All I need is one life, one try, one breath, I’m one man.
What I stand for speaks for itself…they don’t understand.

Nas, “One Mic,” Stillmatic, 2001. More from Nas.

Alright I might…
Have had a little glare when I stared at ya ho.
But I didn’t know she was like that,
She stared right back!

Casual, “I Didn’t Mean To,” Fear Itself, 1994

I’ve been to college, but to be truthfully frank:
Weed is knowledge, cause it makes me think.

Keith Murray, “Get Lifted,” The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World, 1994. More from Keith Murray.

Lyrical lecture, word architecture,
Rap director, the best in my sector.
Microphone cool chief, releasin the smooth speech…
I get nasty with a pen and some loose leaf.

Lord Finesse, “Baby, You Nasty,” from Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician, 1990

I call my brother ‘Sun’ cause he shine like one.

Method Man, “Wu-Gambinos,” from Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…, 1995

I got beef with commercial-ass niggas with gold teeth
Lampin’ in a Lexus eatin’ beef.

Raekwon the Chef, “Da Mystery of Chessboxin’,” from Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), 1993

A born terror, a rebel without a pause…
Ain’t never had a good Christmas, so who is Santa Claus?

Shyheim, “On and On,” Shyheim a.k.a. The Rugged Child, 1994

Americanomics works, and I won’t argue that is true.
But if the economy is getting better, getting better for who?
Well, if you ask me, I’m doing much worse than before,
With the welfare cuts, I don’t eat no more.
So if I did wanna go out, I couldn’t go nowhere,
Cause I ate every last one of them reindeer.
Rudolph first, I went down the list,
I got so hungry, I just couldn’t resist.
I ate Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Dixon,
Fried them up and then started to mix them.
And before you knew it, they were all gone,
I wonder what y’all gonna do about my reindeer song!

Kool Moe Dee, “Santa’s Rap,” from Beat Street, 1984

The place I’m from, Santa don’t leave gifts.
In my house, Santa only shoplifts.
Holidays in the hood ain’t no motherfuckin joke,
When people all around you is starving and broke.
Cause if you black and poor, it’s hell;
You only hear gunshots, you never hear bells.
So if you got a way out, then go
Cause it ain’t no fun with Christmas in the ghetto.

TRU, “Christmas In Da Ghetto,” West Coast Bad Boyz: High of Xmas, 1992

Now on the first day of Christmas, my homeboy gave to me
A sack of the krazy glue and told me to smoke it up slowly.
Now on the second day of Christmas, my homeboy gave to me
A fifth of Hendog and told me to take my mind off that weed.
Now by the third day of Christmas, my big homeboy gave to me
A whole lot of everything, and it wasn’t nuthin’ but game to me.

Snoop Dogg, “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto,” from Christmas on Death Row, 1996

It was December 24th on Hollis Ave. in the dark,
When I see a man chilling with his dog in the park.
I approached very slowly with my heart full of fear,
Looked at his dog, oh my God, an ill reindeer!
But then I was illin’ because the man had a beard,
And a bag full of goodies, 12 o’clock had neared.
So I turned my head a second and the man had gone,
But he left his driver’s wallet smack dead on the lawn.
I picked the wallet up, then I took a pause…
Took out the license and it cold said ‘Santa Claus!’

Run, “Christmas in Hollis,” from A Very Special Christmas, 1987

I said ‘Whoa, little hottie,
I’m not DeLorean, Gambino or Gotti.
I don’t deal coke,
And furthermore you’re making me broke.
I’ll put you in a rehab and I won’t tell your folks.’
And what do you know,
In 18 months she came home,
And I let her back in…
And now she’s sniffing again.

Smooth B., “Sometimes I Rhyme Slow,” from Nice & Smooth’s Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed, 1991.

Back when Fresh was the word, and “Raw” was on Prism,
Marley on the boards, plus Kane was Long Livin’.
G Rap and Ace spittin’ murderous,
Bought Long Live the Kane, sat down, and learned every word of it.
Sneakin’ my Walkman in the homeroom playin’ it,
Listen for punchlines, delivery, and cadences.
But nowadays, it’s like niggas wanna play with it;
They hear some good shit, but don’t stop to savor it.

Phonte, “The Listening,” from Little Brother’s The Listening, 2003. More Phonte quotes

White Jesus in my crock pot,
I mix the shit with some soda.
Now Black Jesus turn water to wine,
…And all I had to do was turn the stove up.

Jay-Z, “The Devil is a Lie,” from Rick Ross’ Mastermind, 2014. More Jay-Z quotes

I know you don’t wanna hear my opinion,
There come many paths and you must choose one.
And if you don’t change then the rain soon come.
See, you might win some, but you just lost one.

Lauryn Hill, “Lost Ones,” The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1998. More Lauryn Hill quotes

MC’s they retreat cause they know I can beat ‘em,
And eat ’em in a battle and the ref won’t cheat ’em.
I’m the best takin’ out all rookies,
So forget Oreos…eat Cool J cookies.

LL Cool J, “I’m Bad,” Bigger and Deffer, 1987. More LL Cool J quotes

Complainin’ to my lawyer how this rookie tried to frisk me…
Jealous of my jeep, I gave his badge to the chief,
And got his ass directin’ traffic in the heat for a week.

RZA, “Wherever I Go,” Birth of a Prince, 2003. More Wu-Tang Clan quotes

I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine.
But I don’t need a cigarette, know what I mean?

Rakim, “Microphone Fiend,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Follow the Leader, 1988. More Rakim quotes

Elvis was a hero to most,
But he never meant shit to me, you see.
Straight up racist that sucker was,
Simple and plain…
Motherfuck him AND John Wayne.

Chuck D., “Fight the Power,” from Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, 1990. More Public Enemy quotes

From open mics to solutions, I got a collage of answers,
And a 10-point program, just like the Black Panthers:

1: First, respect yourself as an artist
If you don’t respect yourself, then your rhymes is garbage.

2: Make sure your crew is as tight as you
Cause when them niggaz fallin off, they gonna bring you down too.

3: Understand the meaning of MC
The power to Move the Crowd like Moses split the seas.

4: Know your shit and don’t ever be blunted
If you don’t know what your words mean, then your rhymes mean nothin.

5: Kick facts in the raps, and curse with clarity
What’s a curse when language is immersed in vulgarity?

6: We gonna fix industrial poli-tricks
Shit, they made an art form out of ridin dicks.

7: We soldiers for God needin new recruits
So if you rhymin for the loot, then you’s a prostitute.

8: Acknowledge that you need food on your plate
In order to say your grace, make sure your business is straight.

9: We buildin black minds with intelligence
And when you freestyle, keep the subject matter relevant.

10: Every MC grab a pen
And write some conscious lyrics to tell the children.

Talib Kweli, “Manifesto,” from Lyricist Lounge, Volume 1, 1998. More Talib Kweli quotes

I’m real good at troubleshooting;
When there’s trouble…I start shooting.

Necro, “Pain,” from Necro & Kool G. Rap’s The Godfathers Once Upon a Crime, 2013

Up against Goliath, to bring butter home.
I’m David on pavement, sling another stone.

Ka, “Up Against Goliath,” Grief Pedigree, 2012

I only drink Cristal, or Imperial Moet,
No more weak ass Rose, that’s why the game too sweet.
We don’t wear tight ass clothes, we don’t do down South beats,
That ain’t New York–I restore our identification,
‘Cause dick-riding never been a form of transportation.

Troy Ave, “Cigar Smoke,” New York City, 2013

I’m hooked on gin and tonics like your mama’s Hooked on Phonics.

Tash, “Make Room,” from Tha Alkaholiks’ 21 & Over, 1993

A wise man sees failure as progress.
A fool divorces his knowledge and misses the logic,
And loses his soul in the process.

Canibus, “Poet Laureate II,” Rip the Jacker, 2003

Shawn Carter was born December 4th,
Weighing in at 10 pounds, 8 ounces.
He was the last of my 4 children,
The only one who didn’t give me any pain when I gave birth to him.
…And that’s how I knew that he was a special child.

Jay-Z’s mom, Gloria Carter, “December 4th,” The Black Album, 2003. Happy Bornday, Shawn Carter, born December 4, 1969.

Never we sleep, a thug doesn’t rest,
Cause a wise man said: it was a cousin of death.

Big Pun, “Who Is a Thug,” from Whiteboys soundtrack, 1999

Death is the cousin of sleep,
Just close your eyes, count sheep and breathe deep.
Think about the sound of relief that surrounds you,
You were already gone before I found you.

Slug, “Bleed Slow,” from Atmosphere’s Godlovesugly, 2002

They say sleep is the cousin of death, guess we related…
Cause I’m the most slept on, and the most hated.

The Game, “Sleep When I’m Gone,” from DJ Khaled’s We the Best Forever, 2011

If sleep is the cousin of death, then death is the cousin of sadness;
Murder’s the cousin of madness, love is the cousin of that bitch.

Ill Bill, “Secrets Worth Dying For,” from DJ Muggs & Ill Bill’s Kill Devil Hills, 2010

I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death.

Nas, “N.Y. State of Mind,” Illmatic, 1994

I start to think, and then I sink
Into the paper…like I was ink.
When I’m writing I’m trapped in between the lines,
I escape when I finish the rhyme…
I got soul.

Rakim, “I Know I Got Soul”, Paid in Full, 1987

Brain cells are lit, ideas start to hit,
Next the formation of words that fit.
At the table I sit, making it legit,
And when my pen hits the paper…ahhhh shit!

Big Daddy Kane, “Ain’t No Half Steppin’,” Long Live The Kane, 1988

Let’s pretend we’re both guns, and make this shit erratic:
I’ll be the revolver, you can play the automatic.
Automatic flip scripts, revolver show loyalty.
Each gun is die-able, but only one’s reliable.
You shoot fast, but in the end you jam,
Then I click back, and turn your brains into spam.

MF Grimm, “Crumb Snatchers,” Scars & Memories, 2005

You gotta understand: I’m a man with needs that needs fulfilling.
And if you ain’t with it, somebody else is willing.

Lord Jamar, “Love Me or Leave Me Alone,” from Brand Nubian’s In God We Trust, 1993

I got the gangsta in me, plus I’m not friendly
To a bitch-ass whose mouth runs more laps than the Indy.

Redman, “Nuthin’ But the Gangsta,” from MC Eiht’s We Come Strapped, 1994

You download it for free, we get charged back for it.
I know you’re saying, “They won’t know, they won’t miss it,
Besides, I ain’t a thief, they won’t pay me a visit.”
So, if I come to your job, take your corn on the cob,
And take a couple kernels off it, that would be alright with you?

Andre 3000, “What a Job,” from Devin the Dude’s Waitin to Inhale, 2007

Cats be talkin’, “Bobby I ain’t feelin’ ya.”
But I bet if I was peelin’ your cap back with a two-shot Dillinger
Hot lead released from my cylinder,
You’d be talkin’ ‘bout, “Bobby I’m feelin’ ya!”

RZA, “W.W.T. (Worldwide Thugs),” 2001

The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket.

Q-Tip, “Verses from the Abstract,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991

Crews talk shit, but in my face they kiss my ass.

A-Plus, “93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity, 1993

Flip the flyer attire females desire,
Baby you can step to this if you admire
The extraordinary dapper rapper…
Keep tabs on your main squeeze before I tap her.

Opio, “93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s 93 Til Infinity, 1993

Life’s not a bitch, life is a beautiful woman…
You only call her a bitch because she won’t let you get that pussy.
Maybe she didn’t feel y’all shared any similar interests,
Or maybe you’re just an asshole who couldn’t sweet talk the princess.

Aesop Rock, “Daylight,” Daylight EP, 2002

I been drunk most my life, don’t ask me why.
Through ninth grade, I ain’t go to high school,
…I went to school high.

Styles P, “Recognize,” from The LOX We Are The Streets, 2000

I hate The Police so much I’d probably assassinate Sting,
My System of a Down Rages Against the Machine.
Tie you up in a Slipknot and hold Alice In Chains inside her dreams.

Chino XL, “90 Bars of Intervention,” RICANStruction, 2012

You used to be fly, but you crashed your plane.

One Be Lo, “Used 2 Be Fly,” S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M., 2005

You thought your shit was fly, but the flight was delayed.

J-Live, “Braggin’ Writes,” The Best Part, 2001

Life is like a box of chocolates, you fill your body with toxins,
And amoxicillin and penicillin to cure your illness.
But in realness? These medical companies will get you monthly
Prescribing me pills that make me ill, just to comfort me.

Termanology, “100 More Jewelz,” G.O.Y.A. (Gunz Or Yay Available), 2013

I’d count my blessings, but I suck at math.

Eminem, “So Far…,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013

I show more blind rage than Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles wrestling in a steel cage.

Chino XL, “Freestyle Rhymes,” Here to Save You All, 1996 (via rapquote)

Maybe I need somebody that could save me
From the parts of myself that keep making me crazy.

Slug, “If I Was Santa Claus,” Lucy Ford: The Atmopshere EPs, 2001

This year Halloween fell on a weekend
Me and Geto Boys are trick-or-treatin’
Robbin’ little kids for bags…

Bushwick Bill, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”, from Geto Boys’ We Can’t Be Stopped, 1991

Dutch in my ear, Olde E in my palm,
I Freddy Krueger your face, Michael Myers your moms.
You botherin mine? That’s when I’m sparkin the nine.

Sean Price, “King Kong,” Jesus Price Superstar, 2007

Believers of Jesus be denouncing Satan on every level,
But every Halloween they’re dressin’ like devils.

KRS-One, “Higher Level,” Return of the Boom Bap, 1993

I’m so Rakim and Eric. B, bitches check out my melody.
I might Slick Rick on a fella…catch me a felony.
I might Shyne Po a ho…POW! Catch me a case.
Producto must have rolled the L because this blunt feels laced.

Killer Mike, “Twin Hype Back,” Run the Jewels, 2013

Feeling mad hostile, wearing Aéropostale,
Flowing like Christ when I speaks the gospel.

RZA, “Protect Ya Neck,” Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, 1993

Time flies, dreams die, people lose faith,
Tryna hide behind a lie with a straight face.

Xzibit, “Legends Never Die,” from Serial Killers Vol 1., 2013

If we gotta dumb down our style and ABC it, then so be it,
Cause nowadays these kids just don’t give a shit ‘bout lyrics.
All they wanna hear is a beat and that’s it,
Long as they can go to the club and get blitzed,
Pick up some chicks and get some digits.
And the DJs playing them hits, “Oh, this my jam, this my shit!”
We don’t know a word to a verse, all we know is the chorus,
Cause the chorus repeats the same four words for us.

Eminem, “Syllables," 2010

What’s better than tripping is falling in love.
What’s better than Letterman, Leno, Fallon, and all the above?
What’s better than popping bottles trying to ball in the club?
Is the first caveman pops with his son, ball and a club.
What’s better than paper is balling it up.
What’s better than followers is actually falling in love.
What’s better than frolicking, follies, fallin in mud?
Rolling in green pastures, wandering, following love.
What’s better than eating is feeding your fam.
What’s better than meetings is missing meetings to meet with your fam.
What’s better than leaning and needing your Xan?
Is hitting your zan dreaming a dream could mean leaving the land.
What’s better than yelling is hollering love.
What’s better than rhymes, nickles, dimes, dollars, and dubs?
Is dialing up your darling just for calling her up.
There ain’t nothing better than falling in love.

Chance the Rapper, “Interlude (That’s Love),” Acid Rap, 2013

War’s extremely serious and it saddens me.

Masta Killa, “Assassination Day,” from Ghostface Killah’s Ironman, 1995

It’s all love, but love’s got a thin line
And Pun’s got a big nine,
Respect crime…but not when it reflect mine.

Big Pun, “Off the Books,” from The Beatnuts’ Stone Crazy, 1997

People who go out and try to be a rebel at night,
Try to make up for the fact that they settled in life.

Immortal Technique, “Crimes of the Heart”, The 3rd World, 2008

Commentating, illustrating, description-giving
Adjective expert. Analyzing, surmising,
Musical, myth-seeking people of the universe…
This is yours!

T La Rock & Jazzy Jay, “It’s Yours,” 1987

We ain’t speak, clicking heat is our Morse code.

Ka, “Jungle,” Night’s Gambit, 2013

I make niggas eat dirt and fart dust,
Then give you a $80 gift certificate to Pussies “Я” Us.

Ludacris, “Mouthing Off,” Back for the First Time, 2000

I never fronted, you can get it if you want it…
Won’t say I’m the best, but I’m not that far from it.

Lord Finesse, “Gameplan,” The Awakening, 1996

Listenin to nothin, takin no suggestions,
All destructive criticisms that can’t improve on perfection.

MF Doom is Viktor Vaughn, “The Drop,” Vaudeville Villain, 2003

A letter to you suckers,
Each and every one of you duck muthafuckas…
Your girl puckers her lips, so I stuck her.

Kool G. Rap, “Jive Talk,” from Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990

You lose money chasing women;
Never lose women chasing money.

Nas, “Ghetto Rich (Remix),” Rich Boy’s self-titled album, 2007

Bitch is in the back looking righteous
In a tight dress…I think I might just
Hit her with a little Biggie 101:
How to tote a gun,
And have fun with Jamaican rum.

The Notorious B.I.G., “Party and Bullshit,” from Who’s The Man? soundtrack, 1993

Be a king? Think not.
Why be a king when you can be a God?

Eminem, “Rap God,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013

This game is lame, the music comes second
So you can save that stupidness for all them artists you checkin.
Popularity don’t last long, I’m in it for classics,
Cause the other side of the biz is fake and it’s plastic.

Craig G., “Classic Personified,” Ramblings of an Angry Old Man, 2012

When you feeding on hate, you empty, my nigga. It shows.

Rick Ross, “Hold On,” from Pusha T’s My Name is My Name, 2013

Make a radio hit: heads criticize it.
Underground classic? Nobody buys it.
So, rap is fucked…
And everything blowing up sounds redundant,
But money talks and bullshit does 9 flat in the 100.

Ras Kass, “Reelishymn,” Soul On Ice, 1996

Pain is joy when it cries, it’s my smile in disguise.

Pusha T, “Pain,” My Name is My Name, 2013

Dial the seven digits, call up Bridgette,
Her man’s a midget.
Plus she got friends, yo, I can dig it.

Opio, “‘93 Til Infinity,” from Souls of Mischief’s ‘93 Til Infinity, 1993

We missed a lot of church, so the music is our confessional.

Big Boi, “Aquemini,” from Outkast’s Aquemini, 1998

I’ve been layin’, waiting for your next mistake,
I put in work, and watch my status escalate.

Guru, “Work,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998

How you know where I’m at when you haven’t been where I’ve been?
Understand where I’m coming from?

B-Real, “How I Could Just Kill A Man,” from Cypress Hill’s Cypress Hill, 1991

Nothing’s been the same since they dropped ‘Control’
And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes.
Ha-ha! Joke’s on you, high-five, I’m bulletproof,
Your shit’ll never penetrate.
Pin the tail on the donkey, boy you been a fake.

Kendrick Lamar, BET Cypher, 2013.

A lot of rappers be like one time wonders,
Couldn’t say a fly rhyme if there was one right under their noses…
I hate those motherfuckin posers.

Guru, “Mass Appeal,” from Gang Starr’s Hard to Earn, 1994 (via ninetynow)

MCs get a little bit of love and think they hot,
Talkin bout how much money they got…all y’all records sound the same.
I’m sick of that fake thug, R&B-rap scenario, all day on the radio,
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material.
…Y’all don’t hear me though:
These record labels slang our tapes like dope.
You can be next in line and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke.

stic.man, “Hip-Hop,” from Dead Prez’s Let’s Get Free, 2000

I know the feelin, when you feelin like a villain,
You be havin good thoughts but the evils be revealin’.
And the stresses of life can take you off the right path,
Jealousy and envy tends to infiltrate your staff…
We gotta hold it down so we can move on past
All adversities, so we can get through fast.

Q-Tip, “Stressed Out,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes & Life, 1996

This is my time, this is my hour,
This is my pain, this is my name, this is my power.
If it’s my reign, then it’s my shower,
This pole position…I made a lane ‘cause they blocked ours.

Pusha T, “King Push,” My Name Is My Name, 2013

Why do I need ID to get ID?
If I had ID, I wouldn’t need ID.

Mos Def, “The Questions,” from Common’s Like Water for Chocolate, 2000

Girls stick like Crazy Glue, they think they’re gettin’ dough;
But I treat hoes like drugs: I just say ‘No.’

Showbiz, “Diggin’ In The Crates,” from Showbiz & A.G.’s Soul Clap EP, 1991

You heard about, through word of mouth,
Big Bird is out, he’s in the house.
He’s turnin’ up, with Snuffleup,
They’re really gettin’ their hustle up.
They stick together like Velcro,
There Grover go, there’s Elmo.
And Cookie Monster there, look he likes
To take selfies with his cell phone.
They got a homegirl named Abby,
Her last name is Cadabby,
I showed her my report card,
She said, ‘Not too shabby!’
They got all types of cool kids there,
It’s lots of fun if you live there,
One thing I keep forgettin’ about Sesame Street…
How do you get there?

Black Thought, “Sesame Street Theme,” with Jimmy Fallon, Sesame Street Gang, and The Roots, 2013. Performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Every time I write these words they become a taboo,
Making sure my punctuation curve, every letter here’s true,
Living my life in the margin, and that metaphor was proof.

Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice,” good kid, m.A.A.d city, 2012

Rhymes so def, rhymes rhymes galore,
Rhymes that you’ve never even heard before.
Now if you say you heard my rhyme, we gonna have to fight,
‘Cause I just made the muthafuckas up last night!

Run, “Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse),” from Run-DMC’s Run-DMC, 1984

A day to God is a thousand years,
Men walk around with a thousand fears.
The true joy of love brings a thousand tears,
In the world of desire, there’s a thousand snares.

RZA, “A Day to God is 1000 Years,” Birth of a Prince, 2003

If you go platinum, it’s got nothing to do with luck,
It just means that a million people are stupid as fuck.

Immortal Technique, “Industrial Revolution,” Revolutionary Vol. 2, 2003

The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog…
How you gonna see ‘em if you livin’ in the fog?

DMX, “Damien,” It’s Dark and Hell is Hot, 1998

Those who flashin’ don’t blast, they still buffoons,
Just blowin out hot air, they should fill balloons.
I’m like them shorties that could kill for goons,
They started hustlin’ in April to cop wheels in June.

Elzhi, “Mt. Everest,” from U-God’s The Keynote Speaker, 2013

He rolls down his window and he started to say:
‘It’s all about making that GTA.’

Eazy-E, “Boyz-N-The-Hood,” from N.W.A.’s N.W.A. & The Posse, 1987. Rockstar Games’ GTAV is out today, order your copy.

And as for the critics, tell me I don’t get it.
Everybody can tell you how to do it, they never did it.

Jay-Z, “Already Home,” The Blueprint 3, 2009

My days getting shorter, my nights getting longer,
My cell getting smaller, my son getting taller.
I exercise my mind, my body getting stronger,
But my blood getting colder, heart getting harder.
My chances for appeal getting slimmer,
My skin getting brighter, my hair getting thinner.
See, when you stressed out, you could age fast in here,
I done seen weak niggas not last a year.
So before lights out, I write my kids every night,
Kiss the stamp on the kite,
And say a prayer…I hope it lands safe in these flights,
I pray they sleep safe through the night.
Try to teach my son right, give him some jewels,
But it’s hard to raise my boy from this visiting room.
Many cells turned to prisoner’s tombs,
I just pray I don’t die in here,
And last night I almost cried a tear.

Beanie Sigel, “Have Mercy,” from Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Pt. II, 2009

When I get involved, I give it my heart,
I mean my mind, my soul, my body: I mean every part.
But if it doesn’t work out, yo, it just doesn’t.
It wasn’t meant to be, you know, it just wasn’t.

MC Lyte, “Paper Thin,” Lyte as a Rock, 1988