Talib Kweli, Diamond D - Sons of Gotham lyrics

Empire State rap, yeah new York City
Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens
Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island
(Yo, yo)

From the start though
Darker than a episode of Narcos be smart
 don't follow the rabbit like Donnie Darko
It's Brooklyn
My niggas rock more Polo than Marco
We keep our queens laced
More shoes than Imelda Marcos
Keep a mean face like
"You don't want no problems"
Too many rap niggas be talking to the 5-0
They leaking more secrets than
Trump at the Mar-a-Lago
We on code like Fred Hampton out of Chicago
Free the land, free the man
To feed the fam, we jumping on the Peter Pan
We'll meet again 'cause I don't need you
If you don't see the plan
I been doin' this since 1992 (C'mon)
At The Building and Jarobi had
To sneak us in, me, rubiks and JuJu
Listening to L-Swift, A-Butta and Mr voodoo
On Stretch and Bobbito that Natural
Elements was the jam, man
Yo, yo

Make 'em live for Diamond D specifically
Now you was hatin', money
Keep the same energy (Keep the same energy)
Ayo, it's tragic how these men spill
They guts in my lane
They just bugs on the windshield (Splat)
Going splat on the highway
MAGA hat rappers out here acting like Kanye
But, you ain't made "Jesus Walks", nigga
But y'all ain't ready for that discussion
C'mon

The rumors of my demise
Are greatly exaggerated
I refuse to just die and
It's makin' 'em aggravated, plus
Ain't nobody more consistent than me
I'm the rapper your favorite rap
Niggas wish they could be, facts
I drop a name so I could toss 'em a bone
You on your own, we don't speak, just
Put your boss on the phone, nigga
On second thought
You ain't nothing but a succubus
I'd say your name if niggas knew
Who the fuck you was (Crickets)
I see you roll with a nigga
I used to fuck with
So to whom it may concern (Yep)
You went from "we will not
Tolerate" to duck lips
Seem like to me you tolerate
A bunch of fuck shit i put you on my album
'cause I'm for the culture
But when it's time to hold me down
You prove you for the vultures
And all these journalists be clout chasing
I pull out them receipts and
Watch 'em all start about-facing
Battle who? I'm already Kweli, nigga
An architect of hip hop, I'm a key figure
I gotta pretend I'm not me to make you
Feel more comfortable about
Being you? Please, nigga
Respect the longevity
I'm a lion, you hyenas
Better ask Sway and Heather B
Mad at my tweets 'cause
You worship a celebrity
You think that you in charge of
My time and my energy ('Fore that)
I'm not your motherfucking slave
Before that
You'll find me in the motherfucking grave
('Fore that)
We ain't cool, we just industry friends
You fake as Jonah Hill was in This Is the End
(This Is the End)
How I'm supposed to be a humble rapper
While they calling mumble rappers the
GOAT? Y'all niggas hustle backwards
I wrote the book on rap
And this just another chapter
Who the next Kweli? Nobody coming after

Make 'em live for Diamond D specifically
Now you was hatin', money
Keep the same energy (Same energy)
Ayo, it's tragic how these men spill
They guts in my lane
They just bugs on the windshield (Splat)
Going splat on the highway
MAGA hat rappers out here acting like Kanye
(You seen it, right?)
But, you ain't made "Jesus Walks", nigga
You just an employee talking to boss niggas