[Intro]
Think about where all your inspiration
Comes from, is he from your generation?
If he's not, I'm sure you probably hate it
But ask yourself, would you have even made it?

[Chorus]
If it wasn't for him
And everybody else before him
And before him
And before him
'Cause you would never make it
If it wasn't for him
And those before him
And before him
And before him (Haha)

[Verse 1]
Yeah, yeah
I am AK, I am not the next Em
But everybody telling me that I'm the next him
But understand there will never be a next Em
You'll probably twist my words and say I don't respect him
I always preach to keep it real so I'm about to now
Em did not influence me 'cause I was not allowed
To listen to him, my parents said I was just a child
I wondered why and I look back and I got it now
My young mind back then probably wasn't ready
To hear the shit that he talked about, they said he was too edgy
I couldn't listen to anything, younger me, he was begging
I couldn't wait to hear the song about his momma's spaghetti
His influence on me was indirect
'Cause I was listening to Hopsin, I was obsessed
I come to find he was the same way when it came to Em
That's when it hit me this culture's a family tree
And this shit affects the whole game
From the beginning 'til I'm hitting old age
'Cause even after when I'm gone, kids come up with more flames
And artists feed the industry with songs that bring 'em more rage
'Cause they just hate the fact the era of sound's evolving
But where would they be?
[Chorus]
If it wasn't for him
And everybody else before him
And before him
And before him
'Cause you would never make it
If it wasn't for him
And those before him
And before him
And before him (Haha)

[Verse 2]
Once Cole became my idol I was looking for his
Found out Nas was the reason that he did what he did
So I was looking up his classics try'na find all his hits
To see what spoke to Cole, so I could grow even though I was a kid
Illmatic, still classic, I feel that shit
Even though it dropped five years before the world had me
Shit was blessing the next king of this real rap shit
I don't hate the new generation though I love it
Let's make that clear, happy I got it off of my chest
Now the truth is out
Look, already I can see all the fans that I'm losing now
Just because I fuck with Pump, Roddy Ricch and Lil' Uzi sound
If you don't like it then don't listen
It's simple I'm cruising 'round in the Civic
Just wondering on how it'd be if they listened
They'd see that they got it twisted and all these kids they been dissin' all this time have been gifted
I'm just minding my business
Shit I'm blind to the situation
I plead the fifth
The old must respect the new
The new must respect the old
If you a youngin' coming up but you've been hating on what's old
Do your homework, learn the game, watch the way this shit's evolved
Without the old, your biggest idol?
You would never even known
[Chorus]
If it wasn't for him
And everybody else before him
And before him
And before him
'Cause you would never make it
If it wasn't for him
And those before him
And before him
And before him (Haha)