[Double K] Check it⦠People Under The Stairs⦠Double Kā¦
[Both] Thes Oneā¦
[Double K] Putting it down⦠the way it should beā¦
[Thes One] For twoā¦
[Double K] The way it shouldāve beenā¦
[Thes One] L.A. styleā¦
[Double K] We gonna do itā¦
[Thes One] The West styleā¦
[Double K] Me and Thesā¦
[Thes One] Hip-hopā¦
[Double K] You⦠Two, oneā¦
[Thes One] For everybodyā¦
[Sample]
Ask why and weāre be so whileā¦
āCause Iām rough and Iām toughā¦
In a b-boy stance⦠and I come from L.A. (x2⦠then scratched together)
[Double K]
Crescent Heights city, yeah, thatās where Iām from
A gang of wild-ass n***as that donāt back down to run
And supposed to perpetrate on bustas that we putting it down
These so-called L.A. fools that aināt nowhere to be found
I see you throwing up the āW,ā but yo, Iām here to trouble you
Of what you listening to-1-3, and thatās 3-1-0, not 3-1-3, so get it rightā¦
Bust it⦠yo, we makinā dope like Hoover and Pico, move slow
Be polite and everythingāll be alright, despite what other n***as say
Yo, this where it at, them other West Coast faggots, yo, where they at?
Word to MC Ren, I showed them people that you wack
Peace to the real crews defacing walls on backstreets
In the city of set, porch, halls, and swap meets
From the school of hard knocks, the generation passed down
Kaiser Permanente, yo, thatās where I was found
In the middle of the funk era, 'fros and dashikis
Pops was putting it down, chilling at the speakeasy
Now Iām posting at Unity with the b-boy stance (word!)
Take a glance and keep walking, yo, you know who it is
Iām from the motherfucking hardest-working group in show biz
If your shit aināt humping right, donāt even bring it this way
You get booed off the stage, leaving town the next day
Telling your boys, āIt is aight, better luck next time
The only thing that was cool: the weed, women, and sunshineā
Forgot to look under the stairs, yo, much more to boast about
Trying to diss and get that ass knocked out
[Thes One]
Thes born in South America, moved to South Bay
Run with a crew from Mid-City, thatās where I stay
Iām from L.A., always have been, and always will be capitol
The sprawled up piece stands out like palm trees
Next to pine trees, blowing in the Santa Ana breeze
My DJās got fame, underground Rick Dees
I am MC, so bring in funk in five minutes
I jam like the 110 in the ā84 Olympics
Keep the rhyme moving like the Unity location
Rap has been my vocation
Since before the Japanese owned the radio station
Thatās why they Fired Jay Thomas
I keep it fattened like the llama, yo, I promise
Never stop, never change, like the price at Dodger Stadium
I blow up, rock free shows at the Palladium
Afterwards, the crew Iām taking āem to Tommyās Burgers
Gotta be for every Los Angelino Murder
A rhyme for every burglar, Thes a well-worder
It comes together in a freeway like East LA merger
That means youāll get no pay, but I urge you
Keep ya eye on L.A. like Chuck Henry, word
You heard of someone better? Send āem our way
He get done the L.A. Way, the drive-by wayā¦
[Samples]
āCause Iām rough and Iām toughā¦
In a b-boy stance⦠and I come from L.A. (all scratched together)
[Thes One]
Check it⦠everyone in my town think they got flows
Thes serve more wack MCs than waitresses at Roscoeās
You know me, at the graveyard shift, gettin spliffed
We can take it downtown like Figueroa and 5th
And after that, Iām heading up to El Cholo for some dinner
Bustinā through the inner-city underground like the red line
Thinner than the line at car wash in El NiƱo
Thatās you son, see no time in this locale
Underground, down, talking ābout, āYo, Iām keepin it real!ā
Iām coming with the Walkman and tapes, not steel
Not a .22, .45, but a 9, Double O, 6
Put it on your letter to the better, lick a stamp, send it
And mail a letter to Thes, L.A. legend like Fernando Valenzuela
Yes, he never ran in a battle, yes
He be smoking beedis, watching the sun set from Sunset
[Double K]
Ay-yo, we got rappers walking around, shook like earthquakes
Blame it on San Andreas, it was a fault you had to wait
To grab the steel, how you feel? Aināt even got skills to represent
The City of Angels, my whole team is heaven sent
Getting shit accomplished, yo, check the way we rock this
Like the Raiders in ā88, fool, you canāt stop us
Like gang-banging, this shitāll be banging for centuries
Imperial groups spreading like bank robberies
Over the Southland, we put the funk in your trunk
To bump hard, like 808s, sorry you had to wait
But we was digging in the crates, no fear, itās here
Shady like MacArthur Park, donāt get caught after dark
Might never come back, see, sometimes itās like that
Some n***as carry a gat, some n***as use their head
But the smartest of the smartestāll still come out dead
Itās true it aināt where youāre from, itās where youāre at
But youāll still get caught up wearing the wrong colored-hat
And on that note, everybody shut the fuck up and kick it
Spliffted, whatever you do, make sure you donāt miss it
āCause we coming like the end, yo, itās just about wax
So watch out, we bringing bad luck like Wilshire and Fairfax
And itās just like that, so check it outā¦
[Samples]
āCause Iām rough and Iām toughā¦
In a b-boy stance⦠and I come from L.A. (all scratched together)
[James Brown] āFred, where you from?ā
[Fred Wesley] āL.A.ā
[James Brown & others] āUh oh, uh oh! Uh oh! Ask him where he started fromā¦ā
California⦠(repeats)