Hope

[Intro: Chrisette Michele] Hip-Hop - it will never die Hip-Hop - Hip-Hop will never, never die [Verse 1: Nas] Ghetto niggaz struttin' with nothin' but dreams and Queens broke Mack-10's, you can smell the PCP smoke Mele Mel told it real in the music he wrote Those were the days I remember We used to be close, then I was nine, coldest winter I remember Was slippin' in December, two feet of snow Yeah, that's the East Coast, that black ice Symbolized the rap life It was slick and smooth I understood I had to come from the hood Doin' the Pee Wee Herman, the Smurf Before them phones chirped The block's drugs flowin', didn't have your own work You had to have somebody else's, a small chrome on your pelvis Starter Jacket, Blue Georgetown or Green Celtic Your girl's too expensive, she wants shellfish Red Lobster was poppin', standin' on that line forever I wish somebody would step on my Bally leather's Now it's whatever... hip-hop's forever Kept my radio on 98 or BLS Had a pre-pubescent lyric gift but niggaz never hear me spit My little brother tried to warn 'em, I was a tornado comin' He knew from inside, like the eye of a storm And told my pops about it He gave us tickets to that Wild Style flick Double Trouble, retarded, we was the proudest I never had a summer job Sweepin' leaves, socks to my knees Homemade shorts cutoff, Lee's I ain't work a day in my life Wipin' away eraser of the paper man I'm just tryin' to say it right Big radio, tape slowin' down Lower the lights go, battery dead I gotta freeze 'em 'til they ice cold In the freezer later, I'm starin' at the speaker Sunk in them 808's deeper, cleanin' my sneakers Wit the bristles of a toothbrush, soap and water I let the shoe strings soak in water... [Chorus is sung over Nas outro] [Chorus: Chrisette Michele] Live hip-hop live, live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays [Outro: Nas] Ain't got nothin' to do wit old school, new school Dirty South, West Coast, East Coast This about us, this our thing, 'knaw'sayin'? This came from the gut, from the blood, from the soul Right here man, this is our thing man You know, so I say what I say And I say what I say, and I mean it Y'all take it how you wanna take it 'Cause if you're askin' - Why is hip-hop dead? It's a pretty good chance you're the reason it died, man It's a pretty good chance your lame ass, corny ass, is the reason it died, man You don't give a fuck about, you don't know nothin' about it You want this paper, be a hustler You a hustler, you ain't a rapper Get your paper man You know what I'm sayin, but this rap shit is real Bitch, this shit is real, bitch, ha-ha [Chorus: Chrisette Michele] Live hip-hop live, (Stay) live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, (Live) stay hip-hop stay (Live) I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays Live hip-hop live, (Stay) live hip-hop live Give hip-hop give, give hip-hop give Stay hip-hop stay, stay hip-hop stay I pray, hip-hop pray, I pray hip-hop stays