1. |
Heart
02:24
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Verse One
Sometimes I pray to God, but wonder if hear me,
does that mean I’ve lost my faith? I’m stumbling and weary,
cos’ I’m hungry like a stomach that is rumbling and barely can survive
and when you look in my eyes, you see they teary,
the tears trickle down my face, but don’t last long,
I sit back and just lament like an old jazz song,
then say “whatever”, then try to start to pull myself together,
press reset and step towards a brand new endeavour,
but I know these feelings I’ve felt are bound to come back
and when they do, I gotta face em’ like I’m proud and I’m black,
I wear my heart on my sleeve irrespective how I’m feeling,
so I can speak softly, or Dame Dash the meeting,
I’m way past the age of me remaining aloof,
if something is affecting me, I gotta stand on my truth,
it‘s easier to say and harder to do, it’s like an art,
cos’ not everybody got heart.
Chorus
Still classic, I’m still classic,
still classic, I’m still classic.
Verse Two
I have the desire to win,
never give up on myself and burn the fire within,
can listen to a million people who be trying to convince me of
something’ that ain’t for me, won’t tame the Lion within,
and you can catch me on bad day, I know we all get em’,
but I strive to overcome em’, expose em’ like torn denim,
sometimes they get the better of me,
but I won’t let em’ permanently leave me in a place where I be cold deaded,
I cannot let the world affect my blood pressure,
driving me around without me steering like this was a Tesla,
so I’m on the front-line regarding absolutely everything,
moving like a soldier who on active duty,
and even if my platoon is dead,
I gotta recharge, re-calibrate and find a way to move ahead,
it‘s easier to say, harder to do it’s an art,
cos’ not everybody got heart.
Chorus
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2. |
Classic 25
02:21
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Intro
Classic,
don’t get it twisted get it right.
Verse One
Twenty-five years older, twenty-five years colder,
I’m still at it; I’m still classic,
I still got a catalogue, figure the mathematics,
no static, I still got the vinyl that my Father told me have it,
I’m still in the habit of waking up,
take a record like a celly with no signal I’m breaking up,
see Classic Was the Day was my doorway
and it didn’t matter who was try’na block in the hallway,
had to make em’ scatter, the Boom-Bapper, the airtight rapper,
homie catch me if you can, I’m like Leonardo DiCappa,
in 97 stood on a stage with Chuck D from P.E.,
the only way to know what is was like was to be me,
that was the first time I saw myself on the TV,
could never know for certain if the future was easy…
but thank God that I arrived
and here with y'all to celebrate the classic 25,
don’t get it twisted, get it right.
Chorus x2
Classic,
classic, classic… (echo)
still classic,
classic,
don’t get it twisted get it right,
classic.
Verse Two
Yo’, my first words on my first album were “brace yourself”,
my only competition, yep, was to face myself,
that’s why you see me standing in the mirror
on the front cover of my first record,
now you probably go check it, give you a second…. huh,
yeah… black royalty like Meghan,
the only thing is I was not invited, never begging,
I just stayed home alone and made plans like I was Kevin,
I signed my record deal 97 on May 1st,
a quarter of a century later and I stay thirsty,
I make records and without warning,
I come back like Colombo with just more one thing
and every time I make an album I feel it’s the last one,
but then inspiration hits me and another one comes,
just like that… so thank God that I’m alive
and here with y'all to celebrate the classic 25 yo’,
don’t get it twisted, get it right.
Chorus
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3. |
The Distance
02:33
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Verse One
If it wasn’t for music I’d probably lose it,
it ain’t enough to just rhyme it, gotta produce it,
so you can feel what I’m saying, every component,
all these emotions I’m feeling in every moment,
see I remember the days when I got started,
going from label to label, getting disheartened,
I joined a couple of crews, but then I broke out,
I didn’t like how they moved, I couldn’t hold out
and so I had to go solo, but that was okay,
to contemplate giving up was just a no way,
I didn’t have any money, so had to spend time
to try to learn everything so I could get mine,
not everybody would show appreciation
and there were times when I felt the trepidation,
but I could not be convinced of something different,
the only thing left to do is go the distance, the distance.
Chorus (repeat & fade into whisper)
The distance.
Verse Two
If it weren’t for the fans I wouldn’t do this,
cos’ everybody’s a Rapper, but some are clueless,
they saturating the game with just a demo
and trying to talk too much tech like Donatello,
but yo’ I guess everyone should get they fifteen,
eventually they’ll awaken from they quick dream
and in some cases that dream can be a nightmare,
just like SWV, it can be right here
and just like MJB, you search for real love,
but if your heart ain’t in it, how can you feel loved?
Yo’ it’s a matter of fact’ you cannot change it,
but still you wondering why they disengaging,
maybe you gotta re-up and come again yo’,
cos y’all don’t wanna get played like a Nintendo,
I gotta give em’ they props for they persistence,
but I don’t think it’s enough to go the distance, the distance.
Chorus
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4. |
Stixx & Parris
02:08
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Chorus
Stixx and Parris, together we were the baddest
and sat in the same class in school,
(oh, yeah, yeah, yeah),
my two friends from all the way back then,
fast forward to today, we still cool.
Verse One
Yo’, Stixx and Parris combined, we were the baddest
and sat in the same class in school,
it’s like we had this burning desire to leave before we could leave
it felt like school was suffocating our dreams to do this music,
yeah, Parris and Stixx were both DJ’s,
in the studio with Dillon’s how we spending our days,
I was in the booth rhyming,
while Parris on the decks doing the cuts for ‘Queen of Diamonds’
and Stixx drop the needle on the break for ‘Worldwide’,
sometimes he on stage singing “It's About Time”,
Parris stayed close, but Stixx would stay closer,
Parris a go-getter, no playing, he’d make the most-a’
absolutely every single opportunity,
from Westwood, Sony Street Team and DMC,
he was the first of the three to make on TV
and he got to taste the dream of TOTP,
I’m so glad I got to walk with my peeps.
Chorus
Verse Two
(Yo’), Stixx and Parris and D survived the madness
of growing up on these Hackney streets,
we never had this urge to do no criminal acts
and get caught up in prison, no we were making these tracks,
Stixx on the 1210’s, I’m on the M.I.C.,
Parris left Stokey, headed for NYC,
while me and Stixx in Japan, he just as famous as me,
chilling out with Nujabes and sipping on green tea
and we would go on tour, I’ve known him since I was four,
so everything from the beginning, he was there and he saw,
from my very first demo, to collecting awards,
we were up on these stages, we were killing these floors,
you couldn’t stop us or pause us,
Stixx & Parris, together we were baddest
and so all these other Rappers, they couldn't quite understand us,
it didn’t matter, cos’ we were destined for tariffs
that were truly unique to us, so I’ma say it again.
Chorus
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5. |
Carbon Copy
02:41
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Intro
Carbon copy (echo),
we are coldest,
carbon copy (echo),
say what?
Verse One
I used to sell vinyl out of my Adidas record bag,
carbon copy, writing the out the invoice was a drag
and I’m trying to send the music for reviews in every mag,
self-promoted, on the radio zoning, soaking up every moment,
in the studio writing, bleaching it through the night
and so hungry and excited, my light gon’ shine the brightest,
I don’t care in the slightest about no Rapper trying to take my spot,
cos’ that’s absurd,
perhaps they hadn’t heard about my wizardry with words
and perhaps it ain’t occurred that I ain’t accepting third or second place,
silver never looks as good as gold,
my record plays on radio stations in countries that I’ve never travelled,
now Promoters wanna book me to perform,
so I unravel my set list at the sound check,
don’t let the sound get muffled, USB in the duffel,
I’m building up my repertoire with each every step,
nobody ever told us that we would be rubbing shoulders
with these Agents and Promoters who considered us the coldest.
Chorus
Carbon copy (echo),
we are coldest,
carbon copy (echo),
we are the coldest,
say what?
Verse Two
I used to sell vinyl outta my Adidas record bag,
carbon copy, writing the out the invoice was a drag,
me and Stixx would go to Soho with the records that we had
and the fact is, I would pay for the lacquers,
now I’m forever stressing to get my test pressings,
get em’ back and I’m guessing if they’ve used too much compression,
yo’ where are my exporters? I gotta’ chase the orders
and pack these records carefully, try not to bend the corners,
boxes of twenty-five, my taxi has arrived,
I’m packing up the trunk, making deliveries on time,
now labels start to reach out,
fly us overseas, the A&R’s take us to eat out,
VIP backstage, somebody smoked the weed out
and I’m still in my twenties,
a business meeting with a record label up in Denny’s
and yeah I get the cheque, but after that I got the cheque,
I’m building up my repertoire with each every step,
nobody ever told us that we would be rubbing shoulders
with executives and olders who considered us the coldest.
Chorus
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6. |
Zakes Gordon
02:33
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Intro (repeat x3)
To a constantly surprising refrain,
Zakes Gordon.
Verse One
Yo’, I knew this cat named Zakes, I used to send him tapes,
the A&R at Jive, he used mess with Tribe
I would turn up with no appointment, keep the hope alive,
sat in reception with my music on cassette
and after 20 minutes, came down looking perplexed,
like “did I book you in? I think I must have missed the memo”,
I know it sounds cliché, “but listen to my demo”,
then Zakes left Jive, went P.W.L.,
around the same time, I be rocking the bells,
it’s the funky takeover, giving rap a makeover,
radio playing my records without no payola,
within a couple years, Zakes working another label,
Almo, South-West London, he may be able
to hook a brother up, I guess I have to place my bets,
the next thing I know, he signed soul silhouette,
put me in the studio to see how soulful I get,
making record after record and all from the sake
of Zakes putting me on to make Classic Was the Day.
Chorus (repeat x2)
To a constantly surprising refrain,
Zakes Gordon.
Verse Two
I was downstairs in the lab working on tracks,
Zakes was upstairs at his desk with a Pepsi max,
but the next thing I know, my whole deal fell apart,
yo’ but Zakes told me bout’ this new label he would start,
so I signed with Utmost and put classic out,
saw me doing this up close, knew what I was about,
I was all about the music,
Heartfelt Integrity came next, produced it,
after that we went our separate ways,
I went fully independent, but remember the days
of a young man giving a young boy a shot
and my only job was to give it everything I got,
so that’s it, that’s the way we formed Classic,
so if you fortunate enough to have the plastic,
I salute you, you a Captain, you a General,
you got the minerals,
you been supporting me way before the digital,
Zakes Gordon the, story untold
and yo’ there’s more to the story but I’ll keep it on hold for real.
Chorus
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7. |
The Homage
02:37
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Intro
This is Jazz music,
this is Jazz,
this is jazz music,
Jazz music,
this is Jazz.
Verse One
(Yeah), I’m captivated by the sound of Jazz,
Count Basie was the first artist I bought,
go back to the past to hear these dudes
from the forties and fifties having a blast,
now it’s on my turntable like, which part should I grab?
I was looping up samples, taking them into class,
the other students listened, told me that these beats sound bad,
now that’s bad meaning better than good, I had the Midas touch,
I was producing and realised I couldn’t write as much,
but I soon evened it out, I was nice on the faders
and the same with the mic at my mouth,
I wrote on paper, no typing it out
and my words were like an instrument,
especially when reciting em’ out,
I was known around the way as the kid that plays music
from way back in the days when your skin tone shade
would you have sitting at the back of the bus, now times change,
but I gotta pay homage to the star of the stage, Jazz music.
Chorus
This is Jazz music,
Jazz music,
this is Jazz,
I’m captivated by the sound of Jazz,
this is jazz music,
Jazz music,
this is Jazz,
the star of the stage.
Verse Two
I time travel when I read the liner notes on record sleeves,
imagining what it was like to be a celebrity,
famous for playing jazz, or writing these melodies,
when I would the hear the sound, it was more than I’d ever need,
I took the records and would loop a couple seconds,
grab the mic, begin to bless it like one two check it,
the sound I developed would start to get perfected
and that’s how I know I’m moving in the right direction,
digging in the crates,
you could say that was the way of living with greats,
keep the magic alive for newer generations,
unapologetically black, no hesitations,
unapologetically current, no reservations,
unapologetically Jazz, no apprehension,
Hip-hop took on the format as an extension,
so I pay homage to more than I can mention, jazz music.
Chorus
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Funky DL London, UK
Funky DL is regarded as one of the most legendary and significant MC's and Producers to come out of the UK. Now globally known for delivering albums with both musical and lyrical finesse...
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