Hope

Hip-hop, it will never die Hip-hop, hip-hop will never, never die Ghetto **** struttin' with nothin' but dreams and Queens broke Mack-10's, you can smell the PCP smoke Mele Mel told it real in the music he wrote Those were the days I remember, we used to be close Then I was nine, coldest winter I remember Was slippin' in December, two feet of snow Yeah, that's the East Coast, that black ice Symbolized the rap life, it was slick and smooth I understood I had to come from the hood Doin' the Pee Wee Herman, the Smurf Before them phones chirped The block's drugs flowin', didn't have your own work You had to have somebody else's, a small chrome on your pelvis Starter Jacket, Blue Georgetown or Green Celtic Your girl's too expensive, she wants shellfish Red Lobster was poppin', standin' on that line forever I wish somebody would step on my Bally leather's Now it's whatever, hip-hop's forever Kept my radio on 98 or BLS Had a pre-pubescent lyric gift but **** never hear me spit My little brother tried to warn 'em, I was a tornado comin' He knew from inside, like the eye of a storm and told my pops about it He gave us tickets to that Wild Style flick Double Trouble, retarded, we was the proudest I never had a summer job, sweepin' leaves, socks to my knees Homemade shorts cutoff, Lee's I ain't work a day in my life Wipin' away eraser of the paper man I'm just tryin' to say it right Big radio, tape slowin' down Lower the lights go, battery dead I gotta freeze 'em 'til they ice cold In the freezer later, I'm starin' at the speaker Sunk in them 808's deeper, cleanin' my sneakers Wit' the bristles of a toothbrush, soap and water I let the shoe strings soak in water Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays Ain't got nothin' to do wit old school, new school Dirty South, West Coast, East Coast This about us, this our thing, 'knaw'sayin'? This came from the gut, from the blood, from the soul Right here man, this is our thing man, you know, so I say what I say Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays And I say what I say, and I mean it Y'all take it how you wanna take it 'Cause if you're askin', why is hip-hop dead? It's a pretty good chance you're the reason it died, man It's a pretty good chance your lame **** Corny ****, is the reason it died, man You don't give a **** about, you don't know nothin' about it You want this paper, be a hustler Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays You a hustler, you ain't a rapper Get your paper man You know what I'm sayin', but this rap **** is real ****, this **** is real, **** Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay (Live, live) I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays (Give) Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live (Stay) Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays