Artist: Talib Kweli f/ Abby Dobson, Nelly Album: Prisoner of Conscious Song: Before He Walked Typed by: Nickolye16@aol.com [Intro: Talib] + (Abby) (And he could rhyme before he walked) Brand new day, aiyyo (born) If you passionate about what you do like I'm passionate about this music (On the after beat) This song is for YOU (He patted his foot before he walked) It's like I can't breathe When I wake up in the morning I can't breathe, until I listen (When Buddy Bolden tuned up you could hear him clean across the RIVER) I feed my family, I affect the world And y'all along for the ride (And he could rhyme before he walked) Let's go! [Chorus: Abby Dobson] Like medicine in times of war Helps me get over The sweetest sounds I ever heard My joy, my heart, my music Like medicine in times of war Helps me get over The sweetest sounds I ever heard My joy, my life, my music He could rhyme before he walked [Nelly] I'm from a small city, but I had big dreams Had some good ideas, but I had better schemes I thought the hustle way for me was etched in stone until my partner died and his name etched in stone My daughter's growin up, my son on the way They closin in on me, it feel like any day Music saved me, swooped in like the Navy Put a lifetime of scars on these sixteen bars So, I took the vow and made music my life Yep I proposed and made music my wife And if I ever need to cut a nigga music's my knife And if I need to bring the girls together music's my dyke So, yep I degraded and I hate it, even cried through it I watch brothers prophesize about dyin through it Music gave me knowledge of self And now my knowledge of self done gave me knowledge of wealth And I'm gone [Chorus] w/ ad libs [Talib Kweli] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, heh, music a part of me I'm a bully, beatin up the track with brutal honesty The truth inside of me, rappers hit the booth and they lie to me I'm usin the inspiration Guru provided me I'm redefinin the space, you could call me the new geometry A picture of you pop up, when I Google "monotony" Now all the people who frugal and spend responsibly think your album is trash and it's not the voodoo economy So you expectin the conscious and introspective views Eat your lyrical vegetables, let me tell you what's best for you My music give you a message true and respect is due But music is emotion that's lost on the intellectuals A tree that fall in the forest is never heard amongst the sparrows and the robins and even the ghetto birds You download it for free, but what I create is sacred It cost you nothin but I pay to make it Trust [Chorus] w/ ad libs [Talib Kweli] I was born on the after beat - I'm like Robert Johnson when he reached the +Crossroads+, me and the devil have to meet I saw the same thing as 'Clef and Lauryn when they saw it Lauryn went lookin for God and 'Clef kept tourin We listen to the same songs but we hear 'em different Serenadin death like we got a fear of livin Havin a séance on stage cause the spirit risen Stoppin devilish ways with clever displays of lyricism These songs are our natural resources Our actual street stories attract the police forces Slaves to the rhythm, the masters they eat off us [Abby Dobson] And he could rhyme before he walked