How To Be An M.C.

Lyrics

[Intro] Ya know, a lot of people ask me They be like, "K, how can I be an MC, how can I learn to rap?" [Chorus] This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down [Verse 1] Aye, first off, let me say before we even start (What?) Ya gotta have love for this art-form in your heart The money part can't be most important to y'all You would still do it if it was no paper involved It's a hard hustle, don't get in it if you're not a soldier You have to go and study the history of the culture Every MC dead or alive who ever wrecked it If you don't know how the game began, how can you respect it? Learn how the styles evolved throughout time The simple and the complex ways people would rhyme Different flow patterns, learning where certain words belong But more importantly, the content of each song Expand your mind if you wanna be around for years 'Cause rappers with short knowledge tend to have short careers And when a thought appears, cultivate it to the max Stay motivated, too many artists faded and relaxed [Chorus] This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down [Verse 2] Gotta find your identity, second order of biz Can't be yourself until you find out who yourself is Formulate your own ideas, develop and write 'em You can listen to other rappers but don't try to sound like 'em The goal is not to imitate what clowns might do Create your own style, make them wanna sound like you And even if the artist got skill that's different and wild You can learn from that talent without stealing their style You copying hot rappers in the game, that sucks What if their style plays out, you gotta change back up That's the reason why most careers burn out faster Originality's what you should be tryin' to master Can't slack, gotta stay up and grind through the night Redoing a line time after time 'til it's right Never run from the critics 'cause the great ones don't And not being scared to say things that most cats won't [Chorus] This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down [Verse 3] There's a lot of elements that make your rhyming elite Delivery, voice projection, plus riding the beat Everybody likes dope tracks but don't confuse it A real rapper can wreck a mic without no music No gimmicks or marketing, it ain't about no hype Hell, a real rapper can get down without no mic Your words are more important than the image and partying Having a stage presence and controlling the audience If you don't wanna practice, better summon the urge Try to speak clear as possible, don't jumble your words Test your skills anywhere that you can get the display If you think that everybody gon' love you, quit today Never start beef, that's the way your enemies grow Speak on real life and learn how the industry goes I can teach you all of this and yet you still might flop 'Cause truth is this is a gift, you either got it or not [Chorus] This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down This is how to be an MC, please take notes Tryna keep you from mistakes new cats make most Whatever coast, continent, country, city or town If you ain't true to it, homie, put your pen back down