[Verse One]

Let's take a journey back into our history

When this was all about our beats, content, rhymes and delivery

DeeJays would spin the breaks to make your body jittery

And you'd fall into a trance and forget all your misery

It's a real shame looking at what this has become

What society views Hip-Hop as, blending in among

The mainstream noise, we're starting to forget the roots

This was Good Music before you abused it and abandoned the truth

I bet half you 'rappers' have no clue who Kool Herc is

So pay close attention cause you need to learn this

Kool Herc was the one who started our culture

And Flash and Bambaataa proceeded to take it further

Doug E Fresh, Buffy and Biz Markie

Became human instruments helping the Disc Jockeys

Slick, Ra, G Rap, Daddy Kane and KRS-One

Started to develop their rhymes in order to become the best ones

All of you people should be taking this info in

And learn it before you try and get that sick flow kid

Cause what you hearing on the radio is not hip-hop

Those like Rick Ross are nothing but shit pop

[Hook]

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Roots of the real Hip-Hop

Times running out as the clock goes tick tock

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Roots of the real Hip-Hop

Before we had shit pop like Drake and Rick Ross

[Verse Two]

While on your journey, make sure you learn about the seven elements

Cause in this genre it's them that take precedence

First there's emceeing which is what we be speaking

Delivering our flow to create feeling and meaning

The second part comes to us from the vinyls

Whilst emcees are rhyming, DeeJays are scratching and mixing, creating diamonds

Some may say producing is just what the DeeJays do

But I think that's like saying licking her out is the same as giving a BJ dude

The fourth be graffiti, spreading this through visual means

They could create something beautiful with a single simple E

Breaking is one of the elements that not many can do

Years of dedicated hard work to pull off those moves

Beatboxers have my instantaneous respect

Crazy how they make those sounds without breaking a sweat

Last but most important, the forgotten element of our culture

Knowledge bonds us together and defines our sculpture

[Hook]

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Roots of the real Hip-Hop

Times running out as the clock goes tick tock

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Roots of the real Hip-Hop

Before we had shit pop like Drake and Rick Ross

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Days of NWA

Onyx, Gang Starr, Eyedea and Daddy Kane

Let's take it Back 2 Tha Times where real dudes rhymed

Wu, Nas, R.A., Pac, Big and the Pharcyde