Remedies for house parties stayed simple and plain
Little wine, little music, little mary jane
Gotta keep the lights dim, so when people walk in
The vibe stays nice and mellow, everybody fits in
And everybody, hey you know what, gettin' their groove on
The record only stops when the lights came on
Then they went back off, we continued to groove
Then somebody grabbed the mic like they had somethin' to prove
It was just the spirit got 'em, it wouldn't let loose
There, right before our eyes, hip-hop was produced
The fire kept 'em burnin' like a doggie in heat
You couldn't help to feel the flavor as you walked through the streets
Everybody had a crew on every block for blocks
This seemed to be assurance that the beat won't stop
Till one day shots rang and there was no one to blame
All you thought is would it ever all be the same?
Well if you got the love baby, won't a damn thing change
As long as you remember, it always remains
I remember
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
(Shoot 'em up, bang bang, ba-bang, ba-bang)
Oh, I remember
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
MCs and DJs
I remember (Do you really remember?)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
Oh, I remember (Uh-huh)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on)
MCs and DJs
Block parties jam packed, the first time I heard rap
And DJs spinnin' breakbeats back
("Yo, yo, yo, step, step back")
These were the last good days of the ghetto
It wasn't all about bein' jiggy, so save that rap for Jello
Down on my knees in the street, playin' skelly
Rushin' upstairs to see Graffiti Rock on the telly
With one eye on the beats droppin'
I knew that one day would come when I'd be on the mic rockin'
Every day after school, practicin'
I mixed book smarts with street smarts and then started battle rappin'
But for me it wasn't happenin' (Nah)
So I changed up my style to the ladies man mackin'
I wrote a rhyme about Roxanne, Roxanne
I used to bust it out when I went to a jam
My mother read the dirty rap
She said, "You ain't gon' go too far expressin' yourself like that
Disrespectin' black women
And what's gon' happen when you turn
Around and try to have your own children?"
So I changed up my style once again
So me and my moms could still be friends (What?)
My daddy wasn't buggin' out so far
Watchin' me pretend to be another rap star
Through my eyes he saw a child changin'
Growin' up to be a man and leave behind the shootin' and bangin'
I remember (Come on, a-let me know)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
(Shoot 'em up, shoot 'em up, bang bang, ba-bang, ba-bang)
Oh, I remember (Won't you tell me about it)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
(I want you to tell me about it)
MCs and DJs
Now this one goes out to the ones who set it off
And all the pioneers that made it what it was
'Cause we been doin' this for twenty-five years long
So we gotta represent and keep hip-hop strong
J.B.'s, we on a plateau, ain't nothin' stretchin' us
Filled with the spirit of God, now watch it jump in us
'Cause when you cut the roots off the family tree
All you leave behind is the sweet memory
Right from the start, we did it in the park
It wasn't for the money and it came from the heart
But in these days and times, when rappers write rhymes
All we think about is signin' on the dotted line
Me, I been thinkin' about the way it used to be
When before you was a rapper, you became an MC
I'm proud of my heritage and glad that we made it
I still bust rhymes without bein' player hated
Standin' on the same stage, rockin' with the J.B.'s
Was a dream come true for a brother like me
Before rap was consumed and hip-hop was doomed
I was bangin' on tables, rhymin' in the lunchroom
I used to walk the street with my ghetto blaster
When brothers on the block were startin' Zulu chapters
You know what I'm talkin' about if you go way back
And yo, big ups to all my sisters in the name of rap
'Cause when it comes to hip-hop, you know you gotta keep it true
Take from the old, mix it with the new
I used to go by the name of MC Shazam
But now you know me as Afrika Baby Bam
I remember
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
Oh, I remember (I remember)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
MCs and DJs
I remember
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
Oh, I remember (Oh, I remember)
When we used to play shoot 'em up, bang bang
MCs and DJs
I remember
Oh, I remember (I remember)
Oh, I remember (Remember)
Oh, I remember (I remember, I remember, I remember)
Oh, I remember (I remember, remember, remember, remember)
Oh, I remember (Ooh)
Oh, I remember
Oh, I remember (Remember)
Oh, I remember (I remember)
I remember (Remember, remember, remember)
I remember
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