Back in the days I knew rap would never die I used to listen to Awesome-2 on WHBI I used to hear all kind of rap groups before sampling loops Rappers wore bell-bottom Lee suits Me and Kenny couldn't afford that So we would go to the park when they was jammin' to hear rap I used to listen till the cops broke it up I always thought to myself "Damn, why they fucked it up?" But never the less I was in love with the microphone And it stayed that way until I left home On the streets of New York, now I'm free But with freedom comes big responsibility I used to walk around driven by the force I remember how large Super Rhymes was when he fell off I used to wonder about crews that used to rock They were large, but none of them could manage to stay on top
Do you ever think about when you outta here? Record deal and video outta here? Mercedes Benz and Range Rover outta here? No doubt BDP is old school, but we ain't goin' out!
Verse Two:
After livin' on the streets alone Some years went by, I signed myself into a group home I used to watch the show "I Dream of Jeannie" And dreamt about "When will I be large like Whodini?" But I was messin' with graffiti on the subway And gettin' chased by the cops almost everyday I knew it had to bea better way see So I would go to my room, blast RUN DMC Around 1984 I left the group home, again alone Still dreamin' about the microphone Gimme a chance man, I know I can rock it But I had to worry about puttin' money in my pocket So when I reached the shelter I met my helper DJ Scott La Rock And we both loved hip-hop I was takin' suckas out in the shelter system Yeah there was rappers in the shelter but I had to diss 'em But all along, my vision was never lost I kept seeing all these rap groups fallin' off
Do you ever think about when you're outta here? Fly girl and fresh gear outta here? Five-thousand dollar love seat outta here? No doubt BDP is old school, but we ain't goin' out!
Verse Three:
While I'm battling these rival crews Yes, BDP would stay in the street news Some said all they wanna do is battle They can't write a song, so their careers won't last long Around this time I used to hang with Ced Gee And DJ Scott La Rock used to buy gold with Eric B I didn't meet Rakim till later with Scott I remember we were jammin' at the rooftop It used to irk me when these critics had opinions Scott would say "Just keep rappin', I'll keep spinnin'" We had a fucked up contract, but we signed it And dropped the hip-hop album Criminal Minded We told the critics your opinions are bull Same time Eric B and Rakim dropped Paid in Full Hip-hop pioneers we didn't ask to be But right then hip-hop changed drastically People didn't wanna hear the old rap sound We started samplin' beats by James Brown In the middle of doin' My Philosophy Scott was killed and that shit got to me But knowin' the laws of life and death I knew his breath, was one with my breath I had nothin' left and it was scary So I dropped By All Means Necessary Another hip-hop group that was a friend of me Was a revolution crew called Public Enemy It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back These two albums set off consciousness in rap But all along, I'm still lookin' around And all I can see are these rap groups fallin' down
Do you ever think about when you outta here? Condominium and beach house outta here? Credit cards and bank accounts outta here? No doubt BDP is old school, be we ain't goin' out!