[Intro]
Guru, Rest in peace
Do you wanna mess with this
One of the best yet
We've got it
You can feel the realness
Uh, uh...in this business of rap, rap, rap
Go ahead
[Verse 1: Promoe]
Fresh out the gate again, time to sing the praises, yeah
Another too early fallen rapper, I still remember when
I used to listen to the words that he manifest
Used to stay up late by the radio and bang my desk
He made me wanna be a part of a movement
Start a foundation, I started a crew with
Embee, Cos, Supreme; we banged Gang Starr
"Full clip" used to be the beat we used for "Long Arm"
Back before we had it printed on vinyl
They embodied a decade till the end of the 90's
And to this day when I reminisce
I still feel the same way I would never diss
Nah, nothing but love and respect to the elders
If we don't respect our past we won't respect ourselves in the future
That day when we must all face a moment of truth, ya!
Guru...
[Scratch Hook: DJ Premier]
Do you wanna mess with this
Gang Starr...One of the best yet
I'm nice like that
It's all good, in this business of rap, Full Clip
Do you wanna mess with this
Gang Starr...One of the best yet
I'm nice like that
[Verse 2: Cos.M.I.C.]
One of the meanest and the cleanest
Guru, you gone too soon
A big inspiration in the early days of Looptroop
When we used to hang at the gas station
Back when racking cans was a daily operation
And when you flipped it with Jeru and Lil' Dap
We took a bite of that and did it on a cypher track
But years before that, one day at City Records
Chilly White gave me a album said "You gotta get this, aiight?"
So I did and I loved it from the top
Then "Step in the arena" was poppin' non-stop
And all my neighbors could hear the record play
Especially my favorite track "Who's gonna take the weight?"
I got to know the meaning of the Gang Starr
You on the mic and Premier raised the anchor
The legacy of song, though you're not around
But I'm sure we can hear your sound above the clouds
[Sample Bridge: DJ Premier]
Knowledge is Power
And knowledge can be the difference between life or death
You should know the truth and the truth shall set you free
[Verse 3: Timbuktu]
I was raised on Gang Starr, in the magazines
Nature of my life when I was all but a teen, like a cannon
'cause I was blasting every single thing you wrote
And rappin' along 'til the last note
It gave me something that bordered on euphoria
Guru in the walkman, I walked like a warrior
So much more than a cultural identity
Hip hop was it and those who disagreed were enemies
When I was 17 tryin' to get my skills down
Daily Operation, killed me with the ill sound
Of trueness, knowledge and energetic dimension
20 years later and I still pay attention
The undying legacy is flowing through the veins
Of everyone who ever heard...Knows the fucking name!
And so, you would know the meaning of the Gang Starr
Guru with the mic and Premier raised the anchor
Swift!
Rest in peace...