Respiration

[Featuring Common] [Mos Def] People keep askin me, where's the underground? There's mad talented cats underground with that raw shit. Ya know what'm sayin? Bringin the raw skills. Ya know what I'm sayin? Really... To me, It's a Small Wonder, like Vicki, why I'm picky These niggas suck like kitty, and still get the shit they slip in like Mickies I'm sick of the hater-players, bring on the regulators With the flavors like a farm team fucking with the majors Like a river how I run through it, I do it so cold Freezin up your bodily fluids, your style is old You runnin your mouth, but don't really know what you be talkin about You should retire, get that complimentary watch, be out! Yo, with the quickness, so swift you miss this lyrical fitness Now get this, these emcees want to test me like litmus, bear witness I'm like shot clocks, interstate cops, and blood clots My point is, your flow can stop! By all means, you need more practice, take that ass home Everybody lookin at you, fish tanks and drome In full effect, I stay catchin lyrical rep And keep it blacker than the back of your neck What you expect, that shit's hollerin Cause we developin the followin gettin played like ?stones? off tapes and ?dollar vans? I'll reverse you, universal, your demise is first Before your rise gets worse You need a night nurse like Gregory, beggin me Stop it hurts, what you say to me? Like that's supposed to mean something You don't want to scene, frontin in the club Your actin, I don't buy it, I got the Dub Come on everybody, come on and show your love *repeat 4X* Chorus: *chanted in background* [Common] Wo-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-uh-oh *repeated 4X* [Common] Visions occupy my semantic's space Command and shake, to illustrate my mind's landscape The tall grass, the low plains, the mountanous ridges Thickets among the forests, rivers beneath the bridges Presence of hilltops, lit up with tree tops Eavesdrop; and hear the incline of sunshine, nine Stones in orbit, refuse to forfeit They all form a cipher, and they came to observe it I follow suit, and face it, embrace it Shinin bright, but still I'm careful not to waste it Destined to rise, because I'm basement adjacent Spirit is still so just chill and be patient Some heads approach like I'm the one to base with Clowns about, screamin but don't say shit I ain't your student so I ain't to be tested I'm majestic, I represent my strength without ?Epitmass? Method is unorthodox, but of course it rocks My serious synopsis will drop kick, my topics Run the gauntlets and galvanize the audience I must represent, I don't come off with no corniness I'm all luminary, despite commentary Some people say, Mos how you get so? My sign will make you jump around like calypso And murmur to yourself like a schizo There ain't no bottom on the ??? Chorus [Talib Kweli] Come on, come on, come on, come on. Here we go. Blackstar, hop on the Blackstar line. We bout to take y'all home. Ya know what I mean? Here we go... We got all markets on lock From meat to stock Blackstar, what? throwin like head rock in bars Men flock to where we are, cause its the place to be I grab my pay, jump on-stage and deface emcees We sell our souls like Spawn and come for the drone I sit upon Freestyle or written songs so we can get it on! Going back and forth, fallin back, all across the track Passin the mic's like quarterbacks of course its phat, get off of that! Reverse psychology got em scared to say when shit is whack Got fear of being called a hater, imagine that! We ain't havin that We just passed the star status that your grabbin at My battle raps blast your ass back to your natural habitat So floss, cause what it costs ain't worth it to me Cause I'm the one these Spice Girl emcees want to Be But they can't, ain't no points forever, so why bother? Cause your girl calls my name out like Claerance Carter, Claerance Carter, Claerance Carter!?! (I be strokin, that's what I be doin) Aiyyo, as we rock harder And always drop the bonified head nodders Aiyyo, later for the hater-players Yo-yo, yo-yo, later for these hater-players Chorus Blackstar keeps shining Chorus Blackstar keeps shining