Black Star — Definition

[Intro: Talib Kweli, Mos Def, & Sample] Hello, everybody! Recordin' live from somewhere Looooord... Lord have mercy Black Star All nice and decent crew This is timeless! C'mon! Follow me now, we say Say, Hi-Tek, yes, you're rulin' hip-hop Put your hands up! C'mon, c'mon! Say, J. Rawls, yes, you're rulin' hip-hop Put your hands up, everybody Redefinition, say, you're rulin' hip-hop Put your hands up, c'mon Say, Black Star, come to rock it non— [Verse 1: Mos Def] Yo, from the first to the last of it, delivery is passionate The whole and not the half of it, forecast and aftermath of it Projectile that them blasted with, accurate assassin shit Me and Kweli close like Bethlehem and Nazareth After this, you be pressin' rewind on top your master disk Shinin' like an asterisk for all those that be gatherin' Connectin' like a roundhouse from the townhouse to the tenements 'Cause all my Brooklyn residents roll with heavy regiments Don't believe? Hear the evidence — where Brooklyn? (WHOA!) See that? 'Bout to take it all, kid, believe that From where they sell they tree at, to where the police react Talib Kweli, e-Kweli-ty, yo, tell 'em where we be at [Verse 2: Talib Kweli] Brooklyn, New York City, where they paint murals of Biggie In cash we trust, 'cause this ghetto fabulous life look pretty What a pity — blunts is still fifty cents, it's intense Tree scents is dominant, can't be covered with incense My presence felt; my name is Kweli from the Eternal Reflection People thinkin' MC is shorthand for misconception Let me meditate, set it straight Came to the conclusion that most of these cats is featherweight Let me demonstrate: Walkin' the streets is like battlin'; be careful with your body You must know karate and think your soul is bulletproof like Sade Stop actin' like a bitch already, be a visionary And maybe you can see your name in the column of obituaries Third grade teacher readin' and talkin' about, "I knew he'd amount to nothin'" Neighbors like, "He was the quiet type, who'd have thought they was frontin'?" Talkin' loud like you on RCA Get carted away with body parts and trays What a way to start your day, yo, it's like... [Hook: Mos Def] One, two, three (C'mon!) Mos Def and Talib Kweli We came to rock it on to the tip-top (C'mon!) Best alliance in hip-hop! Y-O! I said one, two, three It's kinda dangerous to be a MC (C'mon!) They shot 2Pac and Biggie Too much violence in hip-hop, Y-O [Verse 3: Mos Def] I said Manhattan keep on makin' it, Brooklyn keep on takin' it So relax, we're takin' it back, Red Hook where we're livin' at Plenty cats be strugglin', not hustlin' and bubblin' It ain't about production, then — what is we discussin'? When the cock crows, my crop grows, enable me to rock flows Strivin' for perfection ever since I was a snot-nose Colossal! True, original b-boy apostle Standin' on the rooftop with the Zulu Gestapo [Verse 4: Talib Kweli] You think you the shit? Somebody in the wings'll force you to quit It could be your crew or clique Or some random kid you smoked buddha with Consider me the entity within the industry Without a history of spittin' the epitome of stupidity Livin' my life, expressin' my liberty, it gotta be done properly My name is in the middle of equality People follow me, and other cats, they hear him flow And assume I'm the real one with the lyrics like I'm Cyrano [Verse 5: Mos Def] Still sippin' wishing well water imported from Pluto Three hundred and sixty milliliters for all the believers In miles or kilometers, most cats cannot precede us In the jungle with the leaders — we them lions, you the cheetahs Our cypher will complete us as we come through your receivers You can play us and repeat us, and then take us home and read us (Line for line) Good Jesus! Mos Def and Kweli just Make the pussy freeze up; think it over, ease up! [Hook] One, two, three Mos Def and Talib Kweli We came to rock it on to the tip-top Best alliance in hip-hop! Y-O! I said one, two, three It's kinda dangerous to be an MC They shot 2Pac and Biggie Hold your head when the beat drop, Y-O!