Midnight Marauders

Verse one: phife dawg

Went to carvel to get a milk shake
This honey ripped me off of my loot case
The car oh yeah there's money in my jacket
Somebody broke into my ride and cold macked it
Yo tip i tell you man the devil's trying it
But i'm goin to stay strong cause i ain't bying it
Tonight i'm taking sherry out
I don't have jack to wear
You know i've got to look dipped in the freshest gear
Cool i found something so i ironed it
I think i caught up on the phone
Oh shit i'm trying it
Will someone tell me what did i do to deserve this?
I think i'll pull out my super ? and serve this
My little brother wants barney, cool i'm getting it
Took him down to kay-bee, they ain't sellin it
Here we go with the crying, yo he's throwing fits
My blood pressure blowing up, i can't take this shit
Finally got what he wanted now he's good to go
Again the robers smashed, were's my radio?
One time the car was in the shop i had to borrow see...
They had no mercy on the car oh you he'll kill me
Where the hell can nicki be? i'm goin to smack her up
I got the tickets for the knicks and she cold stood me up
I need to hit a hunny off yo drill pas me the phone
Pulled out my hooker hoes, oh yo sheela's home
Steady smiling like a mother yo i'm wrecked to bone
Went down on hun, she's in the red zone
Stressed out more than one could ever be
Forever trying to clear the sample for my new lp
With all these trials and tribulations yo i've been affected
And to top it off, starks got ejected

Refrain

Verse two: phife dawg

Just last week my girl was stressing me
Now her best friend be underssing me
Well i was lovin her by the moon lit
Now i'm tricking on her like kinte'
Bought a bag of izm from the smoke shop
Walking towards the car, here come the damn cops
Now i'm station bound for the thai sticks
I bought it for my man, i don't believe this shit
Coach sat me down from the ball team
Cause i was breakin niggaz on the inseams
Some niggas cross town was trying to stick me
All i had was shorts, a dollar fifty
Picked up this gir in the hoopty
Just because of her rhymes she tried to soup me
Pay for this and pay for that loot for nails and hair
Who the hell do you think i am, mr. belvedere?
Go and get a bloddy job then can we look cute
Even if you get me boots, you'll neva see my loot
She wasn't even all of that just anothe hooker
Took the journey that ass way, quick like chucky booker
Sometimes you got put the hoes in their freakin place
Just move from in front me with your botty face!

My man mohammed in the house, huh [come on, come on]
Zulu nation in the house, huh [come on, come on]
Sub rock is in the house, huh [come on, come on]
My man skeff is in the house, huh [come on, come on]
Jarobi white is in the house, huh [come on, come on]
Bob power in the house, huh [come on, come on]
My man eric in the house, huh [come on, come on]
My man lytcha in the house, huh [come on, come on]
[help me, help me, help me, help me, help me, help me........muhammad!!]

Chorus:
We can get down
We can, we can get down(both lines 4x)
Ah, it's like that man, it's like that (yes!)
It's like that man, it's like that (yes!) (2x)
It's like that man, it's like that
(rakim from "my melody":"why waste time on the microphone")
Check it

Phife:
I'm not your average mc with the joe schmoe flow
If you don't know me by now, you'll never know
Steppin on my critics, beatin on my foes
The plan is to stay focused, only then i can go
Straight from the heart, i represent hip hop
I be three albums deep, but i don't wanna go pop
Too many candy rappers seem to be at the top
Too much candy is no good, so now i'm closin the shop
Crushin competition like your tires on grapes
My rhymes styles be blendin like a ron g tape
My man where ya goin? you can't escape
When the tribe is in the house, that means nobody is safe
How can a reverend preach, when a rev can't define
The music of our youth from 1979
We rap about what we see, meaning reality
>from people bustin caps and like mandela bein free
Not every mc be with the negativity
We have a slew of rappers pushin positivity
Hip hop will never die yo, it's all about the rap
So marion barry smokin crack, let's preach about that
The trash you talk won't matter, that old bogus chatter
The more that you condemn us, it only makes us phatter
When i talk, i know i'm talkin for you poppers all around
You know you love the sound, we gets down

Chorus:

Q-tip:
I'm the cherry on the top of yo ice cream
I'm the wish you thought inside your dream
Listen to the way we pulsate the jam
I'm the nigga here with the mic in hand
Styles that we present are just a few
To do away with you and your hum drum crew
This is '93 and the shit is real
Black people unite and put down your steel
Ladies make a forum on your sexual drive
Devoted to your lover and make it thrive
The riff was of f, i'm a hip hop body
Release the energy like the force of a shotty
Standin on the wall with my polo on
Talkin to the girl with the liz claiborne
Keep the poetry in my black knapsack
Got my timbo horse and my doublemint pack
Hit the city streets to enhance my soul
I can kick a rhyme over ill drum rolls
With a kick, snare, kicks and high hat
Skilled in the trade of that old boom bap
I can do a trick with the opposite breed
I used to down 40s and smoke grain weed
Now, i'm doin shows with half loot down
Now it's time for me to take ya uptown

It's like that man, it's like that (yes!) (7x)
It's like this, shaheed!

Shaheed:(scratching)(until end)
Rakim: "why waste time on the microphone"

Verse one: phife dawg

Aiyyo swing swing swing, to chop chop chop
Yo that's the sound when mc's get mopped
Don't come around town without the hip in your hop
Cause when the shit hits the fan, that ass'll get dropped
Mc's wanna attack me but them punks can't cope
I'll have you left without a job, like isley from the love boat
So money watch your mouth, or i might have to bust ya
Battlin mc's, from jfk to russia
Back down to london, sweden and brazil
Do a u.s. tour for three months and then a chill
Styles be fat like jackie gleason, the rest be art carney
People love the dawg like the kids love barney
"i love you, you love me"
The shorty phife dawg is your favorite mc
So move back yaself dread, you know the element
The tribe is good for your health like a can of nutriment
Mc's don't have no winds, mc's don't have no winds
I flips you crazier than a busload of jerry's kids
Your crew don't want it, man your crew don't want it
But if you feel you can swing it, then money please bring it
(sup) large professor in the house (sup)
(sup) you know how we do (sup)
(sup) i stay on your crew (sup)
(whassup) like mario lemieux (whassup)
(whassup?) peace to ike love
(sup? hah hah) and the rest of the crew (whassup?)
(whassup?) i meet you guys in front the cleaners
Bring the blunts and the brew so

Verse two: q-tip

Whassup kids? the ab is speaking from the moon
Thanks for your support, aiyyo i'll be home soon
But the only thing i ask when i return from my task
Is a whole bunch of beats and a blass full of ass
My fist stands firm because i'm, black and solid
I open up your pores like a plate full of collards
C'mon take it easy wouldya, easy easy
I'm up in the gulley, that's when i am her buddy
She told me pull her hair, i did, it drove her nutty
Filled up the hole like spackle or i mean putty
When we over joints like this we never cruddy
Extra p hooked the beat, and kids it feels luh-huh-ovely
Check it out, cause my conception is immaculate
A bachelor, lookin for a bachlelorette
Back to you mc's, this is what your gonna get
A first degree burn from my man ken's cigarette
I hope you like malboro, paul you know we thorough like denver
The beat feels like a never-ender
But all things good must, so i won't sweat it
Drop the c's for the youthful crew, i hope you get it
As i stand, grip this mic inside my hand
Boy i smack you up, like i was your old grand
So respect yourself son, and come and gimme love
Once again the ab is who you think of
So chill with the beef money, we got a jetti

Verse three: extra p (large professor)

It's extra p and yo tip i'm bout to set it
On the country once again here to win
I'm uptown chillin, takin in this grand master vic blend
From the projects, the pj's, fuck them two dj's
Self mission, i had her in the ill position
Saying "large youse the soul brother that i'd like to
Eff with for the rest of my life" yeah yeah now check the method
As i, proceed with what you need like akinyele
A whip looks complete when the tires say firelli
Funk monkey, one rapper fell off, now he's a junkie
There's 8 million stories in the city it's a pity
Don't fuck with the skins if she's trying to act shitty
Shout to the guru, primo and zulu zulu
Nation, was on a vacation, in the ghetto
Yo ras slow your roll i'm bout to bag this here's metal
Rapper nas on topic, seems we gonna rock it
Queens represent, buy the album when i drop it (drop it)

Q-tip:
The night is my mind
The sun'll still shine
But the night is on my mind
So parlay while i drop this rhyme

See, jake be gettin illy when the sun get dark
They be comin out the heads, but shit don't let me start
Their activities are plenty in nighttime(nighttime)
For the ghetto child, it seems to be the right time
See, kids be gettin stuck with jewels and fly gimmicks
Shorty see the action and then start to mimic
Runnin to the corner, the dice game is blazin
Lookin at the loot, it seems so amazin
Puts it short down, to be exact would bound
He shakes the stones in his hand, then he lets it down(uh!)
Scam money don't make none
He threw a trip on the ace, now he's out son
Hits the local bodega to woof down a hero
Son is on a 'midnight run' like de niro
Spots the shorty rock standin on his block
The thieves be handlin in the pumps,so he asked it it's not
Conversation that he kicked to the shorty was a sly one
Increased intensity, his dance sure was a fly one
Took her to the crib there she ran her gibs
About mind upliftment and bein positive
He yawned and he sighed til 1:05
Then he finally realized that hunny wasn't live
At least he didn't plan on buildin for the evenin'
Threw the fila on the dome and said 'come on yo, we leavin'
Came out on the scene as he told her to beep him
Saw his man sam with the blunt in his hand
(aww shhh...!!!)you know the transaction
Brothas gettin lost in the weed satisfaction
Comin down the block man loud as (fuck)
You would swear redman was inside the trunk
As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt
They interrupt ya cipher, and crush ya blunt
See you left your work at home, so they pat you down for nuthin
Why in the hell does 10-4 keep frontin?
You push to the park, even though it's still dark
The kid is nice on the hoop, he said 'i'll spot ya troop'

The night is on my mind
The sun'll still shine
But now the night is on my mind, the night is on the mind
The night is on your mind
A yo, the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on the mind
As for me...

I'm a nocturnal animal, god concentrates
On a young black man, who makes the niggaz speak a shake
The nighttime is busy, it's word to aunt kizzy
It's the time we get down, yo son, you know the sound
The flavas on the top with the rugged beat to back it
The night makes the aura and the j can't hack it
The way the moon dangles in the midnight sky
And the stars dance around, a yo, i think it's fly
Intensity, most rappers don't see it
Spirit wise, musically, you gotta be it
Serenity and sirens of the sounds and emotions
In the concrete jungle and the sun don't bungle
I think it's hard to find the words on how i feel
I paid about a deuce twenty for the ampex steel
But let me slow down, i think i ran my gibs enough
Peace out to the nation, stay rugged and rough

The night is on my mind, the sun'll still shine
The night is on my mind, the night is on my mind
The night is on my mind, yeah, the sun'll still shine
But now, uh huh, the night is on my mind
The night is on your mind, you know the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on the mind, yeah, the night is on my mind
The night is on the mind, a yo, the sun'll still shine
But now the night is on the mind, yeah, the night is on the mind
The night is on the mind, a yo, the sun'll still shine

"hey sucka nigga, whoever you are" (repeat 2x)
"hey sucka nigga, hey sucka nigga
Whoever you are, whoever you are"

[q-tip]
Aiyyo, turn it up muhammad
Turn everything up in the headphones
So i don't lose my vocals
Yeah that's good, turn my vocals a little bit
With the upper bassline

I be hatin sucka mc's, and the sucka niggas
Posing like they hard when we know they damn card
What you figure, rhyme-wise, i do the figure eight
So concisely, musically we are the herb so sit back
And light me, inhale *inhalation noise*
My style is kinda fat reminescent of a whale
Young girls desires for the females dreams
I be the abstract poetic representin from queens
Socially i'm not a name, black and white got game
If you came to the jam, well i'm glad you came
See, nigga first was used back in the deep south
Fallin out between the dome of the white man's mouth
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
Other niggas in the community think it's crummy
But i don't, neither does the youth cause we
Em-brace adversity it goes right with the race
And being that we use it as a term of endearment
Niggas start to bug to the dome is where the fear went
Now the little shorties say it all of the time
And a whole bunch of niggas throw the word in they rhyme
Yo i start to flinch, as i try not to say it
But my lips is like the oowop as i start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as i start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as i start to spray the

Sucka nigga, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
It's the neo-nigga of the nineties, c'mon

I be hatin sucka mc's, and the sucka niggas
Posin like they hard when we know they damn card
What you figure, rhyme-wise, i do the figure eight
So concisely, musically we are the herb so sit back
And light me *inhalation noise* inhale *echoes*
My style is kinda fat reminescent of a whale
Young girls desires for the females dreams
I be the abstract poetic representin from queens
Socially i'm not a name, black and white got game
If you came to the jam well i'm glad you came
See, nigga first was used down in the deep south
Fallin out between the dome of the white man's mouth
It means that we will never grow, you know the word dummy
Other niggas in the community think it's crummy
But i don't, neither does the youth cause we
Em-brace adversity it goes right with the race
Yo i start to flinch, as i try not to say it
But my lips is like the oowop as i start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop as i start to spray it
My lips is like a oowop, yo you know the rest

The sucka niggas, niggas niggas
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the suckas in the front for the ones that front
The sucka niggas, nigga nigga
I throw the sucka in the front for the ones that front
Sucka niggas, nigga nigga
Aiyyo shaheed, take us the fuck outta here

[phife]
Linden boulevard represent, represent
Tribe called quest represent, represent
When the mic is in my hand, i'm never hesitant
My favourite jam back in the day was eric b. for president

Rude boy composer
Step to me you're over
Brothers wanna flex
Youre not mad cobra
Mc short and black
There aint no other
Trini-born black like mia longs grandmother
Tip and sha they all that, phife-dawg ditto
Honey tell your man to chill, or else you'll be a widow
Did not you know that my styles are top-dollar?
The five-foot assassin knockin fleas off his collar
Hip-hop scholar since bein knee-high to a duck
The height of mugsy bogues, complexion of a hockey puck
You better ask somebody on how we flip the script
Come to a tribe show and watch the three kids rip

[q-tip]
Queens is in the house represent, represent
A tribe called quest represent, represent
No tamin of the style cuz it gets irreverent
A tribe called quest represent, represent

Huh-huh, here we go
You know that i'm the rebel
Throwin out the wicked like god did the devil
Funky like your grandpas drawers, dont test me
We in like that, youre dead like presley
When we comin through get tickets to see me
We work for the paper so therell never be a preemie
Lyrics are abundant cuz we got it by the mass
Egos are all idle cuz the music is the task
Valenzuela on the pitch, curveball, catch it
I think i got it locked, just smooth while i latch it
Right
Now i must move with the quickness
Here comes shaheed so we must bear the witness

Chorus

Stir it up x3
Steve biko

Stir it up x3
Steve biko

Verse 2

[phife]
New york city represent, represent
A tribe called quest represent, represent
The dawg is scientific with the styles i invent
A tribe called quest represent, represent

Mcs like to meddle, but heres my proposition
I let my lyrics flow, and jumped your whole position
I'm radical with this like the man this song is after
Yo tip settle down, whats the reason for the laughter?

[q-tip]
I really cant say, i guess i laugh to keep from cryin
So much goin on, people killin, people dyin
But i wont dwell on that, i think i'll elevate my mental
Thanks for these bars on the biko instrumental

[phife]
Yo i take it back, im the indian giver
Mcs take notes as i stand and deliver
Percussion isnt less, d's wear the vest
While they dodgin bullets, you should be dodgin quest
Dont get me wrong, violence is not our forte
I just like to rhyme, kick the lyric skills like pele
Tip educateem, my rhymes are strictly taboo
Fill em with some fantasies and i'll look out like tattoo

[q-tip]

Okay
I am recognizing that the voice inside my head
Is urging me to be myself but never follow someone else
Because opinions are like voices
We all have a different kind
So just clean out all of your ears
These are my views and you will find that
We revolutionize over the kick and the snare
The ghetto vocalist is on a state-wide tear
Soon to be the continent and then the freakin globe
Theres room for it all as we mingle at the ball
We welcome competion cuz it doesnt make one lazy or worn
We gotta work hard, you know the damn card
Try to be the fattest is the level that we strive
Try to be the fattest also to stay alive