[Intro]

Yeah, young man movin'

Stimulus in the house

P-Mac in the house

E-Lab in the house

Young MC in the house

Lettin' ya'll know what's goin' on just in case. Check me

(in case you weren't around for the microphone check

Listen to the young man move and catch wreck)

[Verse 1]

For 2/3 of my life, yo I've been a cold rhymer

Name: Young. Feel young. Not an old timer

Rocked from North London to North Carolina

Love to write lyrics on a jet airliner

So I'm a tell you about a rapper I met

Got a deal. Kept it real and his mind was set

Sayin' he don't give a damn what thе radio say

Cause he don't care about radio play

Now I rеmember when it pleased MC's to lace MD's and PD's

With CD's, when most of ya'll was at home eatin' your Wheaties

And we'd be prayin' that we got some spins

Cause if they played it one time, then they'd play it again

See it's quite absurd. All the spite you heard

And "controversial" like "commercial" is a four letter word

Cause you can't chase paper with no paper to chase

So let me kick a little knowledge to you just in case

[Chorus]

In case you weren't here when it got put down

In case you weren't aware how they made the sound

In case you weren't there when they blazed the town

Before there was commercial or an underground

In case you didn't hear how the words connect

In case it wasn't clear how they earned respect

And in case you weren't around for the microphone check

Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck

[Verse 2]

I got a whole different take on keepin' it real

Back in the day we'd parlay for the mass appeal

Your track was two records on the wheels of steel

And only Flash and Jimmy Spicer had the big time deals

I remember Frankie Crocker playing Rappers Delight

Cause in the winter time you only heard the rappin' at night

Block parties needed power so you'd tap in a light

But then it broke up when somebody pulled a strap in a fight

I tell you what, this is more than just a history lesson

And I ain't hatin' on you son, matter of fact I give you my blessin'

But when you brag about cheese, if you were truly confessin'

You would find more cheddar in a delicatessen. (yeah)

Now young kids watching you. They're thinkin' it's cute

Rented cars. Rented women. Rented video shoot

But you can't rent dignity or rent good taste

So let me kick a little knowledge to you just in case

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]

See I've been destined to spit flow from the get go

Grab this mic, hold tight and never let go

Failure I never knew. Out on the avenue

Fought hard times and bust rhymes for my revenue

Sell a couple records and the haters come out

They don't know me so I don't know what the hate is about

From growin' up in Hollis, to Cali makin dollars

See me when you turn the tele on like Elian Gonzalez

But I gotta give thanks to the pioneers

The ones I feel lucky just to call my peers

When I saw how they did it, man, it calmed my fears

And that's the reason I've been rockin' on the mic for years

From the Sugarhill Gang to the Treacherous Three

Kurtis Blow, Fearless Four, Run DMC

LA Dream Team, Rodney O and Joe Cooley

NWA, Egyptian Lover and my man Ice T

There's so many others who I did not name

But who made a contribution, helping build this game

So when you play your rap music, turn up the bass

And remember how we got here just in case

[Chorus x2]

[Outro]

And in case you weren't around for the microphone check

Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck

And in case you weren't around for the microphone check

Just listen to the young man move and catch wreck