*Black Thought speaks and makes crowd respond for a minute and 15 sec.*
[Black Thought]
Yo, my definition is a lyricist for hire
My vocal's a passport that never expire
The crowd loud like fifty rounds of gun fire
Screamin' out "The Roots" while I balance wit' the wire
Yo, expert in this profession, the session
In 1987, I linked up with the ?uestion
Eleven years later, we share-cropped for Geffen
In musical Hell, but Hip-Hop forever Heaven
My thoughts, interwoven and deep like Beethoven
This foul world's so full of shit it like a clogged up colon
Swollen with minds that got stolen
Fake-ass cops, uncontrollable patrolmen
Torture, blood flow like bodies of water
Fathers sexually assaultin' they own daughter
Out of sync, outta order like a puzzle
In the land of the unseen hand, that whole juggle
In a game of Life, yo, it's hard to roll a double
Tryin' times, take lives and separate couples
Kids thinkin' they grown, tellin' they moms "Fuck you"
Under they breath, livin' in the last times left
Peep the imagery, stretch across the sky like a canvas
And we're the artists, beneath vigorous rough strokes of darkness
Time to set it off, let's spark this
Switzerland, LET'S SPARK THIS!!
We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE, rock-rockin' it, rock-rockin' it, rock-rockin' it
We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE – LOUDER! (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
C'mon! (Rock-rockin' it)
C'mon! (Rock-rockin' it)
Yo, my definition is a lyricist for hire
You couldn't have a clue what's about to transpire
The books I buy, like arms I acquire
The Fifth, similar to ghetto gospel choir
We ex-plore the whole States, plus supportin'
Flight, bus – dreamt I was a prisoner of war
Four-four the corridor – ceiling, no floor
But I could see the drop was a mile aboard
To the bottom, electrical shock for rhymes
I said "I don't got 'em"
Guess it kinda presented a problem
When I understood, they said, "Let him go"
I woke, during descent into London-Heathrow
And now wit a pass, fuckin' wit' border patrol
I finally get out, I'm linkin' wit' my people
Hit the studio, spread this information
In daze of frustration, fogged the education
From Illa-Fifth to Switzerland destination
The Roots the jawn – go check the translation
The dictionary of Hip-Hop topics, far from ebonics
The Fifth Dynas', they can't stop it
Yo, Zurich, y'all keepin' time, heed
While The Roots Crew smoke weed!
Yo! We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE – say what?! (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE, rock-rockin' it, rock-rockin' it, rock-rockin' it
We are the ULTIMATE (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE – LOUDER! (Rock-rockin' it)
We are the ULTIMATE – LOUDER!! (Rock-rockin' it)
C'mon! Rock-rockin' it
C'mon! Rock-rockin' it
[Outro: Black Thought ad-libbing, Scratch vocal-scratching]
{*crowd cheering*}