They Used To Do It Out in the Park

The hip-hop sound went through stages Embark on a trip as I flip through pages This particular part 'bout a bridge on the Hudson I first got hand by the rhymes and the cuts and If I'm not mistaken makin' two records mix And certain deejays had a few dope tricks If you asked to be on you would be their guest, y'all Say a few "ho"s and a "yes yes yes y'all" They had battles of the neighborhood jocks And I used to take the jam right straight to the box Every now and then you'd hear gunshots ring Just duck, what the fuck, yo, it ain't no thing What I thought was shots was just a few pranksters Were pow-pow-pow men juicin' the gangsters Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park They used to do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark This was a time MCs used to bug out Yo, what happened? (Yo, somebody pulled the plug out) Just about the time when you jumped for joy (Yo, you take my stage, I'mma kill you, boy) Answer back and gettin smacked and your friends made jokes (Hey, pack it up and get out of the park, folks) But only to the cops we made some committment I was shocked when the stick-up kids took the equipment Say - what - is the message? (Love is the message) Say - what - is the message? (Love is the message) Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park In the winter time they moved the jams to the [?] Do you think that the cold made the whole thing cease? I recall seeing Flash one time - no, two Can't forget about the Queensbridge Crew For this is the place which I made my mark And those who resist or try to diss get sparked In the park after dark things really got cookin' I seen the titles of idols and many chains get tooken I seen the scatter of pack, letter for letter If you wasn't from the town they'd beat you down But these are just pieces of the ancient ways But the rule still applies to the rhymes nowadays Just wave your hands in the air And wave 'em like you just don't care If you used to do it out in the park Let me hear you say "oh yeah!" (oh yeah!) Oh yeah! (oh yeah!) A time when... Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park They used to do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park They used to do it out in the park Dead dreams - still bought and sold I strive and I strive to receive my goal I'm still not happy up until this day But I'm chill and I don't care what nobody say Livin' and learnin' about the straight up deal And got by cause I went by just what I feel Cause I refuse to be mislead By puttin' pipes to my lips and smoke in my head Think about it, much, much later Go to school and expand because knowledge is greater But she chose to lead that fate Eye to eye with a dick on a $5 date The whole purpose of the story I told Was mainly to inspire you to reach your goal Stop walkin' through life as if you were blind You should reach for your goal cause I'm reachin' for mine They used to d-do it out in the park D-do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park They used to do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park They used to do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park Hip-hop - was set out in the dark They used to do it out in the park