever's livin' large better wear camouflage.
Prepare to be bumrushed when I yell charge.
Surround by sound of the beat-down another brother,
this is stompin' grounds, run for cover.
Wheels or foot, better not stay put.
Whole place shook till the mic's unhooked.
Then you've got seven minutes to vacate the
premises.
Lyrics'll echo soon as the break finishes.
Don't act wild, single file to the door.
No need for an encore, just clear the floor.
Cuz my mic's about to self destruct,
the stage'll blow up when my rhymes erupt.
So make sure the place is cleared out and abandoned,
cuz minutes from now it won't be standin'.
Then send out and A.P.B.: All Poets Beware of a
brother like me.
Now how many rhymes could your man manufacture?
How many bitin' MCs can I capture?
Trap rappers who try to run off at the mouth;
take over their route, play 'em out like a Cub
Scout.
So leave troopin' for MCs at war,
and if it's a battle let the crowd keep score.
Cuz me and the drummer make drama, and that's word
to mother...run for cover.
[scratching]
[instrumental]
Untouchables lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
This is poetry in motion
Try to catch on, stay close to the host
and MC's try to make the road rough but I'm coastin
Ladies hear the rhymes rub em on like lotion
Hit spots soothin, can't stop movin
Go ahead bust a sweat and you can bet I'm still coolin
When I detain it's a brainstorm
never the same form, every brain I rained on is warm
Takin a trip through Memory Lane to Melody
See if you could tell if these thoughts to fell MC's
could do you justice, but you can't touch this
Some kid just tried to bust this but he just missed
I'm universal and much more merciful
So versatile with the style it's reversable
I get away even if I say a curse or two
First, let me bust another verse for you
Your arms too short to box with Ra so quit
You don't want no kind of conflict
Or you'll get stripped as the rhyme is ripped
Pick up the pieces now ain't that peace yeah I'm hip
Everything I said flows since my intro
I plant a thought extend and then grow
Holdin my pen tightly it might be
Controversy at first when I write the
chords of research don't just take it for granted
When I'm gone my mind remains a planet
If I keep buildin, and teach the children
So when they read in between the lines it's filled in
I break to meditate, not a peep, concentrate
till I'm deep awake, but not asleep
At the same time risin and advertisin
what is true, keep advised and you can stay wise
and I'm untouchable
Comin over the bridge take a peak at the skyline
Cause that's how I shine not only when I rhyme
My culture's makin me stronger, mentally
Physically I'm powerful poetry now that could be
labelled as art placed in a museum
Style'll make scenery, now you see 'em
Exhibit a knowledge that's packed and filled with
nothin illiterate it's facts I build with
My mind's untouchable which means intangible
Contents never dense it's understandable
I study life so I can live it the right way
No time to hear what another brother might say
Why sell a capsule of crack I don't have to
I rhyme and sign million dollar contracts to
put message on records that's graced with hard bass
Smugglin microphones, this ain't Scarface
Whoever talked that talk, I wanna hawk
And don't try to Escape From New York
Cross a 110th Street lookin for a problem
It's Hell Up In Harlem, watch Ra solve em
I hear the music clear as I get near
the hundred and twenty fifth street Apollo Theater
Take a step back when I rap I step up to you...
I'm untouchable
Put on my thinking cap pump the track
Test your reflex relax but in contact
you fold and lose control so hold your partner closer
you're supposed to keep your composure
But you hear the drum said go then it gets so hype
it's like nitro opponents get petro
Remember the trademark left by the R
that's never soft or smooth it's comin off the hardest
in effect, you could die-tect the imposter
Takin my props, Rakim is still proper
I'm a prophet, you can't stop it, when I drop it
Everything I say, coincide with the topic
Thoughts bounce around till my skull is fractured
Inside my brain it's all manufactured
As we go deeper it's hard to find
Don't even think about it, cause you can't read my mind
It's clear so therefore you need a ear or inclined
in the mind with some kind of idea for
the style I'm advertisin what is true
Keep advised that you stay wise and the mind
is untouchable
Mahogany lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
[Verse One:]
Me and Eric B was coolin' at the Paladium
Seen a all-world covered girl, I said "Hey lady I'm
Sorry if You're in a rush - Don't let me hold ya up
Or interveen or interrupt, but. . .
You got the look - I wanna get to know ya better
I had to let her know - but yo, I didn't sweat her
'Cause if you woulda seen what I was seein'
Almost looked Korean, but European.
When she spoke, her accent was self-explanatory -
Even her body language told the story
Her name was Mahogony - twin's name was Ebony
I said "My name is Ra - and this is Eric B"
Since the music was loud, I said "let's take a walk,
So we could talk and see New York.
Show time doesn't start until one o'clock
And once I entered your mind I wouldn't wanna stop
Caressin' ya thoughts till we was thinkin' the same
Calm ya nerves, massage ya brain
Each mic is a mineral, poetry's protein
Verse is a vitamin - Affects like Codine
So tell me how you feel and I'll reveal
A pill that'll heal ya pain - 'cause I'm real
She musta OD'd 'cause she couldn't resist
She spoke slowly when she told me this, she said
[Chorus:]
Over Me, She's goin' crazy
She'll rub me on my chest and call me Mr. Sexy
She said she'd have my kids and help me make my next G
Tell me I ain't finesse Mahogony . . .
[Verse Two:]
So I prescribed her, something to revive
And surprise her, she's liver and much more wiser
Than the light I shine when my brain cells spark,
Come to me so we can glow in the dark
And soon, you can represent the moon
As long as I keep ya in tune
I'll tell ya who ya are and why ya here
Take it in stride 'cause it might take a year
It's funny - how time flies when ya havin' fun
We got close and it was almost one
She kissed me slow, but you know how far a kiss can go
F*ck around and miss the show
So I told her to hold that thought real tight
We can finish where we left off later on tonite
Back to the scene of the crime on time
As they introduced the 'Fiend of the Rhyme'
She stood with a birds-eye view of me
Thinkin' of later on of what she would do to me
The back of the room I could see her eyes gloom
Patient, but hopin' that the show was over soon
As the place was ripped in half, she made her way to the front row
So I said "let's go"
I packed my mic as they screamed for an encore
The speakers were blown, plus my mic was sore
Besides I got places to go, ladies to see
And she could tell me how crazy she was over me
We drove off - she said she liked the way that I performed
And couldn't wait to get 'soft and warm', I said,
"I've been watchin' you, watchin' me
Looks I received made it hard to MC
I can take a hint, so I knew that she
Wanted my "Agony Agony Ag-on-y" in her bod-y
Showed her some sights, then I took her to the Condo
She was pipin' hot, but I kept my calm So
She asked how come I don't smile
I said, "Everything's fine, but I'm in a New York state of mind!"
As we reached the kingdom, she said bring some
Champagne, she'll entertain then sing some
Sentimental, songs real gentle,
It hit the spot and you know where it went to
As we embraced I felt her heart pumpin'
I knew she was in the mood for somethin'
So I laid on my back and relaxed
It wasn't the Perignon that made her collaspe
Over me
[Chorus]
Keep 'em Eager To Listen lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
[Rakim]
Me and the rap's laid back
Nonchalant and relaxed in the track
Put together well, so it ain't hard to tell
Easy to recognize, so my records'll sell
On the microphone, well known with a low tone
Show and prove when the stage show is shown
All you hear is screams when I'm hit by the laser beams
Ladies fiend, rappers are choosin up teams
So who could beat up, just before we meet up
Before I kick a rhyme, I kick my feet up
to let you know, everything's under control
Under surveillance, takin over your soul
So let me handle this, gettin scandalous
All my jams are hits, never plan to miss
Crowd is captured, released at my permission
Peep em, as I, keep em eager to listen
[Rakim]
Opponents are found paralyzed from the mic down
Left with a little sight ears still hear the sound
Try to clear your mind but it's still there
Give him about a year, then give him a wheelchair
I damage and deteriorate, til your brain dead
No huss cuss what I discuss'll bust his head
Here's some hearin aids when your eardrums fail
You get scars, so you could read it in braille
Close your third eye, then I do body work
And I keep the same procedure til somebody's hurt
My DJ'll sew up cuts like an M.D.
And I still move crowds like an M.C.
Entertain and tear you out of your frame
Leave you in a puddle of blood, then let it rain
Then I get deep, so try to withstand
on my level to think, or sink like quicksand
He couldn't hang, so I cut the rope short
Watchin em fall, cause they need more support
This is the way that I done, all of my competition
Peep em, as I, keep em eager to listen
Keep em eager to listen
[Rakim]
The performance I give em is, somethin like a hypnotism
Swingin back and forth, til you can keep the rhythm
At the tone of my voice, you will become
eager to listen dance in a trance til you see the
R on stage, no cheers, all ears
All three of your eyes on me, so it appears
just like you thought it would be, but even better
Live and direct on stage, instead of the
radio or video or studio rehearsin
I'm at my best in the flesh in person
The main attraction, center of attention
The crowd'll go crazy, soon as I mention
it's time to communicate, so let's conversate
I get my point across, when you respond I make sense
So now we could continue the mission
As I, keep em eager to listen
As I, keep em eager to listen
[Rakim]
I used to always say one day
I'll play in the NBA cause I'll slay
opponents well, and also excel
as a black quarterback in the NFL
I throw to score so I can hear the crowd roar
Keep em, out of they seats and on the floor
And when I win, it'll pump my adrenaline
My record is undefeated, and I'll win again
I'll never lose or hear boos from the audience
cause they participate, and applaud me since
I bring em what they want to hear
And they'll fill up the atmopshere
with people that came to party, and have a good time
So when I'm gone, I'm sure, you understood the rhyme
Because I promise to accomplish the mission
Cause I, keep em eager to listen
Set 'Em Straight lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
[Rakim]
I came to set em straight, and let em know
Whoever's holdin the best, just let him go
Cause here's the inside scoop on the fiend
They wanna know why I'm seldom seen
Cause who needs the TV screens and magazines
or shootin through the city in fly limousines
There's one thing I don't like, it's the spotlight
.. cause I already got light
They be like, "Yo we had a get together last week
and we know everyone was there except the Black Sheik"
Because my schedule is tight, I gotta write
I'm deep in the archives, and keepin em hyped
It's been a long time, since you heard a strong rhyme
None of these are weak so when you bite on mine
we can trace the hits and then name that style
MC'sll be out of a job for a while
I reposess your indentification
So hand in your application
Put your mic on strike until you're unemployed
Contract is up and I'm stampin it void
Your selection ain't that selective
So I'ma put you in your proper perspective
On the dancefloor, and doin the SHAKE
Ready to let em brake, set em straight
[Rakim]
Somebody said I set em up and pulled the plug on em
But instead I let em go on so I could bug on em
Go 'head and flow, cause I close the show
Swing a song for the ladies and rhyme real slow
For instance.. once I commence..
.. the crowd is convinced
So now you know who to put your money on
Hurry up, before your money's gone
Cause I'm the most common denominator
Orchestrate a rhyme much greater
I'm like a world almanac, so tell the media
Givin em information like encyclopedia
So bring a dictionary, so you can look it up
so you know what I mean, when I hook it up
No misconceptions although I complicate
but this concept'll set em straight
They even said that I was locked in jail
So now I guess I'm out on bail?
The only Island I was on was the Strong one
And if I did my bid, it'll be a long one
Cause if I sold weight, I'd be upstate
in the penile, waitin for a brake
Cause sellin drugs is for handicaps
I got too many skills besides bustin rough raps
If I go to jail, it won't be for sellin ki's
It'll be for muderin MC's
The beat'll take over your heart, then I start
to cut em in half, cause rhymes are razor sharp
Secure the exits, all MC's remain
Cause we got a crowd to entertain
And I know, when I go, I'll flow dangerous
Brain'sll bust, what you tryin to explain to us?
You got lost, and couldn't go on
Came up short, so here's one to grow on
Elevate off a high IQ
In time, you'll find I'm true
Cause once I start on a piece of art
from sun to moon and light to dark I build the Ark
Now you can float off the rhymes I wrote
I'm sure that we'll hit shore without a boat
You could bring a battleship and still get shipwrecked
Attacked with a torpedo, what did you expect?
Driftin up the creek, without a beat or a paddle
Castaway on a raft and stand fragile
Rescue your crowd, which ain't a hard job
Me and my knowledge put together, I'm a lifeguard
Dealin with actual facts it sold out fat
here and now, but I go so far back
to bring you up to date, so we can elevate
It's no time to wait, or anticipate
Cause I'm never late, I'm gonna motivate
So I can let em brake, and set em straight
Let The Rhythm Hit 'em (12" Vocal Version Remix) lyrics - Eric B. & Rakim
Let the rhythm hit 'em
I'm the arsenal
I got artillery, lyrics of ammo
Rounds of rhythm
Then I'm 'a give 'em piano
Bring a bullet-proof vest
Nothin' to ricochet
ready to aim at the brain
~Now what the trigger say
Tempos triflin'
Felt like a rifle
Massage 'n' melodies
Might go right through
Simultaneously like an Uzi
Nothin' can bruise me
Lyrics let up when lady say don't lose me
So re-load quickly
And you better hit me
While I'm lettin' this fifi get wit me
You steppin' with .007
Better make it snappy
No time to do your hair, baby
Brothers are bustin' at me
Beats and bullets pass me
None on target
They want the R hit
But wtch the god get
Quicker, the tongue is the trigger
'Cause I'm real fast
Let off some rhythm at 'em
Let 'em feel the blast
Penetrate at a crazy rate
This ain't no .38
Hit 'em at point blank range
And watch 'em radiate
Runnin' out of ammunition
I'm done wit' em
You ask me how I did 'em
I let the rhythm hit 'em
I push a power that's punishable
Better be a prisoner
The hit man is the
Brother wit' charisma
Showing you that I have
Powerful paragraphs
Followers will become leaders
But without a path
Ya mentally paralyzed
Crippled ya third eye
Rhymes are blurred
Then it occurred that you heard I
Reduced the friction with crucifixion
Let loose the mix then
Boost the piston
Eric hit 'em with' some of that
Cut like a lumberjack
And me gettin' hit back
It won't be none of that
I'm untouchable
You see me in 3-D
When I let the rhythm hit another M.C.
Lyrics made of lead
Enters your head
Then eruptions of a mass production
Will spread when
Music is louder
Full of gunpower
Microphone machinery
When I see a crowd of
Party people pumpin'
Their fist like this
Ya hide in the back
Thinkin' that I might miss
But the R is accurate
Plus I'm packed up with
Educated punch lines that
I have to hit
Whatever I aim at
I line 'em up
Ya body is weak, feel with pain
That time is up
You been hit with somethin'
Different, isn't it?
Rakim is gonna radiate and nothing's equivalent
Nothin' can harm me
Why try to bar me
You couldn't come around to rob with a army
You'll get wrecked by the architect
So respect 'em
I disconnect 'em, soon as I inject 'em
With radiation
Put 'em by the basement
Bust his chest open
Bash his face in
Let it split 'im
Since he brought his main man wit' 'im
He ask me how I did 'im
I let the rhythm hit 'im
Let it hit 'im
Dance floor's dangerous
Packed in like a briefcase
Rhyth with ral rough rhyme
Beats with deep bass
Girls with tight pants
Maybe they might dance
Tonight if the Rs on the mike
There's a slight chance
The crowd is crucial
M.C.'s grounds are neutral
Now that you're here let me introduce you
Get ready
I'm hard read like graffiti but steady
Science I drop is real heavy
Radiant energy, that'll be the penalty
Touch the third rail on the pain of remedy
The prescription's one every hour
Now it's a havoc
If ya need another hit from the freestyle fanatic
Attention: follow directions real close
Keep out of reach of children
Beware of overdose
Too many milligram
But what made a iller jam
My rhyme is the rhythm of thoughts
That kill a man
I deas for the ear to fear
Might split 'im
He'll never forget 'im
He'll rest in peace wit' 'em
At least when he left he'll know what hit 'im
The last breath of the words of death
Was the rhythm
Now throw you hands in the air and yo, go
Rakim will do the rest of this slow
If I speed they know you'll blow the hell up
If I slow up, catch up, hell no
Wicked as I kecked it
Don't need to remix it
'Cause I prefixed it
Reversed and switched it
To perform to perfection
Section for section
Rhymes keep connectin'
Ya guessin' what's next an'
Blood pressure rise as ya damn near lost it
Ya hit the ground burnin' and woke up frostbitten
'Cause when I explained ya can't complain for pain
Travel through the brain hit a vein
Then remain, let it radiate
Vibes will vibrate
Why did you violate
Now I'm 'a have to let the style brak
Moans now the tone is ingrown
After this here's thrown, gimme another microphone
Before I get that fifi I met
Whisper I wanna reach her intellect
Kiss her 'cause I wanna give her the most respect
So I shine and let the write reflect
Hold 'er, mold 'er, make 'er feel older
Lay her on my shoulder
Everything I told her
Makes her feel secure whenever I'm wit' 'er
And you know how I did 'er
Me and the rhythm hit 'er
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
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]
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