Released: October 25, 1994

Songwriter: Common No I.D.

Producer: No I.D.

[Intro]
Gotta watch out for them critters...

I get the party live, Common Sense'll get the party live, huh (4X)

[Verse 1]
I was born in Chicago, raised on Planet Rock, talking zuh zuh zuh zuh
Cats knock my tape like boots, I'm as fresh as fruits
You pussy MC, it's you I rebuke
Repent! You burn up, you got me bent
I'm current as an event, got on big hoes at Freaknik
Frequently you're telling me Whoopty Woo can rock it
So? He ain't put no scratch in my pocket
Yo herb, with my hand I cock it
And rock it like that brother in Colors, 'cause I want y'all to live
My crew is too live, we sneakin' to the rear
But I can't get us all in free (What?)
It's just another case of that 2-dollar emcee
I rock the same clothes 3 days straight
To you they wrinkled but to me they straight
Now I'm straight; are you straight?
I'm straight as long as I got beer
I thought about it, Jack, and now I'm outta here

[Hook]
("Maintain the rock, don't stop the rock") (8X in background)
I get the party live, Common Sense get the party live
I get the party live, Common Sense get the party live
We get the party live, ayo Chicago get the party live
I get the party live, Common Sense get the party live

[Verse 2]
I need me some new socks (uhh), I need me some new drawers
I draws attention, like a letter to a sergeant
There's a few good emcees, the wack I'm giving code red
Slim say I ain't got no body, but when they see me at the party
They be like, "Go 'head, go 'head"
'Cause I got's the cuts like Bobbitt, rappers are dickheads
Shoppin' they demo, I do 'em like Big Red
My office hours are from 9 to 5
While you avoid the party I make it live
The fellas nod and the chicks dance
While I'm coolin' in my jumpers and my big pants
I'm as dope as PCP; MC's see me and they start having flashbacks
I don't flash scratch, I gotta watch my back
Nowadays blacks don't know how to act
Besides Larry Fishburne, Charles Dutton, and Wesley Snipes
Marks wanna test me because I test the mics
But I check 'em like sound, and like Goose, I'm down
Plus I done got better since "Soul by the Pound"; I'm maintaining

[Hook]
("Maintain the rock, don't stop the rock") (8X in background)
We get the party live, ayo Chicago get the party live
We get the party live, 87 get the party live
I get the party live, Common Sense get the party live
We get the party live, UAC'll get the party live

[Verse 3]
I fall fresh upon the spirit, with the lyric that's overwhelmin'
And house more hoes than Spelman
Words I'm weldin' like James Johnson
My brains sponsorin' speech on the mic, I'm like a Jackson
Rappers I'm fondlin', they try to settle out of court
But I could never be bought
What type of rebel eats pork?
I'll take the cat and never get caught
U-AC together we fought
'Cause I can't see my mellows boxin' and me not boxin' wit' 'em
I don't care who started it, I'mma be a part of it
Regardless of the odds of how hard
It's been many times we was outnumbered and we still got with 'em
I got rhythm from some boogers and some foxes
But a 5 becomes a 10 when a brother's off some gin
I got juice, and this nigga scared
I'll F your head up, like the LA Four
When I flow like cash I go for broke like Melba Moore
Why should a male with a B.A. get more than me?
When Rashid got an MC degree
And a doctorate in rockin' shit, I go to Dock's to get
A fishwich with cheese
I don't mix with MCs, 'cause I just don't like them mother—
But I'm still maintaining

[Hook]
("Maintain the rock, don't stop the rock") (8X in background)
We get the party live, ayo Chicago get the party live, yeah
We get the party live, 87 get the party live, yeah
I get the party live, Common Sense get the party live, huh
We get the party live, UAC'll get the party live

Common

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is a Grammy and Oscar-winning rapper and actor from Chicago, Illinois. Common’s inspired mix of poetic flow and hip-hop soul has helped him earn his status as one of the most respected rappers in the game.

After being a ball boy for his hometown Chicago Bulls as a teen and attending Florida A&M University for business administration, Common Sense kicked in and he left school to become a rapper. He gained national attention after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine in 1991. He released his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar? through Relativity Records in 1992, followed by his breakthrough second album Resurrection in 1994, which features his hip-hop classic single “I Used To Love H.E.R.”

As his career began to take off, he was sued by the music group Common Sense over the name, leading Common to drop the “Sense” and allude to the change in the title of his third album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997). He has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Like Water For Chocolate (2000), which features his J Dilla-produced hit single “The Light”, and Be (2005), which was released under fellow Chicago musician Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. He also joined musicians Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper to form the group August Greene, and the trio released their self-titled album in 2018.