That ain't platinum it's not even silver
It's just a piece of shit I told you that shit don't rhyme
What? What?
Look at that! Huh?
You said "Free Tibet" Ain't no niggas in Tibet!
It's probably a free t-shirt!
My flow is too ill.
Damn, I thought that was a real person.
That's a puppet. God damn!
This puppet had me fooled.
I was like, he's gonna get in trouble smoking all this weed out here.
Guy got his hand up a Jamaican midget's ass.
Doing all...
I didn't know it was a puppet!
All right. Oh yeah, give it up for my man, Mr. T.
His cereal is in stores.
Mr. T!
Can I get somebody to beatbox for me?
I'll beatbox. How do you want your beat? All right.
Many women tell me my style is so different
It is kind of good but let's be specific
I'm not the type to be rushing
I'm not the type of guy who asks a whole lot of questions
Like where you going, where you been and can we
have sex all the time? That's not important to D
I only date girls who have men or relations
So to be with me is like a mini vacation
So I don't let no girl spend my money like she crazy
Half on drinks on the room and the baby
I don't argue, I control myself
'Cause I don't have to be loud or physical to be felt
'Cause after it's all over we realize it was nothing
I walk away and later return and still be...
You never have to worry that I lie
'Cause I don't have to
'Cause I'm the nigga on the side
That's right.
All right, I'll see you Saturday, man. All right!
Saturday.
2:00.
Be there or be square, as they say.
She knew what I was going for. You heard that, buddy?
Quincy and Downing Street.
How do you spell Downing?
Downing? I don't know, I went to public school.
D-O-W-N-N-I-G?
When you said you was doing it over there, I was like, "Fuck."
You grew up over there?
My whole childhood...
Hey, that's crazy. ...was in the Stuy.
So it's a trip. The Stuy is still, like,
the Stuy.
You know what I'm saying?
This shit has been like that
forever.
It's actually better now than it has been. In certain areas, anyway.
Some of it look like
when The Cosby Show comes back from commercial break.
And some of it look like
when Good Times came back from the commercial break.
But it could be
in the same block.
Like, yeah, you could be in one block,
and then you'd turn the corner and you'd be like, "Oh, shit."
Tyrone in school?
Folks, right now I'm sitting in the office of none other than Luz Grice.
She is the director
of the daycare center
whose roof we'll be shooting on Saturday.
I just wanted to say thank you, first of all, for letting us shoot here.
Thank you.
And thank you for introducing me to all the kids today.
You're quite welcome.
It's a mixed area.
Bed-Stuy, it's black,
Hispanic...
There are a few Caucasians coming in.
You know, that's what I like about Bed-Stuy. You say it's a mixed area.
Blacks and Hispanics.
Blacks, Hispanics, and a few Caucasians
coming into the neighborhood.
Do you got a limo?
Do I have a limo? Today I have a limo.
Thank you. Thank you. Can we ride in it?
If you guys could ride in my limousine, right,
where would you want to go?
No, wait a minute! Wait a minute!
Let's go to Alabama.
You wanna go to Alabama?
We get to see the roof?
Now we going to the roof. To the roof?
Yes. The roof.
I hope you can climb stairs.
Right
over the ledge
is the actual Block Partylconcert.
All right, to my right is Tyrone. One of the fastest kids on the East Coast.
I'm gonna give you a head start, that's how confident I am.
You ready? Yeah.
Set?
I didn't say go.
I didn't say go, Tyrone.
Come on, now, all right?
Now this time I mean it. Are you ready?
Set.
I'm gonna give you a head start.
Go.
Just gonna let him run real quick.
Oh, he is fast!
Is the jump-off jumping off?
Who wants to go next? Ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
All right, come on, y'all. Let's keep the show going.
All right, everybody.
I don't know what to say.
Ya'll just gonna have to go crazy now.
Just make some noise.
Hey! I smell reefer!
I'm calling the police!
All right, everybody. Make some noise.
Show your love.
Erykah Badu.
Back in the day now
Back in the day when things were cool
Hey
All we needed was bop-bop bop-bop, bop-ba-dop
Hey
Bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-ba-dop
Wait.
Well, well, well Sing
Back in the day when things were cool
Back in the day
All we needed was Bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-ba-dop
Hey
Oh, well, well, well
Look, gotta say
Soul flower take me flying with you
Hey, child
Just give me that bop-bop, bop-bop, bop-ba-dop
Let me just say, just because you guys are younger than me,
don't think for a second I'm gonna take it easy on you.
I play to win. Yeah, you can't win.
I'm putting some money on the table.
I'm just kidding. Gambling is wrong, kids.
James, watch this.
We gonna go back, all right?
Say good morning.
Good morning!
Good morning, kids.
Say, "Good morning, Mr. Chappelle."
Good morning, Mr. Chappelle.
Thanks. Can you say, "Good morning, Mr. Black Bush?"
Good morning, Mr. Black Bush.
I love kids. Thank you.
The laughing, the singing The jamming, the talking
And pumping the trunk With the windows rolled up
Puff
Hours ago
Then we could ride around the park till it's after dark
And when we get home hope the dog don't bark
Puff
It's always more interesting to look at the person behind the image.
Everyone's got a difference between their personal life and their public life.
You kind of have to. Not every part of you can be for sale, right?
But this is something where I just wanted to get a feeling of,
like, that third dimension.
Something just a little bit beyond that superficial image.
Just meet the people beyond the gold or whatever it is
that their image is.
That, you know,
you hear someone like Erykah Badu's music and you get the idea she's so serious,
but she's a hilarious person. You'd never know this.
So hopefully we hang out here for 12 hours together,
we perform together, or we talk together,
maybe we get to see a little bit more about what we're all about.
Hey, look at Erykah!
Go ahead, girl.
I really love that woman.
We all have our own thing. That's the magic.
That everybody comes with their own sense of strength and their own queendom.
Mine could never compare to hers, and hers could never compare to mine.
Love of my life
You are my friend
Love of my life
I can depend
Love of my life
Without you, baby
Feels like a simple true love, yeah
But the shit didn't clear
Y'all know how I met her
We broke up and got back together
To get her back I had to sweat her
Thought she'd roll with bad boys forever
In many ways them boys made her better
To grow I had to let her Let her
She needed cheddar and I understood that
Looking at cheese that don't make her a 'hood rat
In fact she's a queen to me Her light beams on me
I love it when she sings to me It's like
Ooh, you know you rock my world
And you be boy
And I'll be girl
And it don't stop
Until the break of dawn
Sing it, y'all, come on
It don't, it don't It don't, it don't
She jumped off into the crowd's arms.
That was exciting.
Yes, yes, y'all And you don't stop
We like to rock to the beat And you don't stop
Kool Herc in the house And you don't stop
That chick right there has definitely led the way
for me and a lot of other sisters.
You know, I appreciate it.
Are you nervous you're gonna perform after her?
I'm trying to get your feelings out.
Have you ever seen me perform?
I am the lady, Jill Scott.
I am a poet and a singer
and a lot of other things.
And this is my pimple, Herbert.
He arrived today and he decided to stay.
So we'll see his performance tomorrow.
They're fixing me.
Now I can't see him.
He said, "Can I see your pimple?" No.
Woke up this morning
With a smile on my face
Jumped out of bed
Took a shower
And I cleaned up my place
Made me some breakfast
I had some toast and two scrambled eggs
Grabbed my keys Grabbed my purse
Grabbed my jacket Off to work
Beaming all the way
You love me, baby
Is it the way
You love me, baby
I know.
Jill Scott. I love her.
I've seen Mos Def.
Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited!
Oh, it's wonderful.
It's great being out here in New York for my first time.
I feel kind of like I'm at home. Yeah.
Seeing all these people out here with locks, it's comfortable.
You know, it's nice, though.
See, you can't come to Brooklyn without coming to the rooftop.
This is New York when you're on the rooftop.
Every time you show a movie, it always show somebody on the rooftop.
This is it.
So we here doing it.
On a rooftop.
The barbeque... You should see the lovely women.
All of us have... What we have in common
is that our audience doesn't look like us.
And it's the same for him.
Because of whatever vehicle that he's working at the time,
it attracts a certain demographic.
And I guess around the time when the thing that was out for him
was, you know, like people knowing about Half Baked.
And it was like post-9l11.
So, pretty much like...
The audience was full of, like,
these wild frat boys, like, you know, like,
that just wanted him to do his character.
'Cause he was telling stories, they would always interrupt his narrative.
But tell them what I said,
that's when the sniper was out, what did I say?
I said the sniper was black. Oh. We, we...
Yeah... Did I not say that?
Yeah. He predicted that the DC Sniper...
Was black. ...was black.
'Cause he was taking weekends off.
What kind of white sniper's gonna do some shit like that?
A white sniper's up early, killing.
Party people gather round
What we have here is a brand new sound
Reach for my waist Y'all hit the ground
You better duck when I start spitting the rounds
It goes, boom, boom, boom
Yeah, that's what's happening in the parking lot
Check it out, y'all
That's what's happening on stage
Hold your flix, I'm not for the photo ops
It's Black, code name Yaphet Kotto ock
What's good? Black Thought from the Roots crew, holding it down.
Frank Knuckles of the Roots. One love.
I'm Kamal from the Roots and I'm an alcoholic.
Ahmir Thompson. I'm the official photographer of this event.
My name is Kirk, AKA Captain Kirk.
AKA Roscoe, AKA Tracy Chapman.
I play guitar with the Roots crew.
What's happening? Martin Luther, Rebel Soul Music.
Party people...
This is H-U-B, Hub, Leonard Hubbard on the bass, representing the Roots Crew
and keeping black music alive.
What's up? Big Daddy Kane. Just here to show love, you know.
I'm glad to be a part of this, you know.
Big ups to the Roots. Big up to Dave, for, you know, showing a brother love.
The man at hand that rule the school
And teach and reach the blind and find a way from A to Z
And be the most to boast I'm loud and proud
The game to reign You remain guilty
The heat is on so feel the fire come off the empire
all the more higher level of depth one step beyond dope
To suckers all smoke and hope to cope with notes
'Cause I could never let them on top of me
I play them out like a game of Monopoly
Let it speed around the board like an astro
And send them to jail for trying to pass go
Shaking them up, breaking them up, taking no stuff
But it still ain't loud enough So Questlove let the fire grow
Everybody in the house say, "Ho!"
Party people gather round What we have here is a brand new sound
Reach for my waist y'all hit the ground
You better duck when I start spitting the rounds
and going, "Boom, boom, boom, boom"
That's what's happening in the parking lot
Y'all are not ready for it
Yo, check it.
I'm live, design a finer rhyme that's right on time
One step beyond and not behind the line
That separates thought from divine
You can take it as a caution or a warning sign
Antonyms, words, I'm blending them
Homonyms, synonyms good like M&Ms
With Polo, and while I'm slicing
I turn a mike's last name into Tyson
My brain like a factory constantly creating
Materials stitch by stitch for decoration
My lyrics are fabric, beat is a lining
My passion of rhyming is fashion designing
Now it gets ordered 'cause people wanna sport it, you bought it
If you didn't then you couldn't afford it
Poetry full of surprises It's like a game show
And my brain go... I do my thing, yo
Party people gather round What we have here is a brand new sound
Reach for my waist Y'all hitting the ground
You better duck when I start spitting the rounds
I go, "Boom, boom, boom"
What's happening in the parking lot
Check it out, y'all
That's what's happening on stage
Yes, they deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell!
All right, band, you ready? Yes!
Hit me, hit me. Hit me two times.
That's not how James Brown did it.
His shits was crisp, decisive.
I said, "Hit me." Y'all was like...
I got to get that James Brown shit. Hit me two times.
That's better, motherfuckers. Three times.
That's right. Two from both nuts.
That's right.
Ain't nothing like a James Brown hit to set the mood. Hit me.
See? Hit me again.
That's right. Hit me.
See?
If you could do that in real life, you'd be powerful.
If I could walk into the meeting,
"I want more money, motherfuckers. " Hit me.
Just might get it.
"Excuse me, baby, would you like to dance?"
"I ain't dancing with you." "Well, fuck you, bitch. Hit me. "
Hit me again.
All right, just checking to make sure you... Hit me.
Watching, that's all. Hit me.
Hit me!
They're good. What can I say? They're professionals.
Hit me!
See, I can't shake them... Hit me! Shit.
Life is deep. You know, the other day... Hit me!
Damn! These motherfuckers are good. You see what I'm saying?
I'm telling you, the crowd's not gonna know what hit them.
You see, what I'm saying is that the crowd's not gonna...
See, y'all motherfuckers don't even know what hit you.
All you got is the mother jokes. You in Bed-Stuy. Got the mother jokes.
There you go. There you go.
All right. Your fucking... Your short-ass mother, motherfucker.
I seen your mother's picture. You could see her feet on the driver's license picture.
How about that? Hit me.
Boom, in your face, motherfuckers, 'cause I got a band, too.
I got a band, too.
Oh, yeah. Then we'll tear them up.
We'll tear them up.
You see, your mother's got an eye here, here, here and here.
When someone knock on the door, she looks in the peephole and say,
"Who is it?" Hit me!
That's right, your ugly-ass mother.
I'll be going on like this all day long.
That's right.
Your mother got three titties. One for milk, one for water and other one's out of order.
Hit me.
You see, it's not even that funny, but with the hit,
it just pushes it over the top.
Nobody has three titties. That's ridiculous.
One more hit.
Two times.
Three times.
I think we're gonna have some fun with this one right here.
When I use my mind I win the race
I am the moon and the rising sun
My new shit has just begun
I can take you higher
I can take you low
If you were worried about where
I been or who I saw
Or what club I went to with my homies
Baby, don't worry
Yeah.
Don't worry, don't worry
You know
That snake could be that chick and that rat could be that cool cat
That's whispering "She trying to play you for a fool, Black"
If something's on your chest then let it be known
See I'm not every five minutes all on the phone
And on the topic of trust It's just a matter of fact
That people be biting that shit trying to fracture what's intact
And they'll forever be
I ain't on some "Oh, I'm a celebrity"
I deal with the real And if it's artificial, let it be
I seen people caught in love like whirlwinds
Listening to their squabbles and fucking their girlfriends
That's exactly the spot they whole world ends
Lies come in, that's where the drama begins
If you were worried about where I went or who I saw or
What club I went to with my homies, baby
Yeah.
Shout out, y'all
If you were worried about where
I went or who I saw or I went or who I saw or
What club I went to with my homies Baby, don't worry
If you were worried
About where I been
Baby, don't worry, don't worry
I take you everywhere
You know it yet
When I am faithful to you all
If you were worried about where Don't worry
I went or who I saw About where I been
What club I went to with my homies
Baby, don't worry You know that you got me
If you were worried about where I been or who I saw
You know got me What club I went to with my homies
Baby, don't worry You know that you got me
Don't worry about me
Say what?
Roots crew up in the place, y'all.
Be-bop, be-dop, yeah
Brooklyn!
Wah-do-dem, give it just a little bit.
Go, come on.
Jill Scott, Erykah Badu.
The legendary Roots crew from Philly, ladies and gentlemen.
Brooklyn!
The party ain't over.
The party is not over.
The Roots used to hold jam sessions
at this club called Wetlands in New York City every Sunday night.
So, a lot of the times, we were... The Roots were the house band.
And Jill would get up and do something.
Then Talib would be there, he'd do something.
Then Common would be there and he'd do something.
And Erykah would be there and do something.
And Mos would get up, the same thing, you know.
So, it's not even surprising
that these are the particular artists that are chosen.
You know, like, all of us were interacting with each other,
even before we all had record contracts.
Take my paw, Jill Write this down
No I'm not gonna say it right now
Tomorrow may never come
For you or me, life is not promised
Tomorrow may never show up
For you or me, this life is not promised
Yeah
I ain't no perfect man I'm trying to do the best that I can
with what it is I have
My name is Dante.
Some people call me Mos Def. Some people call me other things.
With this mike in my hand
Even though it's feeding back and shit I'm still gonna come legit
Put my heart and soul into it, y'all
Bed-Stuy, do you feel me?
From where I am to wherever you are
I mean it, I mean it, I mean it
You better hold this very moment very close to you
8:00 in the p.m., September 18, 2004, happy birthday
So close to you
Don't be afraid
Brooklyn, let it shine, sing
My Umi said shine your light on the world
What'd she say?
Shine your light on the world
That's what she said, my Umi said shine your light on the world
What'd she say? Shine your light for the world to see
Break it down
I put my heart and soul into this show
Brooklyn, do you feel me?
Sometimes I don't want to be bothered
Sometimes I just want a quiet life
Me and my babies Me and my lady
Sometimes I don't want to get into no war
Sometimes I don't wanna be a soldier
Sometimes I just wanna be Dante
But Umi said shine your light on the world
Shine your light for the world to see
My Umi said shine your light on the world
Shine it right on the world
I want my people to be free
That's Fred Hampton Jr. That's Fred Hampton.
Fred Hampton Jr? What's up, baby?
Fred Hampton Jr., the gentleman that was on camera
not long ago
is a good friend of mine, comrade, and he's an excellent gentleman.
He's the son of Fred Hampton,
who was a young 18-, 19-year-old Black Panther in Chicago,
working with people in the communities, in the streets
and the police came and killed him in his bed
with his woman,
and his newborn... His yet-to-be-born son in his woman's belly.
Which is Chairman Fred over here.
Free all political prisoners. Don't edit that.
Don't cut that. Make sure you put that on there.
Free all political prisoners.
Make sure that on there. Don't edit. Don't cut it.
In the raw, no mix, no segue.
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Sundiata Acoli and all political prisoners.
Free the New York Three. Don't edit that. Make sure they go there. Uncut.
Tell it, Fred Hampton.
Right on. Right on. Heads up, eyes open and fists clenched.
Heads up, eyes open, fists clenched.
Look here, right on. Say, "Power to the people."
Power to the people.
Right on. We sense a lot of talk going around about terrorism.
We say black people are the O. V. S, the original victims of terrorism.
We say political prisoners are victims of terrorism.
We say our position is "Free them all."
We say, those soldiers in Attica, free them all.
What's the call? Free them all.
Mumia Abu-Jamal. Free them all.
Sundiata Acoli. Free them all.
Ruchell Cinque Magee! Free them all.
The New York Three. Free them all.
Man, we say, free all political prisoners and prisoners of war.
Power to the people. Free them all.
To be free, to be free To be free, to be free
To be free
Break it down
To be free, to be free
All right, listen.
We're going to settle this racial shit right now.
We're playing these white people for our freedom.
"Can Dave Chappelle ball?"
No, I can't ball, motherfucker. What do you mean, can I ball?
Y'all missed it.
You was reloading the camera, I was all the way on the other court.
Tell them what I did. They'll never believe me.
All right, here I am. Okay, look. This is me.
I'm all the way back, I dribble, get my confidence, aim, fire.
What's up?
Oh, shit!
We go through episodes like Attack of the Clones
Work till we break our back and you hear the crack of the bone
To get by, just to get by Just to get by, just to get by
We asking why some people got to live in a trailer
'Cause like a sailor I paint a picture with the pen like Norman
Mi abuela raised three daughters all by herself, with no help
I think about her struggle and I find the strength in myself
These words melt in my mouth They hot like the jail cell in the South
Before my nigga Core Bailed me out
To get by, just to get by Just to get by, just to get by
We do or die like Bed-Stuy through the red sky
Out the window of the red eye
Let the lead fly on some G Rap shit
This morning I woke up
Feeling brand new and I jumped up
Feeling my highs, and my lows
In my soul, and my goals
And tried to stop smoking and stop drinking
And I've been thinking I've got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by Just to get by, just to get by
Tell them, Kweli
We keep it gangster, say "for shizzle, " "for sheezy" and "staying crunk"
It's easy to pull a breezy, smoke trees, and we stay drunk
Yo, our activism attacking the system,
the blacks and Latins in prison
Numbers have risen They reach us like inner vision
Shit and all they got is rapping to listen to
Let them know we missing you Love is unconditional
Even when the condition is critical When the living is miserable
Your position is pivotal, I ain't bullshitting you
Now, why would I lie?
Try to get by, just to get by
We can't fly See, the TV got us reaching for stars
Not the ones between Venus and Mars,
the ones that be reading for parts
People get breast enhancements and penis enlargements
Saturday sinners Sunday morning at the feet of the Father
They need something to rely on We get high on all types of drug
All you really need is love to get by
Just to get by, just to get by Just to get by, just to get by
Like John Lennon "Imagine all the people"
Watch me rock like Paul McCartney
from now until the last Beatle drop
This morning I woke up
Feeling brand new and jumped up
Feeling my highs and my lows
In my soul and my goals
Just to stop smoking, stop drinking
But I've been thinking I've got my reasons
Just to get by, just to get by Just to get by, just to get by
One more time!
Some people cry Some people try
Just to get by, for a piece of the pie
We love to eat and get high
We deceive and we lie, and we keeping it fly
When people decide to keep a disguise
You can't see them We see the evil inside
The best people you find
Strong or feeble in mind I stay reading the signs
Yo, yo, yo, yo, I get by
Just to get by
I love y'all, Brooklyn. I love y'all. Word up.
Talib Kweli, Brooklyn, New York City.
Black Star Embassy is in the building.
Brooklyn, do you feel good tonight?
I know I do.
What do you think of rock music and hip-hop?
Well, personally, I am for classical music.
I play the piano. I want to play.
And I wish to marry, when I die, Sergei Rachmaninoff.
I am terribly in love with him.
Thank you. Over my dead body.
Well, it would have to be, wouldn't it?
I guess so, Arthur. That's very normal.
You know, I don't like rap music.
Because rap music composes a lot of foul language,
and I don't think it's proper for children.
I don't even think it's proper for adults either
to be using that type of language.
Hey, Mos. Hey, Dave.
You know, I was in the public restroom the other day... It's a long story.
This guy was peeing in the urinal next to me,
I didn't look or nothing, but I couldn't help but notice.
His dick was so small...
How small was it, Dave?
He peed on his balls.
All day, babe. We could do this all day long.
All day long.
All right. One more.
This is as dirty as it's gonna get. All the kids, plug your ears.
Ready? Here we go.
Hey, Mos. Hey, Dave.
Did I ever tell you the one about the industrious prostitute?
No, I don't believe you did.
Well, it's a funny story.
She actually had a vagina surgically implanted in her hip.
Oh, my God. Yeah.
So she could make some money on the side.
Oh, it goes on like this for days and days and days.
We just tell straight jokes. That's it, we'll kill them.
All right, everybody, listen up.
Listen up, there's been some technical difficulties.
Listen, I'm gonna tell you what happened.
As you all know,
we were expecting to have Lauryn Hill close the show.
Unfortunately,
Columbia Records would not clear any of her songs.
Lucky for us,
Lauryn Hill came up with an alternative solution.
Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for a miracle.
The Fugees.
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Black Star Jack Bush
Put your hands up, get your hands up
One, two, three, put your hands up
Get your hands up, get your hands up
Get your hands up
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Yo, Mona Lisa
Can I get a date on Friday And if you're busy
I wouldn't mind taking Saturday
Round up the posse Fugee comin' around the way
Nappy heads in the zone And we ain't going home
Put your hands in the air right now.
I've been waiting for this shit!
Yo! A cheeba cheeba, y'all Well I'm a Libra, y'all
Yes, yes, y'all, and it don't stop
A cheeba cheeba y'all, well I'm a Libra y'all
Yes, yes, y'all, let's Yo
You wanna battle swing I bring commanding men like I was king
In all your dreams I write the horror flick of Stephen King
Cling to false also those papers say ock
I got tired of the fat lady So I sing to my own opera
Ba-lang-balang-balang - to-de-man-de-rock 'cause I love thee
If you live by the sword you will be die by the gun
'Cause all guys tell lies and poor girls commit sin
I was ordered the code red but now I'm chillin' with A Few Good Men
Assassination on the kid from the capital
I never played a soap opera Now I'm in General Hospital
Condition critical Spirit overrules the physical
So if I die, catch me at the funeral
I'll fly away, oh glory With a mike in my hand
To a land where only And the angels write raps on holy paper
I said I'm lookin' for Jesus He said take the escalator
One flight up is guaranteed I'll be there
My sister'd be there I want to see everybody like this
Yo, Mona Lisa
Stop, Brooklyn!
Yo!
Ladies and gentlemen, Lauryn Hill!
Yo, I don't puff blunts so I always got my breath
Never had to battle with a bulletproof vest
They call me cock-weasel but I still cave a chest
I don't wear Jheri curls 'cause I'm not from the West
No disrespect to the West, true indeed
I rock it to the East, the East is the seed, yo
To see that them days back Yo, sheepskins and Hot Tracks
Peace to Mr. Magic Things are getting tragic
Now we on some new stuff
Ku Klux, whatcha gonna do
Kids are actin' oh
Yeah, put your hands up. Lauryn Hill's in the building.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Praswell, where you at? Come on.
Hey, yo, a battle is a battle but a battle's not a battle
If it's... If your snake doesn't rattle
'Cause my style, it's old as a reptile
As new as a new Nile As new as a new child
Come follow me to the land of Abraham
This land's your land, this land's my land
The blacker the black man The better the next man
Yo, some nappy heads need to check they necks for red
Brother, let me ask you something.
When you got the word
that the Fugees is coming back together to...
I didn't believe it.
I didn't believe it 'cause... You know, what happened is, I got a call.
Yo, I said, "Fugee what?"
I said, "Who is this?"
Then I got a call from Clef.
And you know,
I still don't know the science on it.
I mean, you know, both of us, speaking for both of us,
yo, it's like, when we see Lauryn, you know what I'm saying?
It's like, we just, like, speechless, you know what I mean?
Yeah. 'Cause she was singing
Killing Me Softly last night.
She was like... We was just like,
"God damn, she's a beast."
Like, I'm a fan. I mean, yeah, you know, me and Clef went through our little bullshit.
Well, people go through that. You know what I'm saying?
But I think, like they say, to err is human, but to forgive is divine.
You know what I'm saying? So...
We just came together.
'Cause I'm a fan of both Clef and Lauryn.
Even though I'm a part of the group, I'm a fan of them,
and when she started singing Killing Me Softly,
I almost wanted to cry.
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life
With his words
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly
with his song
Telling my whole life
with his words
Killing me softly
Lauryn!
... with his song
I heard he sang a good song, yes
And I heard that he had a style
And so I came to see him
And listen for a while
And there he was
This young boy
singing
straight and strong
Strumming my pain with his fingers
Singing my life with his words
He was killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly
with his song
Telling my whole life
with his words
Killing me softly
with his song
Yo!
What, what?
I heard he had a style
Come on
And so I came to see him
And listen for a while Yeah, yeah, yeah
And there he was, this young boy
Yeah, yeah, yeah
A stranger to my eyes Check it
Strumming my pain with his fingers
One time
Singing my life with his words
Two time Yeah, yeah
Killing me softly with his song
Killing me softly
with his song
Telling my whole life Yeah, yeah
with his words
Killing me softly Yeah, yo
Softly with his song
Yo, L-Boogie, take it to the bridge
Yeah, yeah
Sing it Oh, yeah
Where y'all been?
What'd you... You said, where I've been?
You see, that's where I've been.
See, that's where I've been.
Yeah. You see where I've been?
Yeah, the first day that we rehearsed, it was...
You know, it was familiar.
You could feel why... You know.
Why we had made music together in the first place.
'Cause there was a certain synergy at the time.
You know, I was... I came from the straight-up suburbs,
you know, of South Orange, New Jersey. You know, I went to,
you know, a school that was probably like 75 percent...
White. ...white, middle-class, Jewish, you know.
And from,
you know, hardworking parents. And I went to school
and met Pras first, who had known my brother.
And he introduced me to Wyclef.
I remember the first studio sessions.
I guess Pras was paying for some place, this other studio at East Orange.
And I walked in,
and we were recording the song, and then Wyclef shows up.
And that was like, you know, much earlier times.
So he had on this big, velvet crown, you know.
This is around the time... Remember when everything was Batman?
Big Batman buttons. Y'all didn't do that down south?
Okay, well, a few people did that. Okay.
But he had on these patent leather boots
with these big
police badge things on the boots,
with his pants tucked in, with a velvet hat.
And he came in and he started...
He started doing like, some real like Jamaican-type patois.
So for like the first five years that I knew them,
I had no idea they were Haitian.
You know, I thought t hey were Jamaican. 'Cause they just, you know...
You know, they talk like that.
What would you do if you was president?
If I was president, I would stop the war.
I would provide, like, a whole lot more people
with job opportunities.
I would give everybody in this band that need it scholarships.
I would... Amen.
All right.
Right there! Scholarships!
Yo, what would you do if you was president, thug?
I'd give, like, everybody, like, more scholarships
that who needed them.
She said scholarships already, man.
Don't be biting what she said. Financial aid. For who needs it.
What was that word, "financial aid"? Yeah.
'Cause my dude Matlock had to go back,
and I wish he was still here.
That's what it is. So we're gonna do this song right here.
If I was president
I'd get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
Then go back to work on Monday
If I was president
Yeah, yeah
Instead of spending billions on the war
We can use that money
So we can feed the poor
'Cause I know someone in Flatbush
When it rains, that's when they shower
Screaming "fight the power"
That's when the vulture devours
If I was president
I'd get elected on Friday
Assassinated on Saturday
Buried on Sunday
Then go back to work on Monday
If I was president
Boom!
It's good to see all these black people in college. You know what I'm saying?
And listen, man, I'm gonna tell y'all like this.
Don't blame the white man for nothing. Get yours, you understand?
I came to this country, I ain't know how to speak English.
I made something of myself. I went to the library.
English is like my third language. I just learned how to speak English.
So the thing about all of that, "Yo, the white man responsible for that"...
White man ain't responsible for shit.
They got libraries in the 'hood.
And if they don't got libraries, tell your mayor,
your governor, whoever, in your county,
to put some motherfucking libraries in the 'hood.
I know what the camera's saying. I shouldn't be cursing to you kids,
but this shit is all over the Internet anyway.
Holy shit!
Excuse my language.
Man, listen.
There's nothing we can't do.
Let's all go from here, man, and try to do some good.
God bless you all. Thank you for letting me come here.
Thank you, all the artists, for being here.
We shook up the world.
We shook up the world!
Good night. God bless you.
You know what? I'm gonna tell you right now, I'll never forget this.
This is the best single day of my career.
I'm proud. I'm so happy. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing it with me, ma'am.
Hey, my pleasure.
Thank you for letting us be here.
My pleasure.
Come back. Oh, I'll be back, Luz.
You haven't seen the last of me.
I don't want to see...
Though we are parting ways, remember this
We shall come around
To touch eyes again
Love is the foundation
The purpose be to recycle life
The promise shall bring us to one
beating heart in the end
Everybody was so down-to-earth, and just hung out
and gave us their time. We had a good time.
Say something to my mom, real quick.
Mama. Hold on one second. Your son's smoking crack.
Put that pipe down. What are you doing?
And it doesn't matter who you are, what you are,
what you've come from, you can do what you want.
'Cause all of those people out there, they're celebrities, they're in high places,
but they're regular, just like me.
They was happy to see me doing my work
like I'm happy to see them doing theirs.
You see an opportunity, just seize it.
Like Eminem say, you only got one time.
Don't miss your opportunity.
We're going on another long trip, another long voyage.
Hope y'all end up riding with us.
Look like it's going to be a little drier today, though.
Talking about love
God-given love, God-given love
I also have a number that's a blues number.
Would you like to hear it?
You just play some, like...
Yeah, some Muddy Waters. Yeah, just like that.
All right, but here's the fun part of the bit,
is everybody can sing a verse.
I woke up this mornin'
About quarter of four
Went back to sleep
Then I woke up at 8:00
Went back to sleep again
Then I woke up at 2:00
'Cause I'm a comedian
And I ain't got shit to do
Oh, yeah, baby
And then it goes down.
I've got them comedy blues
Come on. Give me some of those horns, man.
I just hang out all day, baby
'Cause I ain't got shit else to do
Right, now listen.
What kind of blues musician would I be
if I didn't talk shit over the music for you?
And then I just tell a whole story.
My baby left me
My car broke down
I lost $20
and it can't be found
I got issues
That's right, I'm mad as shit
That's right, I got more problems than I can count
That's why I say, "Fuck it"
That's right
One two, one two
Get crunk, what it is
Brooklyn
If you know this shit, say it
It's bigger than
Huh? What? Say it
Hip-hop, hip
It's bigger than
Say it, say it What it bigger than?
Look, look, look
One thing about music, when it hit you feel no pain
White folk say it controls your brain
I know better than that
That's game and we ready for that
Two soldiers head of the pack
Matter of fact, who got the gat
And where my army at
Rather attack and not react
Got the beat, it don't reflect on how many records get sold
Want sex, drugs, and rock and roll
Whether your project gets put on hold
In the real world, we just people with ideas
They just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear
Out in the real world, it's bigger than all these fake-ass records
When poor folks got the millions and my sisters get respect
If you check, one two My word of advice to you is just relax
Just do what you got to do
If that don't work then check the facts
If you're a fighter, writer, biter, flame-igniter, crowd-exciter
Or you wanna just get high, then just say it
But then if you a liar, liar, pants on fire
wolf-crier, agent with a wire
I'm gonna know it when I see it We ready, say it
Say it, say it Hip-hop, hip
Yeah, yeah, yeah
What it bigger than?
It's bigger than hip-hop, hip-hop, hip-hop
Bigger than
Who shot 2Pac? If we don't get them, they gonna get us all
I'm down for running up on them crackers in the city hall
We rhyme for y'all, all my dawgs, stay real
Nigga, don't think your record deal
gonna feed your seeds and pay your bills
Because they're not
MCs get a little bit of love and think they're hot
Talking about how much money they got
Nigga, all your records sound the same
I'm sick of that fake thug, R&B rap scenario
All day on the radio
Same scenes in the video
Monotonous material
Y'all don't hear me, though
You record labels sling our tapes like dope
You could be next in line and signed
and still be writing rhymes and broke
You rather have a Lexus or justice?
A dream or some substance?
A Beemer, a necklace or freedom?
See, a nigga like me don't player-hate
I just stay awake
This real hip-hop and it don't stop
Till we get them crackers off our block
They call it hip-hop, hip-hop, hip-hop
It's bigger than
What it bigger than? What it bigger than?
It's bigger than hip-hop
What it bigger than? What it bigger than?
It's bigger than hip-hop
Hip-hop, hip-hop
D.P. 's got that crazy shit
We keep it crunked up
John Blaze and shit
D.P. 's got that crazy shit
We keep it crunked up
John Blaze and shit
My nigga, D.P. 's got that crazy shit
We keep it crunked up
John Blaze and shit
What?
D.P. 's got that crazy shit
We keep it crunked up
One more time
D.P. 's got that crazy shit
We keep it crunked up
Young ones
I'm waiting in line
Someone is trying to find
Yeah, yeah
Young upstarts are gonna get in free
Just to see how good it sounds
Out under the clouds
Out in the streets
They're willing to run to share their belief
Because we've come too far
to blow out now
Wake up, folks
No one tomorrow is gonna be found
Nowhere, y'all looking away from the crowd
'Cause love is in our hearts Yeah.
And it's in our shoes
Don't you talk like me Don't you fake my sound
Get up off the ground Get up on your feet
Because we're the ones
you've been looking to see
And we've come too far
to blow out now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah