Mos Def]

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Raheem *



If you can hear me ladies and gentlemen

then I'm very happy that you came here..



Ooh ooooooooooohhhh ooh ooooooooooooooohh WHEEEEE!!!

That was for Brooklyn..

Ha ha we get it everytime

You got me on? Ohh

Shout out to all of my crew East West North South

All the continent Europe all abroad international

Bring it in bring it in bring it in bring it in

It's a lot of things goin on y'all

21st century is comin

20th century almost done

A lot of things have changed

A lot of things have not, mainly us

We gon' get it together right? I believe that

Listen.. people be askin me all the time,

"Yo Mos, what's gettin ready to happen with Hip-Hop?"

(Where do you think Hip-Hop is goin?)

I tell em, "You know what's gonna happen with Hip-Hop?

Whatever's happening with us"

If we smoked out, Hip-Hop is gonna be smoked out

If we doin alright, Hip-Hop is gonna be doin alright

People talk about Hip-Hop like it's some giant livin in the hillside

comin down to visit the townspeople

We +are+ Hip-Hop

Me, you, everybody, we are Hip-Hop

So Hip-Hop is goin where we goin

So the next time you ask yourself where Hip-Hop is goin

ask yourself.. where am I goin? How am I doin?

Til you get a clear idea

So.. if Hip-Hop is about the people

and the.. Hip-Hop won't get better until the people get better

then how do people get better? (Hmmmm...)

Well, from my understanding people get better

when they start to understand that, they are valuable

And they not valuable because they got a whole lot of money

or cause somebody, think they sexy

but they valuable caause they been created by God

And God, makes you valuable

And whether or not you, recognize that value is one thing

You got a lot of socities and governments

tryin to be God, wishin that they were God

They wanna create satellites and cameras everywhere

and make you think they got the all-seein eye

Eh.. I guess The Last Poets wasn't, too far off

when they said that certain people got a God Complex

I believe it's true

I don't get phased out by none of that, none of that

helicopters, the TV screens, the newscasters, the..

satellite dishes.. they just, wishin

They can't really never do that

When they tell me to fear they law

When they tell me to try to

have some fear in my heart behind the things that they do

This is what I think in my mind

And this is what I say to them

And this is what I'm sayin, to you check it



All over the world hearts pound with the rhythm

Fear not of men because men must die

Mind over matter and soul before flesh

Angels for the pain keep a record in time

which is passin and runnin like a caravan freighter

The world is overrun with the wealthy and the wicked

But God is sufficient in disposin of affairs

Gunmen and stockholders try to merit my fear

But God is sufficient over plans they prepared

Mos Def in the flesh, where you at, right here

on this place called Earth, holdin down my square

Bout to do it for y'all, and y'all at the fair

So just bounce, come on bounce

B-b-bounce b-bounce b-bounce-bounce

And just..

.. just step two three

Just step two three and

step two..

two three and..

One two three and four

One two three and four

Once again

All over the world hearts pound with the rhythm

Fear not of men because men must die

Mind over matter and soul before flesh

Angels for the pain keep a record in time

which is passin and runnin like a caravan freighter

The world is overrun with the wealthy and the wicked

But God is sufficient in disposin of affairs

Gunmen and stockholders try to merit your fear

But God is sufficient over plans they prepared

Mos Def in the flesh, where you at, right here

on this place called Earth, holdin down my square

Bout to represent in your whole atmosphere

Bout to represent in your whole atmosphere

to your atmosphere, to your atmosphere

Oh-ooooooohhhhhhhhhh!

That was for you - and Brooklyn too