[Verse 1: AWKWORD]

Nine-one, a decade before September Eleventh

Before Barack Obama, turned 50 as President

Saddam Hussein, was, global terrorism

And the death of Amy Winehouse, lucky 27

Before Catholic Church apologies and White Christ

Roku and DVR, living like kilobytes

We took silicon injections, invented AIDS infections

Can't fuck our girls without Viagara erections

Flooded streets of crack, and Fat Joe was Joe Crack

The son of Rupert Mirdoch, founded Rawkus Rap

They took coke out of Coke, and Air Jordan came back

Before Bandcamp and Soundcloud, recorded on wax

The NYPD, beat Pete Rock's family

Before Esperanza, took Justin Bieber's Grammy

Before my parents got cancer, and everything was dandy

Kel, T, Spekt and AWK, still spit John Handy

[Hook 1: DJ Graft (Norway) (cuts featuring original vocals by Block McCloud)]

Before, Berlin 'teared' the wall

Before, MC Hammer seen glamour then turned poor

Before, Hip Hop videos depicted all girls as whores

Before, love of money and greed put hate in our blood

[Verse 2: MarQ Spekt]

Before there was the guts there was the glory

Before Heaven, Hell had a nigga locked down in purgatory

Before she said she love me so much, she'd murder for me

Now I stand before the judge in cuffs, he heard the story

But this before the shots fired, before the cop sirens

Before the pigs had him on the ground hog tied

Before the war he knew Saddam ain't have a stockpile

Shit been raw since before BIG and Pac died

So you know it's before you blog and twitter rappers

Before you 'lil bastards even thought of getting active

I been a factor before you in the winner's bracket

Spittin acid serving heads on a silver platter

But this before it didn't matter

Before A&Rs getting axed and them labels getting wacker

New artists got so underground they can't surface

BBfore swag, furry Timbs and man purses

Before you saw me on South Street I had verses

That had your mom speaking in tongues like Black Churches

Before these rappers even made their first crack purchase

Had 'em fiend out man these bitches can't serve us

[Hook 2 (cuts featuring original vocals by Pace Won)]

Before, they killed Cheese in The Wire

Before, Vader joined The Empire

Before, Earth Wind and Fire

Before, Nick Cannon married Mariah

[Verse 3: T.Shirt]

Aspire, to do my thing and be on fire

It's a hard knock life, son, you preaching to the choir

Back before it became about succeeding

Rapping 'bout what I know was just as natural as breathing

Just a little nigga eating, working morning through the evening

Can't wait for the weekend, I was cold but I was decent

Couple nights in the precinct, had me thinking

Nah, fuck this life, I'm not gon' be shit

But before all the pressure

Man, you should've seen me all dressed up

My shirt and tie all pressed up

Prom queen panties on the dresser

Turns out that the kid you might've saw

Grew to be a crazy son of a bitch, same as before

Nothing really changed, not for me not for y'all

I mean except my size in sneakers and the bitches I adore

[Hook 3 (cuts featuring original vocals by Pace Won)]

Before, Spragga Benz and Pliers

Before, swagger Timbs and bikers

Before, we went to war, I been so high up

Like the King of Rock, there is none higher

[Verse 4: Kel Spencer]

K S... Before it all, I was a fly on the wall, watching Satan defying us all

Cast out, after inciting riots and brawls

Before Caiaphas called Christ to the Sanhedrin

Before Polo P-wings and RL-2000 Skis

And even way before they made the law to abolish the Slave Trade

I'm A-Grade in Earth's womb, demanding a pay raise

For what I knew I'd do in due time, my stew was brewing

I was a shoe-in before Lew Alcindor was a Bruin

Running rough shot like a Dollar Van

Gallivanting without a plan, but now I got a plan

And now and now I do the numbers like the lotto man

Kick my 'Lo cookies up, on the suede ottoman

Before we go before the track discussing 'Befores'

Let's remove the lust from the cause, what shows up in applause

Is appreciation for our deviation from the Herd Theory

K S... Recognize, you just heard Theory

[Hook 4 (cuts featuring original vocals by Pace Won)]

Before, Spragga Benz and Pliers

Before, swagger Timbs and bikers

Before, we went to war, I been so high up

Like the King of Rock, there is none higher

[Instrumental Bridge]

[Outro (Back to the Future sample)]

Wait a minute, wait a minute, Doc. Doc. Are you telling me you built a time machine!?