Оригинален текст
* dj premier samples/scratches between verses:
"boogie down was performin hey they ain't no joke" > slick rick
"down with the sound called b d p" > krs *
Verse one:
Back in the days i knew rap would never die
I used to listen to awesome 2 on whbi
I used to hear all kind of rap groups before sampling loops
Rappers wore bell bottom lee suits
Me and kenny couldn't afford that
So we would go to the park when they was jammin' to hear rap
I used to listen till the cops broke it up
I always thought to myself "damn, why they fucked it up?"
But never the less i was in love with the microphone
And it stayed that way until i left home
On the streets of new york, now i'm free
But with freedom comes big responsibility
I used to walk around driven by the force
I remember how large super rhymes was when he fell off
I used to wonder about crews that used to rock
They were large, but none of them could manage to stay on top
Do you ever think about when you outta here?
Record deal and video outta here?
Mercedes benz and range rover outta here?
No doubt bdp is old school, but we ain't goin' out!
Verse two:
After livin' on the streets alone
Some years went by, i signed myself into a group home
I used to watch the show "i dream of jeannie"
And dreamt about "when will i be large like whodini?"
But i was messin' with graffiti on the subway
And gettin' chased by the cops almost everyday
I knew it had to bea better way see
So i would go to my room, blast run dmc
Around 1984 i left the group home, again alone
Still dreamin' about the microphone
Gimme a chance man, i know i can rock it
But i had to worry about puttin' money in my pocket
So when i reached the shelter i met my helper dj scott la rock