[Intro: Wyclef Jean]
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
Wyclef, Preacher's Son
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
Prazwell (Come on as we bug out)
(Before I man-man-manifest the rhyme)
I used to go to church
(Before-fore-fore I man-man-man-man)
L Boogie, drive the hearse (Manifest the rhyme)
[Verse 1: Wyclef Jean]
I woke up this morning, I was feeling kind of high
It was me, Jesus Christ, and Haile Selassie
Selassie said, "Greetings in the name of the Most High
Jah Rastafari"
Christ took a sip of the Amaretto
Passed it down the table, said, "Today I'll be betrayed by one of you 12 Disciples"
Give me a clue, who could do this to you?
The kid on the block who make less money than you (Calm down)
Crooked cops pulled up, they offered him thirty pieces of silver
All he got to do is deliver the Savior
Right on Bergen Street from bad luck to good luck
My cup runneth over, pass it down, guzzle up
The time have arrived, the prophecy will manifest
I saw death, I got scared, butterflies on my chest
Father, if possible, pass this cup before me
Yo, it's too late, I chose my destiny in Gethsemane
[Chorus]
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm-I'm man-manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm manifesting)
[Verse 2: Lauryn Hill]
You see I loved hard once (Once), but the love wasn't returned
I found out the man I'd die for, he wasn't even concerned
In time, it turned, he tried to burn me like a perm
Though my eyes saw the deception, my heart wouldn't let me learn
From, um, some dumb woman was I
And every time he'd lie, he would cry, and inside I'd die
My heart must have died a thousand deaths
Compared myself to Toni Braxton, thought I'd never catch my breath
Nothing left, he stole the heart beating from my chest
I tried to call the cops, that type of thief, they can't arrest
Pain suppressed will lead to cardiac arrest
Diamonds deserve diamonds, but he convinced me I was worthless
When my peoples would protest
I told them mind they business, 'cause my shit was complex
More than just the sex
I was blessed, but couldn't feel it like when I was caressed
I'd spend nights clutching my breast, overwhelmed by God's test
I was God's best, contemplatin' death with a Gillette
But no man is ever worth the paradise, manifest
[Chorus]
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm-I'm man-manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm man-manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme) Prazwell
[Verse 3: Pras & Wyclef Jean]
Gun clap, shell cap, got them crawling on they backs (Facts)
Come through with the Fu, they be, "Who the fuck is that?"
It's unpredictable when my tongue performs Jiu-Jitsu
Cut you with my lyrics, stab you with my pencil (Come on)
Lethal injection, witness protection
Refugee camps under investigation
Gunshot bursts in all directions
For the wack MC's, we read your revelations (Uh-huh)
Discharge through your pores, get raw and kill boars
I can Capleton when I'm on a tour
Some manifest with slugs in they chest
God bless all the cowboys in the Wild Wild West
[Chorus]
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm-I'm man-manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme)
(I'm man-manifesting)
(Before I manifest the rhyme, rhyme, rhyme, rhyme)
[Skit]
Yo, my whole life was spent looking at myself through the eyes of a motherfucker that hate me
(So what, man?)
Drugged up most of the time
I remember one time I was so fucking high, man
I just got finished drinking, I came home, started sniffin'
I just got up and fell the fuck out, yo
Instead of my brother helping me up, he just start straight kicking me in the bathroom
"Yo, get up, get up, get up
Mom's goin' get us, yo, get up" (Yo, what the fuck?)
I wake up in the morning, man, laying in my throw up and shit all over my nose, man
You know what I realized? It's easy to kill niggas, man
It's easy to kill niggas 'cause they look like you
They smell like you
Shit, they even live on your same motherfuckin' block
The only problem we have is killin' the people who don't look like us
Who oppress us, shit (How you gon' do that?)
Ayy, if you wanna impress me, shoot the motherfucker who turned off my lights (True that, true that)
You want to impress me, shoot somebody who making my bills high all of the time
See, it's easy for cats to kill other cats, it's just the dogs they got trouble with
You know what I'm sayin'?
It's time for us to stand up like men and women, yo
Word up, we gotta stand up and do something about this
You know why?
You let a motherfucker kick you five times, they gon' kick you five times (True)
You let 'em kick you three times, they gon' kick you three times
You let 'em kick you twice, they gon' kick you twice
(I wouldn't let that nigga kick me once, you know what I'm sayin'?)
You let 'em kick you once, they gon' kick you once
But if you break off the motherfuckin' feet
Ain't gon' be no more kicking goin' on, kid (Oh, shit)
Ain't no more kickin'
I learned that shit growing up in Newark, man, the Brick City
[Outro]
The Score was written by The Fugees
Produced by Wyclef and Lauryn
Executive producers, my man Prazwell
Associate producers, my man Salaam, Diamond D, Forté, Shawn the English King
Music supervised by my man Jerry, edited by my man Warren
Stunts by my man DJ Scribble and my man DJ Leon
Know what I'm sayin'?
What you askin' for what?
Get outta here, get outta here
Excuse me
Inspired by my man Khalis Bayyan
Narrated by my man Ras Baraka
Starring Wyclef as the preacher's son, God bless
Lauryn as L Boogie
And my man Prazwell's that fucked up nigga, you know what I'm sayin'?
Junior, that's my man Little Junior, grow, motherfucker
And my man Telly as the Chinese store owner and the miscellaneous nigga
And then known as the quick comer (He in and out)
That's right, and J as another miscellaneous nigga
This nigga that's always lying about his dick
Know what I'm sayin'?
And check out the bonus by my man Wyclef Junior, hip-hop folk favorite, "Mista Mista"
And by the way, brought to you by L Boog-Boog
Captain Ghetto, the pop master, Kool DJ
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