Common Album

f/ Vinia Mojica

[Vinia Mojica]
*Singing in Spanish*

[Common]
What what, we do this time
Rock rock....
Yes, let this music travel through you
Talk about feelings, yeah yo
Yo wassup world?
Yo what's happening?
It's the C-double-O and I'm back again
Take this back and then, tell a friend
Spaces and places you been, time travelin *echoes*
Time travelin *echoes*
Yo, I was a piano player in my last lifetime
Now I write rhymes, sip white wine and let my light shine
Out the dark space, with the world on my mind like Scarface
though my sex drive like a car chase
More than a uhh, it's the piece of mind I chase
Stakes are high, like my uncle is
We both got problems, he never confronted his
Under the bridge I wrote, some shit to stay afloat
And paint a picture, raw like the first coat
Send my old man a note to keep his phone on
My little cuz'll know cheap tricks are homegrown
Travel to a place sweeter than home, listenin to Nina Simone
Repeat this psalm, to the sky I'm keepin my palms
Facin the east, actions macin the beast
Embracin the streets, my god caught a case cuz he beat
His lady down, it's two-thou
That ain't the way we lay it down
Souls get, found and lost at the roads they cross
Many paid dues, but few knew the costs
I ran through the Moss like Randy
Touchindown wit God, close friends, and family
Recognize the voice in the wilderness
Com Sense, '92 and I'm still in this

Time travelin, took my time in hand
My rhyme learn and plan
Jealousy, money and pride can burn a man
Some walk but never learn to stand
Still, afraid to expand what they feel
I'm dealin wit, wakes, marriages
ATM's, Ericsson's
Loud niggas that whisper carelessness
If we livin in Revelation
Why should the people of the sun have to run?
Come to Esau in a year, he'll have freedom
He ask why I hadn't been to see him
Really, I ain't have a good reason
He said, "Rah, give back what you receivin"
In a race against time, I was caught
In the same game as you, but long live the sport
It's time travelin
It's the C-double-O and I'm back again
Take this back and then, tell a friend
Spaces and places you been
Time travelin *fades out* time travelin....

Time travelin *echoes*
Time travelin *echoes*
Yeah, yo wassup world, yo what's happening?
It's the C-double-O and I'm back again
Take this back and then, tell a friend
Spaces and places you been

f/ JayDee

[Common]
Yeah, one two..
Yeah, where my nigga Jay Dee?
Where ya at? (Yeah!)
(Oooh, you say you got guns, then bring that shit) what?
(You say you got ones, then bring that shit
cause you need a lot more ones and guns for this) what?
(to get my man see we bout to spit some) HOT SHIT
Yeah, one two..
Bout to spit that, HOT SHIT
Huh.. whoo! Yeah..
Turn it down nigga, HOT SHIT
Yeah.. (oooh)

Messenger in the Metropolis; +Apocalypse+ here and +Now+
Niggaz know the ledge, so they don't come near the style
I appear in clouds on some heaven to earth shit
Fake niggaz drown the deeper the verse gets
Deep as a skinny girl's cunt - I surface with the purpose
to let y'all niggaz know the demo
Voice is a instrument that's monumental
You couldn't fuck with the style if you was a nympho
Raised in the temple of Chi, taught to look into the eye
I identify with dobbs and weaves, and niggaz makin moves
that bob and weave, and niggaz with jobs on the side sell weed
I feed off the hunger that a bum or abandoned child gets
freaky, like Marv Albert, in outfits, by Chaka Givens
I lecture how I got God but don't got religion
Got a clip for these niggaz on the net, sellin my shit
Let's just say you Ramone and I'm Spit
In a habitat of Cadillacs and battle raps
and people that travel at the speed of need
Never agree with the ways of the world
Cats say anything - like they say to they girl
How you bringin it when you sit indian style?
Niggaz know me as Com it's time hear me go wild
with HOT SHIT, yeah..
HOT SHIT, yeah, one two..
Came to bring it boy

(You say you got guns, then bring that shit
You say you got ones, then bring that shit
cause you need a lot more ones and guns for this) what?
(to get my man see we bout to spit some) HOT SHIT
What? No doubt.. HOT SHIT!

[Common]
Old men see visions young men dream dreams
I rock the planet - recognize - I'm the C.R.E.A.M.
Com Rules Everything and everything is
How yo' man pullin yo' weight - he ain't carryin his
Scary the biz is like "The Blair Witch Project"
Experiment in rooms on some bare bitch project
State senators, life twirls, most sell out
- like a dread with a white girl
You want me to cypher with you and the Gods?
I just did a show - I'm pursuin these broads
Everyone I ain't tryin to fuck
Wanna feel female presence and conversation a touch
You'll get split like a date that's dutch scuffed and scraped up
Taped up for tryin to say what - ever you was about to say
You rap like a nigga that's about to spray
Get a mouth shot, for openin your mouth to say
feel my heat in the night - it leaves you without the day
What I write is a passage for niggaz to travel through
Before defeatin me - Joe, you better battle you
I tap into my own zone like it's my home phone
Turn the cell off and let my dome roam
Shame I gotta do white labels to keep my life stable
I write fatal bringin niggaz to life
A wise man came in the thick of the night
He said BRING THAT SHIT when you pick up the mic
I said, "What shit?"
He said HOT SHIT, hot shit, hot shit

(You say you got guns, then bring that shit) uhhh
(You say you got ones, then bring that shit
cause you need a lot more ones and guns for this) uhh
(me and my man, see we known to spit this) HOT SHIT
Hot shit, yeah, yeah, uhh
What we spit Jay? (Throw it down nigga)
HOT SHIT, uh, yeah, uh, c'mon, yeah (keep it goin)
HOT SHIT..
HOT SHIT..
HOT SHIT.. yeah, boy (keep it goin)
HOT SHIT.. out
HOT..

[Common]
Cold-blooded, cold-blooded, hard-core
Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
For you and your-your, for you and your
You got the C to the, huh - cold-blooded
Ain't it - huh, c'mon - hard-core
We take it hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh-er

Yo, yo
My little daughter, started, nursery school
Brother Com, gotta make our move through
the stylist(?) and violence with vibrance
The sign of times with rhyme shit is timeless
The mind is a terrible thing to spill
Rap life's like a dream that seems for real
A nigga wake up, superstar, with no acres
after, travellin the world to see paper's just paper
Streets take ya, back and forth like a shaker
I'm a slave to the rhythm's breakin off
I get the job done - but some days I wanna take off
D be like, "We ain't got no time for that!"
?uestlove said, "We ain't got no time for that!"
My old bird like, "We ain't got no time for that!"
So I rhyme when my back hurts
Play the numbers from my grandmother like Kraftwerk
I rock the patchwork fast I'm in to win but then begin to sin
we're in to win with Hen's and Heineken's
Beast for each and greet the meek with speech
to seek and peak cause Pete, shit gets deep
I fuh-fuh-freak, styles that come out
at night, when most cats pull the gun out
Go on and on and, to the break of when the
sound run out, run out, r-run out
C uhh, yeah

Cold-blooded (c'mon) cold-blooded, hard-core
(hit em with the) Rough and rugged (c'mon) rugged and raw
(hey) for you and yours, for you and yours
You got the C, uhh - cold-blooded (yeah)
cold-blooded (c'mon) hard-core
(ain't it funky) Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
for you and yours, for you and yours
(Yo, yo I-I think I wanna taste these horns
I want you to taste these horns, c'mon now)
C, the cold-blooded (uh) cold-blooded (yeah) hard-core
(ain't it) Rough and rugged (uh) rugged and raw
(yeah baby that's what I'm talkin about
c'mon, give em, give us a little more)
for you and yours, for you and yours
C to the, cold-blooded (na, na-nasty) cold-blooded, hard-core
(c'mon) Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
(Yo, aight let let me get a little taste of this here)
for you and yours, for you and yours..

[Common]
The simps, please uhh uhh uhh uhh
These studs mention me, uhh uhh uhh uhh
As a, intense MC, sent to be the reign
on the industry I came
With penitentiary talk, Coke and a Hennesey walk
My imagery talks, metaphors and similes stalk
Time for war, my artillery caulks the hardest nigga
I'm killin 'em soft
Dealin with golf, gettin blowed on the course
I be dissin magazines, but then buy The Source
Can't explain why the force, is with me
Known to bring a rapper down - like Bobby did Whitney
Sophisticated sissies strut like this is Beat Street in backpacks
Braggin how they don't eat meat and abstract
I backsmack em with they skateboard, flee the crime scene
with a rhyme scheme to escape frauds
Make broads become queens, run things like a rasta sprinter
The way you want the game I rub off like Henner
I remain like a tattoo with natural raps
Copy like a fax that's y'all actual facts
Battle raps is where it began, I'ma end it wherever I land
I done thought of, a master plan, it goes

C to the, cold-blooded (yeah, c'mon)
cold-blooded, (ya know) hard-core
(ain't it) Rough and rugged, (c'mon) rugged and raw
for you and yours, for you and yours
You got the C to the, cold-blooded
cold-blooded, hard-core
Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
for you and yours, for you and yours
You got the C to the, cold-blooded (yeah, hey)
cold-blooded (na-nasty, yo yo) hard-core
Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
(ain't it, ain't it) for you and yours, for you and yours
You got the C to the, cold-blooded
cold-blooded, (c'mon) hard-core
Rough and rugged, rugged and raw
for you and yours, for you and yours..

[Common ad-libs, then some vocal samples til end]

    Ah keep on, chcka chcka chcka (Repeat 6x)

Mo'fucker move back, I pursue rap at the pace of a New Jack
Miscellaneous numbers and shoes stack grooves
Rap I deliver for the hungry and underprivileged
Something different from these hollow and grunting niggas
This is business strictly, step to my business is risky
'Specially when you as bitch as Missy
Back to back LP's that sound the same, I surround the game
With a four-pounded brainstorm
To make niggas dance in the rain, scared to take a chance in the game
Used to breakdance, it's a shame
What money do to a nigga brain
If he lose his soul what did a nigga gain?

    "Doin' it, doin' it, I am doin' it"
        "C O double M O to the N" (cut and
scratched 4x)

My train of thought is that of a hustler, or a nigga with his shirt off
Trying to get his work off to customers
I rap with a chip on my shoulder, squeezing Coronas
See shirts that say "We gotta get over"
That juggy shit is over, the war is on
I on;y want to be a soldier, I'm holding on, to a culture
Focused like Gordon Parks when it's sorta dark
For niggas that's flooded with ice, my thought's the ark
Performing warming arts with some shit for the heart
Don't fuck with radio, ignoring the charts
I could give a FUCK what you made in a year, nigga, you wack
A soft nigga on a hard track, in this new rap
Generation I "X" cats like a Muslim
He fell off cause I pushed him
Let his Bently and his weak crew be his cushion
I catch him on the streets, in front of the bodyguards and rush him

    "Doin' it, doin' it, I am doin' it"
        "C O double M O to the N" (cut and
scratched 4x)

You wasn't saying you was a thug before Pac came
Ten years ago you had a high top trying to be like Kane
Then Snoop released and it became a G thang
Claim sets, your city ain't got gangs
Niggas hate you, they ain't paying you no attention
In a circle of faggots, your name is mentioned
With six degrees, I separate MC's, from a business man that's good
>From a nigga that was raised or just lived in the hood
>From what a nigga says to what's understood
Keep my shit tight like them boys in "The Wood"
Dick is always hard like the "Boyz in the Hood"
Peace to Dug Inf, No I, Sean Lett, the whole Chi
At the crib some cats give me the cold eye
I'm a bitch slap the next one
Let him know the world is my section for taking
You got to reduce aggression

    "Doin' it, doin' it, I am doin' it"
        "C O double M O to the N" (cut and
scratched 4x)

Yeah..
Doo-doo-doo, mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm..
Doo-doo-d-doo, diggy-doo YO..

I never knew a luh, luh-luh, a love like this
Gotta be somethin for me to write this
Queen, I ain't seen you in a minute
Wrote this letter, and finally decide to send it
Signed sealed delivered for us to grow together
Love has no limit, let's spend it slow forever
I know your heart is weathered by what studs did to you
I ain't gon' assault em cause I probably did it too
Because of you, feelings I handle with care
Some niggaz recognize the light but they can't handle the glare
You know I ain't the type to walk around with matchin shirts
If relationship is effort I will match your work
I wanna be the one to make you happiest, it hurts you the most
They say the end is near, it's important that we close..
.. to the most, high
Regardless of what happen on him let's rely

    There are times.. when you'll need someone..
    I will be by your side..
    There is a light, that shines,
    special for you, and me..

Yo, yo, check it
It's important, we communicate
and tune the fate of this union, to the right pitch
I never call you my bitch or even my boo
There's so much in a name and so much more in you
Few understand the union of woman and man
And sex and a tingle is where they assume that it land
But that's fly by night for you and the sky I write
For in these cold Chi night's moon, you my light
If heaven had a height, you would be that tall
Ghetto to coffee shop, through you I see that all
Let's stick to understandin and we won't fall
For better or worse times, I hope to me you call
So I pray everyday more than anything
friends will stay as we begin to lay
this foundation for a family - love ain't simple
Why can't it be anything worth having you work at annually
Granted we known each other for some time
It don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine

    There are times.. when you'll need someone..
    I will be by your side, oh darling
    There is a light, that shines,
    special for you, and me..

Yeah.. yo, yo, check it
It's kinda fresh you listen to more than hip-hop
and I can catch you in the mix from beauty to thrift shop
Plus you ship hop when it's time to, thinkin you fresh
Suggestin beats I should rhyme to
At times when I'm lost I try to find you
You know to give me space when it's time to
My heart's dictionary defines you, it's love and happiness
Truthfully it's hard tryin to practice abstinence
The time we committed love it was real good
Had to be for me to arrive and it still feel good
I know the sex ain't gon' keep you, but as my equal
it's how I must treat you
As my reflection in light I'ma lead you
And whatever's right, I'ma feed you
Digga-da, digga-da, digga-da, digga-digga-da-da
Yo I tell you the rest when I see you, peace

    There are times.. when you'll need someone..
    I will be by your side..
    There is a light, that shines,
    special for you, and me..

    (I'll) take my chances.. before they pass..
    .. pass me by, oh darling..
    You need to look at the other side..
    You'll agree..

f/ Bilal, Jill Scott

Chorus: Bilal, Jill Scott

Alright.....Okay [4X']
Alright......We'll make it funky for you now

[Common]
I'm a child of the ahh - The 87 ahh
From the streets - Get on a beat and go ahh
I could break it down like whatever ya ahh
On some K-R-S be here forever type unh
You-you-you-you know you shouldn't rhyme like unh
Let them pussy niggas get in your mind like unh
Baby boy you could do it take your time do it....
If you get the chance
To be a man in a b-boy stance and advanced from the go
I'll trace outer space with a unh
The baby-sitter of styles - I've traveled miles with
bitches and....I've traveled miles with.....
I've traveled miles with bitches and brew the ritual
of the real unh
Your platinum but real unh's don't feel you
You sampled real unh's and then filtered
I'm built to last - at last I'm free
The Roots and SV be the family tree
SV and the Roots be the family tree
The Roots and SV and the tree is unh
Come on

Chorus;
As long as it's funky....alright..okay [yeah]
As long as it's funky...alright
As long as it's funky...alright...okay
As long as it's funky...funky for you now

I style for the ohhh - wild for the ohhh
Baby girl let's go half on a child for the ohhh
Lick shot's pop lock and blaow for the oohh
Like Ra-I'll move a crowd for the ohhh
You talkin' loud but ain't sayin' ohhh
Trickin' paper on a unh... Captain Save-a-ohhh
I've never been.. the type of nigga..
to take.. a broad to the courts
As a shorty I was always into sports
Now I talk to drums and walk in slums and thoughts that's ohhh
Instinct to hustle-divided by the struggle
Plus a couple of scuffle's and up to high shuffle
Even when it sound muffled..
I bust through.. narrow gates..
with king-sized thoughts that's sparrow shaped
Before I came up I had to elevate
Let a nigga move where he wanna move up to
You don't like how I'm livin... well fuck ohhh
I stuck to what I was on... a star is born on a cusp
Many angel's fell to the dust
Leavin' me to trust... only a ohhh
Leavin' me to trust y'all only a ohhh
Leavin' me to trust in a - ahh ohhh ohhh ohhh
ohhh
Yo

Chorus: repeat 4X
As long as it's funky [yeah]
alright..okay

Let your.. imagination.. dance to the..
Dance to the.. dance to the hey
Like nobody's watchin in a b-boy stance to the hey
I'm funky like Africans in France to the hey
Yo hey.. kick in the bass you..
Chasin paper like a bitch in a race
Spit on or death, I still ain't picked up the ace
The hundred.. styles I run with thick in the race
So let's ohhh.. yeah unh hunh

Chorus

f/ Mos Def

Uhh..

[Common]
It's the questions (what..) it's the questions boy
It's the questions (What?) it's the questions c'mon
The questions (WHAT?) it's the questions boy
It's the questions (hah) it's the questions yeah
Talkin bout the questions, it's the questions y'all
It's the questions (what?) it's the questions, dig it
The questions (why?) it's the questions boy
It's the questions (huh?) that's what it's all about

Yo, yo..
What is an emcee if the wall ain't got no back?
(I don't know, yo, he must be kinda wack)
What is paper to a nigga if the nigga don't stack?
(Yo, why the hell you askin me that?)
Why do these girls, look so good in the summer?
(I don't know, I'm just sayin this shit)
If you got ta-dat-ta-dat-tap for your lady wouldja wanna?
(Hmmm.. yeah, right)
Cause you answer the phone "peace" do that mean that you not a freak?
(Hell no! That's right)
Cause you recognize me-e-e-e-e, yo, I got to speak?
(Why can't you speak? What you big a star now?)
Why you got-ta, act like, nigga, all the time
(Even on SUNDAY's you should..)
Is a nigga yo' complexion, is it all in your mind?
(It's all your mind..)
What's it called y'all?

It's the questions (WHAT?) it's the questions boy
It's the questions (What?) it's the questions, yeah!
The questions (uhh) it's the questions y'all
It's the questions (WHAT?) it's the questions c'mon
The questions, it's the questions boy
It's the questions (ahh, uh ahh) it's the questions, yeah
The questions (yes) it's the questions boy
It's the questions - that's what it's all about

Yo, if I'm a intellectual-al, I can't be sexual?
(I don't know, you wanna be sexual??)
If I want to uhh tah uhh does that mean I lack respect for you?
(I don't know you tell me..)
Youse a grown man, why fuck that young girl, are you lustin?
(I might look twenty but I'm 15 - slow down girl)
If you got paper like that, then why you still hustlin?
(Why you still hustlin? C'mon!)
Now you know yo' stomach too big, to be wearin a shirt like that
(Look at your stomach - ewww it's sloppy)
So why, you want, to go and do that?

[Mos Def]
Why ya why ya why ya why ya why ya wanna why ya wanna
Why ya wanna go and do that love huh?

Yo why your girl gi-giddy when my name come up?
{*female giggling*}
How come the industry build careers that don't last?
(Uh-huh, that's right, ask him)
How come niggaz don't know but they front and don't ask?
(Mmmmhmmm) Man I don't know, I don't know

[Common]
It's the questions (WHAT?) it's the questions girl
It's the questions (What?) it's the questions c'mon
The questions (WHAT?) it's the questions Com
It's the questions (hah) it's the questions yeah
Yo we talkin bout the questions, it's the questions girl
It's the questions (the who, the where, the when, the why)
It's the questions, c'mon!!
The questions.. the questions y'all (yo we shoutin it out)
It's the questions - that's what it's all about

[Mos Def]
Yo, why they say never say never, when they know that ain't right?
(What???)
Cause to never say never you done said never twice
(They scrubs, that's why - yeah that's twice)
Why do I need I.D. to get I.D.?
(I don't know, beats me.. beats me)
If I had I.D. I wouldn't need I.D.
(Hahahahah, that's right - that's true)
Why do these fine ghetto women got so much ass?
(Why'd you talkin about our ass though? C'mon now)
Why did Dr. J shave his beard and mustache?
(Like this.. and like this)
How you got high expectations but got no patience?
(C'mon, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know)
How come this joint named "The Questions" is so John Blazin'?
(Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh) Man I don't know, I don't know

[Common + Mos Def]
It's the questions (what..) it's the questions boy
It's the questions, it's just my questions black
Some questions - it's the questions y'all
It's the questions (what?) it's the questions, yo
Talkin bout the questions, it's the questions girl
It's the questions (what?) it's the questions, c'mon
The questions (which?) and we're shoutin it out
It's the questions (huh?) that's what it's all about, yo

{*continues to fade with ad libs..*}

[No lyrics]

    The revolution will not be televised
    The revolution is here
    Yeah, it's Common Sense, with DJ Premier
    We gonna help y'all see clear
    It's real hip-hop music, from the soul, y'all
    Yeah, check it, yo

The perseverence of a rebel I drop heavier levels
It's unseen or heard, a king with words
Can't knock the hustle, but I've seen street dreams deferred
Dark spots in my mind where the scene occured
Some say I'm too deep, I'm in too deep to sleep
Through me, Muhammed will forever speak
Greet brothers with handshakes in ghetto landscapes
Where a man is determined by how much a man make
Cop Cognacs and spit old raps with young cats
with cigarettes in their ear, niggerish they appear
Under the Fubu is a guru, that's untapped
Want to be in the rap race but ain't ran one lap
Ran so far from the streets that you can't come back
You tripping with nowhere to unpack, forgot that

Chorus: (Scratched by DJ Premier with variations):

    "This is rap for real, something you feel"
        "And you know, yes you know"
    "Rap for the black people"
        "Heeeeyyyy, heeeeeyyyy"

In front of two-inch glass and Arabs I order fries
Inspiration when I write, I see my daughter's eyes
I'm the truth, across the table from corporate lies
Immortilized by the realness I bring to it
If revolution had a movie I'd be theme music
My music, you either fight, fuck, or dream to it
My life is one big rhyme, I try to scheme through it
Through my shell, never knew what the divine would bring to it
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want millions
More than money saved, I wanna save children
Dealing with alcoholism and afrocentricity
A complex man drawn off of simplicity
Reality is frisking me
This industry will make you lose intensity
The Common Sense in me remembers the basement
I'm Morpheus in this hip-hop Matrix, exposing fake shit

Chorus

Somedays I take the L to gel with the real world
Got on at 87th, stopped by this little girl
She recited raps, I forgot where they was from
In 'em, she was saying how she made brothers cum
I start thinking, how many souls hip-hop has affected
How many dead folks this art resurrected
How many nations this culture connected
Who am I to judge one's perspective?
Though some of that shit y'all pop true it, I ain't relating
If I don't like it, I don't like it, that don't mean that I'm hating
I just want to innovate and stimulate minds
Travel the world and penetrate the times
Escape through rhythms in search of peace and wisdom
Raps are smoke signals letting the streets know I'm with 'em
For now I appreciate this moment in time
Ball players and actors be knowing my rhymes, it's like

Chorus til fade

f/ Bilal, MC Lyte

[Common talking]
Yea,Yea,Yea
You know, they call me a pimp, and you know what that mean
I'm a Person that's Making Profit. See I pimp internationally
I'm nationally recognized, locally accepted
I pimp with the truth, that's the only method

[Common]
Seen her on Madison where Vice Lords be Travelin
And Chevy windows be rattlin
and badder than any other broads that I've seen in these parts
Her body language spoke like a smart remark, eyebrows arched
Thick lips, blond wig, nice tits, ass the size that I dig
Asked her the name, one way to approach her
See she had game, she needed me to coach her
Expose her to some paper, freedom and culture
The way a righteous pimp is supposed to

[MC Lyte]
As he came closer in his eyes I seen fortune
I ain't having it like abortion
Walking with this stick holding his tip
Looked like a Black Panther that was trying to pimp
It was cold as shit, I'm waitin on my ride
Act like I didn't see him I tried

[Common]
Motion denied (pause)
I felt the vibe like Roy Ayers
She was used to seeing pimps in furs and gators
Told her I'm an innovator, a gentlemen of leisure
That's in tuned with nature, hold Common's hand
I'm a take you to a pimps promise land
Where no man can break ya, break ya, break ya

Chorus: Bilal (singing)

Pimps, ho's, hustlers, plans, dealers,
customers, and bodies stuck in it, Oh my god
Pimps, ho's, hustlers, plans, dealers,
customers, and bodies stuck in it, Oh my god

[Common]
{hey girl, come on over here, check it out)
Make your next move your best move, choose me

[MC Lyte]
How I look working for a nigga in a cuffe'
If I was on a track you couldn't produce me
With them shits on your wrist looking goofy

[Common]
(yea ok)
I pimp without a pause, for the cause, I'm a rebel
You been on the streets I'm trying to take you to another level
You used to the same game, cats saying the same thang
Nigga you gone ho underground or ho mainstream

[MC Lyte]
Nigga you must not know of me
I'm the mack here
Ought to have you ho for me (Common: get real now)
Pimp yo punk ass
Have you write me poetry
I'm from a land called cash
You too slow for me

[Common]
You know why?
I'm thinking bigger than Bagets
Birds in slick cars
Or have you on the corner trickin in strip bars
If you become mine the world would be ours
Respect the game, and universal laws

[MC Lyte]
What, I oughta pimp slap your ass and make you fall against the wall
(Common: try it)
Why you in the game if you ain't even trying to ball
I know pimpin ain't easy but damn you barely surviving
We can't ride together cause you ain't driving
(Common: oh it's like that)

Chorus

[Common]
(this, this, this really how I look at it check it)
You and I together is like Ashford and Simpson
Picture us elbow to elbow at the hustler's convention

[MC Lyte]
Think I'm gone risk my ass then give you the cash (Common: yep)
That shit is the past
I got my own stable (Common: where at)
I oughta pierce your navel and put you on the track
Matter of fact I been looking for a ho that's abstract

[Common]
Girl you getting beside yourself
I'm trying to guide you
Help you see inside yourself
I pimp with vision, I'm a help you see the light
Have you covering your body and have you eating right

[MC Lyte]
(is that right)
I'm pimp ho's, pimp pens, (Common: Say what)
Pimp rhythms, pimp flows,
Pimp men (Common: and pimp what)
Pimp systems
Got stores called big pimpin (Common: Where)
Down South
In Texas I ran the best ho house

[Common]
(So)
I pimp from Brazil to um, Tokyo
Have Japanese broads sayin 'choushi wa dou' (MC Lyte: Yea right)
Bring'em back to the states to turn dates from Europe
Made the dirtiest of hoes seem purer

[MC Lyte]
(HA ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)
(Common: Why you laughin)
I'm laughin cause you funny
I'm make bitch niggaz like you have my money
I get six hundred off yo skinny ass weekly
You'll get all the right tolls in that dashiki

[Common]
Yo, what ever happened to loyalty
Don't you want to become royalty
On the streets selling ass and oils for me
But you on this ho-asis and really I can't reach you
Fuckyou then I'm about to be a preacher

[Common talking and Bilal Singing Background]

Well there you have it ya'll
The story of pimps and hoes ya'll know how it goes
It's been the oldest profession
The whole thing is like a lesson
Ain't no second guessin
Pimps ya'll, hustlers
All that good shit
Yea, yea 2000 and forever
It'll be here
Uh, uh aiight cool

f/ Bilal

[Common]
Yeah baby boy
In the place (for you and yours) to be
Da uh da uh, we got the uh ya'll
We bout to rock ya'll, we got the uh baby...
Yo yo yo check it
Excite-ting, enlight-ning, invite-ting
I'm writin shit that I feel
Raps are Black Steel In the Hour of commotion, the motion of Com
Is like that of a ocean, devotion cuz I'm
The Earth, Wind, and Fire of hip hop
By Rakim and Short I been inspired
My shit knocks environ---ments
of cats wit seventeen's tint, time is money
The mind is funny, how it's spent on gettin it
It's sittin wit descendants of Abraham
Who say the jam is "Money, Cash, Hoes"
I went from bashful to asshole to international
Lover-self, word to the mother on my last record cover it's felt
Now deal wit it

Chorus: Bilal

I wanna get into it
Let's do this
I wanna see you move it
So move it
So let's just get into it
Let's do this
Can you feel the music?
The music oh ah, can you feel the music, the music

[Common]
Yo check it yo
In this never-ending battle to please
Niggas, magazine writers, MC's
Who request hot shit, I freeze
And tell em where I was rose, we always said cold
Hold your Horses and ya Carriages, this never-went-gold nigga
Rocks shows care-less
You not gon' respect self, at least respect the heritage
Affect the lives, the spread of wealth and the merit is
I realize what I portray day to day, I gotta carry this
And beats, rhymes and life is where the marriage is
Had Dreams of Fuckin R&B broads, it came true
Journalist I wreck, shared the same view
Picked up a fallen angel on the path that I MC
Familiar voice, come to find out the angel was me
Some say "You changin, Rashid"
Times are, we still close
I rhyme far, away away away
From what you accustomed to hearin everyday, uh-ah
You know the dope-choppin, gun-poppin, homies dyin
I'm amongst it, save the war stories for Private Ryan, INI

Chorus

[Common]
Yo check it yo
Women cry, children laugh, men dance
I refuse to lose self and try to win fans over
Weight on my shoulder fluctuates like Oprah's
My refrigerator poetry's magnetic like ultra
You couldn't hang if you was a poster
Posin like a bitch for exposure
It's rumors of gay MC's, just don't come around me wit it
You still rockin hickies, don't let me find out he did it
Got My Eyes on the Tiger, Eyes on the Prize
Eyes on the thighs of Mary J. Blige, imagin on how good the cat must be
Stop eatin meat, lost weight, but I still rap husky
My verse depth is that of a baby's first step
Or the old lady who died and the nurse wept
I flow like cursive writing, invitin you and yours to my openess
Shows allow me to cop Range/range like a vocalist
But man does not live on bread alone
What good is a Range/range when it's time to head home?

Chorus 2x

[Common] *during chorus on the second time*
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac
We be that, we be that
Afrodisiac, disiac yeah

f/ Slum Village

Ha, yeah, yeah
Uhh, yeah, yeah, play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
Ha, yeah, yeah, play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist
You know us, this rap shit we 'bout to own it
You know it, these minimes try to clone us
I got a bonus for the bitch that run up on us
I got a bonus for your bitch that run up on us
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist

Uhh, no time to sleep cuz if you sleep you don't eat
Gotta hold heat, just to make ends meet
Niggas livin on the street while other niggas feast
Aight wit you it aint aight wit me
Right, gotta make money all my life
Gotta stay fuckin bitches many types
Yeah you know what I'm talkin 'bout
Yup, stay turnin these bitches out
Dick em down also dick em out
Throw somethin down whenever my dick's out
They know me so they restructure and reroute
They know me from Washington to down south
All the way to London to my nigga Common house
Right, it's like a game we never play out, out, out, out...

Nigga no doubt, nigga get live or get knocked the fuck out
Word up, just be about what you about dogg
Knowhatimsayin, just play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist
You know us, this rap shit we 'bout to own it
You know it, cuz you can feel it in your throat
Say it

I'm 'bout to let my mind float
(Com, say it)
Get your third eye poked
Fuck game, I assemble dope...
Ness, a nigga that's fresh as the 'fess
Studied this rap shit, no need to mic test
You can feel it in your chest
Your B I, feel it in her breasts
Plus you, rhyme like a nigga wit his nipples pierced
We lick off lyrics in the streets and real niggas hear us
Dreamin when I wrote this, box me if I go too wild
Still doin this shit like dude in wild style
Invitin wack niggas to dinner
I "Trick Daddy" emcees and I don't know, "Nann Nigga"
Who can take it where I take it
You better go into God like Mase did
Leavin crowds complacent
I move em above clouds whether on some ?surface the earth? shit
Or thug style you can feel it in your body
Yeah y'all you can feel it in your body

Like if a 12 gauge shottie shell hit your body
You don't want no one to find your ass a hobby
Carbon copy, niggas tryin to clone us
You know us, Thelonious, super microphone
You know this, rap shit we 'bout to own it dun, for real

Ay, it's like a ritual
You been invited let the ?? stimulate the place
With the grace, nevertheless, I stress
Let the music put a smile on your face
As for the ritual, when it comes to spiritual excellence
You know I always leave you with the taste
I know you like it hard to the core
That's what you ask for ???????
Hurtin like a ?? in that ass, like a ritual
Conversation with the most high makes me wanna cry
I wonder why, you wanna get to paradise
But that itty bitty part of you don't wanna die
So pay attention to my word, cuz it's the truth
Meditation ease the mind, and brings the youth
It's like a verse you could never read out of a book
Darken the line and your mind like a fish hook
Word is birth, yo I do it till the break of day
Pay attention to your art, never go astray
Word is bond

Yo we do it and we don't quit
Sucka nigga you don't want it, it's Thelonious
Ownin this rap shit, super microphonist, and we known to spit
I spit fire like Esther on Sanford and Son did
I'm raw dude, more juice than Sunkiss
You want this, so MJ kept sayin the rhyme flawless
Shit fly like MJ in his prime, "Off The Wall" wit mines
I'm grabbin my balls when I rhyme, nine nines bustin plus
Ball all the time, now stay on your mind like great sex
You aint on my mind I'm thinkin 'bout paychecks
Niggas large like an Adex Avirex jacket
Yo the gods they bust like latex sex packets
Emcees they don't rhyme and ball, they lyin' to y'all
They dyin' to ball, the rhyme we do all the time
We do all the fine bitches they fall in lines
Me and my mans is somethin like the Source Sports
We gettin money a long time and y'all short
My niggas bounce and full rise and y'alls fall
You funny doo, cuz really you think you can do me
When you roll a 500 that's really a 320
Should of let somebody else hook it
Numbers look crooked like King Kong shook it
I'm from where niggas bang gats when they celebrate
That's how they play, don't let it be a holiday
Thelonious niggas, if you testin us we get you laid back
Show you the definition of a pay back

[Common]
Yo.. I don't know what was on y'all niggaz birds(?)
to go up to the boat - and start robbin old folks
Now see you done messed with the wrong old lady
You done went wild; yo, check it..

There was a Hardy Boy mystery I tried to solve again
Dude that broke in my crib - it wasn't involvin him
Four in the mornin, my phone ringin
I'm thinkin, "Who da fuck is this," on the other line screamin
Told em, "Keep(?) down," but they was breathin hard
It was my grandmother tellin me that she had been robbed
I told her hold (hold) tight (tight), I'd be right over
Freezin but this situation made the night colder
Knew this was the night (that what?) that she played poker
with some friends in a club at the boat gettin bub'
Said she seen these thugs on the boat for a while (uhh)
Not gamblin but every now and then they'd smile
Then BLAOW! They had(?) Mag's
and told everybody, "Put your shit in the bag"
Made people strip naked, quicker than a Luke record (what?)
Had the place took in a minute and some seconds
Asked her how many of it was em? (How many of it was em?)
Said she couldn't remember
She was spooked and buzzin, couldn't describe em
cause it happened too fast (what?) said they looked like me
with they pants hangin off they ass
Got her some water - and begin to think
How these niggaz take her wig, her bracelet and her mink?
Somebody round the crib know the deal (uhh)
Whoever did it better have Blue Shield for real
cause yo, it's the big payback..

    {*cuts n scratches*, Com ad-libs}

[Common]
Later that day I went to the 'shop, to see what was up
Them niggaz probably knew somethin plus I needed a cut
Walked in they was playin Jigga (jihh-gga..)
Discussin how Da Brat titties done got bigger
These niggaz next to me, was talkin bout the heist
Whoever did it even got Jordan for his ice
Said that it was done so precise the cops ain't know nut-nin
Had to use all my might not to ask no questions
Put down the magazine, went to the pop machine
Noticin these cats, had the Bling Bling
They wouldn't be talkin if they did it; it could be they team
A week ago neither one of these niggaz had a ring
This Hype(?) came in, sellin CD's; said the BD's
was braggin bout robbery they had done
By now, I'm thinkin bout my gun if I see gramps bracelet
I'ma play racist (and what?) and make niggaz run
It's the big payback..

    {*cuts n scratches*, Com ad-libs}

[Common]
My imagination roamed as I got in the chair
Thinkin - when shit went down, I was I was there
Fuckin with fam' - who you are, I don't care
Have your guys pourin liquor witch'ya name in they swear
These chicks claim they was there, knew the niggaz who done it
Said it was Smoke and them from the Wild 100's
Eight million stories got me runnin in place, it's gettin tricky
(like who?) like dude, that do drum'n'bass
There was a air in the place, that made me suspicious
Normally, they'd be talkin like bitches
My barber cut me with a quickness (what?)
Asked him where he got the new bracelet;
he said it was his sister's - I knew then
What made it official, he gave me my change
The money clip had gramp's initials (c'mon)
As I, whooped his ass up, six niggaz masked up
Pulled up in a Cadillac truck {*gunfire*}

[police scanner]
.. three-alarm fire ?? and a possible homicide
The building is entitled "The Ultimate Barbershop"
There are six unidentified bodies in the building
They are all presumed dead
I repeat they are all presumed dead
However there are no suspects
I repeat the subjects are at large
we might need some backup..
Inform O'Malley that we need backup, over..
The skit definitely needs more ?? added to it
plus a new writer for the script, thank you..
Someone get Prince Paul on the phone please..

f/ D'Angelo

God bless...

[D'Angelo]
hmmmmm..., doo doooo, doo doooo, yeah..., yeah..., oooh
Know I love my baby, My baby loves me
Layin in some heaven, need a little company
Let's go into a heaven, time to get some Geto Heaven
Geto...

[Verse 1]
Searchin for a love, throughout the ghetto
Young girls is thick, righteousness is narrow
I got my third, I want the sparrow
Want my peoples straight and rock sweet apparrel
The mother of my child, we not together
Baby it's your back, I got forever
As the weather, talks to us
Him rockin the Holy Spirit walks through us
The blunted eyes of the youth search for a guide
A thug is a lost man in disguise
The rise and fall, of a nation, even when the buildings tumble
I still stand tall, I walk through the valley, wit a life preserver
Feelin at times, that I might just murder
Yo but that aint what I was sent for
I want folks to say his life it meant more
Than ?any ca, any ba ca? any broad
He found Geto Heaven in himself and God

[D'Angelo]
Geto Heaven...
Standin in some Geto Heaven
Geto Heaven...
Standin in some Geto Heaven
Geto...

[Verse 2]
Love, your happiness don't begin wit a man
Strong woman, why should you depend on a man
I understand you want a man that's resourceful
If he pay your bills, he feel like he bought you
Talkin to a friend, about what love is
Her man didn't love her, cuz he didn't love his
Hugged her from afar, said what I felt
You never find a man, till you find yourself
Time helps mistakes, you can learn from
Cuz one man fucked up men you shouldn't turn from
You want a certain type of guy, gotta reach a certain point too
At the destination, a king will annoint you
Goin through the storm, many bodies stay warm
That relationship died, for you to be born, you worth more
Than anything you could cop in a store
For you to grow he had to go so what you stoppin him for
Not even I could ignore bein alone it's hard
Find heaven in yourself and God

[D'Angelo]
I know I love my baby
My baby loves me
I'm layin in some heaven, need a little company, yeah
It's twenty four seven, time to get some Geto Heaven
Time to get some Geto Heaven
Geto Heaven, Geto Heaven
It's time to get some Geto Heaven
Time to get some Geto Heaven, ohhhhhh...

[Verse 3]
This music is so much bigger than me
As far as happy, yo it's like a trigger to me
Dealin with crab rappers, and groupie broads
Record execs, at times it do be hard
But to choose words, and be heard across waters
Doin something you like to support daughters
Keepin your guys who collectin court orders
Conveyin messages that the ancestors brought us
Thought of things to say to become the end thing for the day
Somehow, that didn't seem the way for me to make it
Music is a gift that is sacred
I hope you didn't use it hopin you could grow to it
Whether servin or a surgeon, you gon go through it
Can't imagine goin through it, without soul music
It's like Donnie Hath' helped me see Lonnie's path
On my behalf, let's take whole steps to Imhotep
And show depth, as we make people nod
Find heaven in this music and God
Find heaven in this music and God
Find heaven in this music and God

[D'Angelo]
Geto Heaven
Geto Heaven
Geto Heaven, yeah, yeah
Geto Heaven, my baby
Geto Heaven, my baby
Geto Heaven, my baby
Geto Heaven, my baby
Geto Heaven, my baby...

f/ Cee-Lo

(Common)
In the Spirit of God.
In the Spirit of the Ancestors.
In the Spirit of the Black Panthers.
In the Spirit of Assata Shakur.
We make this movement towards freedom
for all those who have been oppressed, and all those in the struggle.
Yeah. yo, check it-

There were lights and sirens, gunshots firin
Cover your eyes as I describe a scene so violent
Seemed like a bad dream, she laid in a blood puddle
Blood bubbled in her chest, cold air brushed against open flesh
No room to rest, pain consumed each breath
Shot twice wit her hands up
Police questioned but shot before she answered
One Panther lost his life, the other ran for his
Scandalous the police were as they kicked and beat her
Comprehension she was beyond, tryna hold on
to life. She thought she'd live with no arm
that's what it felt like, got to the hospital, eyes held tight
They moved her room to room-she could tell by the light
Handcuffed tight to the bed, through her skin it bit
Put guns to her head, every word she got hit
"Who shot the trooper?" they asked her
Put mace in her eyes, threatened to blast her
Her mind raced till things got still
Opened her eyes, realized she's next to her best friend who got killed
She got chills, they told her: that's where she would be next
Hurt mixed wit anger-survival was a reflex
They lied and denied visits from her lawyer
But she was buildin as they tried to destroy her
If it wasn't for this german nurse they woulda served her worse
I read this sister's story, knew that it deserved a verse
I wonder what would happen if that woulda been me?
All this shit so we could be free, so dig it, y'all.

(Cee-lo vocals)
I'm thinkin' of Assata, yes.
Listen to my Love, Assata, yes.
Your Power and Pride is beautiful.
May God bless your Soul.

(Common)
It seemed like the middle of the night when the law awakened her
Walkie-talkies cracklin, I see 'em when they takin her
Though she kinda knew,
What made the ride peaceful was the trees and the sky was blue
Arrived to Middlesex Prison about six inna morning
Uneasy as they pushed her to the second floor in
a cell, one cot, no window, facing hell.
Put in the basement of a prison wit all males
And the smell of misery, seatless toilets and centipedes
She'd exercise, (paint?,) and begin to read
Two years inna hole. Her soul grew weak
Away from people so long she forgot how to speak
She discovered frredom is a unspoken sound
And a wall is a wall and can be broken down
Found peace in the Panthers she went on trial with
One of the brothers she had a child with
The foulness they would feed her, hopin she's lose her seed
Held tight, knowing the fight would live through this seed
In need of a doctor, from her stomach she's bleed
Out of this situation a girl was conceived
Separated from her, left to mother the Revolution
And lactated to attack hate
Cause federal and state was built for a Black fate
Her emptiness was filled with beatings and court dates
They fabricated cases, hoping one would stick
And said she robbed places that didn't exist
In the midst of threats on her life and being caged with Aryan whites
Through dark halls of hate she carried the light
I wonder what would happen if that woulda been me?
All of this shit so we could be free.
Yeah, I often wonder what would happen if that woulda been me?
All of this shit so we could be free, so dig it, people-

(Cee-Lo)
I'm thinkin' of Assata, yeah.
Listen to my Love, Assata, yeah.
Your Power and Pride, so Beautiful...
May God bless your Soul.
Oooh.

(Common)
Yo
From North Carolina her grandmother would bring
news that she had had a dream
Her dreams always meant what they needed them to mean
What made them real was the action in between
She dreamt that Assata was free in they old house in Queens
The fact that they always came true was the thing
Assata had been convicted of a murder she couldna done
Medical evidence shown she couldna shot the gun
It's time for her to see the sun from the other side
Time for her daughter to be by her mother's side
Time for this Beautiful Woman to become soft again
Time for her to breathe, and not be told how or when
She untangled the chains and escaped the pain
How she broke out of prison I could never explain
And even to this day they try to get to her
but she's free with political asylum in Cuba.

(Cee-Lo vocals)
I'm thinkin' of Assata, yeah.
Listen to my Love, Assata, yeah.
We're molded from the same mud, Assata.
We share the same Blood, Assata, yeah.
Your Power and Pride, so Beautiful...
May God bless your Soul.
Your Power and Pride, so Beautiful...
May God bless your Soul.
Oooh.

(Assata)
Freedom! You askin me about freedom. Askin me about freedom?
I'll be honest with you. I know a whole more about what freedom isn't
than about what it is, cause I've never been free.
I can only share my vision with you of the future, about what freedom is.
Uhh, the way I see it, freedom is-- is the right to grow, is the right to
blossom.
Freedom is -is the right to be yourself, to be who you are,
to be who you wanna be, to do what you wanna do. (fade out)

[Pops]
Hey, hey old bean
And you to baby sweetness
Yeah, this is Pops, and I'm back in the studio
And I didn't have to break in this time
I'm back as a special guest by special request
And I want to thank my son for loaning me this microphone once again
They may have to wrassle to get it back
You know, as a result of my son Common touring the world
Pops has acquired a wonderful extended family
From around the globe
he has returned with positive messages to my earlobes
From all my children From Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Japan
And of course in the motherland
Even in the orient, they know what I meant
Nanaan, tanaan, tinaan, hanchinaan
So I didn't come in here to give any shouts out
I came to give praise and honor and to identify my children
Who've been saying and doing the right things
You know they sat on those nines of 1999
and kept them from turning upside down
And teaching the babies
to love, to be able to give love
And to enter the new century with their own prophecy
The century of amends
You see I deal with the premise that all children are ours
And that we all travel the same path
It's just that we don't get there at the same time
(See you next lifetime) See you next lifetime
And to my children running around here
talking about how nice is they ice
that they've already paid for twice
What karat is they gold
that was yours before you were done in the hole
Or that crew from 1629, buy some land
Think agriculture; beat that neighborhood
which you claim you love so dear
Are you mankind or what kind of a man?
See, Pops is straight out of the garden
from when the world was starting brand new,
Hip Hop, Hip Hop, the language of the underground railroad
In it's purest form
Yeah true hip hop is just like the Underground Railroad
If the message is not for you
It can sit on your nose and your brain remain froze
So when you see me traveling on a spiritual high
I'm flying high with Cee-Lo
Or maybe watching my long's heart dancing to a De La flow
Everybody knows there's no fruit on the tree with The Roots
And Black Star said we are what we are
The Knowledge Of Self Determination
And my little homie KG
Up there in Minnesota milking 10000 lakes
Keep the heat on em', we got to be kind to the growing mind
So if your heart is real
You will hear Big Will and Ms. Lauryn Hill
If your love is true, you will hear Badu-ism
And you can't go right until you go left
and get some ingredients from the music chef Jazzy Jeff
Children, I've traveled this globe
north to south, east to west
And whenever my soul appears lost
I turn to the musical stylings of a Tribe Called Quest
Okay, we ready to get out of here
We ready to take it home now
Just so everybody knows
When Pops get ready to say something good
I mean when it's time for me to lay it on the wood
And it ain't no time for no shecky shecky
That's when I turn to a Black Girl Named Betty
Y'all looking for the only truth and it doesn't even exist
I just come to give love and peace and honor to all my children