The Roots

obvious; conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

Head of the Class, Magna Cum Laude

Beats bring the beast out me, flagrant foul rowdy

Reed pipe but deep tight, disposition keep on flippin'

compliant; willing to submit to orders or wishes of others

Cuz you're my favorite subject

My sweet, submissive subject

My loyal, royal subject

scatter; distribute loosely

Used to make plots against the herringbone herb

But now, all I do disperse the verb

And like a nerd, I can make you say, "He's superb" (he's superb)

rebel; someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Burn like a chariot, learn how to carry it

Maverick, always above and beyond average

Fuel to the flame that I train with and travel with

examine; any tiny hole admitting passage of a liquid (fluid or gas)

Creator of original sounds that's in the stores

You take home to absorb and sweat it out your pores

Now who can stop the music runnin' through these veins

scheming; indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading

Backstage in high heels and painted on jeans

Probably had the most devious eyes I'd ever seen

Told me she was twenty-two she was only seventeen

monologue; speech you make to yourself

Of a gorilla stronger than Samson

Without vanilla my soliloquy profess my ability to just

Stimulate you like the best sensimilla

satisfy; fill to satisfaction

I represent so you gotta squint

As far as how I do it you ain't compen-sate

We causin' nui-sance and get in-decent so save your two cents

seeming; concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious

B- my raps trick your optical

Mister superficial, I'm rippin' apart your heart tissue

This is your official, dismissal

story; short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)

A soldier at ease, but on post of up most in

Brag and boast in my anecdotes that choke

Invade your whole terrain, you feel the pain provoke

expand; increase in size, volume or significance

Who will imply that I lack a-biliti?

Make your words known, amplify the u-tiliti

I'm crooked like the I on a toxic malt liquor

evoke; call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Got no time to debate, but hold up wait, sit straight

It's in mil, the elicit, you violate, you get a ticket

MCs you can't tell I expel, you get evicted

collection; a collection of works that an artist or company can perform

In your area, throughout your whole section, yo

Y'all know the dynasty, the roots repertoire

The lieutenant from the reservoir, serve the spar

fall; drop sharply

Aiyyo I stop fools and drop jewels but never run it

Rock mics so nice I make you stock price plummet

All you high noon riders better rally at the summit

hard working; quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness

Ready plus willin', it's all the true killer shit

You know we got 'em involved, we too diligent

They say the music is strong and too militant

harmful; contrary to your interests or welfare

Moms listen to they daughter story about my packets

The adverse is on your table, stabilize emotion

A soldier at ease, but on post of up most in

healing; tending to cure or restore to health

My journey from a dirty hallway, to the Hall of Fame

Music my therapeutic way to cope with all this pain

Was headed for the drain, soakin before the rainwater came

damnation; (Christianity) the abode of Satan and the forces of evil

The longest walk I'll probably ever be on

The Road to Perdition, guess I'm finna get my plea on

I pray these wings strong enough to carry me on

hate; find repugnant

There ain't no hell like the hell I raise

I'd die in the bed I made 'fore I lay with a love I loathe

I'm a snake in the garden of bones

swivel; turn on a pivot

We don't sweat it, by The Fifth you get beheaded

I pivot through my borough givin' pounds to the dreaded

At the lye spots I got credit, could run 'em down

consider equal; consider or describe as similar, equal, or analogous

And beat breaks seduced by means to elevate

Equates my views with the passing

Those matching this intellect identify, for like minds

important; having important issues or results

Looking for a shorty coming from work, that I can pervert

On my existential grind doing consequential dirt

Searchin' for physical pleasure if I don't go mental first

fake; intended to deceive

Just blendin in the great, give me room to ventilate

Most niggaz is fraudulent, the rap seargeant

Bargin, through your regiment, call your president

rolling or tumbling; a confused multitude of things

Impact like a buckle being swung from off a belt

You need help or shelter when in the realms of a welter

My way will tilt ya, hold a lime and say, "Change your filter"

violation; the act of transgressing; the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle

I'm always hittin' to leave MCs guessin'

For any transgression in my perimeter, there will be a blessin'

And your explicit, intoxicated buddha session, so stop stressin'

odd item; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule

It was a shot of eighth, but I never got away

Dreamed a little dream of me, but that was an anomaly

People ask for god, 'till the day he comes

pretentious; impressive because of unnecessary largeness or grandeur

That's right.

The people don't come because you grandiose motherfuckers don't play

shit that they like. If you played the shit that they liked,

common; most frequent or common

We realized this a planet of Cream, to obtain

When the predominant rap, conglomerate rap spark the flame

Hark the name

mixed up; lacking a visible order or organization

I thought I could get wif her when she was a little older

But she a victim of the wicked system that controlled-a it's all chaotic

But if my life it's symbolic forever shadow on my mental I never forgot it

figure out; become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers or threads of

Who slew Leviathan with one arrow

As I revolve through the gun barrel just to watch it unravel

I tell them have heart, must travel

bookish; marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Tryin' to control the fits of panic

Unwritten and unraveled, it's the dead man's pedantic

Whatever, see it's really just a matter of semantics

refill; fill something that had previously been emptied

Pale asses, think a nigga in this

My flow's tremendous, for the meal you can't replenish

The question you ask me, situation get worse

sophistication in speaking; using language effectively to please or persuade

Pull up the urinal organs up in your bladder cat

Approachin you with shriller rhetoric, as if you had a sac

Now crews down for it, your gas pedal floor it

adapt; be similar, be in line with

Cold shoulders and frozen aortic valves

So I don't form pals, conform to norms, morals different

Gifted, use it to shift shit

criticize; rebuke formally

I terrorize the heavens bring on the renaissance

With the seventh the civili the reverence reprimand

The deacon keeping them from speaching

spitefulness; feeling a need to see others suffer

Open up the mental deaths you rented through my palace

My thoughts contain the plus sign plus the malice

Not equating to your Wonderland so fuck Alice

edge; the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary

Have your lady lip-synchin' like on Soul Train

The niggas that's a problem's a minimal margin

The Colonel, Captain, Lieutenant, General, Sergeant

depending on; a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

Through all the dark times, part of the business

That life be contingent on smart forensics

My microphone'll make a man a newborn infant

cure; a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison

Yo, it's inflation on the price for fame

And it was all the same but then the antidote came

The black thought, ill syllablist, out the fifth

rude; (of persons) so unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility

Where's my God and where's my money

Unreal values, crass distortion

Unwed mothers need abortion

wasteful; a recklessly extravagant consumer

Stopped believing in himself

Become prodigal with his life

Make impossible shit right with

adopt; choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans

Speak street-family vows

Espouse no causes but his own

See, he couldn't protect Mommy's neck from Daddy's grasp

steal; take without referencing from someone else’s writing or speech

The voice with the multiple choice, she does a circle

You wanna turn and page your eyes, and try to plagiarize

But I degrade ya, slaughtered ya and slayed ya

occur at the same time or in the same place; go with, fall together

Forms of hustlin', watch who you put all your trust in

Worldwide, we coincide with who sufferin'

Who never had shit and ain't got nothin'

waste; spend thoughtlessly; throw away

Found out amongst thieves

Chose to squander his dreams

Stopped believing in himself

idea; a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

Listen, people listen

You got the notion (I hope so)

Listen what I'm saying to you

ban; command against

Cause wreck with the tech, make you jump and say 'ribbit'

I exhibit many forms, prohibit the corny forms

(And we're in, your neighborhood) on the norms

opponent; someone who offers opposition

And when inviting me thoughts, I'm really unboxin'

My main adversary in this silly concoction

Freeze your face like bosilium toxin

severity; something hard to endure

Big shit, send it for route and finish him out

Joints stiff from rigor mortise while we swimmin' in waters

Women with daughters will have us niggaz sinnin' with orders

struggle; disorderly fighting

My everyday m.o. is gettin dough cause times is rougher

Than a mother for brothers to scuffle shuffle your cards kid

Cause the odds is, niggaz'll hustle and live, foul

troubled; characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination

[Chorus]

Yo, living in turbulent times

The blind leading the blind

wanderer; anything that resembles a vagabond in having no fixed place

then shoot The Roots, poetic, courageously kinetic

Vagabond, versatile and various, plus rap styles

of mine are blunt, pain is in the mind, so I'm fine and five

warp; make false by mutilation or addition; as of a message or story

That's the way it is, when ya gotta be

Indeed as I distort I proceed, I need

Gettin hotter than sacks of boom, in my room at the Ramada

calmness; steadiness of mind under stress

But ain't nobody under more control than the soldier

And how could you expect a kid to keep his composure

When all sorts of thoughts fought for exposure again

understanding; clear or deep perception of a situation

Cat, you're brought up and the name of twinkle

My insight will crack the windpipe of y'all niggas

Whether small, middle-sized or tall niggas

secret; a flock of coots

Y'all tonka toys straight out the cereal box

Down low covert ops feel or not

Throw your mitts up we 'bout to thicken the plot

importance; special importance or significance

I'm like a senior citizen, still livin' but gettin' benefits

Put emphasis on hittin' my nemesis in high percentages

Crooked ass cops is the reason for my belligerence

take back; fail to follow suit when able and required to do so

Yet, don't owe them niggas nothing but potent lyrics

But if you ain't got the dance, they revoke your spinning

So good rappers ain't eating they Olsen twining

tighten; a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time

Bad Lieutenant, you I been rhymin' since

The fuckin' past tense, fuck no delayin'

Or playin' taking your wing way back in the day of yo

high point; a final climactic stage

Countdown, minutes away from detonation

A lifetime of grunt work, this is the culmination

My manner, seems patient, inner rage lies

technical language; a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

I'm barging in like excuse, I beg your pardon

To crush carbon copy mc's wit clone jargon

Move the crowd to leave the microphone sparkin

motionless; not circulating or flowing

Smiling through the trouble we face, tryna manage

My way without pumping my brakes and staying stagnant

'Cause I can sit on my ass or just imagine

pride; overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors

I don't give a fuck, now maybe that's abstinence

Or the arrogance of someone who ain't got shit

That think money over bitches is a stock tip...