Low End Theory

* vocal interludes sampled from "time is running out" by the last poets

[q-tip]
Back in the days when i was a teenager
Before i had status and before i had a pager
You could find the abstract listening to hip hop
My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop
I said, well daddy don't you know that things go in cycles
The way that bobby brown is just ampin like michael
Its all expected, things are for the lookin
If you got the money, quest is for the bookin
Come on everybody, let's get with the fly modes
Still got room on the truck, load the back boom
Listen to the rhyme, to get a mental picture
Of this black man, through black woman victim
Why do i say that, cuz i gotta speak the truth man
Doing what we feel for the music is the proof and
Planted on the ground, the act is so together
Bonafied strong, you need leverage to sever
The unit, yes, the unit, yes, the unit called the jazz is
Deliberatley cheered lp filled with streeet goods
You can find it on the rack in your record store (store)
If you get the record, then your thoughts are adored
And appreciated, cause we're ever so glad we made it
We work hard, so we gotta thank god
Dishin out the plastic, do the dance till you spastic
If you dis... it gets drastic
Listen to the rhymes, cuz its time to make gravy
If it moves your booty, then shake, shake it baby
All the way to africa a.k.a. the motherland (uh)
Stick out the left, then i'll ask for the other hand
That's the right hand, black man (man)
Only if you was noted as my man (man)
If i get the credit, then i'll think i deserve it
If you fake moves, don't fix your mouth to word it
Get in the zone of positivity, not negativity
Cuz we gotta strive for longevity
If you botch up, what's in that (ass) (what?)
A pair of nikes, size ten-and-a-half (come on, come on)

Chorus:

We gotta make moves
Never, ever, ever could we fake moves (come on, come on) (4x)

"time.. time is a ship on a merciless sea
Drifting toward an average of nothingness
Until it can be retarded for it's own destiny
Time is an inanimate object
Praying and praying and praying for ??
Time is dancing, moving lingering all memories of past.."
-> the last poets

You gotta be a winner all the time
Can't fall prey to a hip hop crime
With the dope raps and dope tracks for you for blocks
From the fly girlies to the hardest of the rocks
Musically the quest, is on the rise
We on these excursions so you must realize
That continually, i pop my zulu
If you don't like it, get off the zulu tip
So what could you do in the times which exist
You can't fake moves on your brother or your sis
But if your sis is a (bitch), brother is a jerk
Leave 'em both alone and continue with your work
Whatever it may be in today's society
Everything is fair, at least that how it seems to me
You must be honest and true to the next
Don't be phony and expect one not to flex
Especially if you rhyme, you have to live by the pen
Your man is your man, then treat him like your friend
All it is, is the code of the streets
So listen to the knowledge bein dropped over beats
Beats that are hard, beats that are funky
It could get you hooked like a crackhead junkie
What you gotta do to is know that the tribe is in the sphere
The abstract poet, prominent like shakespeare

Chorus

Edgar allan poe, it don't stop (uh!)

"time is running out on black power africans today
And whites blacks and reporters at night
Everytime you see them ?? with their tongues hangin out
Time is running and past and passing and running
Running and past and passing and running (excursions)"

Verse one: phife dawg

1988 senior year, garvey high
Where all the guys were corny but the girls were mad fly
Loungin with the tipster, coolin with sha
Scopin out the honeys - they know who they are
I was the b-ball playin fly rhyme sayin
Fly girl gettin but never was i sweatin
Cause when it came to honeys i would go on a stroll
Until i met my match - her name was flo
Yeah - i messed around with the one called flo
All the troopers round the way used to call her a ho
But deep down in my heart i knew that flo was good to go
Cause i thought it was me - like bell biv devoe
But little did i know that she was playin' with my mind
The only thing i learned is, good girls are hard to find
I feel like heavy d i need somebody for me
Not someone who's mind is blank and tryin' to juice me for my bank
Swingin' with my main man lucky behind my back
What type of crap is that - yo, hows about a smack?
Word life, i can't front - thought i was all that
But now it seems, i met my match
Was a stone cold lover, you couldn't tell me jack
Settlin' down with one girl, wasn't tryin' to hear that
I had tonya, tamika, sharon, karen
Tina, stacy, julie, tracy
Used ta love 'em, leave 'em, skeeze 'em, tease 'em
Find 'em, lose 'em - also abuse 'em
My whole attitude was new day, next hon
And believe it or not, they all got done
Well here comes flo, with the crazy whip appeal
And i'm all true man, like alexander o'neal
Is this really love, then again, how would i know
After all this time tryin' to be a superhoe
She finally played me, but yo, i'd find another
Cause i got the crazy game and yo, i'm smooth like butter

Chorus: q-tip

Butter, like butter baby . . . [repeat 2x]
Not no parkay, not no margarine,
Strickly butter baby, strictly butter


Verse two: phife dawg

I remember when,
Girls were goodie two shoes, but now they turned to freaks
Allofasudden "we love you phife" - ease of ho, my name's malik
Phife this, phife that, where you goin', where you at
These girls don't know me from jack, yet i feel like the mack
You didn't want me then, so hon, don't want me now
Here, here - take the towel, wipe off your brow
And take the ccontact out your eye, you're far from lookin' fly
You get an e for effort, and t for nice try
Now tell me what's the reason, for dyin' your hair
Slum village gold still danglin in your ear
You barely have a neck but still sportin' a rope
Four-finger ring just so phifer can scope
You looked in the mirror, didn't know what to do
Yesterday your eyes were brown but today they are blue
Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true
And if you really loved yourself then you would try and be you
If your hair and eyes were real, i wouldn't have dissed ya
But since it was bought, i had to dismiss ya
If you can't achieve it, then why not try and weave it
If you can't extend it then you might as well suspend it
If you can't braid it, best thing to do is fade it
I asked who did your hair and you tell me "diane made it"
If you were you and just you, talk to you, maybe
But i can't stand, no bionic lady
Tryin' hard to look fly, but yo, you're lookin' dumber
If i wanted someone like you i woulda swung with jamie summers
You wanna be treated right, see father mc
Or check ralph tresvant, for sens-a-tiv-i-ty
See i am not the one, i got more game than parker brothers
Phife dog is on the mic and i'm smooth like butter . . .

Chorus (george clinton from funkadelic's "let's take it to the people"):
"everthing is fair when you're livin in the city"(8x)

Q-tip:
Lookin at miss lane, it was the fast lane
Barely knows her name, struck by fame
She just got a benz, she rides with her friends
Gotta keep her beeper in her purse to make ends
Rollin down the block, checkin out the spots
She winks at the cops, always give her props
She knows she's the woman, can't nobody touch her
Hangs out for the loot, makes her papes from the gutter
Tried to make my moves on miss lane, she called me young boy
Told her not to dis me i just want to be your love toy
You young boy, my love toy, i doubt that very highly
Just because you rhyme don't mean i'll let you try me
Business oriented, egos never dented
Always sweet scented, if it's business, she meant it
Distractions never hurt, always did the work
Always was alert, she never got jerked
Queen of the feats, thrive to compete
Love the funky beats while she drive down the street
She was justified, couldn't get a job
Had to feed her family, so she had to play, then rob
Pullin out the ooh wop, listenin to doo-wop
You don't have to say a word
(gunshots)that's all ya heard

Chorus(4x)

She's not a big kahuna, wish i met her sooner
Instead, i met her later, my love is much greater
Put me on her roster, to rid her of imposters
And to sell the buddah for the sexy drug ruler
Love is my motive, now i'm drug promotive
Plus i needed duckets to fill up my buckets
Supplied me with the squeezy to make my life easy
Now i'm missing action for this fatal attraction
But don't you let me catch you with your joint up in these bitches
And don't you even dare to plan a plot upon my riches
Cuz if you play me out, i think i'll let ya be
I'll be damned if i let a brotha try to gas me
I played my cards well, try to live swell
For the g, i would sell, cuz i was deep in hell
But then i really wasn't, she had a fly cousin
Who would give me booty on the side of my cutie
Elaine, she kinda new, that i would do the do
But she didn't tear, i did my work with care
That's all that really mattered, he money never splattered
As long as she was paid, she was in the shade
You can't really blame her for holdin on a flamer
Society taught her, but they didn't tame her
A ten clip salute, hunny heres a troop
She will never stop until she reach the top
Top, top...

Verse 1

[q-tip]

Let me tell you 'bout the snakes, the fakes, the lies
The highs at all of these industry shing-dings
Where you see the pretty girls
In the high animated world
Checkin' for a rapper with all the dough
If you take a shit they want to know
And if you're gonna fall, they won't be around, y'all
So you still wanna do the show business?
And you think that you got what it takes?
I mean you really gotta rap and be all that
And prepare yourself for the breaks
Check it out!

Do you wanna be in the business? (the business)
The ups and downs with the hoes (the business)
Always gettin' fronted on at shows (the business)
People gotta stick their nose (in the business)

Verse 2

[q-tip]

Yo, i gotta speak on the cesspool
It's the rap industry and it ain't that cool
Only if you're on stage or if you're speakin' to your people
Ain't no-one your equal
Especially on the industry side
Don't let the games just glide
Right through your fingers, you gotta know the deal
So lord jamar speak, because you're real...

[lord jamar]

They're givin' you the business and puttin' on a show
You're a million dollar man that ain't got no dough
But you got a ho tickets backstage to a show
Sedated and at that fact they elated
Time pass and your ass say "where's my loot?"
The reply is a kick in the ass from a leg and a boot
All you wanna do is taste the fruit
But in the back they're makin' fruit juice
You ask for slack and wanna get cut loose from the label
Not able cos you signed at the table
For a pretty cash advance, now they got a song and dance
That you didn't recoup, more soup wit' ya meal?
Cos this is the real when you get a record deal
And i say...

[phife]

Aw....shucks, look what the cat hauled in
It's phife dawg from a tribe called quest, let me begin
Like chuck d, i got so much trouble on my mind
'bout these no-talent artists gettin' signed, they can't rhyme
And if that ain't bad, you got bootleggers
Goin' out like suckers, motherfuckers
Feel it's time that i let loose the lion
And if not that then i'll commence to head flyin'
Seems in '91 everybody want a rhyme
And then you go and sell my tape for only $5.99?
Please nigga, i've worked too hard for this
No more will i take the booty end of the stick
Bogus brothers makin' albums when they know they can't hack it
Cos they lyrics is played like 8-ball jackets
Now tell me i can't tear it up
Go get yourself some toilet paper cos your lyrics is butt

Do you wanna be in the business? (the business)
People can't walk a straight line in (the business)
Some of these brothers can't rhyme in (the business)
A-yo, i'm tryna get mine (the business)

Verse 3

[sadat x]

The party scene is cool, but then again it's all the same
You see the same faces, but at different places
When you're up and ridin' high everything is palsy-palsy
Get a million pounds and all the skins give you hugs
Well that's cool, i can dig it, it really ain't my bag
Prefer to max on the side and let my pants sag
"oh, he's a cutie", yeah, real cute
But i wasn't that cute when i didn't have no loot
Although i hit a pound of herbs i'm still nice with the verbs
So fuck what you heard
The born cipher, cipher master makes me think much faster
But critics still continue to plaster
My name and discredit my fame
All that shit is game
And i don't really give a damn
Eat from the tree of life and throw away the verbal ham

[diamond d]

Well, excuse me, i gotta add my two cents in
Don't be alarmed, the rhyme was condensed in
A matter of minutes so it must be told
All that glitters' not gold
Everybody wants a deal, help me make a demo
See my name in bright lights, ride around in a limo
My moms keeps beefin' ("boy, get a job")
But i wanna make jams, damn, i know i'll slam
Huh, well it's not that easy
You gotta get a label that's willin' and able
To market and promote, and you better hope
(for what?) that the product is dope
Take it from diamond, it's like mountain climbin'
When it comes to rhymin' you gotta put your time in
Get a good lawyer so problems won't pile
You don't wanna make a pitch that's wild.

Q-tip:
I had a dream about my man last night
And my man came by the studio
And his name is...
Busta rhymes in effect, shaheed is in effect
Phife did-awg is in effect
Check it out and give me my 'spect

I'm movin, yes i'm groovin cuz my mouth is on the motor
Use the coast in the mornin to avoid the funky odor
Can't help bein funky, i'm the funky abstract brotha
Funky in a sense, but i play the undacova
Once had a fettish, fettish for some booty
Now i'm gettin funky and my rappin, that's my duty
Brothas tend to jock on the style in particular
If you got the ego like some brothas, then i'll get with ya
But if i don't pursue, then i just don't give a (fuck)
My motto in the 90's is be happy makin bucks
Girls love the jim, cuz it causes crazy friction
When it goes up in and fluctuates the diction
I still understand the (uh!) cuz that's what i met her for
I'm hooked on the swings, so just call me the music whore
Women love the voice, brothas dig the lyrics
Quest the people's choice, we thrive it for the spirit
If you can't hear it, then get the wax utensils
Write my rhymes straight up, don't get with no fancy stensils
The rhymes we get is sweet, we stay away from tart
Our perfection is at work, perkin up the art
If you want to battle, i suggest you check your clock
Your demise is comin up and i want your man to watch
Be the prime example, i deep instilled the sample
Insignificance, here i'll place you on the mantle
Born up in harlem, reside down in jamaica
The girl i used to rock, her moms was a claker
Now what does that make her? the evil money taker?
The crazy move faker, i used that to break her

(vinia mojica singing in the background)
Phife is in the house, uncle mike is in the house
Bob power is in the house, tim latham is in the house
Wise men is in the house, brand nubs is in the house
The j beez, they in the house and de la, they in the house

I must regroup my thoughts and kick the next ones for my people
Please don't be deceived by ugly slice of evil
The world is kinda cold and the rhythm is my blanket
Wrap yourself up in it, if you love it, then you'll thank it
Don't move to rebuttal, wave your hand for action
The ladies of the '90's want more than satisfaction
They want keys and gs, and all those illy things
If you want to, i'll show you, just what the ab can bring
I keep a tight net with my brothas ken and kenny
If the question is of rhymes, then i'll tell ya, i got plenty
The thing that men and women need to do is stick together
Progressions can't be made if we're separate forever
I hooked this funky beat with the loop and the feature
With the funky singin by miss vinia mojica
So listen because the quest is led through the underground
My people been up on quest to long, no more will we be down
People tend to riff cuz they don't know the mental
People tend to bug cuz their beats are hard but gentle
Afro kinda lurks through the body of this youngun'
Play like bobby byrd on your back and your comin to
The house of the jazz, of the funk, of the rhythm
All the goods are welcome, but if you're a villain
I'll just wait and debate, contemplate your arrival
If flexin is your motive, then you don't like survival
The abstract is speakin, the hard beats is reachin
The black and puerto ricans
Cuz their butt naked, streakin through the ever murky streets
Of the urbanized areas
Blastin out the speakers is the hip hop hysteria

Craig is in the house, pete rock is in the house
Cl is in the house, ultra mag is in the house
Nice and smooth is in the house, big daddy kane is in the house
Beatnuts is in the house, special ed is in the house

Yeah(7x)
This one goes out to my man
Thanks alot ron carter on the bass
Yes my man ron carter is on the bass
Now check it out
Born into the 91 decade
You gotta say the quest is on
And goddamn it, yes the quest is on
And we out!

{q-tip}
It's a fly love song

To the effect of nothing, effective fronting
Is what i don't allow so let me tell you something
I am a bon-a-fide
Not too modest and not a lot of pride
Soon to have a ride and a home to reside
If my momma is sick i'm by her beside
Used to watch the show on channel 4 called riptide
Wash my wears in-tide cause it's too damn cold
Out-tide, that's how the runnings go
If there ain't no dough then there ain't no show
So take your roly poly fat promoter (ass)
To the chemical bank, and get my cash
If you wanna see the people scream and laugh
You best quest you ask the quest you ask real fast
Cause i don't wanna see em, start buckin
Throwin chairs in the air while you be duckin
What what? don't step to me with that
If you promotin the show make sure it ain't wack
*sings*
Or else i'm leaving ("let me tell you")
I'm leaving (*cut and scratched* "let me tell you")
I'm leaving (*cut and scratched* "let me tell you")
Your wack show

{q-tip} yo man whassup with that?
{phife} yo don't sweat me...
... c'mon, five hundred, that was the deal
{q-tip} c'mon man, don't try to play me out
{phife} we don't need you, sorry!!!
{q-tip} you know you need me
*drum roll*

{q-tip}
And the abstract rapper says

I want chicken, and orange juice, ?dat sauce on my rider?
And my occasional potato by oreida
Don't forget my pastry make sure they're tasty
I'm not the type to be pushy or hasty
See i'm the type of bro that's reared in the ghetto
Took a few shorts before
Now the only ones i take are the ones that i wear
Ain't takin no shorts no more, now
Please act proper 'fore i call the crimestoppers
Don't dip on the dough, cause that's a no-no
Make sure you count your money real slow
Be alert, look alive, and act like ya know
It's, the 90's, time to make moves
Not, the 80's, do away withcha womb
So what? you got a crew
I got one too, they're called the brooklyn zoo
Don't break fool, let's be reserved and cool
We don't have to act like we in grade school
Just make sure that we're taken care of
And we'll do a fly show for ya bub, check it out
Diggi-dang-diggi-dang, di-dang-ga-dang-a-diddy
Diggi-dang-diggi-dang, di-dang-ga-dang-a-diddy
Diggi-dang-diggi-dang, di-dang-ga-dang-a-diddy
Diggi-dang-diggi-dang, di-dang-ga-dang-diggy-diggy