The Conscious Rapper

You think this is easy right? (Yeah!)

You think this is easy right? (That's easy!)

You think you got what it takes? (Yeah that's easy!)

Huh, we gon' see.. we gon' see right now (Now what?)

Look

[KRS-One]

So you wanna be a conscious rapper

Can you handle the press and they negative chatter

Can you eat cold platters, and still spit data

Watchin others spit lies and they pockets get fatter

Can you climb up the ladder, and reach the top?

But it still doesn't matter, cause you ain't pop

Can you rock for the love of the art

Can you drop hit after hit after hit and still don't chart?

Can you REALLY stay loyal to God

When your life is full of strife, plus it always seems so hard

Can you handle the criticism

People holdin you up to higher standards, but they don't live 'em?

Can you hear these kiddy flows and laugh at it

But when you spit they callin you arrogant?

You better think about that before you rock to this

Sometimes it's easier to pop your Cris', let's do it!

[Hook: *sung*]

Think you can do what I do

Think you can step in my shoes

You have no clue what I go through

You never felt my pain

When they attack my name

All because I have spoken the truth

[KRS-One]

To be a conscious rapper ain't a mystery

You gotta laugh when they call you contradictory

The whole industry, you gotta push and pull it

To really get with me, you gotta dodge they bullets

Blaow, blaow, blaow, every day and every way

You critics got somethin to say

At the same time, you gotta uphold Christ

Uphold life, while others flash cars and ice

It could break you down, take you down, make you frown

It could actually shake your ground

But if you love who you are, and believe in that

Best believe you will BE where the teacher's at

And where's that? In fact, in cold or heat

Yes, I declare victory over the streets

Overstand, over these beats, over the so-called elite

Over the strong, over the weak

I know how to speak, and most of all I know how to eat

I know I want humble and meek

So you better think about that before you rock to this

Sometimes it's easier to pop your Cris', uhh

[Hook]

[KRS-One]

Look!

So you thinkin about bein a concious MC

Well you gotta love God and you got to live free

You got to see the life that others can't see

You got to be the person that others can't be

You can't be a S-L-A, V-E

If you sayin to yourself, "This may be me"

Then you know goin in that you work against sin

Your very skills will kill the demons within

So don't expect respect from slaves and hoes

Nor the slavemaster's video shows

Nor the rap mags, you know how it go

Nor the slavemaster's video shows

Nor the rap mags, you know how it go

Especially black mags, you know they don't know

Just go to the crowd that you know will need you

Cause NOTHING compares to the respect of the people

That's what you look for, that's what you work with

Cause anything else, is truly worthless

You better think about that before you rock to this

Sometimes it's easier to just pop your Cris'

You better think about that, 'fore you rock to this

Sometimes it's easier to just pop your Cris', uhh

[Hook] - repeat 2X