| As I recall it
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| I first started to only get dap
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| To show the cats on my block and in my school that I could rap
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| They knew me as a B-Boy
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| Now I burst a verse and added piece to my collection
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| Twice that for the selection
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| I chose this direction cause I was an expert
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| At not only art, plus I had the ill footwork
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| Dancing supreme, flares, crabs, slice and windmill
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| Twelve years was the age, by then I had the will
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| I knew deep in my heart that if I came up with a scheme
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| To use my tools and my skills I’d fulfill my rap dreams
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| Started copping LP’s as the years went by
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| Noticing the different styles and how MC’s sound fly
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| P.E., J.B.'s, Rakim, Red Alert
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| KRS, Marley Marl, Juice Crew and B.L.S
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| The state of fresh plus a mess inbetween
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| That makes up my whole aura as an MC fiend
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping» — Fat Joe
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| Labels, A&R, marketing schemes
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Looking at contracts and don’t know what it mean
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Per diem, promo shows worth no doe
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| This is what happens in the game but you just don’t know
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| To get my props as a pro I entered local talent shows
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| Cause I knew without my lessons my profession wouldn’t grow
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| Battle cats in my school, in the street or in the club
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| Made a name for myself, everybody showed me love
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| But there was still something missing from my flavor of the month
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| So I sold out for a partner that was ill from the jump
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| Enter Tame One, lyric extrodinar
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| Two superb legionar, niggas couldn’t compare
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| Slaying cats left and right, who performing tonight?
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| (That's them!)
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| Damn right, known to always be nice
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| Count was minimal but we didn’t gain respect
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| Till 89.9, Bob and Armstrong Stretch
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| Official to the world or shall I say the industry
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| Now we hit from Dirty Jers' with the shit for NYC
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| Cause where we at, Jersey already on the map
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| So we uphold tradition so enters Artifacts
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Executives in your ear telling you, you the shit
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Until your album comes out and there’s nobody buying it
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Check the soundscan, to see your flow
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| This is what happens in the game but you just don’t know
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| Aight, the year is '94 and we signed a record deal, put your boots on
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| Big Beat/Atlantic was the shield
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| On the real, the first album was a dope experience
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| Hear my voice on wax over T-Ray instruments
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| Hitting tours and all
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| From a song talking 'bout writing on the wall
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| Many thought we had balls
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| We knew it was the plan, laid the whole program
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| Between A Rock And Hard Place, the label didn’t understand
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| Example yo, my nigga listen to this
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| We would’ve blown from a vid' off the Busta remix
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| Second album mad pressure but we did that shit
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| Came with The Ultimate, a plaque, one tour, we split
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| Now the whole world shaking cause they knew that we was breaking
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| No more cans to be shaking, know the scores that we was lacing
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| From this I took a two year break and I was back
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| Cause I can’t be stopped from getting mine, fuck that
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| How it affects your life and how those around you feel your strife
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Whether you like it or not, the hottest MC can get dropped
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| Keep your day job, messing with this you get robbed
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping»
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| This is what happens in the game but you just don’t know
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| «Don't think you can before you start rapping» |