Definition

[Intro: Mos Def] Looooord... Lord have mercy All nice and decent crew, follow me now, we say Say Hi-Tek, yes, you're ruling hip-hop Say J. Rawls, yes, you're ruling hip-hop Redefinition say you're ruling hip-hop Say Black Star come to rock it non [Verse 1: Mos Def] Yo, from the first to the last of it, delivery is passionate The whole and not the half of it, forecast and aftermath of it Projectile that them blasted with, accurate assassin shit Me and Kweli close like Bethlehem and Nazareth After this you be pressing rewind on top your master disk Shining like an asterisk for all those that be gathering Connecting like a roundhouse from the townhouse to the tenements Cause all my Brooklyn residents, known as heavy regiments Don't believe, here the evidence, where Brooklyn? (Whoa) See that? Bound to take it all kid, believe that From where they sell they tree at, to where the police be at Talib Kweli, e-Kweli-ty, yo, tell 'em where we be at [Verse 2: Talib Kweli] Brooklyn, New York City, where they paint murals of Biggie In cash we trust, cause it's ghetto fabulous, life look pretty What a pity – blunts is still fifty cents, it's intense Tree scents is dominant can't be covered with incense My presence felt my name is Kweli from the Eternal Reflection People thinking MC is short hand for misconception Let me meditate, set it straight, came to the conclusion That most of these cats is featherweight, let me demonstrate Walking the streets is like battling, be careful with your body You must know karate and think your soul is bulletproof like Sade Stop actin' like a bitch already, be a visionary And maybe you can see your name in the column of obituaries Third grade teacher reading and talking about "I knew he'd amount to nothing" Neighbors like, "He was the quiet type Who'd have thought they was fronting?" Talking loud like you on RCA Get carted away with body parts and trays What a way to start your day, yo it's like [Hook] One, two, three Mos Def and Talib Kweli We came to rock it on to the tip-top Best alliance in hip-hop, Y-O I said one, two, three It's kind of dangerous to be an MC They shot 2Pac and Biggie Too much violence in hip-hop, Y-O [Verse 3: Mos Def] I said Manhattan keep on making it, Brooklyn keep on taking it So relax we're taking it back, Red Hook where we're living at Plenty cats be struggling not hustling and bubbling It ain't about production and – what else we discussing? When the cock crows, my crop grows, enable me to rock flows Striving for perfection ever since I was a snot-nose Colossal! True original b-boy apostle Standing on the rooftop with the Zulu Gestapo [Verse 4: Talib Kweli] You think you the shit Somebody in the wings'll force you to quit It could be your crew or clique Or some random kid you smoked buddha with Consider me the entity within the industry without a history Of spitting the epitome of stupidity Living my life, expressing my liberty, it gotta be done properly My name is in the middle of equality People follow me, and other cats they hear 'em flow And assume I'm the real one with lyrics like I'm Cyrano [Verse 5: Mos Def] Still sipping wishing well water, imported from Pluto Three hundred and sixty milliliters for all the believers In miles or kilometers, most cats, cannot proceed us In the jungle with the leaders, we them lions, you the cheetahs Our cypher, will complete us as we come through your receivers You can play us and repeat us and then take us home and read us (Line for line) Good Jesus! Mos Def and Kweli just Make a pussy freeze up; think it over, ease up [Hook]