In Case

[Intro]
Yeah, young man movin'
Stimulus in the house
P-Mac in the house
E-Lab in the house
Young MC in the house
Lettin' ya'll know what's goin' on just in case. Check me
(in case you weren't around for the microphone check
Listen to the young man move and catch wreck)

[Verse 1]
For 2/3 of my life, yo I've been a cold rhymer
Name: Young. Feel young. Not an old timer
Rocked from North London to North Carolina
Love to write lyrics on a jet airliner
So I'm a tell you about a rapper I met
Got a deal. Kept it real and his mind was set
Sayin' he don't give a damn what thе radio say
Cause he don't care about radio play
Now I rеmember when it pleased MC's to lace MD's and PD's
With CD's, when most of ya'll was at home eatin' your Wheaties
And we'd be prayin' that we got some spins
Cause if they played it one time, then they'd play it again
See it's quite absurd. All the spite you heard
And "controversial" like "commercial" is a four letter word
Cause you can't chase paper with no paper to chase
So let me kick a little knowledge to you just in case

[Chorus]
In case you weren't here when it got put down
In case you weren't aware how they made the sound
In case you weren't there when they blazed the town
Before there was commercial or an underground
In case you didn't hear how the words connect
In case it wasn't clear how they earned respect
And in case you weren't around for the microphone check
Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck

[Verse 2]
I got a whole different take on keepin' it real
Back in the day we'd parlay for the mass appeal
Your track was two records on the wheels of steel
And only Flash and Jimmy Spicer had the big time deals
I remember Frankie Crocker playing Rappers Delight
Cause in the winter time you only heard the rappin' at night
Block parties needed power so you'd tap in a light
But then it broke up when somebody pulled a strap in a fight
I tell you what, this is more than just a history lesson
And I ain't hatin' on you son, matter of fact I give you my blessin'
But when you brag about cheese, if you were truly confessin'
You would find more cheddar in a delicatessen. (yeah)
Now young kids watching you. They're thinkin' it's cute
Rented cars. Rented women. Rented video shoot
But you can't rent dignity or rent good taste
So let me kick a little knowledge to you just in case

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
See I've been destined to spit flow from the get go
Grab this mic, hold tight and never let go
Failure I never knew. Out on the avenue
Fought hard times and bust rhymes for my revenue
Sell a couple records and the haters come out
They don't know me so I don't know what the hate is about
From growin' up in Hollis, to Cali makin dollars
See me when you turn the tele on like Elian Gonzalez
But I gotta give thanks to the pioneers
The ones I feel lucky just to call my peers
When I saw how they did it, man, it calmed my fears
And that's the reason I've been rockin' on the mic for years
From the Sugarhill Gang to the Treacherous Three
Kurtis Blow, Fearless Four, Run DMC
LA Dream Team, Rodney O and Joe Cooley
NWA, Egyptian Lover and my man Ice T
There's so many others who I did not name
But who made a contribution, helping build this game
So when you play your rap music, turn up the bass
And remember how we got here just in case

[Chorus x2]

[Outro]
And in case you weren't around for the microphone check
Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck
And in case you weren't around for the microphone check
Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck