Hold Your Own

Ladies and gentlemen
And now we're gonna do a hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop

Put your mouth on pause, hear the words as I cause
The terror, me and the boys up in the area
Hittin' you hard, you see me with the travel card
From a couple of clubs I get barred
As I walk the streets I look around
Some of them are down and I beat 'em to the ground
But I know that it's an everyday thing
Not everyone can live like the queen or king, so I sing
Every once in a while I get tense
Tryin' to work it out so I know everything makes sense
But it's hard, I know something has got to give
I'm the positive, never the negative
So I go on livin' like I used to
Sayin' "Yo, what's up?" without knowin' who's who
All the same people raise their hand and wave
While I'm thinkin' of the money I coulda saved
If only I knew in the days what I know now
A little know how, it hurts so I say "ow"
They used to treat me like dirt, never crippled a skirt
'Cause I never wore a tie and a damn shirt
And shoes to match, we got to start from scratch
See the eggs hatch, too quick to catch
The vapors, I don't know your favors
Read the papers, soon you're gettin' famous
You're talkin' out your anus, how much you're payin' us
Uh, radio stations are playin' us
Come take the day, swing it any which way you can
Put up a hand and get busy
As I drop the truth about a duck
I wish him luck, he says that I sound like Chuck
Public Enemy number one, yeah
Jerk yourself while I get the job done, son
Run, run, if you think you can catch us
I make a livin' while another one bites the dust
And I don't trust a man from around the way
Hey, so stay the mother hell away

Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Where's the money?

Broke as hell, but still I rebel against the foe
Go toe to toe just to let them know
They wanna give me money but I want full control
'Cause I'm a man with soul playin' a role
People always insist that I sign a deal
And get it over and done with, see who you run with
I'm just the type with the morals to stick to
The one without the morals is the ones that tricked you
Watch your back for the backstabber
Keep your money well away from the fuckin' money grabber
Down in the avenue, see who's havin' who
It ain't over till I'm through, get with this
It ain't over till I'm through

Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop

Hold your own, the beggar couldn't be a chooser
That's what they used to say, but I refused to
Listen to the hunky dory ways of a crackpot
I set the goals so I'm goin' for the jackpot
Harder the better, I put it in a long letter
To the enemy to show that I'm the go-getter
Goin' against those who walk with their noses up
You know what time it is 'cause you know your time is up
Slow the pace, givin' you time to show your face
Follow the ways of the lyrical
Maniac when I'm pluggin' the phone at the jack
I'm a lover of rap but I ain't black
Nor am I white, but a simple Armenian
Never the product, but a human bein'
Even though you see the record stacked on the shelf
When I walk the streets I wanna be myself
So when you see me around this is for the best
Don't say a word about how you think I ought to dress
'Cause what makes a man is how he conducts himself
You wear a suit but every day I see you kick yourself
'Cause you did something that you never shoulda did
You're confused and actin' like a fuckin' kid
Stop the cryin', think what you're buyin'
There's no need for lyin' or even relyin'
On others to do what you could do for yourself
Get your lazy ass off the shelf
And pull yourself together, never let it drag on
Some use the heavy heavy beat just to brag on
But that's a waste of the seconds that tick away
Or maybe they got nothin' better to say
Hey yo, you could be the one to defeat the competition
But me, I'm on a mission

Hip hop, hip hop (I'm on a mission)
Hip hop, hip hop (I'm on a mission)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop (Drag it on, drag it on)
Hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop
Hip hop, hip hop