[Hook]
Fumbling over words that rhyme [x4]
Pure rap music ain't made under pressure
Expose a j**el, teach school at my leisure
Fumble over words that rhyme with a verse divine
I backtrack and think of the greatest of all-times
Cla** is in session, master this lesson
Teacher was a student, studied like a Buddhist
Reviewing all the best to do it
So let's do this ("Do it")
Nothing to it
Considered the first emcee to blow the spot
And do work was Coke La Rock spitting for Kool Herc
Following the influence of Herculoid parties
Brothers like Cowboy made you move your body
Cowboy would toast for the GM Flash
And the sk**s elevated as crews started to clash
Flash and Bam, they both saw clientele
So Flash formed the Four with the father Melle Mel
Four became Five, more became live
Routines over breaks, true kings motivate
Out the L brothers came the Five Fantastic
With Theodore they battled with the Cold Crush Four
Few had the confidence of GMC
Without the CCB's there'd be no Run-DMC
The Funky and the Fearless Four, Force MC's, the suave Spoonie G
And I can't forget the Treacherous Three MC's
[Hook]
Praise to the Kool Moe Dee, he elevated
And changed it with records like the New Rap Language
Before the first full length LPs
There was abstract brothers like the one Rammellzee
Run-DMC broke through in '83 outta Queens
And started rapping hard over drum machines
808's started shaking up floors ("It's Yours")
With T La Rock's complex metaphors
("T-L-A R-O-C-K")
A primary influence on LL Cool J
T La Rock's futurism must've been respectable
Cause Tragedy from Queens was young but very technical
Shan was eloquent, Kris was intelligent
The 'R' was all of the above with added elements
Slick Rick the Ruler was a screenplay producer
Ultramagnetic had the vision for the future
Big Daddy Kane getting raw at The Apollo and
Kool G Rap was probably the sickest of all of them
Jaz from the BK, Percee and Finesse from the BX
Prince Po and Pharoahe came next
Wu with the G-Z-A, G-F-K
N-A-S one of the best out to date
Any MC that's adding on to the list
Pump your fist, but first give praise to the true scientists
[Hook]