from "Act Too . . . The Love of My Life" by The Roots

from Act Too . . . The Love of My Life

[Black Thought]

The anticipation arose as time froze

I stared off the stage with my eyes closed and dove

Into the deep cosmos, the impact pushed back

The first five rows, but before the raw live shows

I remember I’se a little snot-nosed

Rockin Gazelle, goggles and Izod clothes

Learnin the ropes of ghetto survival

Peepin out the situation I had to slide through

Had to watch my back, my front, plus my sides, too

When it came to gettin mine I ain’t trying to argue

Sometimes I would’nta made it if it wasn’t for you

Hip-hop, you the love of my life and that’s true

When I was handlin the shit I had to do

It was all for you, from the door for you

Speak through you, gettin paper on tour for you

From the start, Thought was down by law for you

Used to hit up every corner store wall for you

We ripped shit and kept it hardcore for you

I remember late nights, steady rocking the mic

Hip-hop, you the love of my life

So tell the people like that y’all (That, y’all)

And it sounds so nice

Hip-hop, you the love of my life

We ‘bout to take it to the top . . .

[Common]

I was speakin to my guy ‘Riq and

How she was desperately seekin to Organize in a Konfusion

Usin no protection, told H.E.R. on Resurrection

Caught up in the Hype Williams, and lost H.E.R. direction

Gettin ate in sections where I wouldn’t eat H.E.R

An under-the-counter love, so silently I treat H.E.R

Her daddy’ll beat H.E.R., eyes all puffed

In the mix on tape, niggas had her in the buff

When we touch, it was more than just ta fuck

The police, in her I found peace (Like who?)

Like Malcolm in the East

Seen H.E.R. on the streets of New York, trickin off

Tried to make a hit with H.E.R. but my dick went soft

Movin weight, losin weight, not picky with who she choose to date

Too confused to hate, with her struggle I relate

Close to thirty, most of the niggas she know is dirty

Havin more babies than Lauryn, she started showin early

As of late I realized that this is H.E.R. fate

Or destiny that brings the best of me

It’s like God is testing me

In retrospect I see she brought life and death to me

Peace to us collectively, live and direct when we perform

It’s just coffee shop chicks and white dudes

Over H.E.R. I got into it with that nigga Ice Cube

Now the fight moved to in life, makin the right moves

Besides God and family, you my life’s jewel

Like that y’all

Hip-hop . . . [echoes]

Source of the text – The Anthology of Rap, edited by Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois.  New Haven: The Yale University Press, 2010, p. 493-495.

TJB: Izod rock. The 1st verse is straight-up love rap about rap; the 2nd, a Blakean extended metaphor for rap-as-lover & gansta rap as bad daddy.