It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you Without a strong rhyme to step to Think of how many weak shows you slept through Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you Thinking of this, you keep repeating you miss The rhymes from the microphone soloist And you sit by the radio Hand on the dial, soon As you hear it, pump up the volume Dance wit the speaker till you hear it blow Then plug in the headphone 'Cause here it go It's a 4 letter word when it's heard, it control Your body to dance, you got it soul Dilects the tempo like a red alert Reaches your reflex, so let it work When this is playing you can't get stuck with The steps so get set and I'm a still come up with A gift to be swift follow the leader the rhyme will go Def wit the record that was mixed a long time ago It can be done but only I can do it For those that can dance and clap your hands to it I start to think and then I sink into the paper like I was ink When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines I escape when I finish the rhyme, I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it I know you got soul Picture a mic, the stage is empty A beat like this might tempt me To pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train But I'll wait 'cause I mastered this Let the others go first so the brothers don't miss Eric B. break the sticks, you got it Rakim will begin when you make the mix I'll experiment like a scientist You wanna rhyme, you gotta sign my list 'Cause I'm a manifest and bless the mic I hold You want it next then you gotta have soul 'Cause if you ain't got it, I'm a make an encore Take the mic, make the people respond for The R, 'cause that's the way it'll have to be If you wanna get on after me Think about it, wait, erase your rhyme Forget it and don't waste your time 'Cause I'll be in the crowd if you ain't controlling it Drop the mic, you shouldn't be holding it This is how it should be done this style is identical to none Some try to make it sound like this but you're getting me So upset that I'm wet 'cause you're sweating me I drip steam like a microphone fiend, eager to MC is my theme I get hype when I hear a drum roll Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it I got soul you got it that's why I came To teach those who can't say my name First of all, I'm the soloist, the soul controller Rakim gets stronger as I get older Constant elevation causes expansion I write my rhyme while I cool in my mansion Then put it on tape and in the city I test it Then on the radio the R's requested You listen to it, the concept might break you 'Cause almost anyone can relate to Whoever's out of hand, I'm give him handles Light 'em up, blow 'em out like candles Or should I just let him melt? Then give him a hand so they can see how it felt I'm not bold just 'cuz I rock gold Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it Now I'm a stop to see what you got Get off the mic before I get too hot I want to see which posse can dance the best It should be easy 'cause the beat is fresh Now if your from uptown, Brooklyn bound The Bronx, Queens, or Long Island Sound Even other states come right and exact It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at Since you came here, you have to show and prove And do that dance until it don't move 'Cause all you need is soul self-esteem will release The rest is up to you, Rakim'll say peace You got it, you got it You got it, you got it You got it, you got it ...
It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you Without a strong rhyme to step to Think of how many weak shows you slept through Time's up, I'm sorry I kept you Thinking of this, you keep repeating you miss The rhymes from the microphone soloist And you sit by the radio Hand on the dial, soon As you hear it, pump up the volume Dance wit the speaker till you hear it blow Then plug in the headphone 'Cause here it go It's a 4 letter word when it's heard, it control Your body to dance, you got it soul Dilects the tempo like a red alert Reaches your reflex, so let it work When this is playing you can't get stuck with The steps so get set and I'm a still come up with A gift to be swift follow the leader the rhyme will go Def wit the record that was mixed a long time ago It can be done but only I can do it For those that can dance and clap your hands to it I start to think and then I sink into the paper like I was ink When I'm writing, I'm trapped in between the lines I escape when I finish the rhyme, I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it I know you got soul Picture a mic, the stage is empty A beat like this might tempt me To pose, show my rings and my fat gold chain Grab the mic like I'm on Soul Train But I'll wait 'cause I mastered this Let the others go first so the brothers don't miss Eric B. break the sticks, you got it Rakim will begin when you make the mix I'll experiment like a scientist You wanna rhyme, you gotta sign my list 'Cause I'm a manifest and bless the mic I hold You want it next then you gotta have soul 'Cause if you ain't got it, I'm a make an encore Take the mic, make the people respond for The R, 'cause that's the way it'll have to be If you wanna get on after me Think about it, wait, erase your rhyme Forget it and don't waste your time 'Cause I'll be in the crowd if you ain't controlling it Drop the mic, you shouldn't be holding it This is how it should be done this style is identical to none Some try to make it sound like this but you're getting me So upset that I'm wet 'cause you're sweating me I drip steam like a microphone fiend, eager to MC is my theme I get hype when I hear a drum roll Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it I got soul you got it that's why I came To teach those who can't say my name First of all, I'm the soloist, the soul controller Rakim gets stronger as I get older Constant elevation causes expansion I write my rhyme while I cool in my mansion Then put it on tape and in the city I test it Then on the radio the R's requested You listen to it, the concept might break you 'Cause almost anyone can relate to Whoever's out of hand, I'm give him handles Light 'em up, blow 'em out like candles Or should I just let him melt? Then give him a hand so they can see how it felt I'm not bold just 'cuz I rock gold Rakim is on the mic and you know I got soul You got it, you got it You got it, you got it Now I'm a stop to see what you got Get off the mic before I get too hot I want to see which posse can dance the best It should be easy 'cause the beat is fresh Now if your from uptown, Brooklyn bound The Bronx, Queens, or Long Island Sound Even other states come right and exact It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at Since you came here, you have to show and prove And do that dance until it don't move 'Cause all you need is soul self-esteem will release The rest is up to you, Rakim'll say peace You got it, you got it You got it, you got it You got it, you got it ...
