Telling my business to kids I don’t even know,
You’re like a daytime talk show…and that’s low.

Guru, “Take it Personal,” from Gang Starr’s Daily Operation, 1992

Your reign on the top was short like leprechauns,
As I crush so-called Willies, thugs, and rapper-dons.

The Notorious B.I.G., “Kick in the Door,” Life After Death, 1997

On the square…I’m not riffin’ like Andy Griffith,
Just fed up, goin’ head up, with competition.

Positive K, “Step Up Front,” 12", 1988. Legendary television actor Andy Griffith died of natural causes today at the age of 86.

When you say you love me, it doesn’t matter.
It goes into my head as just chit-chatter.
You may think it’s egotistical or just worry-free,
But what you say, I take none of it seriously.

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

Ayo, the arm bone connected to the hand bone,
Nigga, the hand bone connected to the damn chrome!

Sean P, “Don’t You Cross the Line,” from Boot Camp Clik’s The Last Stand, 2006

Nowadays rap artists coming half-hearted,
Commercial like pop, or underground like black markets.
Where were you the day hip-hop died?
Is it too early to mourn? Is it too late to ride?

Talib Kweli, “Too Late,” from  Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000

Fake MC’s – they always act hard
But won’t walk the streets without their bodyguards.

Guru, “Suckas Need Bodyguards,” from Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn, 1994

Rappers can’t sleep, need sleepin’,
B.I.G. keep creepin’,
Bullets heat-seekin’,
Casualties need treatin’,
Dumb rappers need teachin’.

Notorious B.I.G., “Unbelievable,” Ready To Die, 1994

I was always taught my do’s and don’ts:
For do’s I did, and for don’ts, I said I won’t.

GZA, “I Gotcha Back,” from the Fresh soundtrack, and also on Liquid Swords, 1994

Don’t you like when the winter’s gone,
And all of a sudden it starts gettin’ warm?
The trees and the grass start lookin’ fresh,
And the sun and sky be lookin’ their best…

Biz Markie, “Spring Again,” The Biz Never Sleeps, 1989

Look: if I shoot you, I’m brainless,
But if you shoot me, then you’re famous.
What’s a nigga to do?

Jay-Z, “Streets Is Watching,” In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, 1997

Ain’t nothin’ like hip-hop music;
You like it cause you choose it.
Most DJ’s won’t refuse it,
A lotta sucka MC’s misuse it.

Daddy-O, “Go Stetsa I,” from Stetsasonic’s On Fire, 1986

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is;
I get more props and stunts than Bruce Willis.

Guru, “DWYCK,” from Gang Starr featuring Nice & Smooth DWYCK 12", 1994

This country of ours was built on violence;
If your ass got in the way, you was killed in silence.
And these been the ways since back in the days:
Just ask the Indians or the African slaves.

Masta Ace, “The Ways,” A Long Hot Summer, 2004

I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.

Jay-Z, “Can I Live,” Reasonable Doubt, 1996

If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack.
Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.

Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, 2003

I’m not a ‘Businessman,’ I’m a Business… man! Let me handle my business, damn!

Jay-Z, “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix),” from Kanye West’s Late Registration, 2005

Said she loved my necklace, started relaxin’.
Now that’s what the fuck I call a chain reaction!

Jay-Z, “Money Ain’t a Thang,” from Jermaine Dupri’s Life in 1472, 1998

Special Ed • “Ready 2 Attack” • 1990

Christmas is over and this is my resolution:
To stop the confusion.
Let the fresh get fresh, and the stale get staler
And throw em in a pail of
Trash…with the other trash, and smash down the lid,
For all the weak shit they did.

Special Ed, “Ready 2 Attack,” Legal, 1990

Dead Prez • “Hell Yeah (Pimp the System)” • 2004

I’m not the one to kiss ass for the top position,
I take mine off the top like a politician.
Where I’m from, doin dirt is a part of livin…
I got mouths to feed, I gots to get it.

– Dead Prez, “Hell Yeah (Pimp the System),” RBG: Revolutionary But Gangsta, 2004

Jay-Z • American Dreamin • 2007

Survive the droughts? I wish you well.
How sick am I? I wish you health.
I wish you wheels, I wish you wealth,
I wish you insight so you could see for yourself.

– Jay-Z, “American Dreamin,” American Gangster, 2007

We live to love, and we love to rock mics.
We speak in ghetto tongue, cause ghetto’s the life.

Doodlebug, “Where I’m From,” from Digable Planets’ Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space), 1993. More from Digable Planets…

Stay far from timid.
Only make moves when your heart is in it.
And live the phrase ‘Sky’s the Limit.’

Notorious B.I.G., “Sky’s the Limit,” Life After Death, 1997. More from Biggie…

She claims she loves my mind, cause I’m so intelligent,
But fuck my mental…she was scheming on my mint.

Jeru tha Damaja, “Me or the Papes,” Wrath of the Math, 1996. More from Jeru…

You know, I used to be a player…flygirl-layer and a heartbreaker,
Lovemaker, backbreaker, but then I made a mistake.
Yes, I fell in love with this ill chick,
Sweatin’ me for money, my name and the dilsnick.
My homeboys told me drop her cause it would be to my benefit;
She used to say I’d better quit hanging with those derelicts.

Guru, “Ex Girl to the Next Girl,” from Gang Starr’s Daily Operation, 1992. More from Guru…

Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther could walk,
Martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run,
Barack Obama ran so all the children could fly…
So, I’mma spread my wings, you can meet me in the sky.

Jay-Z, “My President is Black (Remix)” from Young Jeezy’s The Recession, 2008

I wouldn’ta came and said my name and run some weak shit,
Puttin’ blurbs and slurs and words that don’t fit
In a rhyme, why waste time on the microphone?
I take this more serious than just a poem.
Rockin’ party to party, backyard to yard,
I tear it up y’all…and bless the mic for the Gods.

Rakim, “My Melody,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Paid in Full, 1987. More from Rakim Allah…

Now, yo: Juice Crew’s the family, Slick Rick’s a friend of me
And Doug E. Fresh, Stet, KRS and Public Enemy.
Blahzay-blah, you know who you are:
The red, black and green, the sun, moon and star.
Knowledge of self is being taught here on after,
Peace in the name of I, Self, Lord and Master.
I come to teach and preach and reaching each
With the speech every leech I’ll impeach.
Drop science and build with math,
And the dumb, deaf and blind’ll feel the Wrath…of Kane.

Big Daddy Kane, “Wrath of Kane (Live),” It’s a Big Daddy Thing, 1990. More from Kane…

Got the new Hummer in the summer when,
I was a newcomer then,
Drugs and Mac-10s, hugs from fake friends.
Make ends: they hate you,
Be broke: girls won’t date you.

Notorious B.I.G., “Long Kiss Goodnight,” Life After Death, 1997. More from Biggie…

Y’all niggaz ain’t rapping the same,
Fuck the flow, y’all jacking our slang,
I seen the same shit happen to Kane,
Three cuts in your eyebrow trying to wild out.
The game is ours, will never foul out,
Y’all just better hope we gracefully bow out.

Jay-Z, “Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up),” Vol. 2…The Life and Times of S. Carter, 1999. More from Jay…

Lyrically def and connecting, complete mic-wrecking…
No double-checking, vocals kill like weapons.

Guru, “Mass Appeal,” from Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn, 1994. More from Guru…

Never forget that I’m the one you thought wouldn’t make it.
I used to make money…now I just take it.

Buckshot, “I Gotcha Opin,” from Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, 1993. More from Black Moon…

I know the price, know the risk, know the wrongs and the rights;
Still my blood flows ice…it’s just my life.

Jay-Z, “In My Lifetime (Remix),” 12", 1994. More from Hov…

Talk…well I heard talk is cheap.
But like beauty, talk is just skin deep.
And when you lie and you talk a lot,
People tell you to step off a lot.

Daddy-O, “Talkin’ All That Jazz,” from Stetsasonic’s In Full Gear, 1988.

I’m outspoken; my language is broken into a slang,
But it’s just a dialect that I select when I hang.

Special Ed, “I Got It Made,” Youngest in Charge, 1989. More from Special Ed…

Another day, another burial,
Got you wondering ’bout the day when they bury you.
Tear drops stain the Wally’s that you rockin’,
On the block, candles burn, guns poppin’.

Tek, “Memorial,” from Cocoa Brovaz’ (aka Smif N Wessun) The Rude Awakening, 1998.

It’s the message in the song that makes you rock on,
Some people go to places where they don’t belong.
Whether wrong or right, a lot of people fight,
But I’m here to bless this mic, aight?

Guru, “What I’m Here 4,” from Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth, 1998. More from Guru…

In my heart, though, I do believe:
If you put out more love than you receive,
It’s bound to come back around, eventually.

Masta Ace, “Glory,” from Marco Polo’s PA2: The Director’s Cut, 2013. More lyrics from Ace >

No sheep clothing,
I wear wolf;
Howl at the moon.

Ka, “Day 93,” from Ka and Preservation’s Days with Dr. Yen Lo, 2015. More from Ka…

Before I lay my head down to rest,
I roll up a nickel sack of cess to relieve the stress.

Steele, “Wontime,” from Smif-N-Wessun’s Dah Shinin’, 1995

You know how it go when you got no dough:
Niggas goin out to party and you got no clothes.
And when you do get clothes, then you can’t go out
That’s the bullshit I’m talkin’ about.

Sean Price, “Mess You Made,” Jesus Price Supastar, 2007. More from Sean Price

I mastered The Art of War before a nigga read Sun Tzu,
Third degree black-belt, master of Gun-Fu.
Pop pills, smoke weed, even get drunk too;
And you do what you can, and I do what I want to.

Sean Price, “Like You,” Jesus Price Supastar, 2007. R.I.P! More from P!

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 Supastar, 2007. R.I.P!

You can tell by the rhyme it’s my time to shine;
Let’s eat, motherfucker, I don’t dine on swine.
I don’t beef with turkeys, I told you the God’ll fold you,
Hard to digest: I suggest that you take tofu.

Sean Price, “Like You,” Jesus Price Supastar, 2007. R.I.P!