How Shall I Send Thee?

“I want everyone to listen to me.”

I rap for fun, man, I rap for kudos
I rap to throw you poseurs on the mat with judo
I rap you up and smoke you like Macanudos
I rap you on the knuckles for acting pseudo-
Intellectual or stupid either, skeptic through to true believer;
S-T-U-C-K U-P or H-U-M-B-L-E. See
My LED's are maxed out like low credit
My signal hot. You want a hot single? Then go get it
“Here, Fido, boy! Fetch, boy, fetch!”
You got a pop fly hit, there's just one catch:
I got my mitt. It's not my fault;
I'd be out too if they caught my ball
I watch drywall peel and bump your record
When I want to relax and feel like I'm a legend
You comedy acts are frail and unprotected
Still reeling from the message that you got to...

Pay dues, kid, make music, Stay true... don't do what them
Fake dudes did, played stupid with grade school wit, you were made to
Raise roofs, kid, make music, stay tuned in; don't do what them
Fake crews did, they blew it. That ain't you
That ain't you

Yeah, I slept on 'em hard – they looked soft!
Old school, new school, they hooked off
I'm fascinated; how'd they get a passing grade?
“No studying,” and never went to class for days
Mark my words, you get marked on a curve
We used to serve marks and herbs with sharp words
Smart nerds would spark original texts –
That's the real hardcore, it's not a physical test
You digital, hexadecimal, intellectually
Less-than-vegetable... since when is this respectable?
It used to be detestable and wack to lack keenness
I grew up idolizing Black geniuses!
Young men and women from tenements/inner city slums
And suburban pretty homes honed the rap idioms
Whether literate or not, never idiots
“No not even a little bit,” but like you, they had to...

Pay dues, kid, make music, stay true... do like the
Greats do and did, play student with all praise due, then you will
Raise roofs, kid, make music, stay tuned in; don't do what them
Fake crews did, they blew it. That ain't you
That ain't you

You ain't stupid. You ain't a phony
If your homie wants you dumbing it down, he ain't a homie
Your friends say I'm soft and a clown, but they don't know me
Take a moment, now, I'm a break it down slowly
You got a fuel source, you got potential to blaze
Real bright for days, but you feel like
Essentially enslaved to the gentlest waves and tides
So your best foot drags behind
You got a major mind, why don't you prove you're smart?
Eschew the charts, use your heart to pursue the art!
If that's corny, sorry, but dude, look –
Would you rather be yourself in the end, or a shrewd crook?
If it's the latter, I beg your pardon, I judged you wrong
Look me in the eye and say it's so, and I'll trudge along
Otherwise, I'm gonna stand behind you
But I'll be damned if I use a heavy hand to guide you, just try to...

Pay dues, kid, make music, stay true... you got to
Make moves swift, take cues in, break rules. I'll watch you
Raise roofs, kid, make music that makes YOU grin, don't do
What I say you gotta do, just play the part of you, 'cause me? That ain't you!
That ain't you