Hip Hop, R U There???

I-95 ripped thru the South Bronx, leavin it lifeless

For gangs n dealers to prey upon the crisis

Those vultures had the righteous left wit tight lips

Handin kids gats or crack like, "yo, ignite this"

People lookin for a light, at the end of the alley,

But it just comes from a gun, or crackhead rally

Tho when everybody had already given their hopes up

Like, fuck life, ready to put ropes up

From the rubble rose a phoenix a glorious art form

Now know as Hip Hop, to keep hearts warm

Trash can souls transformed into firepits

Flowers sprouted outa concrete environments

Gang alliances broken down by Bambataa

If u don’t know who that is u aint Hip Hop partna

The divided were united for all to bear witness

A liberating force, then along came big business

What happened to Hip Hop-- our saving grace?

Heard rumors shes in a tomb with her name engraved,

I wouldn’t be surprised, the way this games been played

Last I saw she was in an office another dame enslaved,

Restrained by iced out chains she wonders how,

These rappers are allowed to pillage and plunder crowds

But im comin for u hunny like a rollin thunder cloud,

Let my call to arms ring throughout the underground...

So here come the corporations to rape ya ass,

Steal whats yours, n create a tax

That got u paying with ya soul jus to take it back

N even then u aint spittin for the sake of rap,

Rhyming about what they tell u will sell the most,

Gota be rich or go to jail to boast

So u try on their ideals like a new outfit

Lost in the money, u don’t know nothing about shit

If it was just u fine, but now u a role model

Acting hard cuz u smoke and swallow the whole bottle

Misleading the people, getting em to follow lies

Like u did, deceived by ya labels hollow eyes

They manipulated u into making urself a monster

Ya just like George Bush--reading off a teleprompter

Like Goodfella mobsters, got ya ass on lock

Just cuz u wanted to piss, n they passed a pot

What happened to Hip Hop-- our saving grace?

Heard rumors shes in a tomb with her name engraved,

I wouldn’t be surprised, the way this games been played

Last I saw she was in an office another dame enslaved,

Restrained by iced out chains she wonders how,

These rappers are allowed to pillage and plunder crowds

But im comin for u hunny like a rollin thunder cloud,

Let my call to arms ring throughout the underground...

She craves the independent, a few enraged Rambos

That’ll massacre these phony, new age Sambos

Hip Hop was treadin water, amidst greedy stars

Then drowned in the mainstream in need of CPR,

I’ll blow the breath in her lungs if u provide the beats

Over her heart, hard enough to divide the streets

Cuz this smothering monotony’s weighin down on top of me,

Glamour n gangsta rap’s got a monopoly,

Radio has made a mockery of democracy,

N im here to expose their fucking hypocrisy,

Ya cant cop a plea--no bailout for big businesses

That swing bling in our faces like, hypnotists

Mesmorize us so we can be easily brainwashed

Hip Hop’s tired of being embodied, by the same props

On a set path, but this is where the train stops,

Lets find our own way, don’t be afraid of the rain drops

What happened to Hip Hop-- our saving grace?

Heard rumors shes in a tomb with her name engraved,

I wouldn’t be surprised, the way this games been played

Last I saw she was in an office another dame enslaved,

Restrained by iced out chains she wonders how,

These rappers are allowed to pillage and plunder crowds

But im comin for u hunny like a rollin thunder cloud,

Let my call to arms ring throughout the underground...