[Intro]

Yeah, niggas want to talk about this rap shit

Niggas want to talk about this money

About these cars, these homes, these labels

Clothes, sneakers, big money shit

Now everybody trying to get rich

Now get rich niggas, fuck it

[Verse 1]

Some rap pioneers be them crackheads

When they speak, you see missin' teeth

Silver chain with a silver piece

Niggas your grandfather's age, they pants still hangin' down they legs, talkin' 'bout they ain't paid

And they hate you, 'cause they say you ain't pay dues

And [Sylvia Robinson was stealin' and robbin' them]

I feel it's a problem we gotta resolve

Hip-Hop been dead, we the reason it died

Wasn't Sylvia's fault, or 'cause MC's skills are lost

It's 'cause we can't see ourselves as the boss

Deep-rooted through slavery, self-hatred

The Jewish stick together, friends in high places

We on some low level shit, we don't want niggas to ever win

See, everybody got a label

Everybody's a rapper, but few flow fatal

It's fucked up – it all started from two turntables (Uh)

[Chorus]

When they crown you and you rise up to your position

Carry on tradition

When they knight you, then you go to fight

Go to war, don't petition, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition, carry on, ca-carry on, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition

When you rep what we rep, then carry on tradition

[Verse 2]

Now some of these new rappers got their caps flipped backwards

With their fingers intertwined in some gang-sign madness

I got an exam, let's see if y'all pass it –

Let's see who can quote a Daddy Kane line the fastest

Some of you new rappers, I don't understand your code

You have your man shoot you, like in that Sopranos episode

Do anything to get in the game, mixtapes, you spit hate against bosses Hungry fucks are moral-less

You should be tossed in a pit full of unfortunate vocalists

Niggas, I could've wrote your shit

I had off-time, was bored with this

I could've made my double LP just by samplin' different parts of "Nautilus"

Still came 5 on the charts, with zero audience

The lane was open and y'all was droppin' that garbage shit

Y'all got awards for your bricks – it got good to ya

You started tellin' them bigger dogs to call it quits?! WHAT?

[Chorus]

When they crown you and you rise up to your position

Carry on tradition

When they knight you, then you go to fight

Go to war, don't petition, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition, carry on, ca-carry on, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition

When you rep what we rep, then carry on tradition

[Verse 3]

Now niggas got the studio poppin', it's mad clearer

Engineers got his earplugs and still hear us

The live-in-the-park sound versus the studio state-of-art sound

We on the charts now

From British Walkers and Argyles –

Look at us rap stars now, with our black cars now

'Fortune' 500 listed, brunches, Cipriani's

Sippin', blunted, with rich white guys around me

Thick white girls around me, Chinese lined up

Because I'm what? Every dime lust

We used to be a ghetto secret; can't make my mind up

If I want that, or the whole world to peep it

Now, carry on tradition

Fuck a bum wack rapper makin' his career out of dissin'

Peace to the strugglin' artists and dead ones gone, we miss 'em

I promise, I carry on tradition (Uhh)

[Chorus]

When they crown you and you rise up to your position

Carry on tradition

When they knight you, then you go to fight

Go to war, don't petition, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition, carry on, ca-carry on, carry on tradition

Carry on tradition

When you rep what we rep, then carry on tradition