Long time

Yea, I mean I am what I am man, you know
I’m a forty-something year old rapper, but you know why?
Cause I love this shit man, I watched every facet, know what I mean?
I seen it grow from listening to party jams, all the way to records,
all the way to super stardom, you know?
For y’all don’t know, let me, let me explain a little something
OK, set up the speakers plug that amp in the light pole
Rope off the booth for them fellas that had a tight flow
I was 9 years old, amazed at the control the
MC had over the crowd by making them say Ow!
The Fantastic Five and the Cold Crush, they battled
And if they heard that tape man, trust me, you really had to
Play it for any and everybody from your boombox
They huddle around your JVC like they sang doo-wop (?)
But Kool Moe Dee took out Busy Bee on the random
That tape was equivalent to a loaded Phantom and
He really earth-slammed him, that Baw-Biddy-Baw was completely dope
Before some? routine from some TV show, man
Oh, such a long time
Took a long time
Such a long long time
Then came commentating, illustrating
When I heard them first two words I was like OK then
Vocabulary really’s about to take control now
And if you read a lot, you’d be comfortable with your pronouns
Fearless Four told me that there were problems in the world
Boogie Boys explained to me what was a fly girl (fly girl)
But when I heard that jam called «Sucker MCs»
The first thing I noticed was that boom-bap beat
And Run looked like my brother, DMC like my cousin
No costumes at all man, none of the gear custom
Represented my taste peasy-head and still get paid
Live Aid a hundred thousand looking like they never shaved and they bodied it
And then we hit the 90s when Nas dropped Illmatic
That west coast chronic, Dre and snoop were hard at it
Ready to die and 36 chambers
Onyx was screaming back the fuck up to strangers
OC was telling cats they times limited
P rock and CL smooth dropped the join that was gimick-less
Brand Nubian was telling people slow down
Naughty by nature, Mobb Deep riding dirty, out of town
A tribe called quest, they were the midnight marauders
Stepped in the arena, GangStarr loved to slaughter
The Liks were in L.A., cracking champagne bottles
Now its a digital underground sound that’s full throttle