KRS-One & Marley Marl - Rising to the top lyrics

[Intro] Good evening to you super listeners How you doing tonight, all you fly guys and fly girls Welcome once again to the world famous Mister Magic Rap Attack And of course I am Sir Juice [Verse 1] Way way back before the Hots and the Powers We used to listen to live mixing for hours Roxanne Shante, U.T.F.O Mister Magic Rap Attack some of y'all know But I was in the shelter in weakness, homeless Turntableless and microphoneless Fresh gearless but still I was fearless And focused on being the dopest MC alive It's 85, LL's on Def Jam with the best jam and Whodini's on Jive Man you know I had to survive New York City was crazy in the 80s but damn it was alive So here comes the Juice Crew with MC Shan Shante's already the queen, Marley's already the man Y'all don't really understand When you throw on Shante or Shan it got live in the jam So we went to Mister Magic If anybody had the power to put you on he had it We gave up the demo tape no love lost But it seems Mister Magic just brushed us off Somehow we heard we were wack Every track, and that we shouldn't even call back Right there my jaw dropped, no doubt But it made me see what I was all about [Hook] And I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go ...give it all you got, give it all you got I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go ...give it all you got, give it all you got We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go ...give it all you got, give it all you got We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go ...give it all you got, give it all you got, give it all you got [Verse 2] In the spot new Hip-Hop at Latin Quarters And the Union Square and the Rooftop We used to hear them tools pop in the parking lot Where it got dark a lot, me and Scott La Rock But it was all for the Hip-Hoppers Salt-N-Pepa answered Doug E Fresh with The Show Stoppa MC Shan was gonna challenge LL Shante was battling 3 or 4 groups at the same time, what the hell Answer records were big then After Shante did it everybody was trying to spit them So we spit on To tell you the truth it was the only way an MC could get on We answered MC Shan's Queensbridge A dope jam about where he was from and where he lived But in the Bronx there was these kids KRS, Scott La Rock trying to live [Hook] [Verse 3] This is what an emcee was We had a strong street buzz, Marley and Shan showed us some love And love never hurt Cause while Shan was with Marley we was with DJ Red Alert Every Friday night, every Saturday night On the airwaves the battle was right Under New York nights, smog and lights, jogging at night The Roxy used to get so hype You could put on your headset and get what heads ain't get yet Live MCs going check check Spiting rhymes over the radio set These are the days and the ways I can never forget So I don't forget it To Marley and Shan I am indebted For the start of my career these guys could take credit For my rapping, the whole battle they let it happen Marley and Shan and Shante could have been gun strapping, cousin But they wasn't You know why? Cause we was on some real Hip-Hop Lets keep it buzzing