(Verse 1 – Talib Kweli)
As time goes by, an eye for an eye
That's the best way to keep everybody blind
When the truth is in the building all these lives gon die
Cause like my man Chaz Van, eh the vibes don't lie
Man, get your hands up in the sky, wave em from side to side
Cause I'm twenty years plus, still k**ing it right
This Marco Polo off the Richter, man it's 9.5
You make the earthquake
Now when I talk about vibe, what I mean is organic
We planting seeds for the trees, we need to breathe on the planet
Indeed we really take the planet for granted
Bulldoze the granite at Standing Rock
We plundered and we wonder why the planet hot
Made in His image, are we worshiping the man or not?
Get an uncomfortable feeling every time I hear Planet Rock
Disappointed in the leadership, hand to God
Evidence is more than the images the cameras shot
You follow blind faith it make you seem unclean
But faith in only evidence of things I've seen
Cause information make it harder for us to follow discussions
But educated guess beat wild a**umptions
Information lead to knowledge, knowledge lead to wisdom
Wisdom lead to understanding, once you have all that
You start demanding justice
Justice is what love look like in public
I ain't just writing for it, I'm out here fighting for it
(Chorus – NIKO IS)
We some real muthaf**kas on the rise
Under pressure but over the lies
Stand up, hands up close to the skies
Bout to shake the world up on a nine-point-five
We some real muthaf**kas on the rise
Under pressure but over the lies
Stand up, hands up close to the skies
Bout to shake the world up on a nine point five
(Verse 2 – Sheek Louch)
Contemplating, I be hating how we coming up short
Filling up court, my skin pigment new black thought
Telling me lies, ain't nothing about you moving no pies
Fabricating on your Instagram, listen fam you a king
But you carry yourself way too
Songs I sing is prophesied, modern day Haile Sela**ie
Coke bars singing young papi
Now, who want this four pound of knowledge I shoot?
Still wavy Rolex on, bi**h calling me cute
Hands up for some real ni**as, when I rise, you rise
Right now I ain't got no more tries
Mom's chilling watching over me, no more cries
(Verse 3 – Jadakiss)
No more tears, right now no more years
And we could throw a million protests, no one cares
Cause we just get all out of character and throw some chairs
Eventually they burn us out and tell us go somewhere
But the love is too genuine and wholesome here
That's why the light ain't too bright but the road look clear
Yea, personally I got my bread as a crook
But once I finish with the work I dip my head in a book
There's room in the bed, in fact the head or the foot
I tell you this, Hip Hop ain't as dead as it looks
Naw, diversions to cover up the lies
We some real muthaf**kas on the rise
(Chorus – NIKO IS)
We some real muthaf**kas on the rise
Under pressure but over the lies
Stand up, hands up close to the skies
Bout to shake the world up on a nine point five
We some real muthaf**kas on the rise
Under pressure but over the lies
Stand up, hands up close to the skies
Bout to shake the world up on a nine point five
(Verse 4 – Styles P)
As time goes by, an eye for an eye
You won't hear a teardrop when a young child cries
Made in God's image but tell me
Deceiving, is it racism in the sky?
I believe in God, but
Yea I got my third eye, wish I had my third ear
Seven since I got my sixth sense in third year
On a highway to hell, learn how to swerve fear
It's deep talk or street talk
It's war talk or it's peace talk
Get the hemp paper, tear the leaf off
Spoke like you woke but you acting all sleep dog
The wolves give a f**k about sheep talk
The rich give a f**k about cheap talk
How figuring angles, ways to knock the beat off
This is Satan's house but we planning to break the lease off
Me and Kweli on the rise
Ghost, but you see some Ali in his eyes
Pressure bust pipes but it still makes diamonds
Shining, see the silver lining in the sky
I don't ride waves cause I'm my own tide
Learn to be peaceful…my own
Ego…to take the strong out
Know hard work, took the long route
And I could do it two more times
Or matter of fact, a few more times
Tell your favorite emcee to make a few more rhymes
Then meet us on the Seven tour
We got k** em lyrically, what he bring his weapons for?
Hands up, stand up, what you think we repping for?
We some real muthaf**kas, don't you know that?
Lyrically, you gon get this picture like a Kodak