Rising To The Top

[Incomprehensible] to you super listeners how you doing tonight?

All you fly guys and fly girls

Welcome once again to the world famous

Mister Magic Rap Attack and of course I am [Incomprehensible]

Way way back before the 'Hots' and the 'Powers'

We used to listen to live mixin' for hours

Roxanne Shanté, U.T.F.O.

Mister Magic Rap Attack some of y'all know

But I was in the shelter in weakness

Homeless, turntableless and microphoneless

Fresh gearless but still I was fearless

And focused on being the dopest MC alive

It's '85, LL's on Def Jam with the best jam

And Whodini's on Jive, man you know I had to survive

New York City was crazy in the 80's but damn it was live

So here comes the Juice Crew with MC Shan

Shanté's already the queen, Marley's already the man

Y'all don't really understand

When you throw on Shanté or Shan it got live in the jam

So we went to Mister Magic

If anybody had to power to put you on he had it

We gave up the demo tape no love lost

But it seems Mister Magic just brushed us off

Somehow we heard we were whack

Every track, and that we shouldn't even call back

Right there my jaw dropped, no doubt

But it made me see what I was all about

And I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got, give it all you got

In the spot new hip hop and Latin Quarters

And the Union Square and the rooftop

We used to hear them tunes pop in the parking lot

Where it got dark a lot me and Scott La Rock

But it was all for the hip hoppers

Salt-N-Pepa answered Doug E Fresh with 'The Show Stoppa'

MC Shan was gonna challenge LL

Shanté was battling 3 or 4 groups at the same time what the hell

Answer records were big then after Shanté did it

Everybody was trying to spit them so we spit off

To tell you the truth it was the only way an MC could get on

We answered MC Shan's 'Queensbridge'

A dope jam about where he was from and where he lived

But in the Bronx there was these kids

KRS, Scott La Rock trying to live

And I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

I'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got

We'll keep rising to the top while my mind go

Give it all you got, give it all you got, give it all you got

This it what an MC was we had a strong street buzz

Marley and Shan showed us some love and love never hurt

'Cause while Shan was with Marley we was with DJ Red Alert

Every Friday night, every Saturday night

On the airwaves the battle was right

Under New York nights, smog and lights

Jargon at night the Roxy used to get so hype

You could put on your headset

And get what heads didn't get yet

Live MCs going, "Check, check"

Spitin' rhymes over the radio set

These are the days and the ways I can never forget

So I don't forget it to Marley and Shan I am indebted

For the start of my career these guys could take credit

For my rappin', the whole battle they let it all happen

Marley and Shan and Shanté could have been gun strapping cousin

But they wasn't and you know why

'Cause we was on some real hip hop let's keep it buzzing