HIP HOP sequence 3-4

THE HIP HOP FACTOR : FROM CIVIL RIGHTS TO BLM

Notion: Ideas of Progress

To what extent has Hip Hop impacted the American society?

Movies to watch ( all on netflix):

Notorious B.I.G
Straight outta Camptown
Paid in Full
Boyz and the hood
Get Rich or die trying

TV Show (all on netflix):

The Get Down
the hip hop evolution

Documentary ( all on netflix):

13TH
Style wars ( graffiti)
Station of the elevated ( graffiti) ( https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4x11sj)
fresh dressed ( fashion)

Style Wars (1983)

A look at the young graffiti artists – or ‘writers’ as they like to be known – who enthusiastically tagged New York City’s trains in the early 1980s, Style Wars shows the Dickensian social backdrop that helped to fuel hip-hop culture. When a mother accuses her teenage son of “ruining the system” by using graffiti, he brags: “Nah, I’m bombing the system!” – with this scene perfectly illustrating how graffiti and hip-hop culture disrupted America’s white status quo. Style Wars is a timeless piece of social commentary.

What does it take to be a hip-hop scholar? Let KRS-One explain. A unique one-man documentary-cum-academic lecture, KRS-One digs deep into the entire discourse, looking back through history to understand why people want to rap in the first place and leaving no social stone unturned.

History, culture, politics, spirituality, even the chaos and disruption of the EU: the works. No other artist could pull off a schooling like this than Professor KRS-One. You won’t regret the time you invest in this.

Seance 1 vocabulary & written record:

"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip hop track by the Sugarhill Gang and produced by Sylvia Robinson. While it was not the first single to include rapping, "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip hop music to a wide audience. It was a prototype for various types of rap music, incorporating themes such as boasting, dance, honesty and sex, with the charisma and enthusiasm of James Brown.

Questions: 1. Look at the way people are dressed. How is this style called?

2. Look at the way they dance. What are your reaction?

3. Now have a look to the lyrics and try to comment the yellow lines

Lyrics

[Hook 1: Wonder Mike]
I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie
To the hip hip hop and you don't stop
The rock it to the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

[Verse 1: Wonder Mike]
Now, what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat
And me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet
See I am Wonder Mike and I'd like to say "hello"
To the black, to the white, the red and the brown, the purple and yellow
But first, I gotta bang bang the boogie to the boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie
Let's rock, you don't stop
Rock the rhythm that'll make your body rock
Well so far you've heard my voice, but I brought two friends along
And next on the mic is my man Hank; come on, Hank, sing that song

[Verse 2: Big Bank Hank]

Check it out, I'm the C-A-S-AN, the O-V-A and the rest is F-L-Y
You see, I go by the code of the doctor of the mix and these reasons I'll tell you why
You see I'm six foot one and I'm tons of fun and I dress to a tee
You see I got more clothes than Muhammad Ali and I dress so viciously
I got bodyguards, I got two big cars, that definitely ain't the whack
I got a Lincoln continental and a sunroof Cadillac
So after school, I take a dip in the pool, which is really on the wall
I got a color TV so I can see the Knicks play basketball
Hear me talking 'bout checkbooks, credit cards, more money than a sucker could ever spend
But I wouldn't give a sucker or a bum from the Rucker, not a dime 'til I made it again

[Hook 2: Big Bank Hank]
Everybody go: Hotel, motel, whatcha gonna do today (say what?)
Cause I'ma get a fly girl, gonna get some spank and drive off in a def OJ
Everybody go: Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn
You see, if your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend

[Post-Hook: Big Bank Hank]
Uh Master Gee, my mellow?
It's on you so what you gonna do?

[Verse 3: Master Gee]
Well it's on and on and on, on and on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
I said M-A-S, a T-E-R, a G with a double E
I said I go by the unforgettable name of the man they call the Master Gee
Well, my name is known all over the world
By all the foxy ladies and the pretty girls
I'm going down in history
As the baddest rapper there ever could be
Now I'm feeling the highs and you're feeling the lows
The beat starts getting into your toes
You start popping your fingers and stomping your feet
And moving your body while you're sitting in your seat
And then jam you start doing the freak
I said damn, right outta your seat
Then you throw your hands high in the air
You're rocking to the rhythm, shake your derriere
You're rocking to the beat without a care
With the sure-shot emcees for the affair
Now, I'm not as tall as the rest of the gang
But I rap to the beat just the same
I got a little face and a pair of brown eyes
All I'm here to do ladies is hypnotize
Singing on and on and on, on and on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singing on and on and on, on and on
Like a hot ready to pop the pop the pop dibbie dibbie
Pop the pop, pop, you don't dare stop
Come alive y'all gimme what you got
I guess by now you can take a hunch
And find that I am the baby of the bunch
But that's okay, I still keep in stride
Cause all I'm here to do is just wiggle your behind
Singing on and on and on, on and on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
Singing on and on and on, on and on
Rock rock y'all get on the floor

[Hook 3: Master Gee]
I'm gonna freak ya here I'm gonna freak you there
I'm gonna move you outta this atmosphere

[Post-Hook: Master Gee]
Cause I'm one of a kind and I'll shock your mind
I'll put t-t-tickets in your behind
I said 1-2-3-4, come on, girls, get on the floor
Uh, come alive, y'all gimme what ya got
Cause I'm guaranteed to make you rock
I said 1-2-3-4, tell me Wonder Mike what are you waiting for?

[Hook 1: Wonder Mike]
I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie
To the hip hip hop and you don't stop
The rock it to the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

[Verse 4: Wonder Mike]
Skiddlee beebop a we rock a scooby doo
And guess what, America: we love you
Cause ya rock and ya roll with so much soul
You could rock 'til you're a hundred and one years old
I don't mean to brag I don't mean to boast
But we like hot butter on a breakfast toast
Rock it up, uh, baby bubbah
Baby bubbah to the boogie the bang bang the boogie
To the beat beat, it's so unique
Come on, everybody, and dance to the beat

[Bridge: Intro sound: 16 measures]

[Hook 1: Wonder Mike]
I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie
To the hip hip hop and you don't stop
The rock it to the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

[Verse 5: Wonder Mike]
I said I can't wait 'til the end of the week
When I'm rapping to the rhythm of a groovy beat
An attempt to raise your body heat
Just blow your mind so that you can't speak
To do a thing but a rock and shuffle your feet
And let it change up to a dance called the freak
And when ya finally do come into your rhythmic beat
Rest a little while so ya don't get weak
I know a man named Hank
He has more rhymes than a serious bank
So come on Hank, uh, sing that song
To the rhythm of the boogie the bang bang the bong

[Verse 6: Big Bank Hank]
Well, I'm Imp the Dimp the ladies pimp
The women fight for my delight
But I'm the grandmaster with the three MCs
That shock the house for the young ladies
And when you come inside, into the front
You do the freak, spank, and do the bump
And when the sucker emcees try to prove a point
We're treacherous trio, uh, with a serious joint
A from sun to sun and from day to day
I sit down and write a brand new rhyme
Because they say that miracles never cease
I've created a devastating masterpiece
I'm gonna rock the mic til you can't resist
Everybody, I say it goes like this
Well I was coming home late one dark afternoon
Reporter stopped me for a interview
She said she's heard stories and she's heard fables
That I'm vicious on the mic and the turntables
This young reporter I did adore
So I rocked a vicious rhyme like I never did before
She said "damn fly guy I'm in love with you"
The Casanova legend must have been true
I said by the way baby what's your name
Said "I go by the name of Lois Lane"
And you could be my boyfriend you surely can
Just let me quit my boyfriend called Superman
I said he's a fairy I do suppose
Flying through the air in pantyhose
He may be very sexy or even cute
But he looks like a sucker in a blue and red suit
I said you need a man who's got finesse
And his whole name across his chest
He may be able to fly all through the night
But can he rock a party 'til the early light
He can't satisfy you with his little worm
But I can bust you out with my super sperm
I go do it, I go do it, I go do it, do it, do it
An I'm here and I'm there I'm Big Bank Hank, I'm everywhere
Just throw your hands up in the air
And party hardy like you just don't care
Let's do it, uh, don't stop y'all, uh, tick a tock y'all you don't stop

[Hook 2: Big Bank Hank]
I go: Hotel, motel, what you gonna do today (say what)
I'm gonna get a fly girl gonna get some spank and drive off in a def OJ
Everybody go: Hotel, motel, holiday inn
You see, if your girl starts acting up then you take her friend

[Post-Hook: Big Bank Hank]
I say skip, dive, what can I say
I can't fit em all inside my OJ
So I just take half and bust them out
I give the rest to Master Gee so he could shock the house

[Verse 7: Master Gee]
It was twelve o'clock one Friday night
I was rocking to the beat and feeling all right
Everybody was dancing on the floor
Doing all the things they never did before
And then this fly fly girl with a sexy lean
She came into the bar, she came into the scene
As she traveled deeper inside the room
All the fellas checked out her white Sassons
She came up to the table, looked into my eyes
Then she turned around and shook her behind
So I said to myself, its time for me to release
My vicious rhyme I call my masterpiece
And now people in the house this is just for you
A little rap to make you boogaloo
Now the group ya hear is called Phase Two
And let me tell ya something we're a helluva crew
Once a week we're on the street
Just a-cutting the jams and making it free
For you to party, got to have the moves
So we'll get right down and give you a groove
For you to dance you got to be hype
So we'll get right down for you tonight
Now the system's on and the girls are there
You definitely have a rocking affair
But let me tell ya something there's still one fact
That to have a party ya got to have a rap
So when the party's over, you're making it home
And trying to sleep before the break of dawn
And while ya sleeping you start to dream
And thinking how ya danced on the disco scene
A name appears in your mind
Yeah, a name you know that was right on time
It was phase two just a doing a do
Rocking ya down cause ya know we could
To the rhythm of the beat that makes ya freak
Come alive girls get on your feet
To the rhythm of the beat to the beat the beat
To the double beat beat that it makes ya freak
To the rhythm of the beat that says you go on
On and on into the break of dawn
Now I got a man coming on right now
He's guaranteed to throw down
He goes by the name of Wonder Mike
Come on Wonder Mike do what ya like

[Verse 8: Wonder Mike]
Like a can of beer that's sweeter than honey
Like a millionaire that has no money
Like a rainy day that is not wet
Like a gambling fiend that does not bet
Like Dracula with out his fangs
Like the boogie to the boogie without the boogie bang
Like collard greens that don't taste good
Like a tree that's not made out of wood
Like going up and not coming down
Is just like the beat without the sound, no sound
To the beat beat, ya do the freak
Everybody just rock and dance to the beat
Have you ever went over a friend's house to eat
And the food just ain't no good
I mean the macaroni's soggy the peas are mushed
And the chicken tastes like wood
So you try to play it off like you think you can
By saying that you're full
And then your friend says "momma he's just being polite
He ain't finished uh-uh that's bull"
So your heart starts pumping and you think of a lie
And you say that you already ate
And your friend says "man there's plenty of food"
So you pile some more on your plate
While the stinky food's steaming your mind starts to dreaming
Of the moment that it's time to leave
And then you look at your plate and your chicken's slowly rotting
Into something that looks like cheese
Oh so you say that's it I got to leave this place
I don't care what these people think
I'm just sitting here making myself nauseous
With this ugly food that stinks
So you bust out the door while its still closed
Still sick from the food you ate
And then you run to the store for quick relief
From a bottle of kaopectate
And then you call your friend two weeks later
To see how he has been
And he says "I understand about the food
Baby but bubbah we're still friends"

[Hook 1: Wonder Mike]
With a hip hop the hippie the hippie
To the hip hip hop and you don't stop
The rock it to the bang bang boogie
Say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat

[Post-Hook: Wonder Mike]
I say "Hank can ya rock?
Can ya rock to the rhythm that just don't stop?
Can ya hip me to the shoobie doo"
I said "come on, make uh, make the people move"

[Verse 9: Big Bank Hank]
I go to the halls and then ring the bell
Because I am the man with the clientele
And if ya ask me why I rock so well
I'm Big Bank, I got clientele
And from the time I was only six years old
I never forgot what I was told
It was the best advice that I ever had
It came from my wise dear old dad
He said "sit down punk I wanna talk to you
And don't say a word until I'm through
Now there's a time to laugh a time to cry
A time to live and a time to die
A time to break and a time to chill
To act civilized or act real ill
But whatever ya do in your lifetime
Ya never let a MC steal your rhyme"
So from six to six 'til this very day
Ill always remember what he had to say
So when the sucker emcees try to chump my style
I let them know that I'm versatile
I got style, finesse and a little black book
That's filled with rhymes and I know you wanna look
But there's a thing that separates you from me
And that is called originality
Because my rhymes are on from what you heard
I didn't even bite and not a godd--m word
And I say a little more later on tonight
So the sucker emcees can bite all night
Uh, tick a tock y'all, a beat, beat y'all
A lets rock y'all, ya don't stop

[Hook 2: Big Bank Hank]
It go: Hotel, motel, whatcha gonna do today (say what)
Cause I'ma get a fly girl gonna get some spank and drive off in a def OJ
Everybody go: Hotel, motel, holiday inn
You see if your girl starts acting up then you take her friends

[Post-Hook: Big Bank Hank]
A like that y'all to the beat y'all
A beat, beat y'all ya don't stop
Uh, Master Gee am I mellow?
Its on you so whatcha gonna do?

[Verse 10: Master Gee]
Well like Johnny Carson on the late show
A like Frankie Crocker in stereo
Well like the Bar-Kays singing 'Holy Ghost'
The sounds to throw down they're played the most
Just like my man Captain Sky
Whose name he earned with his super sperm
We rock and we don't stop
Get off y'all I'm here to give you whatcha got
To the beat that it makes you freak
And come alive girl, uh, get on your feet
A like a Perry Mason without a case
Like Farrah Fawcett without her face
Like the barkays on the mic
Like getting right down for you tonight
Like moving your body so ya don't know how
Right to the rhythm and throw down
Like coming alive to the Master Gee
The brother who rocks so viciously
I said the age of one my life begun
At the age of two I was doing the do
At the age of three it was you and me
Rocking to the sounds of the Master Gee
At the age of four I was on the floor
Giving all the freaks what they bargained for
At the age of five I didn't take no jive
With the Master Gee its all the way live
At the age of six I was uh, picking up sticks
Rapping to the beat my stick was fixed
At the age of seven I was rocking in heaven dontcha know I went off
I got right on down to the beat you see
Getting right on down making all the girls
Just take of their clothes to the beat the beat
To the double beat, beat that makes you freak
At the age of eight I was, uh, really great
Cause every night you see I had a date
At the age of nine I was, uh, right on time
Cause every night I had a part to rhyme
Going on and on and on, on and on
The beat don't stop until the break of dawn
A saying on and on and on, on and on
Like a hot buttered the pop the pop the popcorn
A saying on and on and on on and on
Cause I'm a helluva man when I'm on the mic
I am the definite feast delight
I'm a helluva man when I'm on the mic
I am the definite feast delight
Call me the master gee you see
The brother who rocks so viciously

[Hook 3: Master Gee]
I'm gonna freak ya here I'm gonna freak ya there
I'm gonna move you outta this atmosphere

[Outro: Master Gee]
.....The east to the west, I rock you the best....

A b

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s “The Message” have been the origin of conscious-rap in the early ‘80s

[Intro]
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Verse 1]
Broken glass everywhere
People pissing on the stairs, you know they just don't care
I can't take the smell, can't take the noise
Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice
Rats in the front room, roaches in the back
Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat
I tried to get away but I couldn't get far
’Cause a man with a tow truck repossessed my car

[Chorus]
Don't push me, ’cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Verse 2]
Standing on the front stoop, hanging out the window
Watching all the cars go by, roaring as the breezes blow
Crazy lady, living in a bag
Eating out of garbage pails, used to be a fag hag
Said she'll dance the tango, skip the light fandango
A Zircon princess seemed to lost her senses
Down at the peep show watching all the creeps
So she can tell her stories to the girls back home
She went to the city and got so so saditty
She had to get a pimp, she couldn't make it on her own

[Chorus]
Don't push me, ’cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Verse 3]
My brother's doing bad, stole my mother's TV
Says she watches too much, it's just not healthy
All My Children in the daytime, Dallas at night
Can't even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight
The bill collectors, they ring my phone
And scare my wife when I'm not home
Got a bum education, double-digit inflation
Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station
Neon King Kong standing on my back
Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac
A mid-range migraine, cancered membrane
Sometimes I think I'm going insane
I swear I might hijack a plane!

[Chorus]
Don't push me, ’cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Verse 4]
My son said, Daddy, I don't wanna go to school
’Cause the teacher's a jerk, he must think I'm a fool
And all the kids smoke reefer, I think it'd be cheaper
If I just got a job, learned to be a street sweeper
Or dance to the beat, shuffle my feet
Wear a shirt and tie and run with the creeps
’Cause it's all about money; ain't a damn thing funny
You got to have a con in this land of milk and honey
They pushed that girl in front of the train
Took her to the doctor, sewed her arm on again
Stabbed that man right in his heart
Gave him a transplant for a brand new start
I can't walk through the park, ’cause it's crazy after dark
Keep my hand on my gun, ’cause they got me on the run
I feel like a outlaw, broke my last glass jaw
Hear them say "You want some more?", living on a see-saw

[Chorus]
Don't push me, ’cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Verse 5]
A child is born with no state of mind
Blind to the ways of mankind
God is smiling on you, but he's frowning too
Because only God knows what you'll go through
You'll grow in the ghetto living second-rate
And your eyes will sing a song called deep hate
The places you play and where you stay
Looks like one great big alleyway
You'll admire all the number-book takers
Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money-makers
Driving big cars, spending twenties and tens
And you'll wanna grow up to be just like them, huh
Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers
Pickpocket peddlers, even panhandlers
You say "I'm cool, huh, I'm no fool."
But then you wind up dropping outta high school
Now you're unemployed, all null and void
Walking 'round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd
Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did
Got sent up for a eight-year bid
Now your manhood is took and you're a Maytag
Spend the next two years as a undercover fag
Being used and abused to serve like hell
'Til one day you was found hung dead in the cell
It was plain to see that your life was lost
You was cold and your body swung back and forth
But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song
Of how you lived so fast and died so young, so...

[Chorus]
Don't push me, ’cause I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from going under

[Outro]
Yo Mell, you see that girl there?
Yo, that sounded like Cowboy man
Cool
Yo, what's up Money?
Yo, where's Cooly an Raheim?
They is downstairs coooling out
So what's up for tonight y'all?
We could go down to Phoenix
We could go check out "Junebug" man
Hey yo, you know that girl Betty?
Yeah man
Come on, come all man
Not like it
That's what I heard man
What's this happening, what's this?
What's goin' on?
Freeze
Don't nobody move or nothin'
Y'all know what this is (What's happend?)
Get 'em up, get 'em up (What?)
Oh man, we're (Right in there) Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
What is that, a gang?
No
Shut up
I don't wanna hear your mouth
Shut up
Officer, officer, what is the problem?
You the problem
Hey, you ain't gotta push me man
Get in the car, get in the car
Get in the god...
I said, "Get in the car"
Why is he?

A b

THE POWER OF THE MIC

[Verse 1]
Yo, all I need is one mic
One beat, one stage, one nigga front
My face on the front page, only if I
Had one gun, one girl and one crib
One God to show me how to do things his son did
Pure, like a cup of virgin blood, mixed with
151, one sip'll make a nigga flip
Writin' names on my hollow tips, plottin' shit
Mad violence, who I'm gon' body? This hood politics
Acknowledge it, leave bodies chopped up in garbages
Seeds watch us, grow up and try to follow us
Police watch us, roll up, and try knockin' us
One knee I ducked, could it be my time is up?
But my luck, I got up, the cop shot again
Bus stop glass bursts, a fiend drops his Heineken
Ricochetin' between the spots that I'm hidin' in
Blackin' out as I shoot back—fuck gettin' hit!
This is my hood, I'ma rep to the death of it
'Til everybody come home, little niggas is grown
Hoodrats, don't abortion your womb
We need more warriors soon
Sent from the stars, sun and the moon
In this life of police chases, street sweepers, and coppers
Stick-up kids with no conscience, leavin' victims with doctors
If you really think you ready to die with nines out
This is what Nas is 'bout, nigga, the time is now!

[Chorus]
All I need is one mic..
(Yeah, yeah yeah yeah)
All I need is one mic..
(That's all I ever needed in this world, fuck cash)
All I need is one mic..
(Fuck the cars, the jewelry)
All I need is one mic..
(To spread my voice to the whole world, baby, uh)

A

And if you don't know, now you know, nigga hahaha

[Intro: The Notorious B.I.G.]
('Fuck all you hoes!' Get a grip, motherfucker!)
Yeah, this album is dedicated
To all the teachers that told me I'd never amount to nothin'
To all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustlin' in front of
Called the police on me when I was just tryin' to make some money to feed my daughter (it's all good)
And all the niggas in the struggle
You know what I'm sayin'? It's all good, baby baby

[Verse 1: The Notorious B.I.G.]
It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! magazine
Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin' pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl
I let my tape rock 'til my tape popped
Smokin' weed in Bambú, sippin' on Private Stock
Way back, when I had the red and black lumberjack
With the hat to match
Remember Rappin' Duke? Duh-ha, duh-ha
You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far
Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight
Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade
Born sinner, the opposite of a winner
Remember when I used to eat sardines for dinner
Peace to Ron G, Brucie B, Kid Capri
Funkmaster Flex, Lovebug Starski
I'm blowin' up like you thought I would
Call the crib, same number, same hood, it's all good
And if you don't know, now you know, nigga

[Hook: Total]
You know very well
Who you are
Don't let 'em hold you down
Reach for the stars
You had a goal
But not that many
'Cause you're the only one
I'll give you good and plenty

[Verse 2: The Notorious B.I.G.]
I made the change from a common thief
To up close and personal with Robin Leach
And I'm far from cheap, I smoke skunk with my peeps all day
Spread love, it's the Brooklyn way
The Moët and Alizé keep me pissy, girls used to diss me
Now they write letters 'cause they miss me
I never thought it could happen, this rapping stuff
I was too used to packing gats and stuff
Now honeys play me close like butter play toast
From the Mississippi down to the East Coast
Condos in Queens, indo for weeks
Sold out seats to hear Biggie Smalls speak
Living life without fear
Puttin' five karats in my baby girl ear
Lunches, brunches, interviews by the pool
Considered a fool 'cause I dropped out of high school
Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood
And it's still all good
And if you don't know, now you know, nigga

[Hook: Total]
You know very well
Who you are
Don't let 'em hold you down
Reach for the stars
You had a goal
But not that many
'Cause you're the only one
I'll give you good and plenty

[Verse 3: The Notorious B.I.G.]
Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this
50-inch screen, money-green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur
Phone bill about two G's flat
No need to worry, my accountant handles that
And my whole crew is loungin'
Celebrating every day, no more public housin'
Thinkin' back on my one-room shack
Now my mom pimps an Ac' with minks on her back
And she loves to show me off of course
Smiles every time my face is up in The Source
We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us
No heat, wonder why Christmas missed us
Birthdays was the worst days
Now we sip Champagne when we thirsty
Uh, damn right I like the life I live
'Cause I went from negative to positive and it's all (It's all good, nigga)
And if you don't know, now you know, nigga

[Hook: Total & The Notorious B.I.G.]
You know very well
Who you are
Don't let 'em hold you down
And if you don't know, now you know, nigga
Reach for the stars
You had a goal
But not that many
'Cause you're the only one
I'll give you good and plenty
And if you don't know, now you know, nigga

[Ad-Libs: The Notorious B.I.G.]
Representin' B-Town in the house
Junior Mafia, mad flavor
Uh, uh, yeah, a'ight

[Hook: Total]
You know very well
Who you are
Don't let 'em hold you down
Reach for the stars
You had a goal
But not that many
'Cause you're the only one
I'll give you good and plenty

[Outro: Puff Daddy & Total]
Biggie Smalls, it's all good, nigga
Junior Mafia, it's all good, nigga
Bad Boy, it's all good, nigga
It's all good
That's right, '94
And on and on, and on and on
You know very well
It's all good
Who you are
Yeah…
Don't let 'em hold you down
Reach for the stars

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