Back To Basics - Blu, Exile

Told them I’ma chop it up, loop and rap to it

I’m a conscious slash average black human

But see I’m from the street so you know I’m gonna keep that ass moving

I passed numerous tests without using a tech

A crack moving

A school of hard knocks grad student

Who you should respect, not 'cause crew sure connects

But 'cause I rap (?)

I put in work

I’m a vet like Pat Ewing

I blaze more Knicks than Reggie Miller

My kid’s doing the same old shit

It never differ but I beg to differ

Fuck a pardon

I charge in the industry like a sergeant for pimping these artists

Leave the talking to the grown-ups

Regardless if you’re, «So what?

You sold out.»

Trying to hold clout and hold bucks in the same game

So I say

No double checking vocals, dude

Vocals kill like weapons

Never, never, never, never

When I was young I want to grow up like Ice Cube

Blow up like (?)

Times change and so do the West

Now I’m older now, I found me a nice crew

Some tracks I could write to

My mind grew and so did my set

Now it’s time to respect

Them West Coast great vets

Pourin' blood, sweating tears plus the years they invest

Stop showin' disrespect like you ain’t heard us

My stomping grounds in Cali’s found and I ain’t been served once

Kick up my feet in fur blunts (?)

Reminiscing of the time when I was stuck in my youth

Moving house to house, in-and-out of cities, pretty kid and I was witty see

these slickas steal some Diddy

Shit I missed it when we used to play Wu-Tang

And the Who Bang Capital

When the niggas grow up with that shoot-and-range attitude

Gang-banging and doing things they didn’t have to do

But I was just a little man, looking out my window pane

Chilling with the rapping crews after school

Get it rain, spittin' flames, attackin' fools, acting cool

Tagging on the bus, talkin' bout «I'd never do it for bucks,»

But fuck, it all changed once my first check came

So I say

No double checking vocals, dude

Vocals kill like weapons

Never, never, never, never

So I say

Record labels used to ask me

«Ey, yo, how we 'posed to market an honest, rap consciousness' street coming

from 'Cali?»

I told them, «Rap music used to speak for itself

Spit it out, niggas feel like he coming off the shelf without selling out.»

This is for my niggas out spending, skipping house to house, living on their

best friend’s couch

We out bustin' just to build them some clout

But the rap game is stuck in a drought

'Cause these rappers stop rappin'

They just running they mouth

'bout shit they don’t have

While the shit in my pad is as hot as the sun in the south

I’m giving all that I have

Over little recognition for the times I spent scribbling

My thoughts across pages for the latest

Greatest, those who never made it

And every guy that got me on their iTunes playlist

For the Bridgetown players, the fly chicks that play this

Divine forces wake up showing Friday night flavors

This for y’all

To me, hip-hop is a way of life you know what I’m saying?

It’s what you wake up

in the morning, it’s who you are

You are listening to the world famous, Wake-Up Show

We are controlling transmission

1−2, 1−2, You are now tuned in to the famous Wake-Up Show

We got with us, who is doing an interview behind the scenes, let’s put it on

air, ask the same questions, man

So what size shoe you wearing?

Uhh, 13

How tall are you?

Uhh, 6'4

Tell everybody your name:

My name is Blu, I moved out when I was 18 and just kept-

How long have you been MCing?

About five years cause my stepdad is a preacher currently and I couldn’t listen

to hip-hop-

My gosh, your pops banned hip-hop from the household

That’s funny 'cause I moved with my aunt and with my pops, who said I was a

gangster

So I moved in and all he played was Too Short and 2Pac

I just, I just, man, I just fell in love with it

Rode into my boy Basic and he caught me up really well

Did he teach you how to rhyme?

Something like that, something like that

Cool, we’re gonna see what you’re made of