Talib Kweli - Quality Album Lyrics
Talib Kweli - Quality Lyrics
Writer: TALIB GREENE
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Rush
[Talib Kweli: repeat 16X]
Feel the rush
[Talib over the repeated line]
Yeah, I do this shit for real (you get Chuck D'd, "Shut the F*ck down")
Ain't no games being played (remember that, remember that)
It might be the career (yo)
It might be on the stage (yo)
It might be in the street (yo)
But the people come to me (why?)
[Talib Kweli]
They come to me for the lyrical, spiritual, raw shit I spit at you
Original, and I see collective, not individual
Visual, in the mic I'm un-f*ck-wit-able
Invincible, offical nigga who they come to
For the hardcore, art of war, rhymes that I got in store
Triple W in curo son or die or
For education and culture, heads is waitin' for Mos to
Do the album with Kweli, we do it like we suppose to
Nobody come close to my crew, we wild nice
You ain't tight, your rhymes is like what a child writes
When he can't spell, you chase crumbs and get ate like Han-sel
Can't hold your mic, like your liquor, your style like an Amstel
Smack a nigga til my motherf*ckin hands swell
You ain't fly and you prolly got can-cell
Y'all niggas shaky like handheld, amuteur camera work
In walking this planet of earth
I'm the illest emcee and a man of my word
When I came out, niggaz didn't understand it at first
I'm known to roll up my sleeves and put my hands in the dirt
We at war and I got a battle plan that can work
With the proper execution so I'm killin' 'em right
You get hit like a deer standin' still in the light
I'm spillin' it like, I ain't never had a meal in my life
Feed my family with my pen, it's so real what I write
[Bridge]
We fight, f*ck, get buckwild
Kill, chill, make love, have child
Freestyle, b-boy, hit the block
Build, destroy, get it hot
Yo, I make the place go apeshit (c'mon)
Ain't no other way to say it, ain't nuttin to play with
I'm Langston Hughes, "Dreams Deferred" seen and heard in the flesh
Cause so many people believe the word even when it seems absurd
With keen observation I peep the game
And got blood on his hands, I can see the stains
My street slang spray like shots when heat bang out
Niggas keep my name in they mouth, I put they flame out
Where I'm from, action is first and talk is second
I'm sharp like the blade in the logo of Rawkus Records
New York's infected, niggaz beefin' on the mix-tape
Got Nickelback niggaz thinkin' they can f*ck with big weight
Hell no, give it up, it's enough
We about to live it up, with ten of us
We ride and you live with us
Pick it up, party people, you about to get in touch
Give it up, everybody, you about to get a rush
You can find Kweli in the cut, wth a Cohiba lit up bout to split a Dutch
Get it up, everybody, you about to get in touch
Give it up, everybody, you about to get a rush (whooo!)
[Xzibit]
Yeah, yeah
Quality material
Yo, check this out
Yeah, you heard it
Kweli
You don't know how to say it by now, f*ck you
Broadcastin' live, from Brooklyn, New York City
Yeah, turn this shit up
It's Quality music
You know how we use it
Feel the rush
[Talib Kweli: repeat to end]
Feel the rush
Feel the rush
[Talib over the repeated line]
Yeah, I do this shit for real (you get Chuck D'd, "Shut the F*ck down")
Ain't no games being played (remember that, remember that)
It might be the career (yo)
It might be on the stage (yo)
It might be in the street (yo)
But the people come to me (why?)
[Talib Kweli]
They come to me for the lyrical, spiritual, raw shit I spit at you
Original, and I see collective, not individual
Visual, in the mic I'm un-f*ck-wit-able
Invincible, offical nigga who they come to
For the hardcore, art of war, rhymes that I got in store
Triple W in curo son or die or
For education and culture, heads is waitin' for Mos to
Do the album with Kweli, we do it like we suppose to
Nobody come close to my crew, we wild nice
You ain't tight, your rhymes is like what a child writes
When he can't spell, you chase crumbs and get ate like Han-sel
Can't hold your mic, like your liquor, your style like an Amstel
Smack a nigga til my motherf*ckin hands swell
You ain't fly and you prolly got can-cell
Y'all niggas shaky like handheld, amuteur camera work
In walking this planet of earth
I'm the illest emcee and a man of my word
When I came out, niggaz didn't understand it at first
I'm known to roll up my sleeves and put my hands in the dirt
We at war and I got a battle plan that can work
With the proper execution so I'm killin' 'em right
You get hit like a deer standin' still in the light
I'm spillin' it like, I ain't never had a meal in my life
Feed my family with my pen, it's so real what I write
[Bridge]
We fight, f*ck, get buckwild
Kill, chill, make love, have child
Freestyle, b-boy, hit the block
Build, destroy, get it hot
Yo, I make the place go apeshit (c'mon)
Ain't no other way to say it, ain't nuttin to play with
I'm Langston Hughes, "Dreams Deferred" seen and heard in the flesh
Cause so many people believe the word even when it seems absurd
With keen observation I peep the game
And got blood on his hands, I can see the stains
My street slang spray like shots when heat bang out
Niggas keep my name in they mouth, I put they flame out
Where I'm from, action is first and talk is second
I'm sharp like the blade in the logo of Rawkus Records
New York's infected, niggaz beefin' on the mix-tape
Got Nickelback niggaz thinkin' they can f*ck with big weight
Hell no, give it up, it's enough
We about to live it up, with ten of us
We ride and you live with us
Pick it up, party people, you about to get in touch
Give it up, everybody, you about to get a rush
You can find Kweli in the cut, wth a Cohiba lit up bout to split a Dutch
Get it up, everybody, you about to get in touch
Give it up, everybody, you about to get a rush (whooo!)
[Xzibit]
Yeah, yeah
Quality material
Yo, check this out
Yeah, you heard it
Kweli
You don't know how to say it by now, f*ck you
Broadcastin' live, from Brooklyn, New York City
Yeah, turn this shit up
It's Quality music
You know how we use it
Feel the rush
[Talib Kweli: repeat to end]
Feel the rush
Writer: Dorsey Wesley, Talib Greene
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Get By
[Talib Kweli]
Yeah, Kweli
Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye yeah get back
Classic Brooklyn, let's go
We sell crack to our own, nigga I'm back in the zone
My passionate poems got the feds tappin my phones
It's like Timothy McVeigh, they say I'm actin alone
I got a whole team that'll put a gat to your dome
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
Yo this remix is hot, we only dealin with the live hip hop
Yo get by, get back nigga (Roc)
[Jay-Z]
Just to get by
Nigga I sold coke, nigga I pushed lah
Carried a fo'five
Claimed I was ready to die
Promised never to cry
Held it all inside
Reality was too much to take so I
Kept my mind fly
Slimmed for most of mine
Soon as I closed my eyes
Then I woke up behind
Nigga either I throw it up, these nines
Or blow up with rhymes
The best flow of mines is like blow up on lines of coke up
And your folks think Hov' just wrote stuff to rhyme
Nah, I'ma poster for what happened seein your moms
Doin five dollars worth to work just to get a dime
So pardon my disposition
Why should I listen to a system that never listened to me?
Picture me working McDonald's (uh uh)
I'd rather pull a mac on you
Sorry Ms. Jackson but I'm packin
[Hook: Talib Kweli + background singers]
This morning I woke up
Feelin brand new and I, I jumped up
Feelin my highs and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin
But I been thinkin I got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by
Just to get (by), just to get
(everybody get your hands in the sky, it go)
[background singers]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
Bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Just to get by, just to get by
Just to get by
(...hands in the sky, it go)
[background singers]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Just to get by, just to get by
(Talib Kweli) Just to get by
We keep it gangsta, stay 'fo shizzle', 'fo sheezy'
To set the tide to the violence on the TV during the war
Killin each other is easy, there's war and liquor for fallen niggas Believe
me, it's ghetto love, I bet you seen it all befo'
Just to get by, my people we get fly
My people we get high, fillin cigars with the lah
Nigga come on, even Jesus was stoned before receivin the throne
I said to rest in peace to Nina Simone
[Busta Rhymes]
Back in the days we was used to doin the shit
I can't call it all in the streets
We was hustlin fiends that asked for it
I guess I was used to just standin on corners
Waitin for paper bags with bundles of crack
Hopin the week was good so I could get money back
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
When I was stressed I possessed a side of my strength
That made me angry and bleed
With the frustration havin me smokin Newports and weed
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
Those be the times when I try to rely
On my niggas and street motherf*ckers
And reach out to wifey and then I place a call on my mother
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
(Hey yo mom pick up the phone, I g- I gotta to talk to you ma)
If you was (??) sentenced 'stead of actin stupid and guessin
You had to go and study your lessons
And know your math in the building recession to get by
[Hook: Talib Kweli + background singers]
This morning I woke up
Feelin brand new and I, I jumped up
Feelin my highs and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin
But I been thinkin I got my reasons
Just to get (get), just to get (get)
Just to get (get), just to get (get buh buh buh bye bye)
[background singers repeat in the background]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Some people try to be fly
They fake and they lie
They snakes'll see the hate in their eyes
Look at the sky to survive
People try to get by
Fightin force, slice of the pie
Tryin to eat and be high
How you know you really alive if you don't reach for the sky?
Your eyes keep on the prize
What you seek and you'll find
Who's the realest niggas? that we let people decide
Who keepin it live?
Brooklyn got the key to the ride, c'mon
Some people try to be fly
They fake and they lie
They snakes'll see the hate in their eyes
Look at the sky to survive
People try to get by
Fightin force, slice of the pie
Tryin to eat and be high
How you know you really alive if you don't reach for the sky?
Your eyes keep on the prize
What you seek and you'll find
Who's the realest niggas? that we let people decide
Who keepin it live?
Brooklyn got the key to the ride, c'mon
Yeah, Kweli
Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye yeah get back
Classic Brooklyn, let's go
We sell crack to our own, nigga I'm back in the zone
My passionate poems got the feds tappin my phones
It's like Timothy McVeigh, they say I'm actin alone
I got a whole team that'll put a gat to your dome
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
Yo this remix is hot, we only dealin with the live hip hop
Yo get by, get back nigga (Roc)
[Jay-Z]
Just to get by
Nigga I sold coke, nigga I pushed lah
Carried a fo'five
Claimed I was ready to die
Promised never to cry
Held it all inside
Reality was too much to take so I
Kept my mind fly
Slimmed for most of mine
Soon as I closed my eyes
Then I woke up behind
Nigga either I throw it up, these nines
Or blow up with rhymes
The best flow of mines is like blow up on lines of coke up
And your folks think Hov' just wrote stuff to rhyme
Nah, I'ma poster for what happened seein your moms
Doin five dollars worth to work just to get a dime
So pardon my disposition
Why should I listen to a system that never listened to me?
Picture me working McDonald's (uh uh)
I'd rather pull a mac on you
Sorry Ms. Jackson but I'm packin
[Hook: Talib Kweli + background singers]
This morning I woke up
Feelin brand new and I, I jumped up
Feelin my highs and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin
But I been thinkin I got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by
Just to get (by), just to get
(everybody get your hands in the sky, it go)
[background singers]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
Bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Just to get by, just to get by
Just to get by
(...hands in the sky, it go)
[background singers]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Just to get by, just to get by
(Talib Kweli) Just to get by
We keep it gangsta, stay 'fo shizzle', 'fo sheezy'
To set the tide to the violence on the TV during the war
Killin each other is easy, there's war and liquor for fallen niggas Believe
me, it's ghetto love, I bet you seen it all befo'
Just to get by, my people we get fly
My people we get high, fillin cigars with the lah
Nigga come on, even Jesus was stoned before receivin the throne
I said to rest in peace to Nina Simone
[Busta Rhymes]
Back in the days we was used to doin the shit
I can't call it all in the streets
We was hustlin fiends that asked for it
I guess I was used to just standin on corners
Waitin for paper bags with bundles of crack
Hopin the week was good so I could get money back
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
When I was stressed I possessed a side of my strength
That made me angry and bleed
With the frustration havin me smokin Newports and weed
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
Those be the times when I try to rely
On my niggas and street motherf*ckers
And reach out to wifey and then I place a call on my mother
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by
(Hey yo mom pick up the phone, I g- I gotta to talk to you ma)
If you was (??) sentenced 'stead of actin stupid and guessin
You had to go and study your lessons
And know your math in the building recession to get by
[Hook: Talib Kweli + background singers]
This morning I woke up
Feelin brand new and I, I jumped up
Feelin my highs and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin
But I been thinkin I got my reasons
Just to get (get), just to get (get)
Just to get (get), just to get (get buh buh buh bye bye)
[background singers repeat in the background]
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah
[Talib Kweli]
Some people try to be fly
They fake and they lie
They snakes'll see the hate in their eyes
Look at the sky to survive
People try to get by
Fightin force, slice of the pie
Tryin to eat and be high
How you know you really alive if you don't reach for the sky?
Your eyes keep on the prize
What you seek and you'll find
Who's the realest niggas? that we let people decide
Who keepin it live?
Brooklyn got the key to the ride, c'mon
Some people try to be fly
They fake and they lie
They snakes'll see the hate in their eyes
Look at the sky to survive
People try to get by
Fightin force, slice of the pie
Tryin to eat and be high
How you know you really alive if you don't reach for the sky?
Your eyes keep on the prize
What you seek and you'll find
Who's the realest niggas? that we let people decide
Who keepin it live?
Brooklyn got the key to the ride, c'mon
Writer: Nina Simone, Talib Kweli, Kanye West
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Shock Body
[Kweli]
Yeah, yeah
[Girl]
La, la, la [continuous]
[Kweli]
It's like what you gonna do when we come through when you
Yeah, shock body like
What you gonna do when we come through, Kweli
Uh, yeah, BK MC, like what you gonna do when we come through when you
Woo, yeah, come on
[Verse 1]
Watch how Talib Kweli Greene do it
What I bring to it
You hear the theme music
My rhymes' life support, dog breathe to it
Rhymes are bright, the sunshine beams through it
Stop haters in their tracks like high beams
Like the moment you was at the crime scene screaming "I ain't do it"
But, I seen through it, it's obscene how I spew it
Martin Luther King had a dream to it, people cling to it
I seen your momma lean to it in a green Buick
Wack niggas get passed over so much they seem Jewish
Better leave and do it now or seem foolish
This music I bleed to it, I raise my seeds to it
I MC with the truest in the game
I stay hungry like I'm the newest in the game
And stay hot like I'm bluish with the flame
You heard the truth when it came
And you knew it was the name that you couldn't pronounce
Now I'm all up in your mouth
My people all up in the house and we calling you out
Y'all niggas crying, what you bawling about
This shit is down like we chalking you out
Hey yo, that's what I'm talking about
[Chorus]
[Girl]
Look up in the sky recongnize it's sunshine (la, la's cont'd)
[Kweli]
Yeah, what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
How can you deny when it's right in your eyes
[Kweli]
Shock body, ro-ro-ro-ro-rock body
Like what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
Look up in the sky recognize it's sunshine
[Kweli]
Come on and, come on and
Kweli like what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
How can you deny when it's right in your eyes
[Kweli]
Yeah, come on
[Verse 2]
Check the writing skills forever coming tight with the quill
You sound like you liking the thrill
Or filling the pipe with the the krill
YOu must be smoking like the spliff we like to light when we build
Out of respect for the dead we let our Heinekens spill
Cats taking Vicatin pills to numb the pain that they feeling
Pertaining to stealing my rhymes finding their brains on the ceiling
I'm blowing their minds wide open when I'm flowing I'm fine
Hey yo my whole style banging like I'm throwing up signs
Niggas get cut like I saw someone I know in the line
I live life to the fullest cause I know I could die
Right now, I don't believe I know when to sto'
My face soldier's going to lie, when I'm going to buy
You gonna see a rainbow in the sky
And my momma's face glowing with pride
My first born held it down and through my baby's soul I survive
Put your hands in the air and let me know you're alive
I love this game y'all, I ain't even going to lie
I can see you all rocking cause you know when it's live, word
[Chorus]
[girl]
[repeat chorus]
[kweli]
[repeat chorus]
[Continue]
[Outro]
BK, BX, Q-borough, like what you gonna do when we come through
ATL, Chi-Town, Los Angeles, Bay Area
Everybody like what you gonna do when we come through yeah
My whole world rocking
Yo BK like what you gonna do when we come through, Kweli
Yeah, yeah
[Girl]
La, la, la [continuous]
[Kweli]
It's like what you gonna do when we come through when you
Yeah, shock body like
What you gonna do when we come through, Kweli
Uh, yeah, BK MC, like what you gonna do when we come through when you
Woo, yeah, come on
[Verse 1]
Watch how Talib Kweli Greene do it
What I bring to it
You hear the theme music
My rhymes' life support, dog breathe to it
Rhymes are bright, the sunshine beams through it
Stop haters in their tracks like high beams
Like the moment you was at the crime scene screaming "I ain't do it"
But, I seen through it, it's obscene how I spew it
Martin Luther King had a dream to it, people cling to it
I seen your momma lean to it in a green Buick
Wack niggas get passed over so much they seem Jewish
Better leave and do it now or seem foolish
This music I bleed to it, I raise my seeds to it
I MC with the truest in the game
I stay hungry like I'm the newest in the game
And stay hot like I'm bluish with the flame
You heard the truth when it came
And you knew it was the name that you couldn't pronounce
Now I'm all up in your mouth
My people all up in the house and we calling you out
Y'all niggas crying, what you bawling about
This shit is down like we chalking you out
Hey yo, that's what I'm talking about
[Chorus]
[Girl]
Look up in the sky recongnize it's sunshine (la, la's cont'd)
[Kweli]
Yeah, what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
How can you deny when it's right in your eyes
[Kweli]
Shock body, ro-ro-ro-ro-rock body
Like what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
Look up in the sky recognize it's sunshine
[Kweli]
Come on and, come on and
Kweli like what you gonna do when we come through when you
[Girl]
How can you deny when it's right in your eyes
[Kweli]
Yeah, come on
[Verse 2]
Check the writing skills forever coming tight with the quill
You sound like you liking the thrill
Or filling the pipe with the the krill
YOu must be smoking like the spliff we like to light when we build
Out of respect for the dead we let our Heinekens spill
Cats taking Vicatin pills to numb the pain that they feeling
Pertaining to stealing my rhymes finding their brains on the ceiling
I'm blowing their minds wide open when I'm flowing I'm fine
Hey yo my whole style banging like I'm throwing up signs
Niggas get cut like I saw someone I know in the line
I live life to the fullest cause I know I could die
Right now, I don't believe I know when to sto'
My face soldier's going to lie, when I'm going to buy
You gonna see a rainbow in the sky
And my momma's face glowing with pride
My first born held it down and through my baby's soul I survive
Put your hands in the air and let me know you're alive
I love this game y'all, I ain't even going to lie
I can see you all rocking cause you know when it's live, word
[Chorus]
[girl]
[repeat chorus]
[kweli]
[repeat chorus]
[Continue]
[Outro]
BK, BX, Q-borough, like what you gonna do when we come through
ATL, Chi-Town, Los Angeles, Bay Area
Everybody like what you gonna do when we come through yeah
My whole world rocking
Yo BK like what you gonna do when we come through, Kweli
Writer: CHUCK MANGIONE, ROGER KAY KARSHNER
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Gun Music
[Talib Kweli]
Now, If I'm out of town my crew take of your bodies the more the merrier
Point and spray the area
Niggas is quick to bury you
Punk niggas feel inferior
Guns make us superior
Cats start acting scarier
Situations get hairier, yo
You know who killing it, niggas saying they militant
The only blood in the street is when the government spilling it
You could have a hand gun or a cannon
And you still (?)
without the knowledge and wisdom and understanding of
a 22 derringer
a 38 long
a 44 desert eagle
a Glock Nine
time to protect the fam I'm a cock mine
I make the streets run red like a stop sign stop lieing
[Hook]
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak
Gun man music never take shot back (oh!)
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak (Come On)
Ghetto Red Hot 'round the world you hear that (oh oh oh come on)
Co Coi Coi Clack Clak Clak Clak Clak
Gun man youth never take shot back (Yes!)(Brooklyn)
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak
Ghetto red hot 'round the world you hear that
In Jamaica (Kingston), In Brooklyn (Flatbush), In Ethiopia (Yep)
We Go There and Back (Come On)
To all my real live soldier cats where you at
Dogs don't hold them back
those the cats that go to strapped to blow a back
[Talib Kweli]
You could be whoever, a black panther or lap dancer
when respect is the question folks coming with the gat answer
Shoot at your feet like spider, you a tap dancer
What am I amusing to you?
You better have that answer
Toys for guns, I got guns for toys
Silencers bring the heat without bringing the noise
Bringing the funk of dead bodies, go ahead bring in your boys
You'll see the soul of black folk like W.E.B DuBois
Israelies got tanks and Palestinians got rocks
Inmates got shanks and dirty cops they got glocks
We got tribes in Africa that listen to Pac
fighting with brothers who pump Biggie like they live on the block
[Hook]
[Cocoa Brovaz]
These are the tools of the trade
that we use to get paid
When we cruise on escapades
and escalades with guns to blaze
we been this ways since the younger days
Safe from the hunger pains
Pop Bang when the trouble came
Pioneers of gun slang
Supply you with them things
a little something, something
set fire to the game
my system be thumping
Co Coi Coi! the sounds of guns busting
Co Coi Coi! your heart just start pumping
[Talib Kweli]
From a 22 derringer
a 38 long
a 44 desert eagle
Time to protect the fam I 'ma cock mine
I make the streets run red like a stop sign stop lying
Gun Music y'all
Now, If I'm out of town my crew take of your bodies the more the merrier
Point and spray the area
Niggas is quick to bury you
Punk niggas feel inferior
Guns make us superior
Cats start acting scarier
Situations get hairier, yo
You know who killing it, niggas saying they militant
The only blood in the street is when the government spilling it
You could have a hand gun or a cannon
And you still (?)
without the knowledge and wisdom and understanding of
a 22 derringer
a 38 long
a 44 desert eagle
a Glock Nine
time to protect the fam I'm a cock mine
I make the streets run red like a stop sign stop lieing
[Hook]
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak
Gun man music never take shot back (oh!)
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak (Come On)
Ghetto Red Hot 'round the world you hear that (oh oh oh come on)
Co Coi Coi Clack Clak Clak Clak Clak
Gun man youth never take shot back (Yes!)(Brooklyn)
Co Coi Coi Clak Clak Clak Clak Clak
Ghetto red hot 'round the world you hear that
In Jamaica (Kingston), In Brooklyn (Flatbush), In Ethiopia (Yep)
We Go There and Back (Come On)
To all my real live soldier cats where you at
Dogs don't hold them back
those the cats that go to strapped to blow a back
[Talib Kweli]
You could be whoever, a black panther or lap dancer
when respect is the question folks coming with the gat answer
Shoot at your feet like spider, you a tap dancer
What am I amusing to you?
You better have that answer
Toys for guns, I got guns for toys
Silencers bring the heat without bringing the noise
Bringing the funk of dead bodies, go ahead bring in your boys
You'll see the soul of black folk like W.E.B DuBois
Israelies got tanks and Palestinians got rocks
Inmates got shanks and dirty cops they got glocks
We got tribes in Africa that listen to Pac
fighting with brothers who pump Biggie like they live on the block
[Hook]
[Cocoa Brovaz]
These are the tools of the trade
that we use to get paid
When we cruise on escapades
and escalades with guns to blaze
we been this ways since the younger days
Safe from the hunger pains
Pop Bang when the trouble came
Pioneers of gun slang
Supply you with them things
a little something, something
set fire to the game
my system be thumping
Co Coi Coi! the sounds of guns busting
Co Coi Coi! your heart just start pumping
[Talib Kweli]
From a 22 derringer
a 38 long
a 44 desert eagle
Time to protect the fam I 'ma cock mine
I make the streets run red like a stop sign stop lying
Gun Music y'all
Writer: DARRELL A. JR. YATES, DORSEY WESLEY, TALIB KWELI GREENE, TEKOMIN B. WILLIAMS
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Waitin For The DJ
Waitin' for the DJ to
Let your body rock (It's your boy Kweli, BK MC)
So I can show you just what I got (Memph Blow in the house)
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Music is the air I breathe
The prayer I leave
Rippin' in the atmosphere
Up there in the breeze
Stronger then the revolution
That you wear on your sleeve
Its all I know
Not an idea you believe
I spit bars you can't touch
Like tips in strip bars
Get charged, man I drop hits that hit hard
Hit bars with my brown shook 'cause this starred
The night just start, I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
We all hop in the car deep
We bring Brooklyn to the city
My fellas lookin' sharp my ladies lookin' pretty
When the DJ let the needle drop
The beat'll rock, the beat'll start
Boppin' and my people got it poppin' like needle marks
3 o'clock and it's mass hysteria
I'm about to hit the cafeteria
I'm Waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to
Let your body rock (Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to
Let your body rock (Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
I read the lines and all the between
In my mind I'm rewindin' the scene
The club ain't the place to be findin' a queen
You all in my dream girl
Though I can't sleep on you no
You was a star tonight
It like shown through
Vampires takin' a bite
I'm in the zone too
I always end up takin' the flight
Makin' a right for the fam
So tight in the jam
A fight began
Always heard bad niggas tryin' to act like a man
The DJ had the mic in his hand
Like calm down
(Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock)
Yeah, it was like I was the audience at the concert
You at the converse
With the Luis Vuitton purse
Tiger's eye around the wrist
With the fly and the prints
Lookin' up your arm a blender with a tatooed gift
I had to catch a plane but you make me warm as day
I had to catch your name and I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
(Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
'cause they let me chasing through the same old song
So just clap your hands together 'til they make that sound
Yeah, hot runnin' the summertime its why I said it
Guys see the flesh catch a dyed fetish
Hunnies smellin' to sweet its like I'm diabetic
On stars and the sky in seminal, dianetic
Drop the top beat up the block
On plow, now when they smoke a tree up
As shots reach the new tunes
Dogs who lose Hollerin' at the new move
Ours, I'm like the sun, the flower in full bloom
When I come out the house we complete like the number 9
Gimme some of yours, I'm a give you some of mine
Your off the sucka rhyme
A song will sound like one of mine
I know you love it when I shine, I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Let your body rock (It's your boy Kweli, BK MC)
So I can show you just what I got (Memph Blow in the house)
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Music is the air I breathe
The prayer I leave
Rippin' in the atmosphere
Up there in the breeze
Stronger then the revolution
That you wear on your sleeve
Its all I know
Not an idea you believe
I spit bars you can't touch
Like tips in strip bars
Get charged, man I drop hits that hit hard
Hit bars with my brown shook 'cause this starred
The night just start, I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
We all hop in the car deep
We bring Brooklyn to the city
My fellas lookin' sharp my ladies lookin' pretty
When the DJ let the needle drop
The beat'll rock, the beat'll start
Boppin' and my people got it poppin' like needle marks
3 o'clock and it's mass hysteria
I'm about to hit the cafeteria
I'm Waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to
Let your body rock (Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to
Let your body rock (Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
I read the lines and all the between
In my mind I'm rewindin' the scene
The club ain't the place to be findin' a queen
You all in my dream girl
Though I can't sleep on you no
You was a star tonight
It like shown through
Vampires takin' a bite
I'm in the zone too
I always end up takin' the flight
Makin' a right for the fam
So tight in the jam
A fight began
Always heard bad niggas tryin' to act like a man
The DJ had the mic in his hand
Like calm down
(Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock)
Yeah, it was like I was the audience at the concert
You at the converse
With the Luis Vuitton purse
Tiger's eye around the wrist
With the fly and the prints
Lookin' up your arm a blender with a tatooed gift
I had to catch a plane but you make me warm as day
I had to catch your name and I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
(Put it down for y'all)
So I can show you just what I got
'cause they let me chasing through the same old song
So just clap your hands together 'til they make that sound
Yeah, hot runnin' the summertime its why I said it
Guys see the flesh catch a dyed fetish
Hunnies smellin' to sweet its like I'm diabetic
On stars and the sky in seminal, dianetic
Drop the top beat up the block
On plow, now when they smoke a tree up
As shots reach the new tunes
Dogs who lose Hollerin' at the new move
Ours, I'm like the sun, the flower in full bloom
When I come out the house we complete like the number 9
Gimme some of yours, I'm a give you some of mine
Your off the sucka rhyme
A song will sound like one of mine
I know you love it when I shine, I'm waitin'
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Waitin' for the DJ to, let your body rock
So I can show you just what I got
Writer: Bilal S. Oliver, Dahoud Darien, Talib Kweli
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Joy
[Talib Kweli]
Wooaahh! yeah
on top of the world
Yeah, that's how my seeds got me feeling' right now
on top of the world
Yeah, you ever felt like you could do anything, (Yeah)
on top of the world
(?) I'ma hold y'all down for real, (Gotcha!)
[Talib Kweli]
It was 1996, 4th of July, looking off in the sky
dealing with thoughts inside, when something caught my eye
It was a silhoutte of a beautiful woman, bright with life
carrying my first seed, looking like she gone bear fruit tonight
We at the African street festival, and she walking around
talking about the midwife said, that bring the baby down
I'm about to be a father, the sights and sounds, seem brighter around me
and for starters, I know I'ma work harder, word
We got home at three in the morning, I was beat
them contractions started coming as soon as I fell asleep
3:05, like every five minutes, then the water broke
we on the go, yelling at the cabbie, cause he's sort of slow
You know them hospitals all trying to get paid, no questions
hear come the doctor's with they drugs, trying to do c-sections
But my baby stay's strong, in labor for yay long
eight-pound baby boy, to carry my name on, joy!
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, yeah
I know how you feel, Kweli I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
See my brother, I know how you feel, Kweli, I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
So when you, have a seed, come in the world, say dog that shit's real
(That's the sound of joy, y'all)
Huh, Kweli, yo I know how you feel, Kweli, yo I know how you feel
My baby girl
[Talib Kweli]
June 10th, 1999, I been on the grind
since the birth of my son, it's been about, way more then rhymes
Baby on the way, my lady glowing today, at least
that's what the midwife said, on the phone
Anyway, the music got me going away
Like everyday, but it's a blessing, so I gotta have patience
and she got pregnant on a Jamaican vacation
So it's all good, this time well have the baby in a house
I went the hospital route, I know what they all about (Never again)
So I'm out on tour, in Baltimore
get the call around four, when the water hit the floor (Damn!)
I gotta rock my show, but I gotta go
got second thoughts about her not going, to the hospital
I left the show early, Mos held me down, good looking (No doubt)
call the car service, like, take me straight to Brooklyn (Uh huh)
Got the news in the car, stayed sorta calm
but I cried tears of joy, when they put my daughter in my arms, how precious!
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, huh
Said I know how you feel, uh, said I know how you feel when you
(My precious joy)
Said I know how you feel, uh, Kwe I know how you feel
(I know you do, huh, my precious joy y'all)
Huh, uh, said I know how you feel (yeah), said I know how you feel
(My precious joy)
Huh, man I know how you feel (yeah), said I know how you feel
[Talib Kweli]
I do it for the seeds y'all, in they formative years when they need y'all
we gotta believe, in what we conceive y'all, it's deep y'all
I give them the truth, so they approach the situation, with ammunition
I keep nothing away, they hear everything, cause they know how to listen
Teach them the game, so they know they position, so they can grow
and make decisions, that change the world, and break old tradition
They put kids in jail, for a life they ain't even get to start
that's murder too, and it's breaking my heart, it's breaking our nation apart
We gave the youth all the anger, it's just
we ain't taught them, how to express it, and so it's dangerous
You can't talk to them
Unless your language is relating to what they going through
so busy ignoring them, you can't see what they showing you
And you wonder, why we called baby-daddy's and baby-momma's
when we grow up, we can't act like adult mothers and fathers, yo
I'm so blessed to have a boy and a girl, everyday they bring joy to my world
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, yeah
I know how you feel, Kweli I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
Brother Kwe', I know how you feel, Brother Kwe', I know how you feel
(Baby girl, my precious joy)
Kweli, I know how you feel, say bro' I know how you feel
(Fela, be my joy, yo)
Huh, if you know how the people feel, let me really know how you...yo
I do it for the seeds y'all [Repeat 5x]
Wooaahh! yeah
on top of the world
Yeah, that's how my seeds got me feeling' right now
on top of the world
Yeah, you ever felt like you could do anything, (Yeah)
on top of the world
(?) I'ma hold y'all down for real, (Gotcha!)
[Talib Kweli]
It was 1996, 4th of July, looking off in the sky
dealing with thoughts inside, when something caught my eye
It was a silhoutte of a beautiful woman, bright with life
carrying my first seed, looking like she gone bear fruit tonight
We at the African street festival, and she walking around
talking about the midwife said, that bring the baby down
I'm about to be a father, the sights and sounds, seem brighter around me
and for starters, I know I'ma work harder, word
We got home at three in the morning, I was beat
them contractions started coming as soon as I fell asleep
3:05, like every five minutes, then the water broke
we on the go, yelling at the cabbie, cause he's sort of slow
You know them hospitals all trying to get paid, no questions
hear come the doctor's with they drugs, trying to do c-sections
But my baby stay's strong, in labor for yay long
eight-pound baby boy, to carry my name on, joy!
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, yeah
I know how you feel, Kweli I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
See my brother, I know how you feel, Kweli, I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
So when you, have a seed, come in the world, say dog that shit's real
(That's the sound of joy, y'all)
Huh, Kweli, yo I know how you feel, Kweli, yo I know how you feel
My baby girl
[Talib Kweli]
June 10th, 1999, I been on the grind
since the birth of my son, it's been about, way more then rhymes
Baby on the way, my lady glowing today, at least
that's what the midwife said, on the phone
Anyway, the music got me going away
Like everyday, but it's a blessing, so I gotta have patience
and she got pregnant on a Jamaican vacation
So it's all good, this time well have the baby in a house
I went the hospital route, I know what they all about (Never again)
So I'm out on tour, in Baltimore
get the call around four, when the water hit the floor (Damn!)
I gotta rock my show, but I gotta go
got second thoughts about her not going, to the hospital
I left the show early, Mos held me down, good looking (No doubt)
call the car service, like, take me straight to Brooklyn (Uh huh)
Got the news in the car, stayed sorta calm
but I cried tears of joy, when they put my daughter in my arms, how precious!
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, huh
Said I know how you feel, uh, said I know how you feel when you
(My precious joy)
Said I know how you feel, uh, Kwe I know how you feel
(I know you do, huh, my precious joy y'all)
Huh, uh, said I know how you feel (yeah), said I know how you feel
(My precious joy)
Huh, man I know how you feel (yeah), said I know how you feel
[Talib Kweli]
I do it for the seeds y'all, in they formative years when they need y'all
we gotta believe, in what we conceive y'all, it's deep y'all
I give them the truth, so they approach the situation, with ammunition
I keep nothing away, they hear everything, cause they know how to listen
Teach them the game, so they know they position, so they can grow
and make decisions, that change the world, and break old tradition
They put kids in jail, for a life they ain't even get to start
that's murder too, and it's breaking my heart, it's breaking our nation apart
We gave the youth all the anger, it's just
we ain't taught them, how to express it, and so it's dangerous
You can't talk to them
Unless your language is relating to what they going through
so busy ignoring them, you can't see what they showing you
And you wonder, why we called baby-daddy's and baby-momma's
when we grow up, we can't act like adult mothers and fathers, yo
I'm so blessed to have a boy and a girl, everyday they bring joy to my world
[Chorus: Mos Def + (Talib Kweli)]
Huh, yeah
I know how you feel, Kweli I know how you feel
(That's the sound of joy)
Brother Kwe', I know how you feel, Brother Kwe', I know how you feel
(Baby girl, my precious joy)
Kweli, I know how you feel, say bro' I know how you feel
(Fela, be my joy, yo)
Huh, if you know how the people feel, let me really know how you...yo
I do it for the seeds y'all [Repeat 5x]
Writer: CURTIS MAYFIELD, TALIB KWELI
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Talk to You (Lil' Darlin')
[ Featuring Bilal ]
Can I talk to you?
I want you, 'cause you make my heart skip the beat that I drum to
I want to be the one you run to, when pain confronts you
You're everything, sometimes I get nervous when I'm in front you
You can hear it in my voice when I ask you if you comfortable
Look how love do, I'd practice the Art of War for you like Sun Tzu
Come through and arouse you every morning like the sun do
If you blackout and collapse I want to help you to come to
Notice I haven't yet got into what I want from you
I want you to come to when I come through
And make you shine like the sun do
I want you to be the valley for my river to run through
You're everything, you send your soul through your lips to my heart
Sweet music will start I want you to be the muse of my art
When people try to rip us apart we got to work to stay together
Go through the seasons of love and never change with the weather
This is my wish list, what I want not what I need there's a difference
These days I'm learning that words got power so I'ma be specific
Can I have a talk with you?
Can I make a dream come true?
Can I be in love with you?
'Cause I would if I could
Yeah sunflower
You must live in the infinite blackness
That exists when I close my eyes
I see you when I fall asleep, I see you when I dream
Lil' darlin'
Set your soul on fire (lil' darlin')
Be your one desire (lil' darlin')
Lil' darlin'
Can I talk to you? (lil' darlin')
Lil' darlin', lil' darlin'
Can I talk? (lil' darlin')
Can I talk, can I talk, can I?
Lil' darlin' (lil' darlin')
Can I talk to you? (lil' darlin')
Let him talk to you
Set your soul on fire
Writer: AHMIR K THOMPSON, BILAL S OLIVER, HAL DAVIS, HERMAN GRIFFITH, JAMES JASON POYSER, PINO PALLADINO, TALIB KWELI
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Copyright: Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Guerrilla Monsoon Rap
Guerrilla monsoon rap all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
We come through and all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
Yo, I hit these emcees with the grip of death like I was a Vulcan
Ain't a lot of "ifs" an "ands", it's just straight talkin
It's hard to swallow at times, so take portions
Bitin' off more than you can chew, create offense
Emcee species endangered like dolphins
Rappers is spittin nails into they own coffins (c'mon)
Hear come the Dundee moves rocket-launchin (yeah)
Black Thought, quit playin him close and back up off him
Kweli spruce to the tree, Bruce to the Lee
The real emcee, that your favorite rapper used to be
One by one I knock 'em out like Schoolly D my rhymes is eulogy
A flea could move a tree, before ya think ya movin' me
I black and blue emcees - actin new to me, get smacked stupidly
That lack skills, like the black community lack unity (uh)
Still my rhymes heard like Ali DePhrase
Step off the stage to shouts of "Kweli boomayyay!!"
See these four emcees came to get down
Rearrange the rap game, change ya whole sound
Nigga you, got ta, understand the plot ta
Movin and groovin and always improvin a lot-ta
I'll outfox the, average Porsche ya Boxster talk
Break the bank on some old Frank Sinatra (New York)
Slash Chi-Town, slash Philly
Check the blast from Genevo, you can get slapped silly
Guerrilla monsoon rap all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
We come through and all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
Okay my sound drenches, each of the five senses
And hold the shock value of electrified fences
It's truth or consequences, ride wit us or against us
Is you a dedicated soldier, or you a princess, dog?
I'm in it to win it and not for the wealth
Got a crib with a Grammy and a gat on the shelf
Nan nigga competition, gotta battle myself
And me and Kweli on a mission, gettin Pharoahe for help
From natives walkin' in trailor tears to players sippin Belvedere
We always comin' well prepared, and all my dogs' smellin' fear
Plus, even my niggaz from the Bede say you hella-scared
Truth or consequences, and all senses be well-aware
Your style under-developed there, hell if I care
What hardship you claim to see, but I can tell by your stare
Nigga you fugazi, sayin' ya crew blazin'
Like sayin' Miss Cleo is a true Jamaican, we makin'
Guerrilla monsoon rap, smell the fumes, get in tune wit it
When I attack your city, y'all gon' think Dr. Doom did it
Spit it like white trash in seed-spittin' contests
With a vendetta that sent a betta letter bomb to Congress
I'm pissed cumulus clouds of ominous
Words of the Thor, the rawness that'll restore ya calmness
Unless, you want to be leg and armless
That's parapaleg' for those who believe in bomb threats
Guerrilla monsoon rap all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
We come through and all the shorties like "who dat?"
Got the whole crowd like "how ya do dat?"
Nigga you, get smacked 'til ya blue black
And ya crew, give me dap like true dat
Writer: EUGENE RECORD, STANLEY WAYNE MCKENNEY, TALIB KWELI, TARIK TROTTER, TROY JAMERSON
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Put It In The Air
[Kweli]
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (uh, yeh)
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (c'mon, uh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Yeh
[Talib Kweli]
New year, new record, time to do bigger shit
Caught a plane to Cali linked with my nigga Quik
I figure with the combination we bomb the nation but stay calm and patient
As the world get hyped from hearin our musical conversation
This a beautiful situation right here
Given birth on the track cuz the cypher stay pregnant with ideas
And we rockin it - rock, rock, rockin it
Tell the hater players put a sock in it!
Proper shit, that you got to get, cause we properly document
How cats look more like dicks than the Washington monument
Validly try to challenge me, but who you racin wit'
It's amazing the lyrical lyngerie I be lacin shit, we be blazin it
Put it in the air with the chronic
My lyrics like drugs got you hooked on my phonics
From Brooklyn to Compton the lounge of Soundbombing
Still rockin' over "Balance and Options," now
[Chorus]
If you got a spliff then put it in the air
If you want a rift then put it in the air
If you shakin yo' ass, put it in the air
If you makin it last, put it in the air
If you leave the crib strapped then put it in the air
Take ya hand of your gat and put it in the air
Snook your bud in the club, put it in the air
Got nuttin but love, put it in the air
[Talib Kweli]
They say my rhymes is too heavy, I come thicker than the fog
You get it when I retire and battle my catalogue
Writin rhymes in my captain's log, BlackStar date
MC's fake like Egyptian Gods in +Stargate+
Lovin the hate, bubble all types of weight in they rap
I draw blood like mosquitos y'all annoy like gnats
Pop that around the wrong cat get laid flat
Concrete adjust to the contours in your back
Quik where you at?
[Quik]
Yo i'm in the back room makin a run
Ain't even touched her n makin her cum
N you can catch me out in Portland we startin mine
Everybody doin shows but i'm the hottest flyin'
Bitches say honest, I swear to God
So how come then believin them is so damn hard
Could you really blame a nigga if you f*cked a skate
You ain't even pay that's why you flunked today
All you heard was he sellin talk shit about niggas and drink wine
And your answer kept changin cos bitch you keep lyin'
Talkin bout 'he make me sick
All he do is disrespect me keep callin me bitch
And he only wanna f*ck me when he all for that dough'
What the f*ck you think i'm here for not to love you I hope
All i'm bout to do is listen for a minute
While I get my drink in n' introduce you to my dog Kweli n go up in it
[Chorus]
[Kweli]
C'mon
We be blazin' (c'mon)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh, c'mon, yeh)
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (c'mon, yeh, c'mon, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Now let me tell you how I am
[Talib Kweli]
I'm mild-mannered at day but superhero at night
I got the special invite to make your spot look right
No ice, no rain, not bottles of champagne n'
HALF these motherf*ckers can't pronounce my name
I'm so cool while you hyper in the coffee shop
Hype niggas make girls be like 'get off me stop'
Real niggas like thirst so of course we rock
Cos the game unauthordox, off top
You got cold feet like I pulled off your socks
Always goin down town pullin all the stops
Your breath smellin like fish from straight off the docks
Dats how you lost your spot
You too hype
[Chorus]
Yeh
We be blazin' (c'mon, uh)
So amazin' (yeh, everybody c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yo, all the people in the house)
We be blazin' (c'mon yeh)
So amazin' (yeah, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Yo, 1, 2, (c'mon) 1, 2
We be blazin' (c'mon, yo)
So amazin' (c'mon get dowwwn)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh, everybody yo)
We be blazin' (light it up, light it up)
So amazin' (yeah, i'm feelin that, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh)
Yo do that shit
We be blazin' (yeah)
So amazin' (c'mon get dowwwn, uh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yo, yo do that shit)
We be blazin' (c'mon, yo)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (uh, yeh)
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (c'mon, uh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Yeh
[Talib Kweli]
New year, new record, time to do bigger shit
Caught a plane to Cali linked with my nigga Quik
I figure with the combination we bomb the nation but stay calm and patient
As the world get hyped from hearin our musical conversation
This a beautiful situation right here
Given birth on the track cuz the cypher stay pregnant with ideas
And we rockin it - rock, rock, rockin it
Tell the hater players put a sock in it!
Proper shit, that you got to get, cause we properly document
How cats look more like dicks than the Washington monument
Validly try to challenge me, but who you racin wit'
It's amazing the lyrical lyngerie I be lacin shit, we be blazin it
Put it in the air with the chronic
My lyrics like drugs got you hooked on my phonics
From Brooklyn to Compton the lounge of Soundbombing
Still rockin' over "Balance and Options," now
[Chorus]
If you got a spliff then put it in the air
If you want a rift then put it in the air
If you shakin yo' ass, put it in the air
If you makin it last, put it in the air
If you leave the crib strapped then put it in the air
Take ya hand of your gat and put it in the air
Snook your bud in the club, put it in the air
Got nuttin but love, put it in the air
[Talib Kweli]
They say my rhymes is too heavy, I come thicker than the fog
You get it when I retire and battle my catalogue
Writin rhymes in my captain's log, BlackStar date
MC's fake like Egyptian Gods in +Stargate+
Lovin the hate, bubble all types of weight in they rap
I draw blood like mosquitos y'all annoy like gnats
Pop that around the wrong cat get laid flat
Concrete adjust to the contours in your back
Quik where you at?
[Quik]
Yo i'm in the back room makin a run
Ain't even touched her n makin her cum
N you can catch me out in Portland we startin mine
Everybody doin shows but i'm the hottest flyin'
Bitches say honest, I swear to God
So how come then believin them is so damn hard
Could you really blame a nigga if you f*cked a skate
You ain't even pay that's why you flunked today
All you heard was he sellin talk shit about niggas and drink wine
And your answer kept changin cos bitch you keep lyin'
Talkin bout 'he make me sick
All he do is disrespect me keep callin me bitch
And he only wanna f*ck me when he all for that dough'
What the f*ck you think i'm here for not to love you I hope
All i'm bout to do is listen for a minute
While I get my drink in n' introduce you to my dog Kweli n go up in it
[Chorus]
[Kweli]
C'mon
We be blazin' (c'mon)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh, c'mon, yeh)
We be blazin' (uh)
So amazin' (c'mon, yeh, c'mon, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Now let me tell you how I am
[Talib Kweli]
I'm mild-mannered at day but superhero at night
I got the special invite to make your spot look right
No ice, no rain, not bottles of champagne n'
HALF these motherf*ckers can't pronounce my name
I'm so cool while you hyper in the coffee shop
Hype niggas make girls be like 'get off me stop'
Real niggas like thirst so of course we rock
Cos the game unauthordox, off top
You got cold feet like I pulled off your socks
Always goin down town pullin all the stops
Your breath smellin like fish from straight off the docks
Dats how you lost your spot
You too hype
[Chorus]
Yeh
We be blazin' (c'mon, uh)
So amazin' (yeh, everybody c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yo, all the people in the house)
We be blazin' (c'mon yeh)
So amazin' (yeah, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Yo, 1, 2, (c'mon) 1, 2
We be blazin' (c'mon, yo)
So amazin' (c'mon get dowwwn)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh, everybody yo)
We be blazin' (light it up, light it up)
So amazin' (yeah, i'm feelin that, c'mon)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yeh)
Yo do that shit
We be blazin' (yeah)
So amazin' (c'mon get dowwwn, uh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down (yo, yo do that shit)
We be blazin' (c'mon, yo)
So amazin' (yeh)
Everybody get down
Everybody get down
Writer: DANIEL JOHNSON, DANIEL ANDREW JOHNSON, ROBERT GALLINARES
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
The Proud
[Talib Kweli]
The proud
Stand tall or don't stand at all, c'mon
Uhh, yeah
Break it down
What we do?
[Chorus]
We survive, it's more than pride
We stay alive, ready to ride
[Chorus - repeat through intro]
[Intro: Talib Kweli]
One two, one two yo
Aight.. put it down yo
June 21, 2001
Timothy McVeigh is executed
And the country breathe a sigh of relief
Goodness prevails over evil, it seems
Somehow when he's gone, we feel safer
Little do we know
[Verse One]
Today the paper say Timothy McVeigh's in hell
So everything's okay and all must be well
I remember Oklahoma when they put out the blaze
And put Islamic terrorist bombing, on the front page
It's like saying only gays get AIDS, propaganda
Like saying the problem's over when they locked that man up
Wrong! It's just the beginning, the first inning
Battle for America's soul, the devil's winning
The President is Bush, the Vice President's a Dick
So a whole lot of f*ckin is what we gon' get
They don't wanna raise the babies so the election is fixed
That's why we don't be f*ckin with politics
They bet on that, parents fought and got wet for that
Hosed down, bit by dogs, and got blacks into house arrest for that
It's all good except for that - we still poor
Money, power and respect is what we kill for, for real
[Chorus - repeat through interlude]
[Interlude]
August 4, 2001
A drunken police officer mows down an entire family in Brooklyn
The judge lets him go with no bail
It reminds us, of just how worthless our lives are to the justice system
I struggle, to explain the situation to my son, it's hard
[Verse Two]
Niggaz with knowledge is more dangerous than than niggaz with guns
They make the guns easy to get and try to keep niggaz dumb
Target the gangs and graffiti with the Prop 21
I already know the deal but what the f*ck do I tell my son?
I want him livin right, livin good, respect the rules
He's five years old and he still thinkin cops is cool
How do I break the news that when he gets some size
He'll be percieved as a threat or see the fear in they eyes
It's in they job description to terminate the threat
So 41 shots to the body is what he can expect
The precedent is set, don't matter if he follow the law
I know I'll give my son pride and make him swallow it all (damn!)
F*ck the pigs! I think the pigs killed Big and 'Pac too
If they didn't they know who did, they got to!
Who they serve and protect, nigga not you
Cops shot off of ten G's but they got glocks too
Let you protect yourself, or better yet respect yourself
Straight into the hospital is where you gotta check yourself
They be gettin tips from snitches and rival crews
Doin them favors so they workin for the drug dealers too
Just business enforcers with hate in they holsters
Shoot you in the back, won't face you like a soldier
Kurt Loder asked me what I say to a dead cop's wife
Cops kill my people everyday, that's life
[Chorus - repeat through final interlude]
[Final Interlude]
September 11, 2001
Terrorists attack the Pentagon and the World Trade Center
Kills thousand and permanently scars America's false sense of security
We see the best examples of humanity in the face of the worst
As fire fighters, police officers, rescue workers
and volunteers of all sorts, fight to save lives
The world will never be the same again
[Verse Three]
My heart go out to everybody at Ground Zero
Red, black, yellow, white and brown heroes
It's more complicated than black and white
To give your own life is the greatest sacrifice
But it's hard for me to walk down the block
Seeing rats and roaches, crack viles and 40 ounce posters
People broken down from years of oppression
Become patriots when they way of life is threatened
It's a hard conversation to have
We lost kids, moms and dads, people ready to fight for the flag
Damn, when did shit get this bad?
America kill the innocent too, the cycle of violence is sad
Damn! Welcome to the world, we here
We've been at, war for years but it's much more clear (yeah)
We got to face what lies ahead
Fight for our truth and freedom and, ride for the dead
[Chorus - repeat to end]
The proud
Stand tall or don't stand at all, c'mon
Uhh, yeah
Break it down
What we do?
[Chorus]
We survive, it's more than pride
We stay alive, ready to ride
[Chorus - repeat through intro]
[Intro: Talib Kweli]
One two, one two yo
Aight.. put it down yo
June 21, 2001
Timothy McVeigh is executed
And the country breathe a sigh of relief
Goodness prevails over evil, it seems
Somehow when he's gone, we feel safer
Little do we know
[Verse One]
Today the paper say Timothy McVeigh's in hell
So everything's okay and all must be well
I remember Oklahoma when they put out the blaze
And put Islamic terrorist bombing, on the front page
It's like saying only gays get AIDS, propaganda
Like saying the problem's over when they locked that man up
Wrong! It's just the beginning, the first inning
Battle for America's soul, the devil's winning
The President is Bush, the Vice President's a Dick
So a whole lot of f*ckin is what we gon' get
They don't wanna raise the babies so the election is fixed
That's why we don't be f*ckin with politics
They bet on that, parents fought and got wet for that
Hosed down, bit by dogs, and got blacks into house arrest for that
It's all good except for that - we still poor
Money, power and respect is what we kill for, for real
[Chorus - repeat through interlude]
[Interlude]
August 4, 2001
A drunken police officer mows down an entire family in Brooklyn
The judge lets him go with no bail
It reminds us, of just how worthless our lives are to the justice system
I struggle, to explain the situation to my son, it's hard
[Verse Two]
Niggaz with knowledge is more dangerous than than niggaz with guns
They make the guns easy to get and try to keep niggaz dumb
Target the gangs and graffiti with the Prop 21
I already know the deal but what the f*ck do I tell my son?
I want him livin right, livin good, respect the rules
He's five years old and he still thinkin cops is cool
How do I break the news that when he gets some size
He'll be percieved as a threat or see the fear in they eyes
It's in they job description to terminate the threat
So 41 shots to the body is what he can expect
The precedent is set, don't matter if he follow the law
I know I'll give my son pride and make him swallow it all (damn!)
F*ck the pigs! I think the pigs killed Big and 'Pac too
If they didn't they know who did, they got to!
Who they serve and protect, nigga not you
Cops shot off of ten G's but they got glocks too
Let you protect yourself, or better yet respect yourself
Straight into the hospital is where you gotta check yourself
They be gettin tips from snitches and rival crews
Doin them favors so they workin for the drug dealers too
Just business enforcers with hate in they holsters
Shoot you in the back, won't face you like a soldier
Kurt Loder asked me what I say to a dead cop's wife
Cops kill my people everyday, that's life
[Chorus - repeat through final interlude]
[Final Interlude]
September 11, 2001
Terrorists attack the Pentagon and the World Trade Center
Kills thousand and permanently scars America's false sense of security
We see the best examples of humanity in the face of the worst
As fire fighters, police officers, rescue workers
and volunteers of all sorts, fight to save lives
The world will never be the same again
[Verse Three]
My heart go out to everybody at Ground Zero
Red, black, yellow, white and brown heroes
It's more complicated than black and white
To give your own life is the greatest sacrifice
But it's hard for me to walk down the block
Seeing rats and roaches, crack viles and 40 ounce posters
People broken down from years of oppression
Become patriots when they way of life is threatened
It's a hard conversation to have
We lost kids, moms and dads, people ready to fight for the flag
Damn, when did shit get this bad?
America kill the innocent too, the cycle of violence is sad
Damn! Welcome to the world, we here
We've been at, war for years but it's much more clear (yeah)
We got to face what lies ahead
Fight for our truth and freedom and, ride for the dead
[Chorus - repeat to end]
Writer: L. DORRELL, TALIB GREENE
Copyright: Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., BMG Rights Management
Where Do We Go
[Chorus: Res - repeat 2X]
Where do we go? What do we say? What do we do?
Nowhere to turn, nowhere to run and there's nothin new
Where do we go for inspiration?
It's like pain is our only inspiration
[Talib Kweli]
Yea, I see a place where little boys and girls
Are shells in the oceans not knowin they a pearl
No one to hold 'em while they growin
They livin' moment to moment without a care in the whole world
Now, if I could help it I tell it just like it is
And I may say some things that you don't like to hear
I know this: that people lie, people kneel
People die, people heal, people steal, and people shed tears
What's real, blood spills, gun kill, the sun still - rise
Above me, trust me, it must be, morning - time
Wake up, the stakes up
Everybody want the cake up, to break up with the crew
But when the karma come back for what you do
It's too late to make up - some excuse
[Chorus]
[Talib Kweli]
I come from people who stronger than time and space
Wherever there's competition you gonna find the race
I find a place in my heart for this hip-hop
And pump blood through my vein my skin get hot
I take you very serious and make you write more
If I don't celebrate I got nothing to fight for
I'm tight raw, excite y'all like nightfall
I'm tight y'all, I walk the street like y'all
About action, talk is cheap, right y'all?
You start yappin' think about the beef you might cause
The trouble you could get into
You don't study, you not prepared and cats is testin you
What you gonna do when you gotta face
The manifestation of the words that you put in space
They already there you cant take 'em out
The studio gangsta inside you tryin' to break out
[Chorus]
[Talib Kweli]
Yea, I see a place where little boys and girls
Are shells in the oceans not knowin they a pearl
No one to hold 'em while they growin
They livin' moment to moment without a care in the whole world
Now, if I could help it I tell it just like it is
And I may say some things that you don't like to hear
I know this: that people lie, people kneel
People die, people heal, people steal, and people shed tears
What's real, blood spills, gun kill, the sun still - rise
Above me, trust me, it must be, morning - time
Wake up, the stakes up
Everybody want the cake up, to break up with the crew
But when the karma come back for what you do
It's too late to make up - some excuse
Where do we go? What do we say? What do we do?
Nowhere to turn, nowhere to run and there's nothin new
Where do we go for inspiration?
It's like pain is our only inspiration
[Talib Kweli]
Yea, I see a place where little boys and girls
Are shells in the oceans not knowin they a pearl
No one to hold 'em while they growin
They livin' moment to moment without a care in the whole world
Now, if I could help it I tell it just like it is
And I may say some things that you don't like to hear
I know this: that people lie, people kneel
People die, people heal, people steal, and people shed tears
What's real, blood spills, gun kill, the sun still - rise
Above me, trust me, it must be, morning - time
Wake up, the stakes up
Everybody want the cake up, to break up with the crew
But when the karma come back for what you do
It's too late to make up - some excuse
[Chorus]
[Talib Kweli]
I come from people who stronger than time and space
Wherever there's competition you gonna find the race
I find a place in my heart for this hip-hop
And pump blood through my vein my skin get hot
I take you very serious and make you write more
If I don't celebrate I got nothing to fight for
I'm tight raw, excite y'all like nightfall
I'm tight y'all, I walk the street like y'all
About action, talk is cheap, right y'all?
You start yappin' think about the beef you might cause
The trouble you could get into
You don't study, you not prepared and cats is testin you
What you gonna do when you gotta face
The manifestation of the words that you put in space
They already there you cant take 'em out
The studio gangsta inside you tryin' to break out
[Chorus]
[Talib Kweli]
Yea, I see a place where little boys and girls
Are shells in the oceans not knowin they a pearl
No one to hold 'em while they growin
They livin' moment to moment without a care in the whole world
Now, if I could help it I tell it just like it is
And I may say some things that you don't like to hear
I know this: that people lie, people kneel
People die, people heal, people steal, and people shed tears
What's real, blood spills, gun kill, the sun still - rise
Above me, trust me, it must be, morning - time
Wake up, the stakes up
Everybody want the cake up, to break up with the crew
But when the karma come back for what you do
It's too late to make up - some excuse
Writer: JAMES DEWITT YANCEY, SHAREESE R. BALLARD, TALIB KWELI GREENE
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Stand To The Side
[Kweli]
Go right to left, left to right
Middle passage connection
Yeah, about to build
Tell you which way to go
[Both]
We go right to left, left to right
If you fight to the death, what's left to fight
[X4]
Yo, here we go
[Kweli]
I wanna write away
I wanna write here
I wanna write brave words to fight fear
Write dreams and nightmares
Might scare the folks stuck in the day
But nothing to say,
Well I'm way ahead by light years
So beware we keep the lights on
I wanna write the songs from right to wrong
Right on
Riding the light so you see in the dark
So deep you gotta be still like your beating heart
My words apply the pressure to make the bleeding stop
See the art, living right, eating smart
I wanna right to life, a right to death
Police read your rights from right to left
But I never write to remain silent
I fight through police line
Cops walk the beat that I write to
I teach minds, write rhymes with the right sound
Right now, journalists write up
I write down
[Both: Chorus]
Party people put a hand in the sky
Grab a cloud and squeeze til no man is dry
We wet it up, go ask the people if they plannin to die
Can't stay to live, consumers is plannin to buy
Smoke death operators is standing by
They take you order for the slaughter of the family why
Do they make it so hard for a man to provide
You better get wit it, or {stand to the side [X7]}
[Vinia Mojica]
And the story line goes on
Right to left, who's right who's wrong
F*ck the politics and pride
I just to try to stay alive
To witness where the battle lines are drawn
Speak my mind and sing my song
I'm passin on the moral y'all
This is ain't play
True, you got to know the way
It's hard now
Open eyes
See hopeful lives
Sing it now
[Kweli]
Making my way through life
Talking to elders and taking advice
Ignoring their words and paying the price
Living in the world where false preachers got us praying to christ
Get with the young girls in the choir and laying the pipe
No control of our soul we all wait at the light
So comfortable they we hating to fight to make it right
Late at night I'm controlled by the DJ on the mic
I love hip-hop and every joint he playing is tight
A day in the life is a brick in the foundation of like
A maze in Egypt amazing when I'm creating a sight
For the world to behold and the story to last
So one day ghetto children can visit their glorious past
After Pac and Notorious past what do we have
Niggas worth more when they dead, it's so sad
Started with the slavery we finish the plan
But I broke the cycle, and became a man
[Both: Chorus]
[Kweli]
Come on,
I got my man Savion in the house
We about to put it down
Here we go
Go right to left, left to right
Middle passage connection
Yeah, about to build
Tell you which way to go
[Both]
We go right to left, left to right
If you fight to the death, what's left to fight
[X4]
Yo, here we go
[Kweli]
I wanna write away
I wanna write here
I wanna write brave words to fight fear
Write dreams and nightmares
Might scare the folks stuck in the day
But nothing to say,
Well I'm way ahead by light years
So beware we keep the lights on
I wanna write the songs from right to wrong
Right on
Riding the light so you see in the dark
So deep you gotta be still like your beating heart
My words apply the pressure to make the bleeding stop
See the art, living right, eating smart
I wanna right to life, a right to death
Police read your rights from right to left
But I never write to remain silent
I fight through police line
Cops walk the beat that I write to
I teach minds, write rhymes with the right sound
Right now, journalists write up
I write down
[Both: Chorus]
Party people put a hand in the sky
Grab a cloud and squeeze til no man is dry
We wet it up, go ask the people if they plannin to die
Can't stay to live, consumers is plannin to buy
Smoke death operators is standing by
They take you order for the slaughter of the family why
Do they make it so hard for a man to provide
You better get wit it, or {stand to the side [X7]}
[Vinia Mojica]
And the story line goes on
Right to left, who's right who's wrong
F*ck the politics and pride
I just to try to stay alive
To witness where the battle lines are drawn
Speak my mind and sing my song
I'm passin on the moral y'all
This is ain't play
True, you got to know the way
It's hard now
Open eyes
See hopeful lives
Sing it now
[Kweli]
Making my way through life
Talking to elders and taking advice
Ignoring their words and paying the price
Living in the world where false preachers got us praying to christ
Get with the young girls in the choir and laying the pipe
No control of our soul we all wait at the light
So comfortable they we hating to fight to make it right
Late at night I'm controlled by the DJ on the mic
I love hip-hop and every joint he playing is tight
A day in the life is a brick in the foundation of like
A maze in Egypt amazing when I'm creating a sight
For the world to behold and the story to last
So one day ghetto children can visit their glorious past
After Pac and Notorious past what do we have
Niggas worth more when they dead, it's so sad
Started with the slavery we finish the plan
But I broke the cycle, and became a man
[Both: Chorus]
[Kweli]
Come on,
I got my man Savion in the house
We about to put it down
Here we go
Writer: ALONZO STEVENSON, JAMES DEWITT YANCEY, TALIB KWELI GREENE, VINIA MOJICA
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group, BMG Rights Management
Good To You
[Kweli + (woman's Voice)]
Yea (yeaaah)
Come on
Uhh
Yeah
Kweli
[Bridge]
Yo Yo
Ayo my silent moments, loud as the crack of thunder
My hunger is like the crocodile that attacks the hunter
It ain't commercial or underground, its true cause I
(wanna be good to you)
[Chorus]
Call it skill, call it game, call it glow, call my name
Like the lord, all in vein, screaming like you all in pain
Treat it like a drug, all up in ya vain cause (wanna be good to you)
[Verse 1]
We make the squares dance, and get the do like dotsey
Y'all niggaz roll with pussy-cats like Josey
All spoiled rotten like ghetto groceries yo
I clutch the mic like ya grandma clutch her rosary yo
Swooping the industry, like a bird to prey
My stance has got stamina, ya verses lack vertebrae
I heard them say I was a conscious rapper
But I'm a monster when I hafta smack the shit out of a nonsense actor
Using my 'hands solo' and I don't need chewy
Over your head like Yamakas and Koofies yo
F*ck the screen gems y'all niggaz act in B movies
Type of niggaz proud to be groupies
Followers in the herd running over the cliff
I'm the +Buffalo Soldier+, smoke ya like a dread like rasta
blowing the spliff, loading a clip to spit high
Like you holding blow in a stolen whip, rolling the strip
Looking to hit cops, now that's a 4 alarm
Black queen falling on my arms, you could call it charm
Mater fact call it what you want, its up to you bro
(wanna be good to you)
Yea
Yea
Yea
[Chorus (1x)]
[Verse 2]
How many niggaz ever been in love'
How many niggaz really think they thugs
And can't think without the drink and drugs
How many niggaz can't get in with hats and sneakers on
Say 'f*ck security' and get inside and keep them on
How many niggaz think that gats make the weaker strong
Can't do for self and wanna snatch the plate you eating on
That don't take heart, slave, nigga play ya part
I'd rather jump over board nigga, face the sharks
We stay doing it, later for the conversation
Hammers is cocked and waiting, niggaz is not debating
We ain't got the patience You found popping shit
Come in to town just to run you down like poppa ditch
And dig a proper ditch, you lying like a politician
Your proposition meets opposition like contradictions
Get out my house, you ain't no real representative
I make it happen, you ain't official, you tentative
Niggaz is sensitive, see how they catching feelings
It's so hot, the sweat rise and it wet the ceiling
Barracuda, Spitkicker nigga that's the crew (wanna be good to you)
[Breakdown]
Whoo! (yeaahh)
Come on
Yeah
Low ride
Yo
Yo
Yo
[Verse 3]
Niggaz be claiming shit, find a gangsta movie, put
they name in it, biting like there ain't no shame in it
You the hardest on the beat, I'm the fire that you playing with
You a artist from the street, I'll give you the blood to paint it with
So yeah I'm positive, I'm positive I'm the best
Spit bullets to split ya vest and deposit them in ya chest
Dark is the flesh on my bones, calling Brooklyn home
Hang up on niggaz like 'I want you to meet my nigga tone, word
Leave me alone like Michael Jackson
Or there will be more than butterflies in your stomach
waiting to see what happens
You see me out, know that my crew is flawless
So called gangstas need more security than the Rawkus office
Yo, I thought you bust ya gun
You just a big joke, thinking you a Big Pun
Yo, Kayne this is the big one (wanna be good to you)
me and my niggaz having big fun
[Bridge (1x)]
[Chorus (1x)]
Come on,
BK and
BX and
Q boro and
Manhattan and
Harlem niggaz and
Long Island
Wanna be good to you you you come on! (wanna be good to you)
The whole world rocking
Yo the whole world rocking
Ayo uhh
Yea (yeaaah)
Come on
Uhh
Yeah
Kweli
[Bridge]
Yo Yo
Ayo my silent moments, loud as the crack of thunder
My hunger is like the crocodile that attacks the hunter
It ain't commercial or underground, its true cause I
(wanna be good to you)
[Chorus]
Call it skill, call it game, call it glow, call my name
Like the lord, all in vein, screaming like you all in pain
Treat it like a drug, all up in ya vain cause (wanna be good to you)
[Verse 1]
We make the squares dance, and get the do like dotsey
Y'all niggaz roll with pussy-cats like Josey
All spoiled rotten like ghetto groceries yo
I clutch the mic like ya grandma clutch her rosary yo
Swooping the industry, like a bird to prey
My stance has got stamina, ya verses lack vertebrae
I heard them say I was a conscious rapper
But I'm a monster when I hafta smack the shit out of a nonsense actor
Using my 'hands solo' and I don't need chewy
Over your head like Yamakas and Koofies yo
F*ck the screen gems y'all niggaz act in B movies
Type of niggaz proud to be groupies
Followers in the herd running over the cliff
I'm the +Buffalo Soldier+, smoke ya like a dread like rasta
blowing the spliff, loading a clip to spit high
Like you holding blow in a stolen whip, rolling the strip
Looking to hit cops, now that's a 4 alarm
Black queen falling on my arms, you could call it charm
Mater fact call it what you want, its up to you bro
(wanna be good to you)
Yea
Yea
Yea
[Chorus (1x)]
[Verse 2]
How many niggaz ever been in love'
How many niggaz really think they thugs
And can't think without the drink and drugs
How many niggaz can't get in with hats and sneakers on
Say 'f*ck security' and get inside and keep them on
How many niggaz think that gats make the weaker strong
Can't do for self and wanna snatch the plate you eating on
That don't take heart, slave, nigga play ya part
I'd rather jump over board nigga, face the sharks
We stay doing it, later for the conversation
Hammers is cocked and waiting, niggaz is not debating
We ain't got the patience You found popping shit
Come in to town just to run you down like poppa ditch
And dig a proper ditch, you lying like a politician
Your proposition meets opposition like contradictions
Get out my house, you ain't no real representative
I make it happen, you ain't official, you tentative
Niggaz is sensitive, see how they catching feelings
It's so hot, the sweat rise and it wet the ceiling
Barracuda, Spitkicker nigga that's the crew (wanna be good to you)
[Breakdown]
Whoo! (yeaahh)
Come on
Yeah
Low ride
Yo
Yo
Yo
[Verse 3]
Niggaz be claiming shit, find a gangsta movie, put
they name in it, biting like there ain't no shame in it
You the hardest on the beat, I'm the fire that you playing with
You a artist from the street, I'll give you the blood to paint it with
So yeah I'm positive, I'm positive I'm the best
Spit bullets to split ya vest and deposit them in ya chest
Dark is the flesh on my bones, calling Brooklyn home
Hang up on niggaz like 'I want you to meet my nigga tone, word
Leave me alone like Michael Jackson
Or there will be more than butterflies in your stomach
waiting to see what happens
You see me out, know that my crew is flawless
So called gangstas need more security than the Rawkus office
Yo, I thought you bust ya gun
You just a big joke, thinking you a Big Pun
Yo, Kayne this is the big one (wanna be good to you)
me and my niggaz having big fun
[Bridge (1x)]
[Chorus (1x)]
Come on,
BK and
BX and
Q boro and
Manhattan and
Harlem niggaz and
Long Island
Wanna be good to you you you come on! (wanna be good to you)
The whole world rocking
Yo the whole world rocking
Ayo uhh
Writer: AL GREEN, TALIB KWELI, KANYE WEST
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Wont You Stay
[Talib Kweli]
Yeah ... this is the best part of the trip
Hold on to something, hold on to something
We about to take the road less travelled
You ain't gotta go home, but you can't stay here
Let's go
[Kendra Ross (Talib Kweli)]
I get lonelier each time
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right (yeah yeah)
I get lonelier each time you go away (cmon)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight? (yeah)
[Talib Kweli]
Check it out
There's this lady I'm in love with (yes there is)
Living inside this woman unknown
But she's scared to let it show
I know it sound like some bug shit (yeah it do)
It's just she come with
Hang-ups and
Insecurities they gotta go
She always nervous around me
But see this lady inside
She's ready to be my baby tonight
And ever since this lady found me
This woman think I'm dangerous
And ain't ready to put her safety aside
I try to tell her that I got her back
And no matter where we at
In our lives
I'll treat her like she my girl
I asked her "What's wrong with dat?" (What's wrong with dat?)
She like "It just ain't right
There's so many more women and men in the world"
I have to admit the girl got a point (true)
Maybe my ambition's made to make me want something I just can't have
So now it's time for me to blow this joint
I still know I'm in love
I just stay focused
And true to my path
Word
[Kendra Ross (Talib Kweli)]
I get lonelier each time
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right (yeah yeah)
I get lonelier each time you go away (uhh)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight? (yeah yeah)
[Talib Kweli]
I got to get away
Ladies you ever felt growing away
By your man
Asking "Baby, won't you stay?"
He chilling with his crew
He should be building with you
He got you feeling the blues
Cause the children to glue
He willing to do
Whatever it takes
To save 'em
From a fate he can't see when he misbehaving
Brave men don't let they ladies
Raise they children theyself
You're so busy trying to save 'em
That you you're killing yourself
With the
Stress and strife
And the fights and the advice
From the ladies of the night
Who can't run they own life
Up in your air
Nothing is fair
Why do you care?
Why do you always take it there?
The crying, the tears
You ain't prepared for the jewels
That I'm trying to share
Flying there
Dying inside
Hot in the fear
The writing is clear
On the wall
For you to read the sign
Ayo the fine is the way we design
To be fine
But still ...
[Kendra Ross]
I get lonelier each time (I get so lonely)
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right
(mmmmmmm .. make it right, make it right, make it right)
I get lonelier each time you go away (la la la la la la la laaaa)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight?
[Talib Kweli]
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta, Gotta
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta, Gotta
Yo
You can tell when people wanna spend they life together
Despite the weather
They treat each other like a treasure
Can't fight forever
You got to give it up
I ain't got a lot of time
We got to live it up
I make my music like I make my love
People use it like they take they drugs
In the morning
When they waking up
This music got me out late but
I holla at you when I'm done
Don't stay up
Will love play with us?
It sting like paper cuts
Doused in alcohol
But if it's real
They ain't no greater rush
I got faith in us
It's only you who really know me
I be surrounded by people
And still feel lonely
[Kendra Ross]
So baby won't you stay (why won't you stay?)
Baby won't you stay? (why won't you stay?)
Baby won't you stay with me tonight? (ohhhhh)
Stay with me tonight
Stay with me tonight
Ohhhhh
Cmon
Yeah ... this is the best part of the trip
Hold on to something, hold on to something
We about to take the road less travelled
You ain't gotta go home, but you can't stay here
Let's go
[Kendra Ross (Talib Kweli)]
I get lonelier each time
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right (yeah yeah)
I get lonelier each time you go away (cmon)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight? (yeah)
[Talib Kweli]
Check it out
There's this lady I'm in love with (yes there is)
Living inside this woman unknown
But she's scared to let it show
I know it sound like some bug shit (yeah it do)
It's just she come with
Hang-ups and
Insecurities they gotta go
She always nervous around me
But see this lady inside
She's ready to be my baby tonight
And ever since this lady found me
This woman think I'm dangerous
And ain't ready to put her safety aside
I try to tell her that I got her back
And no matter where we at
In our lives
I'll treat her like she my girl
I asked her "What's wrong with dat?" (What's wrong with dat?)
She like "It just ain't right
There's so many more women and men in the world"
I have to admit the girl got a point (true)
Maybe my ambition's made to make me want something I just can't have
So now it's time for me to blow this joint
I still know I'm in love
I just stay focused
And true to my path
Word
[Kendra Ross (Talib Kweli)]
I get lonelier each time
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right (yeah yeah)
I get lonelier each time you go away (uhh)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight? (yeah yeah)
[Talib Kweli]
I got to get away
Ladies you ever felt growing away
By your man
Asking "Baby, won't you stay?"
He chilling with his crew
He should be building with you
He got you feeling the blues
Cause the children to glue
He willing to do
Whatever it takes
To save 'em
From a fate he can't see when he misbehaving
Brave men don't let they ladies
Raise they children theyself
You're so busy trying to save 'em
That you you're killing yourself
With the
Stress and strife
And the fights and the advice
From the ladies of the night
Who can't run they own life
Up in your air
Nothing is fair
Why do you care?
Why do you always take it there?
The crying, the tears
You ain't prepared for the jewels
That I'm trying to share
Flying there
Dying inside
Hot in the fear
The writing is clear
On the wall
For you to read the sign
Ayo the fine is the way we design
To be fine
But still ...
[Kendra Ross]
I get lonelier each time (I get so lonely)
You go away I lose my mind
I lay awake til you come and make things right
(mmmmmmm .. make it right, make it right, make it right)
I get lonelier each time you go away (la la la la la la la laaaa)
So baby won't you stay with me tonight?
[Talib Kweli]
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta, Gotta
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta go
Gotta, Gotta
Yo
You can tell when people wanna spend they life together
Despite the weather
They treat each other like a treasure
Can't fight forever
You got to give it up
I ain't got a lot of time
We got to live it up
I make my music like I make my love
People use it like they take they drugs
In the morning
When they waking up
This music got me out late but
I holla at you when I'm done
Don't stay up
Will love play with us?
It sting like paper cuts
Doused in alcohol
But if it's real
They ain't no greater rush
I got faith in us
It's only you who really know me
I be surrounded by people
And still feel lonely
[Kendra Ross]
So baby won't you stay (why won't you stay?)
Baby won't you stay? (why won't you stay?)
Baby won't you stay with me tonight? (ohhhhh)
Stay with me tonight
Stay with me tonight
Ohhhhh
Cmon
Writer: WILLIAM R. MCLEAN, ANDRES TITUS, SIGIDI BASHIR ABDULLAH, HAROLD LEE CLAYTON, TALIB KWELI GREENE, WILBUR BASCOMB, MAXWELL ROMER, KENDRA JANELLE ROSS, BUDDY HANKERSON, MICHAEL C. YOUNG, WILLIAM C. YOUNG
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management
Copyright: Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management
Quality is the first studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.
Performed By:
Talib KweliGenre(s): Alternative hip hop
Producer(s): Kanye West, Megahertz, DJ Quik, DJ Scratch, J Dilla, Soulquarians, Supa Dave West, Ayatollah, Eric Krasno, Dahoud Darien
Length: 65:13
Released: November 19th, 2002
Year: 2002