Released: September 29, 1998

Songwriter: Ricky Sylvers Leon Sylvers III Q-Tip Phife Dawg Ali Shaheed Muhammad

Producer: The Ummah

[Verse 1: Q-Tip]
Knew a girl named Shelley, six-pack belly
When we made love she made it shake like jelly
Put her own video star on my tele
Lived in the Bronx on the block named Fteley
Had to be jetty cause this other ho Netty
Kept blowing me up, her jonesing was steady
Told my man Louie that I really wasn't ready
Louie when we did it, man, we both got sweaty

[Phife]
This girl from my past had ridiculous ass
She attended UMASS and she passed every class
Walked down the hall with her stuck up sass
Talked to basketball players
She liked how they passed
But when I use to hit it, the bullcat she quit it
She wouldn't admit it but shorty was addicted
(Say Word) Word, nigga you heard
Like a fiend with a queen when he catches the bird

[Q-Tip]
Knowing how we living I'mma talk about Mayo
Sagittarian mami, her love was a KO
We was on the under, had to stay on the lay low
Used to go so deep that she used to say A-yo
Rocked with her friend but her friend drove both way
Asked her about it and she used to say no way
Just let it go yo, I used to say OK
Just another day but Phife, anyway

[Hook: Q-Tip, Phife Dawg & Both]
I put it down man, what you gon' do
Well, I put it down son, what you gon' do
We put it down for the area crew
All the shorties that's smoking y'all whoo
Looking good if you sipping on your brew
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
(the truth) Come here ma, we make it hot for you
(Ali Shaheed) Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come on Phife

[Verse 2: Phife]
Met a shorty named Kenny from East Saint Louie
Body good and plenty, the finest in Missouri
If you had no money, you better hit the highway
Even in her own right, she had to do it her way

[Q-Tip]
It was an ill situation when I met Dantanya
Worked in Saint Louis in her mother's hair parlor
Use to hit her man for cake to come see me
Her and her man from home, they sold heemey
We had it hemmed, locked, sold and shit
When I dug her yo she said I was the ultimate
Broke her up kid, driving the drill like Truck Turner
All other things they did not concern her
People that we love yo, we love with a passion
I'm the type of cat that brings forth the action
You feeling me yo, I hope you hearing me yo
One more thing before you start cheering me yo

[Hook: Q-Tip, Phife Dawg & Both]
I put it down Phife, what you gon' do
Well, I put it down son, what you gon' do
We put it down for the area crew
All the shortys that's smoking y'all whoo
Looking good if you sipping on your brew
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you
Come here ma, we make it hot for you

A Tribe Called Quest

A Tribe Called Quest is to Hip Hop what Pink Floyd is to Rock ‘n’ Roll. With humble beginnings in Queens, New York, the group blossomed from the friendship of Jonathan Davis (Q-Tip) and Malik Taylor (Phife Dawg). Along with acts like Jungle Brothers and De La Soul—their comrades in the Native Tongues rap collective—they vitalized East Coast Hip Hop, setting the stage for the rise of mainstream and alternative hip hop alike.

Their style, a synthesis of avant-garde production and authentic lyricism, paved the way for the conscious and jazz rap movements. Alongside other upbeat artists like Digable Planets, Us3, and Guru, ATCQ opened up the world of afrocentrism to a wider audience.

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