[Intro: Chrisette Michele]
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Hip-Hop - it will never die
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Hip-Hop - Hip-Hop will never, never die
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[Verse 1: Nas]
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Ghetto niggaz struttin´ with nothin´ but dreams and Queens broke
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Mack-10´s, you can smell the PCP smoke
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Mele Mel told it real in the music he wrote
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Those were the days I remember
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We used to be close, then I was nine, coldest winter I remember
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Was slippin´ in December, two feet of snow
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Yeah, that´s the East Coast, that black ice
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Symbolized the rap life
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It was slick and smooth
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I understood I had to come from the hood
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Doin´ the Pee Wee Herman, the Smurf
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Before them phones chirped
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The block´s drugs flowin´, didn´t have your own work
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You had to have somebody else´s, a small chrome on your pelvis
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Starter Jacket, Blue Georgetown or Green Celtic
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Your girl´s too expensive, she wants shellfish
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Red Lobster was poppin´, standin´ on that line forever
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I wish somebody would step on my Bally leather´s
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Now it´s whatever... hip-hop´s forever
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Kept my radio on 98 or BLS
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Had a pre-pubescent lyric gift but niggaz never hear me spit
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My little brother tried to warn ´em, I was a tornado comin´
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He knew from inside, like the eye of a storm
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And told my pops about it
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He gave us tickets to that Wild Style flick
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Double Trouble, retarded, we was the proudest
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I never had a summer job
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Sweepin´ leaves, socks to my knees
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Homemade shorts cutoff, Lee´s
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I ain´t work a day in my life
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Wipin´ away eraser of the paper man
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I´m just tryin´ to say it right
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Big radio, tape slowin´ down
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Lower the lights go, battery dead
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I gotta freeze ´em ´til they ice cold
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In the freezer later, I´m starin´ at the speaker
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Sunk in them 808´s deeper, cleanin´ my sneakers
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Wit the bristles of a toothbrush, soap and water
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I let the shoe strings soak in water...
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[Chorus is sung over Nas outro]
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[Chorus: Chrisette Michele]
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Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live
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Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give
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Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay
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I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays
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[Outro: Nas]
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Ain´t got nothin´ to do wit old school, new school
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Dirty South, West Coast, East Coast
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This about us, this our thing, ´knaw´sayin´?
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This came from the gut, from the blood, from the soul
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Right here man, this is our thing man
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You know, so I say what I say
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And I say what I say, and I mean it
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Y´all take it how you wanna take it
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Cause if you´re askin´ - Why is hip-hop dead?
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It´s a pretty good chance you´re the reason it died, man
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It´s a pretty good chance your lame ass, corny ass, is the reason it died, man
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You don´t give a fuck about, you don´t know nothin´ about it
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You want this paper, be a hustler
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You a hustler, you ain´t a rapper
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Get your paper man
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YouknowwhatI´msayin, but this rap shit is real
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Bitch, this shit is real, bitch, ha-ha
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[Chorus: Chrisette Michele]
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Live hip-hop live, (Stay) live hip-hop live
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Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give
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Stay hip-hop stay, (Live) stay hip-hop stay (Live)
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I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays
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Live hip-hop live, (Stay) live hip-hop live
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Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give
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Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay
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I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays
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Hope (Album Version Acappella - Explicit)
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| Nas |
