Foundation (message)

this is for all my old HipHop heads.. respecting our roots .. stay blessed out there fam in all you do.... Intro People look at the house, but they never see the foundation. They look at the second floor, but they don't know about the basement. Before '79, before the tape started rolling... Flash dropped the needle. Mel held the mic. Listen up. 1 long verse ​Nineteen-sixty-nine, the South Bronx in the dark, Long before the record labels set up in the park. You look at the top, but you’re blind to the base, they built the foundation in a concrete space. The Quick Mix Theory, the clock on the platter, Without the wheels of steel, none of this would matter! DJing, breaking, the paint on the wall, The MC on the mic keeping order in the hall. You think Hip Hop is just a song on the chart? No, Hip Hop is the cake—rapping’s just a little part! If you bypass the basement, you don't know the house, You’re just running through the maze like a corporate mouse. Park jams, street lamps, social necessity, We turned direct light into living electricity! ​Rap is a technique, something that you do, Hip Hop is a culture, the living, breathing truth! From the Bronx to the world, the five elements stand, It’s the voice of the streets, not a gimmick in your hand! Yeah, rap is what you do, but Hip Hop is what you live, It’s the spirit and the story and the respect that you give! ​Step up to the mic, hear the voice of the street, I put the reality inside of the beat. Keith Cowboy said the words, but I gave 'em the soul, Took the party chants and gave the culture control! It’s "The Message" in the jungle, edge of the knife, A mirror to the struggle and the facts of life. A rapper rhymes words for a check and a hit, Chasing every trend just to see if it’ll fit. They got cadence, got rhythm, got a 16-bar flow, But they empty inside with no place else to go! No knowledge of the history, no care for the crowd, Just noise in the speaker, turned up real loud. An MC moves the room with a message and a mind, Leaving empty commercial fast-talk behind! ​What is the vocal? That’s the delivery style! What is the hustle? That’s a job for a while! What is the culture? It’s the DJ on the decks! It’s the B-boy spinning! It’s the graffiti on the treks! It’s the truth on the mic! It’s the mind state of the crowd! If you live it, then state it out loud! ​You can rap a jingle to sell a pair of shoes, You can rap a nursery rhyme, play it on the news. That’s mechanics, that’s speech, that’s a tool on the shelf, But Hip Hop demands that you represent yourself! Substance over surface, reality over fake, Don't claim you made the meal if you never baked the cake. KRS said it best, let the words echo clear If you don't live the culture, you’re just a tourist here! ​Rap is a technique, something that you do, Hip Hop is a culture, the living, breathing truth! From the Bronx to the world, the five elements stand, It’s the voice of the streets, not a gimmick in your hand! Yeah, rap is what you do, but Hip Hop is what you live, It’s the spirit and the story and the respect that you give! ​Respect the architects. Flash on the wheels. Melle Mel on the mic. Know the basement before you step onto the second floor. Outro (keeping this song just one long verse because I can, stop thinking you have to follow the structure of what the industry sets as standards .. Just be yourself and F mainstream rappers most rappers are not hip-hop anyways. you find more happiness with you local community then you will online so start playing for friends, family,parties just have fun and be yoursel its your hobby it your love and enjoyment .. money destroys that love you original had the urban philosopher.) Peace out fam know your history i am out