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Fontaines D.C. have released ‘Tongue’ and its New York-shot video•
LCD Soundsystem have announced 12 New York residency shows, including their 100th•
Saint Clair have shared new single ‘Dreams’ ahead of sold-out autumn headline tour•
overpass and Nieve Ella have shared a new version of ‘Fall In Love’•
Pollyfromthedirt has shared ‘White Wine Vinegar’ and announced a first London headline show•
Keo are leading the midweek UK album chart with ‘Put A Smile On For Me’•
Welly has released new single ‘Skinny Boy’•
Rachel Chinouriri has shared ‘Broken chair’ from new album ‘I Think I Spoke Too Soon’•
Lime Garden have shared new track ‘Moving Target’ with Antony Szmierek in the video•
CMAT will perform on ‘The Daily Show’ this week•
Matty Healy says The 1975’s new album is ‘almost done’•
boygenius have reunited onstage during Phoebe Bridgers’ Brooklyn show•
Rose Gray has dropped a new track that's "all chaos, love and emotion", ‘Blink Twice’•
Keo have released debut album ‘Put A Smile On For Me’ as Brixton Academy show sells out•
Taylor Swift has released four new songs on ‘The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore’•
Audrey Hobert has unveiled a new video for 'Sex and the City' as she begins her headline tour•
The Dork 2025 Readers' Poll nominations are in, featuring CMAT, Turnstile, Wolf Alice, Djo, Hayley Williams and loads more•
flowerovlove has released her first-ever first Christmas track, 'wishlist'•
Mighty Hoopla and Olly Alexander have announced Trans Mission, a concert for trans solidarity•
JADE has announced a deluxe edition of her debut album, 'THAT'S SHOWBIZ BABY! THE ENCORE'•
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  1. Lyrics
  2. Artifacts
  3. Break It Down Lyrics
Break It Down by Artifacts

Lyrics

Artifacts

Break It Down

From That’s Them1997

Written by El Da Sensei, Shawn J. Period, Tame One

Lyrics

Break It Down

Intro: Mellow Max

Yes, as we continue to get it going on

Artifacts representin from Newark to Illtown

Put your ear to this here

Most definitely it's a sure banger

Keep this one in your collection

Newark to Illtown representin

Who do we have up to bat? (MC El)

Lace that

Verse One: El the Sensai, Tame One

In this field, niggas get killed, quick with the skills

Intact, ill with raps, buildin facts to fill

Gaps react, tap into your internet and patch into

My steez or my style, niggas down to make the cheese wild

MC's get defused cause I'm the bomb specialist

With the wettest, test this, deadly like asbestos

Check the credit set it, so odd they have to call a medic

My paragraphs be off key, that's why niggas can't get it

For those of you who don't know, my flow keeps MC's

On freeze like Sub-Z doin MK3 fatality

Do remember like Clue, I run up on booty crews

On every weekend buggin out cause I be geekin

Lounge like the peppermint the Boom Skwad President

About this track

"Break It Down" is a song by Artifacts from the album That’s Them, released in 1997. The song was written by El Da Sensei, Shawn J. Period, Tame One. It was produced by Shawn J. Period.

Artifacts profile →That’s Them album →Track profile →

Contributors

  • Redman— 638 credits as songwriter & producer →
  • Bill Importico— 19 credits as assistant engineer →
  • Paul Shatraw— 9 credits as assistant engineer →
  • Vaughn Sessions— 15 credits as assistant engineer →
  • Tom Coyne— 3,383 credits as songwriter →
  • Ken “Duro” Ifill— 777 credits as songwriter & producer →
  • Shawn J. Period— 25 credits as songwriter & producer →

More from this album

That’s Them

Collaboration of Mics
Collaboration of Mics
Lyrics

More Lyrics

by Artifacts

All lyrics →
Collaboration of Mics
Collaboration of Mics
Artifacts
Cummin' Thru Ya Fuckin’ Block
Cummin' Thru Ya Fuckin’ Block
Artifacts
C’Mon wit da Git Down (Buckwild Remix)
C’Mon wit da Git Down (Buckwild Remix)

Artist

Artifacts →

Album

That’s Them
That’s Them →
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Produced by Shawn J. Period

Leaves a tenament resident finding evidence of sedatives

DAILY, scoopin through the Roots like Alex Haley

Beetle Bailey beatdown to a soundman lookin scary

Label secretary terrorizer yet I'ma

Fresh rhymer comma bringer of the drama the bomber

From the Lost Lands, off hand claps I run raps

And shatter nigga cyphers into pieces like gun claps

*DJ Kaos cuts and scratches Redman

"When I break it down, from Newark NJ to Illtown" -- Rockafella*

Verse Two: El the Sensai, Tame One

My verbal, patterns reach farther than Saturn

Bustin niggas up because my rhymes be breakin

Atoms stranger, ProForm arranger

Fake U-SA Polo shirt stainer with the tec that's never plainer

Indent, that's the men blend trends we make and cross

Without the fakin, to the ten niggas respect we just take it

New jacks relax cause the syntax can't be Xeroxed

Cause I be locked on spots like niggas movin in from swat

I X more Men out than Elijah, Muhamm Ali of rhyme schemes

Leavin my stickers at the crime scene

Skwad Odd Man, receive response like Roxanne

Battle the top man, and shock fans like I'ma rock band

I cut the mustard and plus I can bust it dusted (what?)

Whatever you fuckin with I touch and leave it busted

My click rips and gets up in ya like the shits

From grits, while yo shit sits like it's on bricks

Tracy Chap raps I laugh at, half-assed rappers

Who lack fat tracks get capped at, fuck that

Destroy the masses, niggas in classes tryin to catch the math

As I sit and think the ink begins to craft

My blueprints instruments workin as I'm jerkin

Your style hurtin in the club your crew nervous rehearsin

In between the cut I run amuck with mad stuff

Niggas can't touch, escape wack cyphers like handcuffs, so

C'mon and get down with that Artifacts sound

"When I break it down from Newark NJ to Illtown"

*DJ Kaos cuts and scratches Redman

"When I break it down, from Newark NJ to Illtown" -- Rockafella*

Outro: Mellow Max

Word up thank you I think I'm convinced

Cool Mellow Max in the house

Peace to my niggas Park Ave, Swift-O-Matic yeah!

Boom Skwad in the house how you like it now?

Representin the skills, what?

Chancellor Ave, Avon Ave, nigga where ya at?

Aww man the Bricks! Newark to Illtown

If ya don't know I think ya better ask

Breakin it down, sizin it up

For the year nine-six, WHAT!!!

Lyrics provided by LRCLIB

Ken “Duro” Ifill— 777 credits as songwriter & producer →
Artifacts
Notty Headed Nigguhz
Notty Headed Nigguhz
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Drama (Mortal Kombat Fatality)
Drama (Mortal Kombat Fatality)
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The Ultimate (Unreleased Jay Dee remix)
The Ultimate (Unreleased Jay Dee remix)
Artifacts
The Ultimate (Jay Dee Remix)
The Ultimate (Jay Dee Remix)
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C’mon Wit da Git Down
C’mon Wit da Git Down
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