Eric B. & Rakim

Knowledge will begin until I finish this song
Cuz the rhyme gets rougher as the rhyme goes on
You sweat as you step about to get hype
Or should you just listen to the man on the mic
Youre physically in this with me but how could you tell
If its meant to be hip-hop if youre not mentally as well
Ready to absorb the rhyme that I just poured
Into the mic and so unite and this wont be so bored
If you just keep kickin listen - to the mix
And think youll sink into the rhyme like quicksand
Holds and controls you til I leave
You fall deeper in the style - its hard to breathe
The only time I stop is when somebody drop and then
Bring em to the front cuz my rhymes the oxygen
Then wave your hands - when youre ready Ill send you
Into your favorite dance so let the rhyme continue
And so on and Ima go on simultaneously
And even if I stop - the rhyme remains to be
Rising to the top - and I came to drop it
Catch it and quiz it - is my topic
Universual cuz I move everybody to come
By exercising your mind youll coincide as one
You look around and see how packed the party starts to get
I draw a crowd - like an architect
The five borroughs react and all the islands attract
And every state cant wait - so they attack
off a spot on the floor - squeeze in cuz its packed
Itll be more room if MCs play the back
Im the R the A to the K-I-M
If I wasnt, then why would I say I am
The microphone fiend if I was a fake
Whoever said its just buggin off the rhymes I make
I had you biting your tongue for what I brung and recite
Sung it on stage some said it dont sound like
The voice on the record - I see what you mean
Because the system was wack, so I had to scream
So just - give me a mic if its loud Ill blow it
If not - into the crowd Ill throw it
Pull out my cordless mic and entertain you well
Before I let go Ima spark your brain cells
I took time to write - tonight I will recite
So poetically inclined when the mic is held tight
Rhymes start flowin kisses are blowin
MCs are knowin thats why theyre goin
Home to tell a friend when the party ends
"Yo, man you know Rakim? That brother struck again"
Cuz mic by mic and stage by stage,
Tape by tape and page by page,
When the crowd is moving I compete with the mix
The rougher the cuts - the rougher the rhyme gets
Deeper and Deeper - I hope you understand it
I made it up myself and I planned it
For other MCs who waste time
Writing jokes, riddles, and maybe a rhyme
I cross my arms and I was waiting - but I was hating
The rappers on the microphone was fronting - just faking
They wasnt breakin, which means I was achin
To get up on the microphone and then start takin
Control of the mic - uptight when I grabbed it
So hug the speaker- your ears a magnet
Attracted to a freestyle put in effect
You listen to my man while youre sippin Moet
So Eric, pick up the needle (yeah) put it in the middle (ahhight)
Give me a scratch, turn my Mic up a little,
I want you to hear this perfectly clear
Catch what Im sayin? You get the idea?
I hope you knowledge the beginning cuz Im finished this song
The rhyme gets rougher as the rhyme flows on...
[ As The Rhyme Goes On Lyrics ]