| So I wanted to take a trip down memory lane
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| Shout out to all the Hip-Hop that raised me
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| Alright, let me try to explain this
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| I grew up on Pete Rock & Cl Smooth
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| Public Enemy handed me power tools
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| Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane, they were too
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| Queen Latifah, she brought us that Flavor Unit
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| I admit I got into some LL Cool
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| Uncle L’s «Mama Said» was a hit at school
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| No one else I knew knew all these other dudes
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| They thought I was a fool, guess now I’m laughin' too
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| DMC, Eric B & Rakim, and me
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| Was a microphone fiend, before a teen
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| Kid Capri, Diamond D, and DITC
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| At school I had B’s, in hip-hop, I had PHD’s
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| Native tongue, jungle brothers, and black sheep
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| Tribe Called Quest, and De La had the fat beats
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| Heavy D, Biz Markie, on the back beat
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| «Just a Friend» was «No Diggity», Blackstreet
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| Kool G Rap, Doug E Fresh, man and Slick Rick
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| Large Professor, Big L, and than Q Tip
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| Marley Marl, DJ Red Alert, schooled it
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| MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, they ruled it
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| Nasty Nas tore it up with that «Halftime»
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| Every word, every phrase, every dope line
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| Man, it was a moment that stopped time
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| I thought no one could ever top «That Rhyme»
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| And than I heard Main Source
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| These cats were like comin' in flames for us
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| Biggie Smallz was the king of the concourse
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| And ‘Pac, he had so many mind blowers
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| Then Gangstarr, such an original
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| They made songs that I’ll never forget about
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| And than came Lord’s of the Underground
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| Puff & Craig Mack, they were bringin' that thunder down
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| EPMD hit me with «Crossroads»
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| Always «Business as Usual» like pros
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| Das EFX with their «iggity» like flows
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| And Redman shook me up with my mind blown
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| The Wu-Tang, 36 Chambers
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| Who’d of thunk they’d come and change what the game was
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| Method & Raekwon the Chef, so dangerous
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| RZA made tracks, that were Deniro-like famous
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| Hold up man, I can’t forget Chubb Rock
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| The Fatboys & Beasties with that club rock
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| LONS, Busta Rhymes, with the real talk
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| Jay-Z had «Godfather of Rap» locked
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| Now Kendrick be the new king of the bus stop
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| But wait, I’m gettin' ahead of myself, (ahh) stop
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| Ice Cube & Ice T were the hard knocks
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| Taught us all that we should all fear hip-hop
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| Third Bass, MC Serch, flipped the script, hot
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| «Back to the Grill Again» rocked blocks and brought Nas
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| Than The Roots brought Questlove & Black Thought
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| Who’d of thought they on the Jimmy Fallon Late slot?
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| And Bizarre Ride to The Pharcyde
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| Hieroglyphics shook it up until the sound died
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| Del & Souls of Mischief had us on a hand glide
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| OutKast, «Southernplayalistic» for the landslide
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| Common Sense came and borrowed a dollar
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| Poetry resurrected the scholar
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| No ID was officially balla
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| Mos Def was a part of creating the product
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| Xzibit & Mobb Deep the infamous
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| Cypress Hill & DJ Muggs, were killin' it
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| House of Pain, and Funkdoobiest illin' it
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| 50 Cent, Missy, Pharrell, and Timbaland
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| Dr. Dre, Snoop, and Eminem
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| Black Moon and Onyx were filled with that Venom and
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| Jeru the Damaja, Ghetto Boys, Young MC
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| Grandmaster Flash, Mase, and Showbiz, and AG
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| Royce Da 5'9, DJ Scratch with that breakbeat
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| RIP, Aaliyah is missed greatly
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| There’s a peak into the window that raised me
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| Hopefully that can help and explain me |