Rakim - G3N3S1S lyrics

[Intro: Rakim] [Audio Clip From 1991 Rakim Interview] "Regardless...where you from (you know?) It's where you at If people can't—if people use a crutch as far as they ain't got this or they ain't got that—everything else is material As long as they got their physical form and their mind, whatever they want to happen can happen—and I express that too Once you deal with the mental—everything else speaks for itself. Once you tell somebody how powerful they mind is and they think about it, then they start to utilize it, you know what I'm saying?" [Verse 1] I got a pocket full of promise, backpack full of hype Funny how those dark times spawned a Sun so bright Been hiding in the background But my Waldo is more Emerson than it is lost Found my flow back when a n***a had nada Besides knowledge, time and a couple dollars Flipped bucks to stacks, that was all off the mental Imagine what I do when I infuse potential (mean) Egos falls off when a soul intervenes And we never had intentions of being less than kings Restarting royalty, a goal to aspire With hate that's coal for the fire Blazing, amazing, how I betrayed the cage n***as stayed in While you stuck in that very box you supposed to think out of Ha...and you wonder why we doubt cha' Bragging about your moves when nobody's counting [Chorus] What's a hook, what's a jingle to a bell ringer? What's the difference between fake thugs and real n***as? Nowadays dudes only giving Revelations This is something else, this is all from self (f** a hook!) What's a jingle to a bell ringer? What's the difference between fake thugs and real n***as? Nowadays they just wanna know where it all comes from... The Genesis (2x) [Verse 2] What's more important, the man or the message? Feeling a divine presence always guiding my ways With the grind of a slave, never tell a Renaissance man To "stay in his lane" that's when sh** gets insane Too many small minded, tryna keep a soul binded I'm gold mining, treasures in my temple like Tutankhamen Lines vivid, hieroglyphics manifest mid-rhymin' Might even have some hidden gems if you can find 'em Its only right I father flows that's far from Common This D.O.C written with 3000 watts of a Electronic—sh** Powerful enough for the ma**es You can go ahead and caption, but my art speaks for itself They say "a pictures worth a thousand words" So what that mean for one who spits pictures? A Baltimore n***a with visions that bigger than his forehead f** loafing off of this ego, let's get more bread [Chorus] [Bridge] In the beginning, an artist was born A creator in every sense, he just needed some time Outlandish with a canvas on a path outstanding Making art, all manifest from his mind