One Mic by NAS

[speaking softly, gradually getting louder]
One time.. yeah.. yeah..

Yo, all I need is one mic, one beat, one stage
One nigga front, my face on the front page
Only if I had one gun, one girl and one crib
One God to show me how to do things his son did
Pure, like a cup of virgin blood; mixed with
151, one sip'll make a nigga flip
Writin names on my hollow tips, plottin shit
Mad violence who I'm gon' body, this hood politics
Ackowledge it, leave bodies chopped in garbages
Seeds watch us, grow up and try to follow us
Police watch us {*siren*} roll up and try knockin us
One knee I ducked, could it be my time is up
But my luck, I got up, the cop shot again
Bus stop glass bursts, a fiend drops his Heineken
Richochetin between the spots that I'm hidin in
Blackin out as I shoot back, fuck gettin hit! [more sirens]
This is my hood I'ma rep, to the death of it
'til everybody come home, little niggaz is grown
Hoodrats, don't abortion your womb, we need more warriors soon
Sip from the star sun and the moon
In this life of police chases street sweepers and coppers
Stick-up kids with no conscience, leavin victims with doctors
IF YOU REALLY THINK YOU READY TO DIE, WITH NINES OUT
THIS IS WHAT NAS IS BOUT, NIGGA THE TIME IS NOW!

[whispering again]
Yo, all I need is one mic..
All I need is one mic.. that's all I need
All I need is one mic.. all I need niggaz
All I need is one mic.. yeah

[gradually getting louder]
All I need is one blunt, one page, and one pen
One prayer - tell God forgive for one sin
Matter fact maybe more than one, look back
at all the hatred against me, fuck alla them
Jesus died at age 33, there's thirty-three shots
from twin glocks there's sixteen apiece, that's thirty-two
Which means, one of my guns was holdin 17
Twenty-seven hit your crew, six went into you
Everybody gotta die sometime; hope your funeral
never gets shot up, bullets tear through the innocent
Nothin is fair, niggaz roll up, shootin from wheelchairs
My heart is racin, tastin revenge in the air
I let the shit slide for too many years, too many times
Now I'm strapped with a couple of macs, too many nines
If y'all niggaz really wit me get busy load up the semis
Do more than just hold it explode the clip until you empty
There's nothin in our way - they bust, we bust, they rust, we rust
Led flyin, feel it? I feel it in my gut
THAT WE TAKE THESE BITCHES TO WAR, LIE 'EM DOWN
CAUSE WE STRONGER NOW MY NIGGA THE TIME IS NOW!!

[whispering again]
All I need is one mic.. that's all I need, that's all I need
All I need is one mic.. there's nuttin else in the world
All I need is one mic.. that's all a nigga need to do his thing y'know
All I need is one mic..

[starting loud this time, getting quieter]
ALL I NEED IS ONE LIFE, ONE TRY, ONE BREATH I'M ONE MAN
WHAT I STAND FOR SPEAKS FOR ITSELF, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND
Or wanna see me on top, too egotistical
Talkin all that slick shit, the same way these bitches do
Wonder what my secrets is, niggaz'll move on you
only if they know, what your weakness is I have none
Too late to grab guns I'm blastin cause I'm a cool nigga
Thought I wouldn't have that ass done? Fooled you niggaz
What you call a infinite brawl, eternal souls clashin
War gets deep, some beef is everlastin
Complete with thick scars, brothers knifin each other
up in prison yards, drama, where does it start?
You know the block was ill as a youngster
Every night it was like a, cop would get killed body found in the dumpster
For real a hustler, purchased my Range, niggaz throwin dirt on my name
Jealous cause fiends got they work and complain
Bitches left me cause they thought I was finished
Shoulda knew she wasn't true she came to me when her man caught a sentence
Diamonds are blindin, I never make the same mistakes
Movin with a change of pace, lighter load, see now the king is straight
Swellin my melon cause none of these niggaz real
Heard he was, tellin police, how can a kingpin squeal?
This is crazy, I'm on the right track I'm finally found
You need some soul searchin, the time is now

All I need is one mic.. yeah, yeah yeah yeah
All I need is one mic.. that's all I ever needed in this world, fuck cash
All I need is one mic.. fuck the cars, the jewelry
All I need is one mic.. to spread my voice to the whole world