It’s a thin line between paper and hate,
Friends and snakes, nine millis and thirty-eights,
Hell or the pearly gates…I was destined to come,
Predicted, blame God, He blew breath in my lungs.
Nas, “Hate Me Now,” I Am…, 1999
Tag: new york
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EPMD in effect, I’m clockin’ mad green
Like Kermit the Frog, sloppy like Boss Hog,
Girl was runnin’ wild…ate her like a corn dog.Parrish Smith, “Chill,” from EPMD’s Business Never Personal, 1992 -
It’s ninety-six degrees in the shade…
Before I catch blood on my blade.Keith Murray, “Hostile,” from Erick Sermon’s No Pressure, 1993 -
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. -
The D’s for doin it all of the time.
M is for the rhymes, that are all mine,
C’s for cool, cool as can be,
And why you wear those glasses? So I can see!D.M.C., “Here We Go,” Run-D.M.C., 1983 -
Bass! How low can you go?
Death row…what a brother know.
Once again, back is the incredible,
The rhyme animal, the uncannable “D!”
Public Enemy Number One.
Five-O said, “Freeze!” and I got numb.
Can I tell ‘em that I really never had a gun?
But it’s the wax that the Terminator X spun.Chuck D., “Bring the Noise,” from Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988 -
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 -
So concisely, musically we are the herb
So sit back and light me.
Inhale…
My style’s kinda fat, reminiscent of a whale.Q-Tip, “Sucka Nigga,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, 1993 (via egotripland) -
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 -
So you think that hip-hop had its start out in Queensbridge?
If you popped that junk up in the Bronx, you might not live!KRS-One, “South Bronx,” from Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded, 1987 -
A rap villain: chillin’ and I don’t give a fuck about a killin’ cause I’m still in effect when you’re illin’.
Kool G. Rap, “Jive Talk,” from Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990 -
Me and Frosted went to get a drink.
But she ordered somethin’ bugged, and I ain’t know what to think.
She ordered potassium, calcium,
Carbohydrate, scotch with sodium.
She took me to her crib, threw me on the couch…
I woke up the next morning with a spoon in my mouth.LL Cool J, “Milky Cereal,” Mama Said Knock You Out, 1990 -
So lovers of life, don’t keep your hopes up high.
Why? Cause it’s just a matter of time before it’s your turn to die.
But until then, when you stop breathin’,
It’s time to stand up and fight for what you believe in!Sticky Fingaz, “2 Wrongz,” from Onyx’s All We Got Iz Us, 1995 -
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 -
Back in the days when I was a teenager,
Before I had status, and before I had a pager,
You could find The Abstract, listening to hip-hop,
My pops used to say it reminded him of be-bop.
I said, ‘Well daddy don’t you know that things go in cycles.
The way that Bobby Brown is just ampin’ like Michael.
It’s all expected, things are for the lookin’,
If you got the money, Quest is for the bookin’.Q-Tip, “Excursions,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991 -
Rebel, renegade, must stay paid.
KRS-One, “I’m Still #1,” from Boogie Down Productions’ By Any Means Necessary, 1990 -
L is the rebel type, I’m rough as a metal pipe,
Fuck a Benz, cause I can pull skins on a pedal bike.Big L, “Represent,” from Showbiz & A.G.’s Runaway Slave, 1992. Happy Bornday Big L, Rest in Peace. -
Niggas is decaf, I stick ‘em for the C.R.E.A.M.
Method Man, “Bring the Pain,” Tical, 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 -
Deja vu, tell you what I’m gonna do,
When they reminisce over you, my God.CL Smooth, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” from Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s Mecca and the Soul Brother, 1992 -
Stop raising your voice at me,
Stop messing around with my sanity,
Got me in a bubble, I can barely breathe…Truth Enola, “Voicetress,” 12", 1999 -
There oughta be laws against you yappin’ your jaws.
Guru, “Take it Personal,” from Gang Starr’s Daily Operation, 1992 -
I own the night…the heat’s my receipt.
Ka, “Cold Facts,” Grief Pedigree, 2012 -
Niggas running around fantasizing like they’re Peter Pan…
Your life’s a scam and I’mma fuck it up like Neverland.MF Grimm, “Fame,” The Hunt for the Gingerbread Man, 2007 -
Your mom’s in our business…she’s in our business…
Can’t you see, girl, that your mom’s trying to end this?K-Solo, “Your Mom’s In My Business,” Tell the World My Name, 1990 -
What’s the remedy? Suckaz better get their own identity,
And to the enemy, you better roll like there’s ten of me.A.G., “Next Level,” from Show and A.G.’s Goodfellas, 1995 -
Laugh now, cry later: this is the karma.
Hip-hop never died, it’s just sick of the drama.Cormega, “Journey,” Born and Raised, 2009 -
Lookin’ out at the world through my window pane,
Every day has many colors ‘cause the glass is stained.
Everything has changed but remains the same,
So once again the mirror raised.
And I see myself as clear as day,
And I am goin’ to the limits of my ultimate destiny,
Feeling as though somebody somewhere is testin’ me.
He who sees the end from the beginning of time
Looking forward through all the ages:
Is, was, and always shall be.MCA, “B-Boy Bouillabaisse (A Year And A Day),” from Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, 1989. Rest in power, Adam Yauch (1964 – 2012). -
Let me spell my name out for you, it’s Ricky:
R: Ravishing, I: Impress,
C: Courageous or Careless,
K: for the Kangols which I’ve got,
That I wear everyday and Y: Why not?Slick Rick, “Mona Lisa,” The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, 1988 -
Put this in your CD-ROM:
www dot Canibus dot com.
You can find me on the Internet, talkin’ to chicks
That was sweatin’ me off the ‘Music Makes Me High’ remix.
I be talkin’ mad trash, tryin to get ’em to laugh.
See, if I click and drag long enough I’ll get the ass…Canibus, “Making a Name For Ourselves,” from Common’s One Day It’ll All Make Sense, 1998 -
I wake you up and as I stare in your face, you seem stunned.
Remember me? The one you got your idea from?Rakim, “I Ain’t No Joke,” from Eric B. and Rakim’s Paid In Full, 1987 -
Infrareds on little people standing with some big heads,
I was Captain Kirk, walkin’ with a black t-shirt.
LAPD, the nurse asked did my knee hurt?
I was in pain, little Martians tryin’ ta take my brain,
Hospitals came, detectives wrote down my name.
I was to blame, my life never been the same.
A true story; I tell ya, it’ll never bore me.
My classmate died, my other friend named Cory
Drinkin’ 40s, he jumped out the project window,
Stabbed himself with a yellow number 2 pencil.Kool Keith, “Object Unknown,” from DJ Spooky featuring Kool Keith Object Unknown, 1998 -
Friends: how many have ‘em?
How long before they split like atoms?
Don’t ask me, but what I do stand behind
Is someone havin’ your back seems hard to find.Posdnous, “The Book of Life,” from De La Soul’s Plug 1 and Plug 2, First Serve, 2012 -
Shorty, let me tell you about my only vice:
It has to do with lots of lovin’, and it ain’t nuttin’ nice.Q-Tip, “Electric Relaxation,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, 1993 -
I don’t respect killers, I respect O.G. knowledge,
Codes of the streets got new rules, but no guidance.
Lessons, detrimental to a young disciple;
Folks, take care of your brothers, niggas do as I do.
Keep your enemies close, where they can see you.
It’s not your enemy who get you, it’s always your own people.Nas, “In Between Us,” from Scarface’s The Fix, 2002 -
I am the manifestation of study,
NOT the manifestation of money.
Therefore, I advance through thought,
NOT what’s manufactured and bought.KRS-One, “Original Lyrics,” from Boogie Down Productions’ Edutainment, 1990 -
…Cops just surrounding me with pistols everywhere.
They put me in the backseat of their car handcuffed,
Pushed out them chests like they’re big rough and tough.
A cop come and said ‘You’ll never sell your guns now.’
I said ‘It doesn’t matter, you’ll sell them anyhow.
You take the guns from me, you sell them for a fee;
Anyway you put it, they’ll get in the city!’KRS-One, “100 Guns,” from Boogie Down Productions’ Edutainment, 1990 -
You pout like a trout in a drought…can’t get out.
You want to scream, but fish can’t shout.MF Grimm, “King of New York,” Scars & Memories, 2005 -
Yo, where the teachers went, with all that pro-black shit?
Where all the conscious niggas, who used to chat like this?
See, I remember yesterday when y’all was Gods and Earths,
Egyptians and metaphysicists on the verge of giving birth
To Understanding, and planting seeds that grow.
Now everybody’s on that bullshit about killing and so.Wise Intelligent, “Conscious Style,” The New World Order, 1996 -
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 -
A prejudiced man is of a devil mentality.
These are words of a wise man, wisdom;
Take a taste and erase the racism.Kool G Rap, “Erase Racism,” from Kool G Rap and DJ Polo’s Wanted: Dead or Alive, 1990 -
I seen her in the subway, on my way to Brooklyn.
“Hello, good lookin, is this seat tooken?”On the A Train, pickin at her brain,
I couldn’t get her number, I couldn’t get her name.I said, “I still like your style and fashion,
But I hate your hot sadiddy attitude wit a passion.
Is it because brothers like to hawk a lot?
Is it because your sign don’t talk a lot?”She turned away, no play, I said, “OK,
You don’t really look good, I hope you have a bad day.”Rakim, “What’s On Your Mind,” from Eric B. & Rakim’s Don’t Sweat the Technique, 1992 -
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 -
The poor get worked, the rich get richer,
The world gets worse, do you get the picture?
The poor gets dead, the rich get depressed,
The ugly get mad, the pretty get stressed.
The ugly get violent, the pretty get gone,
The old get stiff, the young get stepped on.Whoever told you that “it was all good” lied,
So throw your fists up if you not satisfied.J-Live, “Satisfied,” All of the Above, 2002 -
Truth had me up against the ropes
And semi-conscious without no boxing skills.Pharoahe Monch, “The Truth,” Internal Affairs, 1999 -
Brothers ain’t half-steppin…they’re walking backwards.
A.G., “Back to Back Rhyming,” from Lord Finesse & DJ Mike Smooth’s Funky Technician, 1990 -
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 -
Some girls barely speak, but always askin’ for a dollar.
Big L, “No Endz, No Skinz,” Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, 1995 -
I call wild niggas together like Cyrus,
And knock off more birds than the West Nile Virus.Freddie Foxxx, “I Come to War,” 12", 2001 -
Lyrics are weak, like clock radio speakers.
GZA, “Liquid Swords,” Liquid Swords, 1995 -
…And Sunday’s the one day I rest, give thanks, and bless.
Special Ed, “Ready 2 Attack,” Legal, 1990 -
How can polar bears swing on vines with the gorillas?
Brother J, “Grand Verbalizer,” from X-Clan’s To the East, Blackwards, 1990 -
I like ‘em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian.
Phife, “Electric Relaxation,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, 1993 -
We speak the love language, they speak from pain and anguish.
Some don’t love theyselves, so they perception is tainted.Talib Kweli, “Love Language,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000 -
Too many MC’s take that word ‘emcee’ lightly;
They can’t Move a Crowd, not even slightly.KRS-One, “MC’s Act Like They Don’t Know,” KRS-One, 1995 -
I got styles sick as hell, sicker than sickle cell anemia,
Slaughter your circulatory like leukemia.AZ, “Rather Unique,” Doe or Die, 1995 -
Ain’t no love lost, cause there was never none there.
Billy Danze, “Hood Music,” from Memphis Bleek’s M.A.D.E., 2003 -
I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.
Jay-Z, “Can I Live,” Reasonable Doubt, 1996 -
Flawless victory, y’all niggas can’t do shit to me:
Physically, lyrically, hypothetically, realistically.Big Pun, “Beware,” Capital Punishment, 1998 -
Fuck Batman and Robin: I’m robbin’ with a bat, man.
Rock, “Gunz ‘N Onez (Iz U Wit Me),” from Heltah Skeltah’s Magnum Force, 1998 -
When I hit the skins they all say, ‘Damn Kane…
You knock out the Bush like a presidential campaign!’Big Daddy Kane, “How U Get a Record Deal?” Looks Like a Job For…, 1993 -
The mind tricks the body,
Body thinks the mind is crazy…Buckshot Shorty, “How Many MC’s…,” from Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage, 1993 -
I don’t feel pain cause it’s all in the mind,
And what’s mines is mines and yours is mine!Sticky Fingaz, “Throw Ya Gunz,” from Onyx’s Bacdafucup, 1993 -
I never ever ran from the Ku Klux Klan, and I shouldn’t have to run from a black man.
Kool Moe Dee, “Self-Destruction,” from Stop the Violence All-Stars’ Self Destruction, 1989 -
I find it’s distressin’, there’s never no in-between:
We either niggaz or kings,
We either bitches or queens.
The deadly ritual seems immersed in the perverse,
Full of short attention spans, short tempers, and short skirts.Mos Def, “Thieves in the Night,” from Black Star’s Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, 1998 -
When I need bread, I grab the toaster and stick niggas for they crumbs.
Akinyele, “The Robbery Song,” Put It in Your Mouth EP, 1996 -
You got a man? That’s somethin we will talk about.
He’s smart enough to have ya, but dumb enough to let ya out.LL Cool J, “Mr. Goodbar,” Mama Said Knock You Out, 1990 -
Pull down the shades on the windows of your soul,
And gaze into your mind and watch the wisdom unfold…Beanie Sigel, “Hypnotic,” from Memphis Bleek’s M.A.D.E., 2003 -
I guess I was a combination of House of Pain and Bobby Brown:
I was humpin’ around and jumpin’ around!Notorious B.I.G., “Dead Wrong,” Born Again, 1999 -
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