[rakim]

Before the dough camemy whole aimwas blow like propane

Control the whole domainand then show no shame

Make rappers go ? and they so lameplayin with no game

Put em on the lil plane til they can't claim no fame

I gotthe rangebetterstay in the slow lane

I make the flow change from hurricanes to a slow rain

Your thoughts are so planeI rearrange your whole frame

Until my whole name grow out your brain like rogaine

Letter by letterI put words together

Once mergedapart neverthey be heard forever

And then I grab a pen and stab him in his abdomen

And smash him inthrow his mic like a javelin

Then I explain versesthat remain on the surface

At times it get deepbut I never defeat the purpose

Never go outto go the dough routeforever hold out

I never sold outfor any amountno doubt



Chorus: rakim (repeat 2x)



That's how I get downso tell me how you like that

I hit the townhold it down on a tight track

I start a party now - everybody like rap

Haters are mad cause they gave the r the mic back



[rakim]

I like to hang where e'rythang seem to happen at (y'know? )

It's ra's habitatI'm like that czar arafat

And yes I have a gatsnap like a israeli

A terrorist I never miss blowin up kids daily

I step to writersand let my virus hurt the closest

I'm sick as hepatitis and worse than tuberculosis

Pull out a penlike a grenadeand drop it quick

I strike again and i'ma get paidexotic shit

You know the God ra behot as the mojave

Swing like king usabimy posse be kamikaze

On the corners like I'm homeless and idon't know where home is

The bonusis where the next open microphone is

Me and my teamvision like a radar screen

Intervene and yocut the mic offcause ra fiend

To show the whole world some of the things I seen

Then blow it uplike edi aminyaknahmean? 



Chorus



[rakim]

I do a thang thangI write the songs they sing

Make sure that they swingfrom new york to beijing

Put your thoughts in the sling and your brain is gangrene

Pull in the ringrepeatin and sayin the same thing

Xeroxzerono matchyou ditto

Copy machinecouldn't reprint my ? ? 

My new stylethat I produce now's beyond two-thou'

I knew howsince a juvenileto make a ka-pow

When the night's fallinI can hear the mic callin

I like ballinI cut back like mic jordan

This is for y'all while I'm spittin literatures

Lyrics'll ball like allen iverson dribble the ball

They hopeless - whoever approaches my high explosives

My vision sadiciousand freestyle's ferocious

I wrote thiswords flew over my head like a locust

I turned the beat upsat backand stayed focused



Chorus