Hiphop Knowledge

Started studyin' philosophy full-time
Davey D, Ingrid, David Connor

'99, I moved to L.A. you see
Rap is something we do, hip-hop is something you live
The list goes on and on, let me tell ya
You gotta know your own formula, your own ingredients

1993, hip-hop is uhh, wack
They said, "Yo Kris, what you wanna do?"
But in 2000, I seen how I wanted to live
1989, Professor Griff speaks his mind
Took me back to who I am
Bloods, Crips, they held me down
To my spiritual and mental defenders
With the gat in the lap in the low-ride
Yes
We come from the uhh the root of, of Kool DJ Herc
Kay Are Ess One is contradictory
And took a gig with the WB
But I'm makin' these ends, and I got my friends

When I was in L.A., I held the crown
It was all about Harry Allen Rhythm Cultural Institute
Big up Dr. Dre, Snoop, Xzibit
Nobody okayed it, they'd all rather hate it
Just 'cause I wouldn't let these rappers get with me
Or kids, but I, had to go
And that was great, so in 1988
And added consciousness to hip-hop, and then Grandmaster Flash
1990, came with the West coast
{Well, well, today hip-hop, we are advocating that hip-hop is not
Now I overstand
To clothes and hoes, but that wasn't me
1987, I was at the Latin Quarters
DJ's don't raise our kids, 'cause

There was no debate, we had to end the hate
Big up to L.A., temple members
Not just DJin', breakin', graf and lyrics
They don't even wanna play my instrumentals, but
I wasn't no executive
To view the world
Much respect, no less

It wasn't all about the loot

Just a music, it is an attitude, it is an awareness, it is a way
Street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street
So I picked up the mic and I quit my job
East coast, West coast, who is the best coast?
He said, "Record companies ain't got nuttin for ya"
To have a full heart, full body, full mind
But how hip-hop affects the spirit
Record companies ain't got nuttin' for ya"
So I did it, don't stop get it get it get it
All of this, goes to uhh uhh, the idea of living this culture out
The call of the order was to avoid the slaughter

I'll be damned if I dance for the MTV
Which is breaking, emceeing, graffiti art, deejaying, beatboxing
So in 1992, I found my crew
She said, "Don't worry bout these dollars and quarters
Julio G, that was the crew
Step Into a World, that's what I did
Without a lawyer, he taught The Infinity Lessons
Remember that? Nobody wanted conscious rap
Tell me what the am I supposed to do?
FredWreck, and my man Protest
And unity, knowledge, and self-reliance
But you know what the problem is or was
So I go back to the philosopher
Or abused it, you know how the crew get
You like it cause you choose it

In how hip-hop could be a, many a blessing
You won't be successful
1996, it really don't stop
But nobody wanna play it, nobody wanna say it
Should I go now, or should I really wait?
And I really don't wanna have to sit in the pen
They so caught up in the cash and jewels
Mic Conception, all of them, said
Brought me back to the New York land
Oh, I can't forget, Icy Ice, Lucky Lou

I said, "Damn, why they wanna get with me?
So in 1998, I began to debate
If a rapper wanna diss, yo I'd do it again
If I play the bitch role, they take my shoe
Go back, check the facts
How they gonna really see a hip-hop school?
Especially Xzibit, he was there in a minute
To talk about the state of humanity
But all these others rappers got mad at me
That, you and your pen
That's the hip-hop that that that we're about
1991, we opened our eyes
{And uhh, that's where y'know
The whole argument was where we lost focus
We put together somethin' called the Temple of hip-hop
1994, return of the Boom Bap
I could never forget Mad Lion, killer pride
We got hopeless, not with the lyrics and music
Who instigated something called The Infinity Lessons
Listenin' to Africa Bambaata give the order
We started talkin' 'bout Martin and Malcolm
All of a sudden these critics they wanna spit it
1997, I was raisin' my kid
But his freedom of speech is declined
Entrepenurialism, trade and business}
Explain that to us please}
And then Africa Bambaata and Zulu Nation

Self Destruction don't pay the rent
Conscious rap is still alive
It was like where these ballers at
Said to Simone, I gotta get with God
How they gonna really see a hip-hop temple?
{And uhh, we created the Stop the Violence movement, you may recall
Yo you need help? I should call them
So rap music, is something we do, but hip-hop is something we live

Blowin' 1 up, 1995
Damn, she took me back to Bam
And we look at hip-hop, in it's 9 elements

Had these ghetto kids goin', huh, what about him?
A song, Self Destruction and and and so on
With Human Education Against Lies, we tried
Lookin' back now, of course it was bogus

Where can they call us at? All was wack
Who originated hip-hop in the early 70's

'Cause New York DJ's changed the flows
They called me Captain Human, another message was sent
What made you, you
If I bust they I'm contradictory"
But with hip-hop, and how we used it
{Now KRS-One, now you've been quoted as saying that
Hip-hop culture was fallin' flat and that was that
The name of the game was Stop the Violence
With the invention of the mixer, on to Run-D.M.C. and then myself}