[Intro: Nas & Bobby Byrd]
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Hold up, hold up, hold up man, this is Nas, hip hop's still dead
1980's, I need all my pioneers to set it off on this one right here
I asked where they are, here they are
[Verse 1: MC Shan & Nas]
Hip Hop when niggas knew the art of war (Shan!)
Rough rhymes that's what gave the hard the core
Diamonds are a girl's best friend and delay gladiators
Matter fact, you blow more steam than hot radiators
Some niggas is ghost written but I ain't hatin' (80's!)
'Cause I still spit fire like the Son of Satan
Shan motherfucker and I'm Queensbridge bred
Check Myspace (Queens!) Forever will they bare my face
[Verse 2: Raheem from The Furious Five & Nas]
Who said lightning can't strike in the same place twice
Trailblaze the game, made for life stayed nice
Yeah you made the Top 50, don't mention my name (Here they are!)
I had you open before crack, cocaine grow-in
Before The Fever, before Missy's first Misdemeanor
Before Run's, first pair of Adidas, got heaters
And I pop pop, pop, pop, heaters
Stop dealers, on my block was the first hot wheeler
[Verse 3: Doctor Ice from UTFO & Nas]
You never knew (the 80's y'all!) something so butter could come from the gutter
I'm Doctor Ice the diamond cut cutter
Like Jacob's the Jeweler and Rick is The Ruler (UTFO!)
Boogie Down Kris is the teacher, but Doc's gonna school ya
Y'all 'bout y'all sneakers and beepers, your dutches and reefers
We got our, eight tracks and speakers, our loops and our reefers
My work is, never in vain, born to exert
So even when I'm buried, I'm still the diamond in the dirt, let's work
[Verse 4: Kangol from UTFO & Nas]
(Go Kangol!!)
Yeah what's up fam?
My chick for twenty years tried to cut your man
She tried to take the house, the kids, the pots and pans
I'm on to project Plan B, nigga fuck Roxanne! (Get focused y'all!)
Tried to take the pot I piss in, now the chick outta my system
The whooped niggas need to listen, listen, listen, listen
Cock aim fire don't you miss 'em, miss 'em, miss 'em
And every chance you get you diss 'em, diss 'em, diss 'em, diss 'em
[Chorus: Nas]
(HEY!! Where are, where they now, huuuhhhhhooohhh HEY!)
(Aww man, make me feel like I'm back in the days with my cassette player, tape in the radio y'all! Now, this is the right time)
(Where are they now?)
(Your man Nas, I asked y'all where they at? The pioneers I got love for them man that's why I'm doin this)
(I got love for them man, so here they are two thousand and seven, yeah)
(HEY! Hit me! Where are they now?)
[Verse 5: Kool Moe Dee & Nas]
Where am I? On high with a pen
Blessed manifest rhyme god transcend (Pay attention y'all)
You call him God's Son, I call him God sent
First the God sent me, then the God Rakim
How can Nas not win when the God sent him
To resurrect true rhyme God kingdom
Say Amen when you see me
'Cause when you pray I'm him then you believe me
[Verse 6: Sha Rock from Funky Four +1 & Nas]
Yeah! Sha ready to rise, ready to blaze somethin'
Mother of the mic so I'm here to claim somethin'
I got the munchies for the vultures that crushed the culture
Yo Nas brought us back on this track so bring it back (They don't stop y'all!)
From dusk to dawn I grip the mic on my palm
I bring the love so you can get it on
Got the books on lock, mother of hip hop
For realla, come harder than some of you niggas
[Verse 7: Tito from Fearless Four & Nas]
You cats is foul frontin' like you hard as a rock
When these brothers were the buildin' blocks
That made you turn up the box
Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew, To Markie D and Cool Rock (Know your history y'all!)
Rest in peace to the Human Beat Box (Know your history!)
Like when I first heard Jay, Darryl and Joe, saw a UTFO
I knew right then and there I wanna blow
There needs to be a museum where everybody could see 'em
Said everybody chasin' per diem, a little respect
[Verse 8: Grandmaster Caz from The Cold Crush Brothers]
You got another thing comin' if you think me and my man ain't sluggin'
Got more gold than Mr. Drummond summoning
Come in the Terrordome, niggas are ever blown
That's why you get no ends, but just in case
You got a death wish, or a flare for the dramatic
There's some static in the attic, now go get it lookin' at it
I'm Illmatic, nice to the fifth power son and I'm still at it
I was about to flip power son 'til I saw a vision, Caz!
[Chorus: Nas]
(HEY!! Where are, where they now, huuuhhhhhooohhh HEY!)
(Grandmaster Caz, y'all know what this is do y'all know what this means!)
(The fact, that each brother got on this track, the fact, that each sister got on this track)
(Where are they now?)
(To rap, took time out of there schedule, when y'all ain't even got no love)
(But they still givin y'all love, that's hip hop y'all)
(HEY! Hit me! Where are they now?)
(Give it up to the OG's the original gangstas of Rap, yeah)
[Verse 9: Linque AKA Isis from X-Clan & Professor Twins]
Nas you had to ask Linque, where you been?
Rippin on the mics with the devilish grin
Sort of like a tack cause I stay under they skin
Cause when I open up my mouth I blow them chicks to the wind
Don't get besides yourself like you Siamese twins [Professor X:] ("This is protected!")
Still got the pen to make the ?message of sin? ("By the red, the black")
You bring it back I do it over again ("and the green")
Exposin those who pretend, stay on my grind 'til the end
[Verse 10: Dana Dane & Nas]
First there was a tree and a MC grew and became (Brooklyn!)
Another rapper born in Queens, 9/6 the b-day
Moms moved and born that big day, dad hit the freeway
My young life was screenplay, better yet a cliché (I can't believe it!)
To rap in the eight-tay, no lenses in the east-say?
They say we were a fad, but fad don’t last decades
We played by the DJ, everyday Eve's day
Capital D-A-N-E - hip hop, my D-N-A
[Verse 11: Pebblee Poo from Def Committee & Nas]
C'mon! Well I'm the "What-say-why? What-the-what-the-say-who?"
First name Pebblee (Oh!), last name Poo
Did the parks had a season non-believers need to read up
Man, marked the game like Run and them Adidas (Do the history ya'll!)
I'm a real estate investor but, I still bless the
Microphone teacher outta out before beepers
Hold on I get deeper, dope b-boy speaker
Practice what I preach-a, DAMN I'm a keeper, huh
[Verse 12: Just Ice & Nas]
Touch the mic and make it stand up [RAW!]
Lyrics are legendary status so get ya hands up
Clap to the freestyle (Just Ice!) dance, but in the meanwhile
Cool calm collected, smooth that's how I get down
Then at the stage, hold 'em up like a twelve gauge
Page after page, all you see is a pure rage!
So pass the gat, grab ?taps? for the beat
Just Ice signing off [Whaaat?!] Yo, I'm out y'all, peace!
[Outro: Nas]
Yo, that's incredible, man, play that again!
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