[ krs-one ]
Lord finesse and blastmaster krs-one
Lyrical styles weigh a ton
Lord finesse, we know you got skills
Come into the cypher and build
Chill out, all mc I kill
Come down
[ verse 1: lord finesse ]
Check it out, come on, heres your chance to swing
With some ill muthafuckas, we dont dance and sing
In 95 we out-jinglin
Servin poetic justice without that nigga john singleton
I do my thing while the fans be jealin
Hey yo, Im so dope, you better tap your man and tell him
I dont fake moves, I scrape crews, I make brothers break fool
Just give me a beat with a bass groove
Im mad funky, ask the experts
Cause I make you bob your head until your muthafuckin neck hurt
So dont ask me to match, gee
Cause if you aint real, Im bringin it to your face like acne
Now rappers run scams and flim-flams
On how they be gettin loose when they rusty like a tin man
They rap fast, tryin to stack cash
But on the reel to reel, yo, they still soundin half-assed
Yellin and screamin like they got somethin
When they dont got nothin, so them niggas need to stop frontin
Talkin how they be raggin shit
When I dont know if them niggas are rappin or talkin muthafuckin arabic
They act so ill, they no frills
They should go chill, they all mouth with no skills
When Im around yall feel funny
Cause Im young makin funds like shaquille oneal, money
You want any drama? you better wear plenty armor
I cut that ass like the chef at benny harners
The funky mans in it to win it
We gotta keep it real yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
Whoever make a hit they the best (thats a gimmick)
You sell records based on how you dress (thats a gimmick)
Hey yo, that tongue-twistin shit, thats kinda fresh (thats a gimmick)
Whats when youre soft but youre frontin like youre stressed? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when youre only into rap to get paid? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when youre yellin and screamin up on stage? (thats a gimmick)
When your career is numbered by days? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when your lyrical style is just a faze? (thats a gimmick)
[ verse 2: krs-one ]
I guess yes yall, to the beat yall, bring in the street
Let me put my beeper on vibrate, so wont hear it beep
Representin the street, concrete what I speak, yeah, I live it
Let it be known, krs is not about a gimmick
I grab the mic and rip it, meanwhile they stallin
I raise the mic stand, because Im tall and I keep the crowd callin
Im not like those other rappers talkin about the caps they peel
Punk, I battle mcs for real
Fuck a record deal when youre still into hip-hoppin
With your country ass, sound like youre still pickin cotton
You get thrown across the room in that direction, listen
The lyrical teachers not the one you should be checkin
This is my eara, or era or eera, whatever, Im mad clever
I shoop, you doop, you doop like salt-n-pepa
Lyrical terror, you should never ever come for mine
When I rhyme I clean up mcs with the fresh smell of pine
I got skills, and it shows
You could slow or speed up the tempo, your style is fake like janet jacksons nose
Im sellin that real live shit, and you could get hurt
Youre sellin that fake shit like the home shopping network
You got a lotta rhymes to battle in a second
But frankly the bottom line is: wheres your hit record?
You claim Im jockin, you claim Im on your dick, wheres your witness?
If Im on your dick, my name has got to be syphilis
I come with lyrical physical fitness
Two months from now you will have bit this
Watch me light that ass up like christmas
Dont let me come out on that ass
Start flippin the lyrics I be kickin
Be hotter than curry chicken
So whether from the east or from the west
Theres no other krs
I got force
I came to your town to set it off
So when finesse goes hit it
Ill never mimick
Krs-one could never use a gimmick
When youre ridin the next rappers dick (thats a gimmick)
When youre r&b, and then you cold flip (thats a gimmick)
Start rhymin hardcore just to get a hit (thats a gimmick)
When yout get over, but your skills aint shit (thats a gimmick)
When you rap, but you dont have soul (thats a gimmick)
When you cross over just to go gold (thats a gimmick)
When youre not a gangster, but portrayin a role (thats a gimmick)
Whats when you shape in somebody elses mould? (thats a gimmick)
[ verse 3: lord finesse ]
Man your station, cause the clan youre facin
Is steppin to you trash muthafuckas like sanitatian
I shoot and throw rhymes, the whole nine when its showtime
(what up, kid? ) brothers know I can hold mine
On the real I got rhymes skills
When the times ill Im blowin up spots like a minefield
Brothers front with they chest out
But words from finesses mouthll leave them niggas stressed out
They make me sick to my stomach
(so put it on em, kid!) them muthafuckas dont want it
They cant see me, believe me
They all phoneys, like them niggas that be wrestlin on tv
Yo, theyre nowhere near pro
And niggas couldnt hang if they was muthafuckin scarecrows
Nowadays a lotta rappers sound fake
Talkin that gangster shit, when theyre softer than a poundcake
So why youre frontin with the burner, kid
When you done took more ass-whippins than fuckin tina turner did
You wanna front? so be it
But fuck beatin around the bush, I just speak how I see it
Me fall off? that shits dead
Thats not happenin, kid, so get that shit through your thick head
Ill never sellout (what? ) you head right
Ill never cross over (aight!) word life
So when I said it, peep the method
If I never go gold but get credit, I wont sweat it
In 95 we all in it
We gotta keep it real, yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
Whats when you rap and dont appreciate the art? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when you sell out just to get a start? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when you make bullshit just for the charts? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when you rap, but its not from the heart? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when youre hardcore, then you turn pop? (thats a gimmick)
When you steal ideas to get props? (thats a gimmick)
When you sell out to be on top? (thats a gimmick)
Whats when you front like youre hard, but youre not? (thats a gimmick)
[ krs-one ]
Now let this be a lesson to all mcs
And djs
Anyone that come across the line will have to pay
Real hip hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Give it respect
We catch wreck
