Well my ladies and gentlemen This is a rapsession and my name is "KRS-One!" And when I talk about "Hip-Hop Music!", I know
[Kris] One : Breaking or breakdancing Rally b-boying, freestyle or streetdancin' Two : MC'ing or rap Divine speech what I'm doing right now no act Three: Grafitti art or burning bombin' Taggin', writin', now you're learning! uh! Four : DJ'ing, we ain't playing! {*scratch*} You know what I'm saying! Five : Beatboxing Give me a {*beatboxin*} Yes and we rockin'! Six : Street fashion, lookin' fly Catchin' the eye while them cats walk on by Seven: Street language, our verbal communication Our codes throughout the nation Eight: Street knowledge, common sense The wisdom of the elders from way back whence Nine : Street entrepreneurialism No job, just get up call 'em and get 'em
Here's how I'm tellin' it, all 9 Elements We stand in love, no we're never failing it Intelligent? No doubt Hip-Hop? We're not selling it out, we're just lettin' it out If you're checkin' us out this hour, we teatchin' hip-hop Holy integrated people have it, I'm the present power!
[Chorus] Rap is something you do! 3x Hip-Hop is something you live! *scratched* Rap is something you do! Hip-Hop is something you live! *scratched*
[Kris] Skaters, BMX-bike riders rock Don't you ever stop! You are hip-hop You doing the same things we did on our block in the suburbs You know you be packing that black block Selling that crackrock and ecstacy Gettin' pissydrunk, fallin' out next to me But like I told those in the ghettoes Here's the facts! True hip-hop is so much more than that Some much more than rap, so much more than beats Hip-hop is all about victory over the streets What you see on TV is a lie That's not something you wanna live or pattern your life by But, huh that's too much preachin' ain't it? You don't want the edutainment, you wanna be dead on the pavement Well, so be it, some of ya'll ain't gonna see it Others wanna enslave your mind! Kris wanna free it!
[Chorus] Rap is something you do! 5x Hip-Hop is something you live! *scratched*
"Oh yea" *scratched* --- From "P is dead"
"I have spent my whole life livin'", "talk to the fullest", "no doubt"
[Kris] You know that's why these rappers can't hang Cause the essence of hip-hop is not a material thang They so careless, hip-hop is in an awareness we give Rap we do, hip-hop we live How many times I gotta say it? How the radio ain't gonna play it And you hip-hoppers sit back and okay it Think about it! (think about it) The present course of action, we have got to reroute it!
[Chorus: repeat 3X] Hip-Hop is something you live!