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Credits
PERFORMING ARTISTS
Talib Kweli
Vocals
Boogie Down Productions
Sampled Artist
Mos Def
Vocals
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Talib Kweli
Songwriter
Dante Smith
Songwriter
Tony Cottrell
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Hi-Tek
Producer
Chris Athens
Mastering Engineer
Ken "Duro" Ifill
Mixing Engineer
Kwame Harris
Engineer
Talib Kweli
Co-Producer
Lyrics
[Intro]
Lord, Lord have mercy
All nice and decent crew, follow me now, we say
Say, Hi-Tek, yes, you're rulin' hip-hop
Say, J. Rawls, yes, you're rulin' hip-hop
Redefinition, say, you're rulin' hip-hop
Say, Black Star, come to rock it non
[Verse 1]
Yo, from the first to the last of it, delivery is passionate
The whole and not the half of it, forecast and aftermath of it
Projectile that them blasted with, accurate assassin shit
Me and Kweli close like Bethlehem and Nazareth
After this, you be pressin' rewind on top your master disk
Shinin' like an asterisk for all those that be gatherin'
Connectin' like a roundhouse from the townhouse to the tenements
'Cause all my Brooklyn residents, known as heavy regiments
Don't believe, here the evidence—where Brooklyn? (Whoa)
See that? Bound to take it all, kid, believe that
From where they sell they tree at, to where the police be at
Talib Kweli, e-Kweli-ty, yo, tell 'em where we be at
[Verse 2]
Brooklyn, New York City, where they paint murals of Biggie
In cash we trust, 'cause it's ghetto fabulous, life look pretty
What a pity, blunts is still fifty cents, it's intense
Tree scents is dominant, can't be covered with incense
My presence felt my name is Kweli from the Eternal Reflection
People thinkin' MC is shorthand for misconception
Let me meditate, set it straight, came to the conclusion that most of these cats is featherweight
Let me demonstrate walkin' the streets is like battlin', be careful with your body
You must know karate and think your soul is bulletproof like Sade
Stop actin' like a bitch already, be a visionary and maybe you can see your name in the column of obituaries
Third grade teacher readin' and talkin' about, "I knew he'd amount to nothin'"
Neighbors like, "He was the quiet type, who'd have thought they was frontin'?"
Talkin' loud like you on RCA, get carted away with body parts and trays
What a way to start your day, yo, it's like
[Chorus]
One, two, three
Mos Def and Talib Kweli
We came to rock it on to the tip-top
Best alliance in hip-hop, Y-O
I said, one, two, three
It's kind of dangerous to be a MC
They shot 2Pac and Biggie
Too much violence in hip-hop, Y-O
[Verse 3]
I said Manhattan keep on makin' it, Brooklyn keep on takin' it
So, relax, we're takin' it back, Red Hook where we're livin' at
Plenty cats be strugglin' not hustlin' and bubblin'
It ain't about production, then what is we discussin'?
When the cock crows, my crop grows, enable me to rock flows
Strivin' for perfection ever since I was a snot-nose
Colossal! True, original b-boy apostle
Standin' on the rooftop with the Zulu Gestapo
[Verse 4]
You think you the shit? Somebody in the win's'll force you to quit
It could be your crew or clique or some random kid you smoked buddha with
Consider me the entity within the industry without a history of spittin' the epitome of stupidity
Livin' my life, expressin' my liberty, it gotta be done properly, my name is in the middle of equality
People follow me, and other cats they hear 'em flow
And assume I'm the real one with the lyrics like I'm Cyrano
[Verse 5]
Still sippin' wishin' well water imported from Pluto
Three hundred and sixty milliliters for all the believers
In miles or kilometers, most cats, cannot precede us
In the jungle with the leaders, we them lions, you the cheetahs
Our cypher will complete us as we come through your receivers
You can play us and repeat us and then take us home and read us (Line for line)
Good Jesus! Mos Def and Kweli just
Make a pussy freeze up, think it over, ease up
[Chorus]
One, two, three
Mos Def and Talib Kweli
We came to rock it on to the tip-top
Best alliance in hip-hop, Y-O
I said, one, two, three
It's kind of dangerous to be a MC
They shot 2Pac and Biggie
Hold your head when the beat drop, Y-O
Written by: Dante Smith, Talib Kweli, Tony Cottrell