Luv it Liv It

[ Mos Def ] Yeah What's up This is for all of you so-called ruff motherfuckers (Who's the hardest?) For all of you "ruff-ruff-ruff" He You ruff motherfuckers This is what ruff really is Ruff for ya Right about now Like this [ VERSE 1: DCQ ] Now everybody wanna be a ruff MC They can tell ( ? ), don't tell it to me When I started rhymin in the Brakalak If your shit was wack, then you just got smacked (And that was that) This was the real MC's life And if you was too nice, sometimes you had to fight (Some heads were gettin mad Well then you had to bust his ass, tell him) 'Look, too bad' I sharpened my skills with the tools of the street Schoolyard battles and lunchtable beats So don't play the role of an MC pro Cause you the first to eat a hamhock on the low (Your rhymes is garbage) plus your beats ain't boomin You couldn't pay your dues if you was in a fuckin union Your presence in hip-hop cannot be tolerated So all your bullshit gets eliminated Your shit is outdated You wack and I hate it Well if you take it, then give it And if you love it, then live it La-la-la-la-la (love it) La-la-la-la-la (live it) La-la-la-la-la (love it) La-la-la-la-la (live it) [ VERSE 2: Ces ] Now as a female I must represent Cause nowadays hoes ain't makin no sense Gettin on the mic with they jeans all tight Talkin about "Gimme my props" and I be like "Yeah aight..." You can't be real in this day and time When you're fuckin your producer and he's writin your rhymes So bitch please, you spend all your time on your back Gettin fucked and fat, and on top of all that you're wack So if you think of steppin to the dread I knock the fuckin No-Lye relaxer out your head This industry crap don't mean shit to me Cause I could just be rippin pockets on a back of a g I didn't need hip-hop to get me paid I coulda been a hustler and still have it made You're a skeezer, I can't believe you maintain You ain't hard, punk, I yank the weeds out your brain The 199 for no time for slack So if you're crossin over, don't come back And if you're takin, then I know you must be givin Cause if you love it, you better live it La-la-la-la-la (love it) La-la-la-la-la (live it) La-la-la-la-la (love it) La-la-la-la-la (live it) [ VERSE 3: Mos Def ] Well this is the way the big U goes down Rollin over dumb bucks with a pick-up truck ( ? ) with the raw mixture A hard melody and lyric, get the picture A slow tempo with the pounding bass You make a move, they're on their way and it's all in their face There's no escape from the punishing plate ( ? ) free headaches with the 808 I brought a hex on the necks of those who make me vexed Commence to catch wreck up on my mic complex They gets no respect cause they simply don't deserve it ( ? ) parachute when I heard it In my estimation the U rocks the hardest Yet regardless, we still stay modest Even if you're swingin off on us like a trapeze artist Heads don't swell, we only wanna rock the mic well I can't believe how low some of my heroes fell DMC got baldies know - the hell? Nowaday every crew wanna go gold Brandishin they tools, actin all bold But on the mad real, let the truth be told Give em a open hand smack - they fold Sometimes I watch these videos, I really start to lose it I'm like "Yo, what the fuck is you doin to my music?" When I started rhymin back in the day I wasn't even thinkin 'bout gettin no pay As long as the rhymes that I used to say Got me love around the way, hey, shit was okay 'But now you got a deal' That ain't no cause to celebrate I'm sick of niggas layin down, it's time to elevate Beyond the herringbone and the fat ride And I got too much pride to drink some fuckin St. Ides I rather that I die - with my eyes open wide Rather that my moms cries cause I got my cap peeled On the battlefield - bein real So murmur what you wish, whatever I didn't come here to make you bitches feel better In fact, it feel type sweet To get on the mic piece and watch you punks squirm in your seat Cause next year, when your ass need a new career The big U will still be here With the Brakalak bounce, no doubt And if the truth hurts, stupid, say ouch We out (Live it) La-la-la-la-la (love it) La-la-la-la-la (live it) [ repeated ] [ Mos Def ] Word up Urban Thermo representin for the real, raw, rugged and true This is for you and yours to bump in your jeep, your walkman, your stereo system (...) I wanna give a shout-out to ah pa duke and ma duke And ah my sister Ces and my sister DCQ And ah all the heads ah that came along the way That was encouragin, my nigga Fish, my man Al, Obi Wan The whole entire Roosevelt Mass Pease to y'all brothers Strive and maintan, you know what I'm sayin To all the positive Muslims And ah God Body to the Earth To my man Ali [Name] and Bookworm My man Jay Disco with the fly funky lingo, you know what I'm sayin To all of the new breed The ruling class of the last voice You know what I'm sayin This is Mos Def and I'm out, peace