KRS-One
What If
What if Hip Hop was never born, yo?
No Herc, No Flash, No Band, No Change, yo
No DJ's, No grab, No breakers, No MC
What would the state of dope world truly be?

No throw your hands, no screaming, no noise no DJ's cutting
No B-Boys, no B-Girls, No Grafitti, No nothing
If Hip Hop was never born? let me make this clear
Just the thought of it definitely brings me tears

It's not about a salery it's all about reality
And Hip Hop is the reality that creates all these saleries
HIP HOP, HIP HOP, HIP HOP
It's in the academies
Hauled from the streets of the hood every family
But what if Hip Hop didn't exist?
There wouldn't be this, there wouldn't be Chris
Or a Public Enemy with a black power fist
No Queen Latifa, no Will Smith either
There would only be tight jeans, tight suits and black sneakers
No Tango hats either, no bandana headdress, no TV's in the headrest
Who would be a big mess, trust me
Drew it, without rap I'd be saying this here in country music
We be no stars, imagine B-Boying over acoustic guitars
Not the sixteen bars
FEEL ME!
The art of sampling as well as cutting and scratching
It's all ours
But really think about it
FEEL ME!
What if Hip Hop was never born, yo?
No Herc, No Flash, No Band, No Change, yo
No DJ's, No grab, No breakers, No MC
What would the state of dope world truly be?

No throw your hands, no screaming, no noise no DJ's cutting
No B-Boys, no B-Girls, No Grafitti, No nothing
What if Hip Hop was never born? let me make this clear
Just the thought if it definitely brings me tears

So what if Hip Hop was never born?
Never known?
Never forever wrong
Never criticing our songs?
What if Hip Hop was never here?
Never that flavour in your ear
Never that thing that make you want to say OH YEAH!
No street millionaires, no billionaires
No Russell, No Diddy, No Wayne, No Chamillionaire
Let me get this clear, today you have a real choice
Because of Hip Hops existance you have a real voice
But what if Hip Hop never came around to the boogie down
Never touched Herc and it touched another sound

You wouldn't know about James Brown, Pull in the Funkdelic, the radio and still have a play in the sound. (?)
It's like wearing the same gown as a model
Stepping off the runway and go eat out at McDonalds
We was the models, and society was McDonalds
Comnplete with a presidential clown, McRonald
But really...
What if Hip Hop was never born, yo?
No Herc, No Flash, No Band, No Change, yo
No DJ's, No grab, No breakers, No MC
What would the state of dope world truly be?

No throw your hands, no screaming, no noise no DJ's cutting
No B-Boys, no B-Girls, No Grafitti, No nothing
What if Hip Hop was never born?
Let me make this clear
Just the thought of it definitely brings me tears

Now that would be something
No scratching, no cutting
Now Listen
No cars driving by with the boomin' systems
No prison coz non of us would be in 'em
No one would be advertisng that rap to our children
Sure there be murder, and thugs and drugs
But they be on the low, and hardly heard of
Except if you watch the news
See
If there was no Hip Hop in society
Then there would be fewer alternative views
See we not about to lose
Real Hip Hop, is like real estate
It's never going to move
I'd be singing the Blues literally
If I didn't acknowledge and cultivate the Hip Hop living in ME!
So what's It going to be I ask!
Hip Hop wasn't even supposed to last
So I gotta laugh when I look at Flash!
Yeah Grandmaster Flash is on the tracks
But where would we be without the cut and the scratch?
SO I ask!

What if Hip Hop was never born, yo?
No Herc, No Flash, No Band, No Change, yo
No DJ's, No grab, No breakers, No MC
What would the state of dope world truly be?

No throw your hands, no screaming, no noise no DJ's cutting
No B-Boys, no B-Girls, No Grafitti, No nothing
What if Hip Hop was never born? let me make this clear
Just the thought of it definitely brings me tears