The pressure



Verse

[Q-Tip]

In this American metropolis filled with MC's
A Tribe Called Quest came to drop jewels wit' ease
Plus make you party, we do this music thing for everybody
Black, White, Latino and Asian, we cold raisin'
The stakes of hip-hop to a new plateau
To bridge gaps in generations for future plantations
A god-fearin' folk cos we all from the yolk
Of one breed, one seed, to good goals we proceed
Nowadays I strive to be a very good influence
Even though not too long ago I was a truant
Now I'm droppin' it on this and many broad topics
From man's obsession with money to holy prophets
Like Mohammed, yo, you know the scene is so freaky
Enemies they denounce me and my own try to sweep me
Now I got hip-hop acts posin' like fat cats
Lex and a Rolex, Moet and a top hat
But what about your contract, slick? Is you proper?
It's time we turned the tables of this hip-hop fable
I be strivin yo', tryna bang these joints out my skillet
And fulfil it, think about these kids, we can't kill it

[Phife]

Now every dog has his day, but eff that, it's my year
All you gat pullin' MC's could never come near
All that bogus type chatter, please put it to rest
It's the Phifer from Quest leavin' venues a mess
So I even start to (Rap) when you know you have no (Haps)
Wit' your simpleton (Lyrics), your light-hearted (Act)
Step back, me no have no time for dat
I'm blowin' up the spot for all you ras clot idi-ots
In a world where you have like a zillion MC's
Ninety percent of all you suckers have filthy LPs
Bitch this, trick that, come on, act like you know
I be that up north MC who never chose to play the down-low
(His name is Phife Dawg) I label myself as The Boss (True dat)
Same height as Little Vicious, yet I'm shorter than Kriss Kross
Queens representation, son, you know how we do
While Light' and Sha, they represent BK to the fullest
I be the sidekick to The Abstract, so get ready for combat
Yo, what about about them biters? Errr! Me not like that
My motto is to wreck shop, I do it on the non-stop
Come on party people, you must give me my props
Cos y'all know good and damn well that the style has been mastered
So head for the border you peasy-haired bastards
Before I start to put it on ya, come on now, must I warn ya?
Queens is in the house so all MC's go hold their corner

Outro

We feelin' pressures in here
You know we feelin' pressures
Feelin' pressures in here
You know we feelin' pressures
We gotta stand clear
Jus' gotta stand clear
Gotta gotta stand clear of the pressure
The what?

Word play



Q-Tip:
One, two, what'cha wanna do
Three, four, cuz we're gonna give you more
Five, six, and we ain't the tricks
Seven, eight, and we got it straight
Nine, ten, cuz we make it blend
Eleven, twelve, never ever goin for self
Tribe Called Quest situation
Check it out
Q-Tip:
Power. People really get caught with this on different levels
Power controls your life
Money. The companion of the first. Some people tend to worship
And we know this ain't right.
Phife:
Attitude(attitude) is how I get my point across.
You can't call yourself an MC if you know that you're soft.
Agressive...is how the stage is approached. I burn MCs like toast
Cuz I'm the host with the most.
Consequence:
Illin(illin) is what you do when you're assin.
Whether it be you or all up in your past and...
Cashin...done turned your people corrupt
It's six o'clock, girl, you gotta get your weight up
Q-Tip:
Sex(sex). Either a man or a woman.
This agenda, but when lovers get down
Froggin. When niggaz try to play roles
But when they really need to put that shit background
Phife:
Miserable(miserable) is what your whole crew will be
If you're not original and you show no strategy
Heavenly...is how the track tends to flow
And if you don't know, tell em diggy said so
Q-Tip:
We livin this cuz it's deep in our bones
A Tribe Called Quest with this hip hop jones
So sit and analyze the lyrical spray
Cuz all it really is is word play(word play)(word)
Consequence:
Willie. That's what I kick to get this Millie on a lilly
Now, I'm packin dimes like Chilli
Stress(stress). That's what I always go through
Cuz it's survival of the fittest on the 192
Q-Tip:
Knowledge. When the mind accept facts
On this plane of livin, knowledge be the key, black
Understanding. Gettin a grip on what's revealed
When shit be real, can't give understanding back
Phife:
Analyze. That's what I do to MCs
That be talkin bout they this and that, money please
Ego. I'm on my own jock skill
Cuz if I don't say I'm the best, tell me who the hell will
Consequence:
Cheeba smoke y'all. That's what I use to get high
When I'm in a rut and I don't know why
Try. Yo try again my friend
Cuz you can't see this MC representin Linden
Q-Tip:
Freestyle(freestyle). A true MC trait
And when you do it ill, niggaz respect it as great
Yo, I gotta...(laughing)
Phife:
We livin this cuz it's deep in our bones
A Tribe Called Quest with the hip hop jones
So sit and analyze the lyrical spray
Cuz all it really is is word play(word play)

Youthful expression



Q-Tip:
The taste of nuthin, this does somethin
Moms that knows that, says I'm frontin
Call me Smiley, cuz I'm wiley
Livin life like the life of Riley
Smokin blunts with a boy named Bud
We cough up your lungs, cough up your cud
Put out fires, with a 40, ounce of water
You know you oughta
Dance to this, your girl you kiss
I like fried foods, especially fish
Afrocentric, I'm electric
Socialistic and eccentric
Body's healthy, mind is wealthy
Thoughts, they flow, that will prepare me
To be a Native, get creative
Original and designative
Listen to the line that's playin
Listen hard to what Q's sayin
Politicians are magicians
Make your vote, they hope your wishin
Ambiguous words, senseless verbs
They all amount to crap that's heard
Violent hip hop, money flip flops
Promoters won't book, but it still rocks
I'm a Zulu, yes, a true blue
Red Alert is with the poo-poo
Ozone layer, loses flava
Here's the edge that you will savor
Jarobi:
The economy...politics...police...everything
Except for the youth
But the youth about to come back
Q-Tip(voice distorted):
Alright, here they come
Uh oh, uh oh, uh!
Q-Tip:
With expressions and I'm guessin
19 years is a youthful lesson
Fallin skies babe, open eyes babe
Can't you see what lays inside babe
Makin mentions on this tension
Rhythmic lovin, my profession
Hips, they gyrate, scripts I narrate
No banana, I ain't a primate
Ain't no soul glo, just an afro
The head is bred to let the thoughts grow
Quest together, to lands of never
Sleet and snow and storms can't sever
Tribe is growin, never know when
For this time, six necks may show in
Dialogues have been accepted
Negatives have been rejected
That's the music, negro music
Is here for all, so you must choose it
Phonies fondle, watch it throttle
3-6-5 straight out the bottle
Bustin caps, finger snaps
I prefer the second for ghetto tracks
Phife, Jarobi, Ali told me
Get the force like Wan Kenobi
Force his teachin, beats are screechin
Poly plateaus, we aim for reachin
Tribalization, freaks the nation
A mass of peers in celebration
Hopes been real high, since the knee high
Days of youth, feelin good and real spry
Avid combos, hear those bongos
Boom cacka boom, that's how they go
We ain't nomads, but we real glad
Hip hop slams through the nineties, no fad
As a rhythm, have been given
Hurry up, become, we breakin out, out
Shaheed:
With a rhythmic instinction to be able to travel
Beyond existing forces of life
Basically, that Tribal
And if you wanna get the rhythm
Then you have to join a Tribe
Word, peace