Hope

[Intro: Chrisette Michele] Hip Hop It will never die Hip Hop It will never, never die [Verse 1: Nas] Ghetto nigga strutting, with nothing but dreams in Queens broke Mac-10s, you can smell the PCP smoke Melle Mel told it real, in the music he wrote Those were the days I remember, we used to be close Then I was nine, coldest winter I remember Was slipping in December, two feet of snow Yeah, that's the East Coast, that black ice Symbolize the rap life, it was slick and smooth I understood I had to come from the hood Doing the Pee Wee Herman, the Smurf Before them phones chirped The block's drugs flowing, didn't have your own work You had to have somebody else's, a small chrome on your pelvis Starter jacket, Blue Georgetown or Green Celtic Your girl's too expensive, she want shellfish Red Lobster was popping, standing on that line forever I wish someone would step on my Bally leathers Now it's whatever Hip Hop's forever Kept my radio on 98 or BLS Had a pre-pubescent lyric gift, but niggas never hear me spit My little brother tried to warn them, I was a tornado coming He knew from the inside like the eye of a storm, and told my pops about it He gave us tickets to that Wild Style flick Double Trouble retarded, we was the proudest I never had a summer job Sweeping leaves, socks to my knees Home-made shorts, cut off Lee's I ain't work a day in my life Wiping away eraser off the paper, man I'm just trying to say it right Big radio, tape's slowing down Lower the lights go, battery dead I got to freeze them 'till they're ice cold In the freezer later, I'm staring at the speaker Sunk in them 808s deeper, cleaning my sneakers With the bristles of a toothbrush, soap and water I let the shoestrings soak in water [Outro: Nas (Chrisette Michele)] (Live Hip Hop, Live) Ain't got nothing to do with Old School (Live Hip Hop, Live) New School, Dirty South (Give Hip Hop, Give) West Coast, East Coast, this about us (Give Hip Hop, Give) This our thing, you know what I'm saying (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) This came from the gut, from the blood (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) From the soul, right here, man (I Pray Hip Hop, Pray) This is our thing, man (I Pray Hip Hop, Stays) You know? so I say what I say (Live Hip Hop, Live) And I say what I say, and I mean it (Live Hip Hop, Live) Y'all take it how you want to take it (Give Hip Hop, Give) Because if you asking: "Why is Hip Hop dead?" (Give Hip Hop, Give) It's a pretty good chance, you the reason it died, man (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) It's a pretty good, chance your lame ass, corny ass (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) Is the reason it died, man (I Pray Hip Hop, Pray) You don't give a fuck about it, you don't know nothing about it (I Pray Hip Hop, Stays) You want this paper, be a hustler (Live Hip Hop, Live) You a hustler, you ain't a rapper, get your paper man (Live Hip Hop, Live) You know what I'm saying, but this rap shit is real (Give Hip Hop, Give) Bitch, this shit is real: bitch (Give Hip Hop, Give) *laughs* (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) (Live) (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) (Live) (I Pray Hip Hop, Pray) (Give) (I Pray Hip Hop, Stays) (Live Hip Hop, Live) (Stay) (Live Hip Hop, Live) (Give Hip Hop, Give) (Give Hip Hop, Give) (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) (Stay Hip Hop, Stay) (I Pray Hip Hop, Pray) (I Pray Hip Hop, Stays)