Blu & Exile - Back To Basics lyrics

[Verse 1: Blu] Somebody asked me what exactly I’ma do for black music Told them I’ma chop it up, loop and rap to it I’m a conscious slash average black human But see I’m from the street so you know I’m gonna keep that a** moving I pa**ed numerous tests without using a tech A crack moving A school of hard knocks grad student Who you should respect, not ’cause crew sure connects But ’cause I rap (?) (?) I put in work (?) I’m a vet like Pat Ewing I blaze more Knicks than Reggie Miller My kid’s doing the same old sh** It never differ but I beg to differ f** a pardon I charge in the industry like a sergeant for pimping these artists Leave the talking to the grown-ups Regardless if you’re, “So what? You sold out.” Trying to hold clout and hold bucks in the same game [Hook: Sample] So I say No double checking vocals, dude Vocals k** like weapons Never, never, never, never [Verse 2: Blu] When I was young I want to grow up like Ice Cube Blow up like (?) Times change and so do the West Now I’m older now, I found me a nice crew Some tracks I could write to My mind grew and so did my set Now it’s time to respect Them West Coast great vets Pourin’ blood, sweating tears plus the years they invest Stop showin’ disrespect like you ain’t heard us My stomping grounds in Cali’s found and I ain’t been served once Kick up my feet in fur blunts (?) Reminiscing of the time when I was stuck in my youth Moving house to house, in-and-out of cities, pretty kid and I was witty see these slickas steal some Diddy sh** I missed it when we used to play Wu-Tang And the Who Bang Capital When the n***as grow up with that shoot-and-range attitude Gang-banging and doing things they didn’t have to do But I was just a little man, looking out my window pane Chilling with the rapping crews after school Get it rain, spittin’ flames, attackin’ fools, acting cool Tagging on the bus, talkin’ bout “I’d never do it for bucks,” But f**, it all changed once my first check came [Hook: Sample] So I say No double checking vocals, dude Vocals k** like weapons Never, never, never, never So I say [Verse 3: Blu] Record labels used to ask me “Ey, yo, how we ‘posed to market an honest, rap consciousness’ street coming from ‘Cali?” I told them, “Rap music used to speak for itself Spit it out, n***as feel like he coming off the shelf without selling out.” This is for my n***as out spending, skipping house to house, living on their best friend’s couch We out bustin’ just to build them some clout But the rap game is stuck in a drought ‘Cause these rappers stop rappin’ They just running they mouth ’bout sh** they don’t have While the sh** in my pad is as hot as the sun in the south I’m giving all that I have Over little recognition for the times I spent scribbling My thoughts across pages for the latest Greatest, those who never made it And every guy that got me on their iTunes playlist For the Bridgetown players, the fly chicks that play this Divine forces wake up showing Friday night flavors This for y’all [Skit: Radio] To me, hip-hop is a way of life you know what I’m saying? It’s what you wake up in the morning, it’s who you are You are listening to the world famous, Wake-Up Show We are controlling transmission (?) 1-2, 1-2, You are now tuned in to the famous Wake-Up Show We got with us, who is doing an interview behind the scenes, let’s put it on air, ask the same questions, man So what size shoe you wearing? Uhh, 13 How tall are you? Uhh, 6’4 (?) Tell everybody your name: My name is Blu, I moved out when I was 18 and just kept- How long have you been MCing? About five years cause my stepdad is a preacher currently and I couldn’t listen to hip-hop- My gosh, your pops banned hip-hop from the household That’s funny ’cause I moved with my aunt and with my pops, who said I was a gangster So I moved in and all he played was Too Short and 2Pac I just, I just, man, I just fell in love with it Rode into my boy Basic and he caught me up really well Did he teach you how to rhyme? Something like that, something like that Cool, we’re gonna see what you’re made of