Show Business

[Verse 1: Q-Tip] Let me tell you 'bout the snakes, the fakes, the lies, the highs At all of these industry shing-dings Where you see the pretty girls In the high animated world Checking for a rapper with all the dough If you take a shit they want to know And if you're gonna fall, they won't be around, y'all So you still wanna do the show business? And you think that you got what it takes? I mean you really gotta rap, and be all that And prepare yourself for the breaks Check it out! [Hook: All] Do you wanna be in the business? (The Business) The ups and downs with the hoes (The Business) Always getting fronted on at shows (The Business) People gotta stick their nose (In the Business) [Verse 2: Q-Tip] Yo, I gotta speak on the cesspool It's the rap industry and it ain't that cool Only if you're on stage or if you're speaking to your people Ain't no-one your equal Especially on the industry side Don't let the games just glide Right through your fingers, you gotta know the deal So Lord Jamar speak, because you're real... [Verse 3: Lord Jamar] They're giving you the business and putting on a show You're a million dollar man that ain't got no dough But you got a ho tickets backstage to a show Sedated and at that fact they elated Time pass and your ass say "Where's my loot?" The reply is a kick in the ass from a leg and a boot All you wanna do is taste the fruit But in the back they're making fruit juice You ask for slack and wanna get cut loose from the label Not able cos you signed at the table For a pretty cash advance, now they got a song and dance That you didn't recoup, "More soup with your meal?" Cos this is the real when you get a record deal And I say... [Verse 4: Phife] Aw shucks, look what the cat hauled in It's Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest, let me begin Like Chuck D, I got so much trouble on my mind 'bout these no-talent artists getting signed, they can't rhyme And if that ain't bad, you got bootleggers Going out like suckers, motherfuckers Feel it's time that I let loose the lion And if not that then I'll commence to head flying Seems in '91 everybody want a rhyme And then you go and sell my tape for only $5.99? Please nigga, I've worked too hard for this No more will I take the booty end of the stick Bogus brothers making albums when they know they can't hack it Cos they lyrics is played like 8-Ball jackets Now tell me I can't tear it up Go get yourself some toilet paper cos your lyrics is butt [Hook: All] Do you wanna be in the business? (The Business) People can't walk a straight line in (The Business) Some of these brothers can't rhyme in (The Business) A-yo, I'm tryna get mine (The Business) [Verse 5: Sadat X] The party scene is cool, but then again it's all the same You see the same faces, but at different places When you're up and riding high everything is palsy-palsy Get a million pounds and all the skins give you hugs Well that's cool, I can dig it, it really ain't my bag Prefer to max on the side and let my pants sag "Oh, he's a cutie", yeah, real cute But I wasn't that cute when I didn't have no loot Although I hit a pound of herbs I'm still nice with the verbs So fuck what you heard The Born Cipher Cipher Master makes me think much faster But critics still continue to plaster My name and discredit my fame All that shit is game And I don't really give a damn Eat from the tree of life and throw away the verbal ham [Verse 6: Diamond D] Well, excuse me, I gotta add my two cents in Don't be alarmed, the rhyme was condensed in A matter of minutes so it must be told All that glitters not gold Everybody wants a deal, help me make a demo See my name in bright lights, ride around in a limo My moms keeps beefing ("Boy, get a job") But I wanna make jams, damn, I know I'll slam Huh, well it's not that easy You gotta get a label that's willing and able To market and promote, and you better hope (For what?) That the product is dope Take it from Diamond, it's like mountain climbing When it comes to rhyming you gotta put your time in Get a good lawyer so problems won't pile You don't wanna make a pitch that's wild