Oddisee - "You Know Who You Are" [Verse 1] You were there from the start Taught me to be aware of the sharks and prepare for the dark You kept a secret you practiced what you were preaching against Your inner demons were praying I'd tear apart You won't admit but you competed just a little bit I could tell, you'd be heated over little shit Telling me to quit trying and get real I got a little shine you was like big deal I was pursuing dreams, steady doing my thing You wasn't doing the same, you wasn't doing a thing From my truest to a Brutus to a Judas To who knew that this could happen But the fracture was brewing it seems I should have seen, mistaking smoke for a little steam It turned to fire you burned me, trying to ruin me I won't even mention your name in my bars It's too close to the scars, but I'm sure that [Hook] You know who you are You know who you are I ain't gotta name names You know who you are I ain't gotta name names You know who you are I ain't gotta name names You know who you are You know who you are [Verse 2] You were there from the start You told me whatever I'm doing to do it from the heart I was pursuing a dream that was cloaked in the cloth of the uncertain Making money, music, and art, and it wasn't perfect You told me whatever's worth it was worth hurting Double edge seemingly sharp, rather unnerving Still, you believed in a brother I was starving as an artist, you was feeding a brother You could see in a brother what I couldn't see myself When I couldn't see myself needing help One reason or other I was trying through it all Lot of ways to fail, that's the fastest way to fall And through it and after all, you was with me not against Cheered me from the bench, now you're with me as I ball And that meant, I ain't even mention your name in my bars You know you're close to my heart I'm sure that [Hook] [Verse 3] You were there from the start Before you were even aware of the plan you were part Of the scheme grand, as it could seem at the top Man can only go so high before he reaches where he can't breath But you know your limitations, you walk patient While everybody start running for their plan B Like a fire escape, but you stay in the kitchen Let them sleep on they dreams, you stay lying awake You stay eyeing the cake, they say you getting greedy And then they turn their side against you like they getting sleepy Try to convince you but you ain't into what they about Get in your mental prevent you to take the way out Please, let 'em try, let 'em fail Let em tell lies on you, let 'em be Let em see you prevail Let em bail on they attempt to stunt a star In any event be sure that [Hook]
^just responding to Ra's lyrics, Nine Inch Nails: "You Know What You Are?" I tried to sneak myself through, tried to get to the other side I had to patch up the cracks and the holes that I have to hide For a little bit of time even made it work okay Just long enough to really make it hurt When they figured me out and it all just rotted away Don't you fucking know what you are? Go on get back to where you belong! You better take a good look cause I'm full of shit With every bit of my heart I've tried to believe in it You can dress it all up, you can try to pretend But you can't change anything You can't change anything In the end Remember where you came from, remember what you are Don't you fucking know what you are? Go on get back to where you belong
Pac Div - "No Superman" [Verse 1: BeYoung] I already know I ain't invincible, we in these niggas' scopes Mama said the realest ones always got the strength to cope Fuck all the fame, we gon' leave the game with our soul Jedi mind and we ain't never changed, niggas know That's how the shit'll go, they build you up to back you down Though it's wrong, nigga chain smoking black and milds Four sips from blacking out, one song from Bill Gatin' Classics in the catalog, niggas still hating Not from trees but for cheese niggas still hanging Lost my heart with my brother but we still praying Life's a catch 22 Put the spark to my blunt, drown my stress in a brew [Hook] I ain't Superman I ain't Superman I ain't Superman You ain't Superman I ain't Superman I ain't Superman You ain't Superman You ain't Superman [Verse 2: Mibbs] We start out as tadpoles in mama's tummy And come out as assholes always wanting money It's me, myself, and all the ones who love me Cause when I'm on, they don't want nothing from me Superficial shit be bugging me like All the superficial bitches fucking me right We make the superficial sound lovely right I sell you a dream and you gon' fuck with me right Is this shit too smart? Am I saying too much? Is this shit too art? Is yo bitch that bad? Do you really put on, nigga is that yo car? Life's a catch 22 Put the spark to my blunt, drown my stress in a brew [Hook] [Verse 3: Like] When that real shit gon' come back home, it's been decades Sick of this bullshit spreading over the airwaves My hand hurting like I'm writing ten essays My head hurting like I'm fighting ten ese's Eyes hazy, blowing on kush crazy Less TV, more books lately, home body Flow godly, dreads look crazy Niggas think I'm from Da Bush Babees, bars make 'em push daisies Alpha, omega, problem and solution Intro and conclusion, the start and the finish In a tug-of-war with this art and this business That's why a nigga gotta play it smart with decisions Occult symbolism in this art, pay attention Pagan messages, these niggas lost their religions They some false prophets, the rhyme profits They evade the truth, confront 'em, they go off topic Don't compare me to these pop objects You wouldn't compare Fred Segal to Hot Topic All brains and beats, yep it's called logic Getting brain from freaks we meet at y'all college, just using raw knowledge Nag Champas, all conscious like Kweli Niggas think I'm Wale, women wanna parlay When I was down and out, ain't nobody wanna call me See me on my grind, now they all late But I ain't no Superman [Hook]
J. Cole - "Knock Tha Hustle" Death to the imposters, label me the king My dreams could win Oscars, my niggas turned mobsters My white friends doctors, fatherless child Listen how I got this knowledge is wild Streets taught me, speak softly nigga watch from the crowd Cause any nigga that's loud, just want attention and eventually BLAOW No fake niggas allowed in my circle dawg You been through half the shit I been through it'll hurt ya dawg Tread softly, my nigga moving state to state running late watch 'em Tryna avoid state troopers, that's the weight watchers Run this dope set this cake till they say "Gotcha" Or till the fat lady sings, and niggas hate operas And Oprah hate niggas Make no mistake that we know the stake still, we hope to make over eight figures Slim chances, but niggas bet against the odds and who am I to criticise how you play your cards dawg [Hook] Cause I done beat the odds going way too hard I been getting slept on for way too long I been patiently waiting for way too long I been quiet dawg for way too long You can't knock the hustle dawg it's way too strong It's way too strong I said you can't knock my hustle dawg it's way too strong It's way too strong [Verse 2] Look, I never admit it, tryna get my brother acquitted Yo' tell the judge I be happy to pay him off if he's with it My flesh and blood, hauled off to the cell I search for heaven as I see him getting lost in this hell Headed for coffin or jail, to never try is the ultimate fail But love is wanting more for someone than they want for themselves Deep, I guess I love a lot Because the more I do my thang the more I feel the guilt and shame that my brother's not Reminisce as we was kids screaming "Fuck a cop" Guess he took it serious, for me that shit was just for props Arms too skinny to hug the block I found comfort in my dreams of things seen on the screen of fortune and fame Decisions, decisions, the Porsche or the Range I take a trip back to the 'Ville only corpses remain Some of them niggas still breathing but they dead inside Victims of a genocide Tears fill my eyes dawg [Hook 2] Cause I've been out of touch man for way too long I've been out in Hollywood for way too long I've been, getting this paper for way too long I ain't called my pops back in way too long I done make my girl wait for way too long I wonder if I changed on my way to own Can't knock my hustle but It's way too strong It's way too strong
Phonte -" Dance In The Reign" [Intro] All systems go Thank y'all so much, thank y'all for listenin' It's Phontiga And I do this all for hip-hop I'm lyin' like shit, I do this shit for my goddamn mortgage nigga And my bills, who the fuck am I foolin' New Tigallo, new Tigallo, new Tigallo [Verse 1] Stand clear You are not a man if you cannot stand here Phontigallo make the song cry grown man tears With the Bull City flow off the corner of Alston and Angier Sex symbol rap, you niggas is Pam Grier We throw bows like Bill Laimbeer Plant fear the first time around, no do-overs Where the fuck is my glass of sangria Get a sip, then get another sip Then go back to the mothership and tell them I'm on that Separate excrement, yeah that other shit Run and tell mother it's clearly not your time yet Cause you to me is Dr. Seuss to a Steinbeck A pro with the prose, what a concept Haha, and I cut this shit in half cause I ain't feel like waitin' [Verse 2] They say everybody got a story, so here's mine It ain't heartbreakin', because I've taken The sour Grapes of Wrath and made Cheerwine That NC shit, nigga I feel fine You know that I'm real, ten years still here No worse for the wear, nigga I'm ill And I'm still top notch You niggas is better off playin' hopscotch in a minefield Better off warring in the jungle with no camouflaging Suicide mission, straight sabotagin' Flow so addicting it's like habit formin' Flow hair-raising it's like rabbit farmin' Peter Cottontail hopping over beats or rocking Acappells since the days of Akinyele nigga I'm back in the kitchen with a silk apron Let that boy sauté [Verse 3] I said let me know the troubles on your mind youngblood And Lord willing me and you will solve them He said Tay I worry about you in the rap game I said motherfucker go and get a real problem Please beg pardon but I'm not starvin' This rap shit is not the life I live It's a tool that I use, that's it No great fortune to show for it but fortunate That no one can say his life ain't his Some might even say underachiever cause they are not believers That I don't want the world, but I done seen the world And if you ever saw it, hell, you wouldn't want it either I don't need a kingdom, just want a home You can take a seat or you can take the throne As long as it is known ain't a damn thing changed Still the underground king, nigga dance in the reign Holla [Outro by Sy Smith] I feel so glad that I made it, I couldn't ask for more This world is yours for the taking, what are you waiting for
Grieves - "Recluse" Yeah, I pushed the boat out - I'm floating on faith Got a I-don't-give-a-shit look stuck on my face I guess that I've become a product of the castle gates Dug a moat around my heart and filled it up with paint I went and poured it on the rocks with my last album So thick that a normal person would pass out from Now something of which I used to confide in Got me sittin in silence, propping open my eyelids Stupid - I just want to listen to the music Fade in to the background and drink until the rooms spinnin' So move some, there ain't nothing left to see here The only words I'm a pay attention to are "free beer" So leave me here like a cricket in a matchbox Cash in my good luck and spend it on a padlock The bad thoughts and the whiskey are better company than bullshit So just leave it and go I don't want to go outside today No, I want to be left alone I don't want to put the mask on my face No, I want to be left alone I don't want to get up out my bed I want to be left alone Didn't hear a goddamn word you said Go home I hit the still water; coasting on hope Got a bunch of little daggers tattooed on my throat - (ouch) What's the point of making friends when you grew up With a devil and couple of pretend ones I guess that I don't know the difference when it comes to space You're either leaving me alone or all up in my face And lately, with the way that things are going I don't taste the sugar in your words for me to give a shit about what you say Yup - I'm crazy and irrational Always tell the truth so that you can call me "asshole" I prefer the black hole over the sun Plant a seed up in the sound garden; watered with rum It's not the same when you're looking through the frame of a broken heart The smoke blinds but also helps you look the part So you can knock it 'til your knuckles get scars I suggest you leave it and go I don't want to go outside today No, I want to be left alone I don't want to put the mask on my face No, I want to be left alone I don't want to get up out my bed I want to be left alone Didn't hear a goddamn word you said Go home
Tech N9ne - "Going Bad" (Intro Part 1) This is the trip! The best part I, really, really like! Yeah, I'm proud to be a part of this number! Used to be good, now I'm going bad.. Yo.. Like this! (Intro Part 2) (x2) Everything was 'posed to be all Jesus Everything was 'posed to be all Jesus But it seems like everything is all Satan But it seems like everything is all Satan Yo yo check (Verse 1) In the new millennium you can't play with nobody's mind, man Deliberately messing up a good thing or holding up a grind and You already knowing life's a big fight against time, man Crime minds really shine, who's dying is the kind man When some of us, find that life ain't beautiful, we switch to pharmaceuticals Your nine to five ain't suitable, for the cuticles I'm going bad, currently I keep ending up with even less than I had Record company is dealing me something sad How do you expect a man to sit and wait with three kids For you to figure out what Tech S-I-N-G-L-E is? Going bad, I feel like I just might act a fool when I see 'em Got a nigga, feeling petty looking forward to per diem I got some issues, most of these record execs are soft as tissues Defecate on they self when they here some "I'm gon' get yous" Understand this; when a Rogue sat, you trying to hold back his dough sack And try to bozack and he go cock the 4-4 back, you chose that So cut these ties and I'll rise, let's compromise Or else I'll hop a plane with my guys QDIII said, "It ain't all good, when you sign with a record label Who ain't had a hot soundtrack ever since Boyz N Da Hood" (Bridge) I'm going bad No luck I'm going Bad, bad, bad So rough I'm going Bad, bad, bad No church I'm going Bad, bad, bad Disperse I'm going Bad Feel me out now (Charmelle Hook) This life I live Ain't extra No angels to Stand next to To live a life that's better I'll sacrifice whatever This life I live Ain't extra No angels to Stand next to To live a life that's better I'll sacrifice Whatever (LeCoya LeJuene Voiceover 1) No one wants to see An angel in this world In these days To them I am The epitome of evil A found soul Looking to save the lost To them I am death And of not wanting An evil man (Verse 2) For living expenses they gave me like thirty-five G's Picture me in a hospital shot up with thirty IV's That's what I really needed when I found out this drama trauma Instead of moving I should've kept all that and continued to stay with my girl's momma Gutter living got me tripping I'm smoking bud daily Gutter living got me tripping, I'm going blood crazy Gutter living got me tripping, I'm struggling like a bad actor Gutter living got me sounding like The Madd Rapper The bad influence, the bad apple, the bad seed (That's me, yes) The bad people, the bad karma, the bad breed Mushroom tripping, brain's a mushroom cloud Finding groupies tugging on my zipper while I'm hanging on to my vows Demons surround me in triple stage darkness and taunt me They know I'm the good guy going bad so they want me All my family remembers way back in the day I was good but they doubt now Disperse, I'm going bad, feel me out now (Charmelle Hook) (LeCoya LeJuene Voiceover 2) To say going bad To most Ha Never been good Just getting worst Thoughts to destroy And to tear things apart Thoughts to praise Adore And to love The trick is What voice is telling you what (Verse 3) Mind state of a pirate, I'm irate Used to be cool till some straight fool lit the pilot Will I be that mid-town bound in the middle of a riot Or at a warehouse shipping platinum, and I'm shaking hands with Violet No love for the bane, false foes in the game The Qwest wreck was a shame, twas a journey full of pain But Tech Nine will remain hella brave and untame so make way For the reign I'm bringing Highland and Wayne No thanks to Qwest they on the receiving end of the gun I cursed you, for every time I climb you're getting fired one by one But taking Juan with me cause he knows the true meaning of a modern day hippie Who creates jewels off mushrooms and bombs sticky Hog Stylin', Mid West Side and Newday and King Tech and Sway These are the people keeping me alive to this day (Much love) QD said "You can't make rell with a label Who let Tipper Gore talk shit and made 'em take Ice T's Cop Killer off the shelves" (Bridge) I'm going bad No luck I'm going Bad So rough I'm going Bad No church I'm going Bad Disperse I'm going Bad Feel me out now (Charmelle Hook) (LeCoya LeJuene Voiceover 3) Right now I can't distinguish Which voice I'm listening to Am I evil Or just another lost soul Going bad Or just been bad And getting worst
When I'm drivin' in my car And the man comes on the radio He's tellin' me more and more About some useless information Supposed to drive my imagination When I'm watchin' my TV And a man comes on and tells me How white my shirts can be But he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke The same cigarrettes as me When I'm ridin' round the world And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that And I'm tryin' to make some girl Who tells me baby better come back maybe next week 'Cause you see I'm on losing streak No satisfaction, no satisfaction I can't get no
I love bad bitches, that's my fucking problem And yeah I like to fuck, I got a fucking problem I love bad bitches, that's my fucking problem And yeah I like to fuck I got a fucking problem I love bad bitches, that's my fucking problem And yeah I like to fuck, I got a fucking problem If finding somebody real is your fucking problem Bring ya girls to the crib maybe we can solve it Hold up bitches simmer down Takin' hella long bitch give it to me now Make that thing pop like a semi or a nine Oh baby like it raw with a shimmy shimmy ya Huh, ASAP get like me Never met a motherfucker fresh like me All these motherfuckers wanna dress like me Put the chrome to your dome make you sweat like Keef ...........
Childish Gambino - "Redbone" Daylight I wake up feeling like you won't play right I used to know, but now that shit don't feel right It made me put away my pride So long You made a nigga wait for some, so long You make it hard for a boy like that to know wrong I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh If you want it, yeah You can have it, oh, oh, oh If you need it, ooh We can make it, oh If you want it You can have it But stay woke Niggas creepin' They gon' find you Gon' catch you sleepin' (oh) Now stay woke Niggas creepin' Now don't you close your eyes Too late You wanna make it right, but now it's too late My peanut butter chocolate cake with Kool-Aid I'm trying not to waste my time If you want it, oh You can have it (you can have it) If you need it (you better believe in something) We can make it, oh If you want it You can have it, ah! But stay woke (stay woke) Niggas creepin' (they be creepin') They gon' find you (they gon' find you) Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you sleepin', put your hands up on me) Now stay woke Niggas creepin' Now don't you close your eyes But stay woke (ooh, ah) Niggas creepin' They gon' find you (they gon' find you) Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you, gon' catch you, ooh) Now stay woke Niggas creepin' Now don't you close your eyes How'd it get so scandalous? Oh, how'd it get so scandalous? Oh, oh, how'd it get, how'd it get How'd it get so scandalous? How'd it get so scandalous? Ooh we get so scandalous But stay woke But stay woke
The Story Of O.J. Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga I like that second one Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga O.J. like, "I'm not black, I'm O.J." ...okay House nigga, don't fuck with me I'm a field nigga with shined cutlery Gold-plated quarters where the butlers be I'mma play the corners where the hustlers be I told him, "Please don't die over the neighborhood That your mama rentin' Take your drug money and buy the neighborhood That's how you rinse it" I bought every V12 engine Wish I could take it back to the beginnin' I coulda bought a place in Dumbo before it was Dumbo For like 2 million That same building today is worth 25 million Guess how I'm feelin'? Dumbo Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga You wanna know what's more important than throwin' away money at a strip club? Credit You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it Financial freedom my only hope Fuck livin' rich and dyin' broke I bought some artwork for 1 million 2 years later, that shit worth 2 million Few years later, that shit worth 8 million I can't wait to give this shit to my children Y'all think it's bougie, I'm like, it's fine But I'm tryin' to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99 I turned that 2 to a 4, 4 to an 8 I turned my life into a nice first week release date Y'all out here still takin' advances, huh? Me and my niggas takin' real Chances, uh Y'all on the 'Gram holdin' money to your ear There's a disconnect, we don't call that money over here, yeah Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga Light nigga, dark nigga, faux nigga, real nigga Rich nigga, poor nigga, house nigga, field nigga Still nigga, still nigga
THE IMPRESSIONS - "Minstrel And Queen" Queen majesty, may I speak to thee, So much I have longed, I've longed to speak to you alone, True I agree, I'm not of your society, I'm not a king just a minstrel, With my songs to you I moan, Though just a minstrel in life we're so far apart, But royal queen I see love in your heart, your heart I love you too, your majesty ...hmmmmm, Isn't this really true, These things I ask of you...hmmmm, Oh,oh majesty could you really care for me, Minstrel and Queen A Queen with no king, I'm a minstrel subpar, but could this really mean anything, As long as you love me, And it won't be so hard, As long as I see love love in your heart, (your heart), I love you too, (honest I do), Hmmmm..(your majesty), hmmmm..(your majesty) Ohh I love you too, (your majesty) Hmmmm queen majesty... Curtis Mayfield - "Pursherman" I'm your mama, I'm your daddy, I'm that nigga in the alley. I'm your doctor when in need. Want some coke? Have some weed. You know me, I'm your friend, Your main boy, thick and thin. I'm your pusherman. Ain't I clean, bad machine Super cool, super mean Dealin' good, for The Man. Superfly, here I stand. Secret stash, heavy bread, Baddest bitches in the bed, I'm your pusherman Silent life of crime A man of odd circumstance, A victim of ghetto demands. Feed me money for style And I'll let you trip for a while. Insecure from the past, How long can a good thing last? No, no, no Got to be mellow, y'all Got to get mellow, now Pusherman gettin' mellow, y'all Heavy mind, every sign Makin' money all the time My LD and just me For all junkies to see Ghetto Prince is my thing Makin' love's how I swing I'm your pusherman Two bags, please For a generous fee Make your world what you want it to be Got a woman I love desperately Wanna give her somethin' better than me Been told I can't be nuthin' else Just a hustler in spite of myself I know I can break it This life just don't make it Lord, Lord, yeah Got to get mellow, now Gotta be mellow, y'all Got to get mellow, now I'm your mama, I'm your daddy, I'm that nigga in the alley. I'm your doctor when in need. Want some coke? Have some weed. You know me, I'm your friend, Your main boy, thick and thin. I'm your pusherman. I'm your pusherman. I'm your pusherman. I'm your pusherman. Lord, Lord The Jacksons - "Hearbreak Hotel" Live in sin Ten years ago on this day My heart was yearning I promise I would never ever be returning Where my baby broke my heart and left me yearning As we walked to the room There were faces starring Glaring, tearing through me Someone said welcome to your doom Then they smiled with eyes That looked as if they knew me This is scarring me We walked up the stairs Still concealing gloom There were two girls (Sitting in my room) She walked up to my face Said this is the place You said meet you right here at noon This is Heartbreak Hotel Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel So this is Heartbreak Hotel This place is Heartbreak Hotel Hope is dead She thought that I had cheated for another lover I turn my back to see that I'm undercover Now I can't convince this girl there ain't no other Someone's evil to hurt my soul Every smile's a trial thought In beguile to hurt me This is scaring me Then the man next door had told He's been here in tears for fifteen years This is scaring me We came to this place Where the vicious dwelt Found that wicked women (Run this strange hotel) There was Sefra and Sue Every girl that I knew And my baby said love is through This is Heartbreak Hotel Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel So evil (Heartbreak Hotel) This place is Heartbreak Hotel Someone's stabbin' my heart (Heartbreak Hotel) This is Heartbreak Hotel (Heartbreak Hotel) Ten years ago today (Heartbreak Hotel) This is Heartbreak Hotel (Heartbreak Hotel) Someone's stabbin' my heart (Heartbreak Hotel) This is heartbreal hotel (Heartbreak Hotel) Ten years ago today (Heartbreak Hotel) Hurting my mind (Heartbreak Hotel) You break my baby's heart (Heartbreak Hotel) This is Heartbreak Hotel (Heartbreak Hotel) Just welcome to the scene
Bob Marley - "Burnin' & Lootin'" (1st verse) This morning I woke up in a curfew; O God, I was a prisoner, too - yeah! Could not recognize the faces standing over me; They were all dressed in uniforms of brutality. Eh! How many rivers do we have to cross, Before we can talk to the boss? Eh! All that we got, it seems we have lost; We must have really paid the cost. Michael Jackson - "Jam" (verses) The World Keeps Changing Rearranging Minds And Thoughts Predictions Fly Of Doom The Baby Boom Has Come Of Age We'll Work It Out I Told My Brothers Don't You Ask Me For No Favors I'm Conditioned By The System Don't You Talk To Me Don't Scream And Shout She Pray To God, To Buddha Then She Sings A Talmud Song Confusions Contradict The Self Do We Know Right From Wrong I Just Want You To Recognize Me In The Temple You Can't Hurt Me I Found Peace Within Myself
Little Brother - Black Magic (Make It Better) (Verse 1: Phonte) Yeah, uh Black skin, black faces, black people make black magic So?pay?me every fuckin'?dime and add taxes Cop a feel?in a room full of brass tactics I been about that work, boy, I been ASCAP'in You been lyin' 'bout yo bread, nigga you Axe Cappin' You really 'bout that life or you just hashtaggin'? (Verse 2: Rapper Big Pooh) You really self made or is you CashApp'in? Doin' everything you can to make the cash happen? These new niggas do a whole lotta back slappin' See you win without they help, then they golf clappin' No applause in my trophy hall I'm still focused on the goal and not what's hangin on the walls Listen, all I need is the sports channel And a glass of your finest red, you feel me? Ha! (Chorus) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Yea!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Oh!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Come on!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? Yo, I sat down and I started writing you this letter I'll never make it perfect, just tryna make it better You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Alright!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Go!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Alright!) You can make it better, why don't you, love? (Verse 3: Rapper Big Pooh) Black skin, black faces, black people make black magic Cut from a different cloth, you know the finest fabric That's intertwined in our DNA You go to work, whether you corner boy or starrin' in the NBA Even if you never left the porch, gotta know you pray 'Cause once they put you in the game, gotta know the play (Verse 4: Phonte) And when it's time to leave the game, take a bow and say "Thanks for the warm welcome, I ain't tryna overstay" Good timin', the importance of, I can't overstate Drop facts over hot wax like Odelay The killer type on a thriller night like Ola Ray It's close to midnight, get right and let's motivate I need my ginger ale, and 5 lemon peppers All flats, nigga Let's go! (Chorus Repeat)
Black Thought - Twofifteen Yo, the big wheel keep turnin' like Ike's and Anna Mae's The church kitchen hustlin' dinners every Saturday Pull over, let me grab a plate, I tend to gravitate Towards how fish dinners from a styrofoam platter taste My granddaddy sported plaid Donny Hathaways Hustlin' for everything we had 'til he passed away When I would ask him ‘bout what path to take He used to laugh and say, "No man is an island but I'm a castaway" Casualties, I seen 'em like the French Foreign Legion On the streets, they used to carry out bizarre procedures In jean jackets and Jabbar Adidas Back when local R&B was just as soulful as orthopedics Me and my man twistin' up some reefer and wishin' We knew all the town hitmen in the likes of Sam Christian On the edge of existence, man, listen Understand, respect and fear was the all-American ambition For badass kids in the laundromat, foldin' a load Well lo and behold, a whole ‘nother fork in the road My wish for them is that the truth is eventually told Out on the corner, where whatever you can sell is sold I heard murder ran this vast, deserted land Since back when Burning Man was blacks in Birmingham Before the presidential election diversion scam Matter fact, before they clapped Franz Ferdinand You gossip on Jay and Beyoncé or Kim and Kanye But keep risin' to the top, what my mind say Picture my daughter drinkin' water where the sign Say, "For colored girls," I ain't talkin' Ntozake Shange Who said it’s Senegal? I was a king in general Rich in every resource, precious metal and mineral Before the devil entered the land of the plentiful With that Jamaican funk, gotta get it into who For generations under God, indivisible Psych ward patients, vampires in a interview Become institutionalized, what a nigga do But what we had to do to survive, none of them could do Who the technical culprit? I don't mess with no vultures I'm electrical voltage, not the regular dosage Too obsessive compulsive, I'm a fuckin' explosive Mixed message in a bottle, I left with the postman I'm that arachnophobia, black petroleum Ceremoniously holy when at the podium Even though it's hotter than weapons-grade plutonium The people tryna check for the return of the Ichiban Obi-Wan, universe, you owe me one solid My homie Gonzalez, only know gun violence On the corner where they probably on they 21 Savage Catch two in your cabbage, Young Cesar Chavez Division one, yo, wait a min', where we get our rhythm from? Continuum, still swingin' like a pendulum Here the women come, sing it like Sarah Vaughan Heard 9th up in a house from North Carilon' Ain't no mannequin challenge, but y'all paralyzed It's gettin' cold outside, a word from the wise Y'all niggas better bundle up But I bet it be a hotter summer, not for nothin' Yo, the cops get down, especially when it come to us Nigga better be a Rockefeller Get that out your pocket fella, sang acapella Ain't a damn thing really changed as far as I can tell it Another soul with no name, the helicopters hunted Look like a couple of days before the doctor comin' But that's my little cousin, watch him for me I think the world tryna sock it to me It kinda feel like everything is out of pocket for me Who keep it a hundred when everything's partial? Dignity and sanity is what the game cost you Wake up to the paddles on your chest, we had lost you I'm just paintin' a picture like Kerry James Marshall I'm just takin' a picture like Carrie Mae Weems So smile and say cheese, we in 2018 In a pyramid scheme, nightmares and day dreams From the runaway slave to a modern day king
Noveliss - I Gave You Power (Verse 1) Before the war begins I drop my origin I'm power defined An indestructible life The peak of the mind Turn my user to a Telepath Read every mind in the universe Simultaneous I can hear the galaxies thoughts Only a mad man would want my kind of power at the grip of a glove I'm in control Better hope whoever's wielding my power don't find the Soul I'm like a starving version of the after life I hunger for souls Another one in the fold A consciousness of my own A gateway to a world unknown Full of the souls of the enemies of my users Before Or those who couldn't fathom this power I took my toll It takes a lot of soul to hold that Which takes a lot of souls The Soul Gem I got you open Adam Warlock couldn't escape me And that's close friend (Hook) x2 How you like me now I go blaow This the shit that moves crowds Make the whole world foul I might have made you into a God kid Check the Gauntlet I gave you power I made you buck wild (Verse 2) The most powerful Reality my playground Anything is possible Literally What you say now? They call me the most dangerous of the six Create a separate universe With a flick of the wrist If my user wishes it I'm shining in the flesh Designing another world With my counterparts In the hands of Thanos impressing Death The power of a God at your fingertips How mean it is Manipulate Reality in any way that we see it fit You'll never be lost in space I'll lead the way I'm the energy Escaped From the ancient ones The spacious one I can tear the fabric of space Have you existing in every place in the galaxy All at once Now watch me jump The planet is ours Moving instantaneously is an art I'll show you what you've been missing Through the stars The master of teleportation I'm in your mental Know exactly where to go Before you say it (Hook x2) (Verse 3) Past, present and future I control all three And hand the mastery down to my user I don't abide by the rules I'm father time You heard of me I control time for all eternity Its surgery When I doctor the timeline It never gets the best of me My user might die But I move on to better things The very reason they after me No matter the strategy But We can't reach our peak without the battery All power is mine Mental or physical The foundation I make the other gems reach they pinnacle The glue to the power you pursue To rule the universe I'm too hot to hold The gift and the curse Infinity' worth Would you trade your sanity to rule the earth? (Yeah) Would you trade your sanity to rule the earth? (Hell yeah) Would you trade your sanity to rule the earth And be a God within the Universe? Say word...
Fragile: Tech N9ne (my favorite line is in blue) You said you'd never ever break, down But here I am sweeping, pieces off of the ground You said you'd never, ever play, to crowds But I've seen you hoping to play songs to them now I've spent all night long scared of tomorrow, broke my alarm Everything's almost lost, pick it up slow, before it's gone We're fragile (Wish I'd have known) I never thought I'd be so fragile (You're not alone) If it didn't break before it's about to (We've been here before) I don't ever want to change I'm fragile I don't ever Some of the people appointed to give an opinion Never do get it I want you to come on and gobble a jimmy and... die N9na be giving the remedy and why? Critics are really the enemy and I Can't stand the way they slam today's gifted Effin' incredible, get fanned away with grands to pay This jam will lay scripted Deaf and impeccable Write a rhyme and I put everything in a flow I'm the N9ne I'm a look very mean When a foe scribe a line but he has never been at a show By the times it'll be better, leave it in the sto' 'Cause they wrote nothin' but lies, quotes stuck in my eyes Amateur writer dissin' He's a beginner and hopes for your demise, folks some may despise Never do try to listen It's real, I'm mad Clueless when you scribble on your pad How you gonna criticize with a chisel on your nads sizzling your ad You don't really get why I'm so pissed? Understand this (Understand this) I'm an artist, and I'm sensitive about my shit, yes I'm We're fragile (Wish I'd have known) I never thought I'd be so fragile (You're not alone) If it didn't break before it's about to (We've been here before) I don't ever want to change I'm fragile I don't ever Tell me that I'm famous Tell me that my name is Big as Venus Jupiter and then Uranus Tell me that your anus got your head in it I can smell the articles and know you're heinous Tell me that you love me, always thinkin' of me Unconditional, I'm hoping I'm your favourite Grab a fishing pole and throw me with the sharks That's the feelin' I get when you're concentratin' On this pen, on this pad Tell me you're willin' to diss on my craft Tell me the feelin' of pickin' apart this track Stop Puttin' my heart and my soul in these lines Tellin' me platinum and gold all the time Lookin' to bury, a deep hole for mine Drop This is more than you, and this is more than you And your entire building slanderin' and abusin' What I call the realest comin' from a student Told myself to use a poem as an UZI Empty magazine, I seen a magazine You seen my trigger finger, then I started shootin' That was nicotine, I'm 'bout to smoke 'em all And journalists involved should've known my music We're fragile (Wish I'd have known) I never thought I'd be so fragile (You're not alone) If it didn't break before it's about to (We've been here before) I don't ever want to change I'm fragile I don't ever
Megadeth: My Darkest Hour In my hour of need, Ha, no, you're not there And though I reached out for you, Wouldn't lend a hand Through the darkest hour, Your grace did not shine on me Feels so cold, very cold, No one cares for me Did you ever think I get lonely? Did you ever think that I needed love? Did you ever think, stop thinking You're the only one that I'm thinking of? You'll never know how hard I tried To find my space and satisfy you too Things will be better when I'm dead and gone Don't try to understand, knowing you, I'm probably wrong But, oh how I lived my life for you, Till you'd turn away Now, as I die for you, My flesh still crawls as I breathe your name All these years, thought I was wrong, Now I know it was you Raise you head, raise your face, your eyes, Tell me who you think you are? I walk, I walk alone To the promised land There's a better place for me But it's far, far away Everlasting life for me In a perfect world But I got to die first, Please God send me on my way Time has a way of taking time Loneliness is not only felt be fools Alone, I call to ease the pain, Yearning to be held by you Alone, so alone, I'm lost, Consumed by the pain The pain, the pain, the pain Won't you hold me again You just laughed, ha-ha, you bitch My whole life is work built on the past, The time has come when all things shall pass, This good thing passed away
Green Day: Boulevard of Broken Dreams I walk a lonely road The only one that I have ever known Don't know where it goes But it's only me, and I walk alone I walk this empty street On the boulevard of broken dreams Where the city sleeps And I'm the only one, and I walk alone I walk alone, I walk alone I walk alone and I walk a My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me Till then I walk alone Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah I'm walking down the line That divides me somewhere in my mind On the border line of the edge And where I walk alone Read between the lines What's fucked up and every thing's all right Check my vital signs to know I'm still alive And I walk alone I walk alone, I walk alone I walk alone and I walk a My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me Till then I walk alone Ah ah ah ah ah Ah ah ah ah ah I walk alone, I walk a I walk this empty street On the boulevard of broken dreams Where the city sleeps And I'm the only one, and I walk alone My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me Till then I walk alone