Eric B. & Rakim — Keep the Beat

[Verse 1] She asked could I keep the beat? So, here's the beat, every time it pounds, you get weak Comfy, embedded like a pillow, bouncin' with an echo My voice is moist, and plus mellow I got it goin' on, you're gonna wanna come Skins is the drum, I said I'm the drummer, give the drummer some And we'll see if you can hang wit Ra Hmm, let's see if you can Shangri-La Easy like Teena Marie, I play it slick like Rick James I'm the Fire and your Desire's flames I heat up your temperature, keep the tempo raw When you start to smoke, rest assured I start to think 'cause you're a singer like Anita High pitched like a tweeter, deep beats start to beat her Much harder than love taps, my rap's above that I get girls where I want with a maze full of love traps But I don't want to fall in love I stand in love, good balanced with a plan to shove A capella as we start to speak Heart to heart and cheek to cheek Then I complete the beat [Hook] Tempo's movin' and I'm hopin' it'll never fade away The beat is groovin', words are soothin' And please tell me that you're here to stay In the mornin' and I'm hopin' the mornin' come again Hold me close and give me another dose and Keep the beat, don't ever let it end [Verse 2] She said, "R, so far, you didn't miss a beat yet" Pop in another cassette, then I'm in to wreck I'll give you a beat you never had before I had to explore and came up with more Deep trunk kicks with a brick for a drum stick You know the song, don't hum along, come quick You lay like Sade, it feels like paradise At the top of the pyramid, we review new heights The scenery of Egypt, you and me as we get So deep in the groove, when you move, you get seasick You seen enough, close your eyes and relax Move wit the tracks and stay tuned for the sax The instrumental enters your mental Tense but gentle and sentimental A capella as we start to speak Heart to heart and cheek to cheek Then I complete the beat [Hook] Tempo's movin' and I'm hopin' it'll never fade away The beat is groovin', words are soothin' And please tell me that you're here to stay In the mornin' and I'm hopin' the mornin' come again Hold me close and give me another dose and Keep the beat, don't ever let it end [Verse 3] She wanted the extended version So, I kept splurgin' and add more words in Strong: the emotion, notions move and The poetry's smokin', potions soothin' There goes the moon, I'm far from done Rise like the sun, here comes the sun And I won't stop 'til it sets and then Rewind the cassettes and I'ma play it again But this time, it's instrumental at a faster tempo All I wanna hear is "Yeah, Rakim, go!" I work overtime on your body and mind 'Cause I'm inclined to do both combined My job is never done but done well Horizontal or parallel A capella as we start to speak Heart to heart and cheek to cheek Then I complete the beat [Hook] Tempo's movin' and I'm hopin' it'll never fade away The beat is groovin', words are soothin' And please tell me that you're here to stay In the mornin' and I'm hopin' the mornin' come again Hold me close and give me another dose and Keep the beat, don't ever let it end