The Mask

[Intro: Wyclef Jean]

Have you ever worn the mask? Yeah

One-two, one-two

[Chorus: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill & Both]

M to the A to the S to the K

Put the mask 'pon me face just to make the next day

Feds be hawking me, jokers be stalking me

I walk the streets and camouflage my identity

My posse in the Brooklyn wear the mask

My crew in the Jersey wear the mask

Stick up kids doing boogie woogie wear the mask

Yeah, everybody wear the mask, but how long will it last? (Yo, yo)

[Verse 1: Wyclef Jean]

I used to work at Burger King, a king taking orders

Punching my clock, now I'm wanted by the manager

Souping me up, saying, "You're a good worker

How would you like a quarter raise, move up to the register?

Large in charge, but ya gotta be a spy

Come back and tell me who's bagging my fries

Gettin' high on company time"

Hell no, siree, wrong MC (Wrong MC)

Why should I be a spy when you're spying me?

And you see what ya thought ya saw but never seen (Bing)

Ya missed ya last move, checkmate, crown me king

Pulled my .22, pistol-whipped him in his face

Hired, now I'm fired, sober, now I'm wired

Eyes pitch red but the beat bop my head

Hit the streets for relief, I bumped into feds (Oh my God)

I got kidnapped, they took me to D.C

Had me workin' underground, building missiles for World War III

[Chorus: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill & Both]

M to the A to the S to the K

Put the mask 'pon me face just to make the next day

Brothers be gaming, ladies be claiming

I walk the streets and camouflage my identity

My posse Uptown wear the mask

My crew in the Queens wear the mask

Stick up kids with the Tommy Hil' wear the mask

Yeah, everybody wear the mask, but how long will it last?

[Verse 2: Lauryn Hill]

I thought he was the wonder and I was stun-gunned by his lips

Taking sips of an Amaretto Sour with a twist

Shook my hips to the bassline, this joker grabbed my waistline

Puttin' pressure on my spine tryna get L-Boog to wind (Bing)

I backed up off him, then I caught him with five fingers to his face

I had to put him in his place, this kid's invadin' my space

But then I recognized the smile, but I couldn't place the style

So many fronts in his mouth, I thought he was the Golden Child

Then it hit me, that's Tariq from off the street around my grams

I haven't seen him since fifteen when he got booked for doing scams

I tried to walk away, but he wouldn't let me leave

He ran up quick behind me asking, "Yo, what happened to my nigga Steve?"

Steve was like this kid I went with back in grammar school

I chuckled, knucklehead, I seen him yesterday, he's cool

Busted, "So who you checking for now? Probably some intellectual"

I kept the conversation straight, but he kept tryna make it sexual

Then his old lady tried to play me, waved her hands up in my face

Yo, I told her, "Check your man, 'cause bitch, you acting out of place" (Come on)

[Chorus: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill & Both]

M to the A to the S to the K

Put the mask 'pon me face just to make the next day

Brothers be frontin', then they be runnin'

I walk the streets and camouflage my identity

My posse in the Bronx wear the mask

My crew on the Isle wear the mask

Stick up kids rolling in the Omni wear the mask

Yeah, everybody wear the mask, but how long will it last?

[Verse 3: Pras]

Three a.m. in the morning on the boulevard

I'm still at large, engaged with my entourage

Me and Godfather and a '67 Dodge

I stepped out then looked, then post up my guard

Searching for my car that was stolen from Scotland Yard (Puerto Ricans got the car)

My first instinct was to check the chop shop garage

As I rung the bell, someone tapped me on my back

I turned around to look, it was a rookie in a mask (What?)

He said, "I got a itchin' on my trigger

Don't move, nigga, I'm taking you for murder"

See cops, got two faces like two laces on my Reeboks

My knees knock as I step back for a clear shot

(Well, did you shoot him?)

Nah, kid, I didn't have the balls

That's when I realized I'm bumpin' too much Biggie Smalls

[Chorus: Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill & Both]

M to the A to the S to the K

Put the mask 'pon me face just to make the next day

Runners be beefin', cops be thiefin'

Brothers be scheming, they should be teaming

Jokers be smoking and staying broken

Bitches be teasing, their money skeezin'

Niggas be creeping, baby mothers be weeping

I walk the street and camouflage my identity

My posse in the Haiti wear the mask

My crew in Jamaica wear the mask

Stick up kids bumping "Fu-Gee-La" wear the mask

Yeah, everybody wear the mask, but how long will it last?

Said

(M to the A to the S to the K)

[Outro]

Yo, man, we just rolled up there, shit was ill, man, it was ill

Yo, bullets everywhere, guns, smoke

Jokers fallin' off they porches just shootin', straight cowboys, man

Straight motherfuckin' cowboys