Lyric No Gimmicks
[ KRS-One ]
Lord Finesse and Blastmaster KRS-One
Lyrical styles weigh a ton
Lord Finesse, we know you got skills
Come into the cypher and build
Chill out, all MC I kill
Come down
[ VERSE 1: Lord Finesse ]
Check it out, come on, here s your chance to swing
With some ill muthafuckas, we don t dance and sing
In 95 we out-jinglin
Servin poetic justice without that nigga John Singleton
I do my thing while the fans be jealin
Hey yo, I m so dope, you better tap your man and tell him
I don t fake moves, I scrape crews, I make brothers break fool
Just give me a beat with a bass groove
I m mad funky, ask the experts
Cause I make you bob your head until your muthafuckin neck hurt
So don t ask me to match, gee
Cause if you ain t real, I m bringin it to your face like acne
Now rappers run scams and flim-flams
On how they be gettin loose when they rusty like a tin man
They rap fast, tryin to stack cash
But on the reel to reel, yo, they still soundin half-assed
Yellin and screamin like they got somethin
When they don t got nothin, so them niggas need to stop frontin
Talkin how they be raggin shit
When I don t know if them niggas are rappin or talkin muthafuckin Arabic
They act so ill, they no frills
They should go chill, they all mouth with no skills
When I m around y all feel funny
Cause I m young makin funds like Shaquille O Neal, money
You want any drama? You better wear plenty armor
I cut that ass like the chef at Benny Harner s
The funky man s in it to win it
We gotta keep it real yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
Whoever make a hit they the best (That s a gimmick)
You sell records based on how you dress (That s a gimmick)
Hey yo, that tongue-twistin shit, that s kinda fresh (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re soft but you re frontin like you re stressed? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re only into rap to get paid? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re yellin and screamin up on stage? (That s a gimmick)
When your career is numbered by days? (That s a gimmick)
What s when your lyrical style is just a faze? (That s a gimmick)
[ VERSE 2: KRS-One ]
I guess yes y all, to the beat y all, bring in the street
Let me put my beeper on vibrate , so won t hear it beep
Representin the street, concrete what I speak, yeah, I live it
Let it be known, KRS is not about a gimmick
I grab the mic and rip it, meanwhile they stallin
I raise the mic stand, because I m tall and I keep the crowd callin
I m not like those other rappers talkin about the caps they peel
Punk, I battle MC s for real
Fuck a record deal when you re still into hip-hoppin
With your country ass, sound like you re still pickin cotton
You get thrown across the room in that direction, listen
The lyrical teacher s not the one you should be checkin
This is my eara, or era or eera, whatever, I m mad clever
I shoop, you doop, you doop like Salt-N-Pepa
Lyrical terror, you should never ever come for mine
When I rhyme I clean up MC s with the fresh smell of pine
I got skills, and it shows
You could slow or speed up the tempo, your style is fake like Janet Jackson s nose
I m sellin that real live shit, and you could get hurt
You re sellin that fake shit like the Home Shopping Network
You got a lotta rhymes to battle in a second
But frankly the bottom line is: where s your hit record?
You claim I m jockin, you claim I m on your dick, where s your witness?
If i m on your dick, my name has got to be syphilis
I come with lyrical physical fitness
Two months from now you will have bit this
Watch me light that ass up like Christmas
Don t let me come out on that ass
Start flippin the lyrics I be kickin
Be hotter than curry chicken
So whether from the east or from the west
There s no other KRS
I got force
I came to your town to set it off
So when Finesse goes hit it
I ll never mimick
KRS-One could never use a gimmick
When you re ridin the next rapper s dick (That s a gimmick)
When you re R&B, and then you cold flip (That s a gimmick)
Start rhymin hardcore just to get a hit (That s a gimmick)
When yout get over, but your skills ain t shit (That s a gimmick)
When you rap, but you don t have soul (That s a gimmick)
When you cross over just to go gold (That s a gimmick)
When you re not a gangster, but portrayin a role (That s a gimmick)
What s when you shape in somebody else s mould? (That s a gimmick)
[ VERSE 3: Lord Finesse ]
Man your station, cause the clan you re facin
Is steppin to you trash muthafuckas like sanitatian
I shoot and throw rhymes, the whole nine when it s showtime
(What up, kid?) Brothers know I can hold mine
On the real I got rhymes skills
When the time s ill I m blowin up spots like a minefield
Brothers front with they chest out
But words from Finesse s mouth ll leave them niggas stressed out
They make me sick to my stomach
(So put it on em, kid!) Them muthafuckas don t want it
They can t see me, believe me
They all phoneys, like them niggas that be wrestlin on tv
Yo, they re nowhere near pro
And niggas couldn t hang if they was muthafuckin scarecrows
Nowadays a lotta rappers sound fake
Talkin that gangster shit, when they re softer than a poundcake
So why you re frontin with the burner, kid
When you done took more ass-whippins than fuckin Tina Turner did
You wanna front? So be it
But fuck beatin around the bush, I just speak how I see it
Me fall off? That shit s dead
That s not happenin, kid, so get that shit through your thick head
I ll never sellout (What?) You head right
I ll never cross over (Aight!) Word life
So when I said it, peep the method
If I never go gold but get credit, I won t sweat it
In 95 we all in it
We gotta keep it real, yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
What s when you rap and don t appreciate the art? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you sell out just to get a start? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you make bullshit just for the charts? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you rap, but it s not from the heart? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re hardcore, then you turn pop? (That s a gimmick)
When you steal ideas to get props? (That s a gimmick)
When you sell out to be on top? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you front like you re hard, but you re not? (That s a gimmick)
[ KRS-One ]
Now let this be a lesson to all MC s
And DJ s
Anyone that come across the line will have to pay
Real hip hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Give it respect
We catch wreck
Lord Finesse and Blastmaster KRS-One
Lyrical styles weigh a ton
Lord Finesse, we know you got skills
Come into the cypher and build
Chill out, all MC I kill
Come down
[ VERSE 1: Lord Finesse ]
Check it out, come on, here s your chance to swing
With some ill muthafuckas, we don t dance and sing
In 95 we out-jinglin
Servin poetic justice without that nigga John Singleton
I do my thing while the fans be jealin
Hey yo, I m so dope, you better tap your man and tell him
I don t fake moves, I scrape crews, I make brothers break fool
Just give me a beat with a bass groove
I m mad funky, ask the experts
Cause I make you bob your head until your muthafuckin neck hurt
So don t ask me to match, gee
Cause if you ain t real, I m bringin it to your face like acne
Now rappers run scams and flim-flams
On how they be gettin loose when they rusty like a tin man
They rap fast, tryin to stack cash
But on the reel to reel, yo, they still soundin half-assed
Yellin and screamin like they got somethin
When they don t got nothin, so them niggas need to stop frontin
Talkin how they be raggin shit
When I don t know if them niggas are rappin or talkin muthafuckin Arabic
They act so ill, they no frills
They should go chill, they all mouth with no skills
When I m around y all feel funny
Cause I m young makin funds like Shaquille O Neal, money
You want any drama? You better wear plenty armor
I cut that ass like the chef at Benny Harner s
The funky man s in it to win it
We gotta keep it real yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
Whoever make a hit they the best (That s a gimmick)
You sell records based on how you dress (That s a gimmick)
Hey yo, that tongue-twistin shit, that s kinda fresh (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re soft but you re frontin like you re stressed? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re only into rap to get paid? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re yellin and screamin up on stage? (That s a gimmick)
When your career is numbered by days? (That s a gimmick)
What s when your lyrical style is just a faze? (That s a gimmick)
[ VERSE 2: KRS-One ]
I guess yes y all, to the beat y all, bring in the street
Let me put my beeper on vibrate , so won t hear it beep
Representin the street, concrete what I speak, yeah, I live it
Let it be known, KRS is not about a gimmick
I grab the mic and rip it, meanwhile they stallin
I raise the mic stand, because I m tall and I keep the crowd callin
I m not like those other rappers talkin about the caps they peel
Punk, I battle MC s for real
Fuck a record deal when you re still into hip-hoppin
With your country ass, sound like you re still pickin cotton
You get thrown across the room in that direction, listen
The lyrical teacher s not the one you should be checkin
This is my eara, or era or eera, whatever, I m mad clever
I shoop, you doop, you doop like Salt-N-Pepa
Lyrical terror, you should never ever come for mine
When I rhyme I clean up MC s with the fresh smell of pine
I got skills, and it shows
You could slow or speed up the tempo, your style is fake like Janet Jackson s nose
I m sellin that real live shit, and you could get hurt
You re sellin that fake shit like the Home Shopping Network
You got a lotta rhymes to battle in a second
But frankly the bottom line is: where s your hit record?
You claim I m jockin, you claim I m on your dick, where s your witness?
If i m on your dick, my name has got to be syphilis
I come with lyrical physical fitness
Two months from now you will have bit this
Watch me light that ass up like Christmas
Don t let me come out on that ass
Start flippin the lyrics I be kickin
Be hotter than curry chicken
So whether from the east or from the west
There s no other KRS
I got force
I came to your town to set it off
So when Finesse goes hit it
I ll never mimick
KRS-One could never use a gimmick
When you re ridin the next rapper s dick (That s a gimmick)
When you re R&B, and then you cold flip (That s a gimmick)
Start rhymin hardcore just to get a hit (That s a gimmick)
When yout get over, but your skills ain t shit (That s a gimmick)
When you rap, but you don t have soul (That s a gimmick)
When you cross over just to go gold (That s a gimmick)
When you re not a gangster, but portrayin a role (That s a gimmick)
What s when you shape in somebody else s mould? (That s a gimmick)
[ VERSE 3: Lord Finesse ]
Man your station, cause the clan you re facin
Is steppin to you trash muthafuckas like sanitatian
I shoot and throw rhymes, the whole nine when it s showtime
(What up, kid?) Brothers know I can hold mine
On the real I got rhymes skills
When the time s ill I m blowin up spots like a minefield
Brothers front with they chest out
But words from Finesse s mouth ll leave them niggas stressed out
They make me sick to my stomach
(So put it on em, kid!) Them muthafuckas don t want it
They can t see me, believe me
They all phoneys, like them niggas that be wrestlin on tv
Yo, they re nowhere near pro
And niggas couldn t hang if they was muthafuckin scarecrows
Nowadays a lotta rappers sound fake
Talkin that gangster shit, when they re softer than a poundcake
So why you re frontin with the burner, kid
When you done took more ass-whippins than fuckin Tina Turner did
You wanna front? So be it
But fuck beatin around the bush, I just speak how I see it
Me fall off? That shit s dead
That s not happenin, kid, so get that shit through your thick head
I ll never sellout (What?) You head right
I ll never cross over (Aight!) Word life
So when I said it, peep the method
If I never go gold but get credit, I won t sweat it
In 95 we all in it
We gotta keep it real, yo, no muthafuckin gimmicks
What s when you rap and don t appreciate the art? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you sell out just to get a start? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you make bullshit just for the charts? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you rap, but it s not from the heart? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you re hardcore, then you turn pop? (That s a gimmick)
When you steal ideas to get props? (That s a gimmick)
When you sell out to be on top? (That s a gimmick)
What s when you front like you re hard, but you re not? (That s a gimmick)
[ KRS-One ]
Now let this be a lesson to all MC s
And DJ s
Anyone that come across the line will have to pay
Real hip hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Real hip-hop is in effect
Give it respect
We catch wreck
