| Slow cook, dry rub, little flame, let it sit
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| Yeah, I fight to not write diss tracks
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| Distracts from the vision, reversing syntax
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| Win that, found a brother battling in
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| He said a war don’t make a king
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| It’s what you do with the crown
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| The ground crumbles at the feet of the humble
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| But if you dope, you dope, just keep the pride way low
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| That’s the hip-hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip-hop I throw my dubs with
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| Round robin a mic stomping
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| Six exit east of Compton
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| Trying not to be the old dude always screaming old-school
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| Hating on the new dudes, knowing I could school fools
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| Instead of leveraging veteran status for they betterment
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| Ligaments been itching like them kids coming to get me
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| When you finally reach pinnacle, it’s hard to not be cynical
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| But slow down, enjoy the view
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| Many are called, chosen few
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
|
| Slow cook, dry rub, little flame, let it sit
|
| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That low flame marinate, the dry rub, gotta let it sit
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| On that boom-bap dad back when my neighbor’s dad
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| Ran his truck through they living room
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| And they set the crib on fire like «if I can’t have you, no one can»
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| Tainted love, mixed messages, curses and blesses
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| Like patience is a virtue, but I ain’t afraid to hurt you
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| Like crack smoke is silly, but crack sales is kingly
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| And the black man is god but if you try to touch the squad *pow*
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| My uncle Charles got smoked by a bloke reppin' Ghostown
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| And I wish I coulda known him
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| My granny said he cold on that saxophone
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| And he’s why I love music
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| It’s crazy how a man you never met can influence you
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| Like the music for which you listen could shape how you raise your children
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| Like crooked men with dope pens inspired how I make my living
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| Gang affiliation, how it fascinated a nation but
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That slow cook, that dry rub, marinate, gotta let it sit
|
| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
|
| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That slow cook, that head nod, the neck brace, that stank face
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip hop I fell in love with
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| Part 2
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| Yeah, b-boy, pinoy, me and kuya Efechto
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| Roll into your show like «aché ate»
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| Destroy, deploy, eclectic fresh flow
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| Sho' nuff showed up like «don't play, José»
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| Take tokes of this fire hydrant of wokeness
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| I inspire the dopest emcees to stay bold, kid
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| Heavy-handed pen stroke, been dope since Reaganomics
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| Trickle down and ruined my hometown if I’m honest
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| Me — just a city boy, show me no pity, boy
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| Stand up, man up, the only rules of the committee
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| On some climbing over fences to edge of the LA River
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| And scribble the syllables the city thought were silly
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| But we was all we had though, next door to the vatos
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| Between Florence 13 and dieciocho
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| This is how we grew 'em, hybrid hip-hop and hoodlum
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| True school 'em cause the one you enrolled in is failing ya
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| Backpack of rhyme books, no hooks, that’s for radio
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| My favorite emcees don’t play no stadiums
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| Outside the Palladium, battling the openers
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| Only audible audience stood in awe and awkwardness
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| Obvious we were too young but better rap than guns
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| Master kickflips, I don’t hold semi-auto clips
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| They haggling for me to get a blue rag dangling
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| From my pocket, tangling with the wrong crowd
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| Stop it but that’s the hip-hop I fell in love with
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| That’s the hip-hop I threw my dubs with
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| That’s the hip-hop we rock the club with |