Nas - I Do it for Hip Hop lyrics

[Ludacris] I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop Now this is what they call poetry in motion My soul bleeds on the paper, heart screams with emotion It's my daily devotion, the verses stay deeper than the ocean So hip-hop you owe me a promotion! Yeah I do a little boastin and braggin What's all the commotion and naggin about? Cause I'm still the champ in the South? Cause rappers get in the booth and I keep draggin em out? Well they're fired, and these pink slips, I'm handin em out Cause this is "Theater of the Mind," consider it a sign Of what's to come next, my money's just fine Bank filled with dumb checks, terrorist threat flow Proceed to drop bombs like Mr. Funk Flex But I don't do it for the money, I do it from the heart I do it with the beat box, I did it from the start I do it for the dee jays, I do it for the charts The Van Gogh flow, Luda do it cause it's art I do it for the fans, I do it on command I do it for the front row, I do it for the stands I spit it for the hood, I do it for the block And since nine years old I did it for hip-hop, so [Hook One: Ludacris] I don't do it for them cars and the fancy drops I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop And I don't it for the chains and the flashin rocks I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop I do it for hip-hop [Nas] Uhh, uhh, uh They say I'm so low key, I'm socially awkward Only n***as who really know me, who I talk with They smile in the light, hate in the dark You call it beef, to me, it's just a f**in walk in the park Cause you are who you are when nobody's lookin That's who you are, so when the cash and the cars is gone The day after tomorrow, don't be askin to borrow Ski mask it hard, like the way you rap in your bars I can ride on you and whoever, devise new endeavors I'm as live as a hive full of predators Twenty thousand different species of bees Some have poisonous stings, some just pollen their leaves It's like rap, some just buzz, some will attack Compromise their own life in fact Sixteen years since my first sixteen Pardon the rest of my n***as... but I'm the best who's ever did it! [Hook Two: Nas] + (Ludacris) (I don't do for the cars and the fancy drops) Uh, I do it for hip-hop Yeah, I do it for hip-hop Uh (I do it for hip-hop) (And I don't do for the chains and the flashin' rocks) Why we do it kid? I do it for hip-hop Yeah, I do it for hip-hop Uh, I do it for hip-hop [Jay-Z] Hip-hop! Started out in the park We used to do it to avoid the narcs I used to do it so the homeboy Clark Can get the f** off my back while I knocked off these packs I used to rap to impress my friends To pa** the time while I was gettin it in Just so happens, I'm so illegal with the pen They ain't want me doin anything illegal again I lost a lot of dogs to these streets I got Grammy awards on these beats Thank God for Kool Herc Without your sh** I probably would've got merked Shout out to Grandmaster Flash and to Caz And even Jaz bum a** Hip-hop helped me wash my rocks These other rappers couldn't wash my socks That's why I took the number one slot The realest sh** in rap comes from my voice box Lord knows when I was on my clock I prolly never woulda stopped, thank God for hip-hop [Hook Three: Ludacris] + (Jay-Z) + {Both} I don't do for the cars and the fancy drops (Uh, I do it for hip-hop) (I do it for hip-hop) I do it for hip-hop And I don't do for the chains and the flashin' rocks (Come on, I do it for hip-hop) (I do it for hip-hop) {I do it for hip-hop} {*DJ scratches and Ludacris ad-libs until 4:56*} [Hook One]