Lyrics Back To Basics - Blu , Exile

Somebody asked me what exactly I'ma do for black music
Told them I'ma chop it up, loop and rap to it
I'm a conscious slash average black human
But see I'm from the street so you know I'm gonna keep that ass moving
I passed numerous tests without using a tech
A crack moving
A school of hard knocks grad student
Who you should respect, not 'cause crew sure connects
But 'cause I rap (?)
(?)
I put in work
(?)
I'm a vet like Pat Ewing
I blaze more Knicks than Reggie Miller
My kid's doing the same old shit
It never differ but I beg to differ
Fuck a pardon
I charge in the industry like a sergeant for pimping these artists
Leave the talking to the grown-ups
Regardless if you're, "So what? You sold out."
Trying to hold clout and hold bucks in the same game

So I say
No double checking vocals, dude
Vocals kill like weapons
Never, never, never, never

When I was young I want to grow up like Ice Cube
Blow up like (?)
Times change and so do the West
Now I'm older now, I found me a nice crew
Some tracks I could write to
My mind grew and so did my set
Now it's time to respect
Them West Coast great vets
Pourin' blood, sweating tears plus the years they invest
Stop showin' disrespect like you ain't heard us
My stomping grounds in Cali's found and I ain't been served once
Kick up my feet in fur blunts (?)
Reminiscing of the time when I was stuck in my youth
Moving house to house, in-and-out of cities,
Pretty kid and I was witty see these slickas steal some Diddy
Shit I missed it when we used to play Wu-Tang
And the Who Bang Capital
When the niggas grow up with that shoot-and-range attitude
Gang-banging and doing things they didn't have to do
But I was just a little man, looking out my window pane
Chilling with the rapping crews after school
Get it rain, spittin' flames, attackin' fools, acting cool
Tagging on the bus, talkin' bout "I'd never do it for bucks,"
But fuck, it all changed once my first check came

So I say
No double checking vocals, dude
Vocals kill like weapons
Never, never, never, never
So I say

Record labels used to ask me
"Ey, yo, how we 'posed to market an honest,
Rap consciousness' street coming from 'Cali?"
I told them, "Rap music used to speak for itself
Spit it out,
Niggas feel like he coming off the shelf without selling out."
This is for my niggas out spending,
Skipping house to house, living on their best friend's couch
We out bustin' just to build them some clout
But the rap game is stuck in a drought
'Cause these rappers stop rappin'
They just running they mouth
'Bout shit they don't have
While the shit in my pad is as hot as the sun in the south
I'm giving all that I have
Over little recognition for the times I spent scribbling
My thoughts across pages for the latest
Greatest, those who never made it
For the Bridgetown players, the fly chicks that play this
Divine forces wake up showing Friday night flavors
This for y'all

(Radio Skit)

To me, hip-hop is a way of life you know what I'm
Saying? It's what you wake up in the morning, it's who you are
You are listening to the world famous, Wake-Up Show
We are controlling transmission
(?)
1-2, 1-2, You are now tuned in to the famous Wake-Up Show
We got with us,
Who is doing an interview behind the scenes,
Let's put it on air, ask the same questions, man
So what size shoe you wearing?
Uhh, 13
How tall are you?
Uhh, 6'4
(?)
Tell everybody your name:
My name is Blu, I moved out when I was 18 and just kept-
How long have you been MCing?
About five years cause my stepdad is a
Preacher currently and I couldn't listen to hip-hop-
My gosh, your pops banned hip-hop from the household
That's funny 'cause I moved with my aunt
And with my pops, who said I was a gangster
So I moved in and all he played was Too Short and 2Pac
I just, I just, man, I just fell in love with it
Rode into my boy Basic and he caught me up really well
Did he teach you how to rhyme?
Something like that, something like that
Cool, we're gonna see what you're made