Released: March 29, 1988
Songwriter: DJ Jazzy Jeff Will Smith
Producer: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Bryan “Chuck” New Pete Q. Harris
*Ready Rock does the intro to Donkey Kong*
[Verse 1: Fresh Prince]
Ever since I was younger, I was into video games
Tron or whatever, it didn't matter the name
Thousands of my dollars, have been poured
Into all types of games, tryin' to get the high score
But now I think I have a favorite
It's me against an ape, he's got my girl, I've got to save her!
Oh no, I feel an attack comin' on
Yo Ready Rock C I wanna play a game of Donkey Kong!
*Ready Rock does the entire intro and starts beatboxing after*
[Verse 2: Fresh Prince & Ready Rock]
It used to be a problem this addiction I have
I would feel the urge, then I'd go stark ravin' mad!
Break into the arcade, screamin' and hollerin'
Anticipatin' puttin' twenty-five dollars in
Any machine, I was out of control!
I didn't need quarters I brought, ten dollar bank rolls
Bags of quarters, I was insane
People thought that I worked there, and asked me for change
But I would get defensive and yell, "Leave me alone!
These are my quarters stupid, go get your own!"
Dude walked away with this look in his eyes like
"Yo man, I wonder what's wrong with that guy?"
I was addicted, a video burn-out
And I would crazy when the guy would have to turn out
The lights at midnight, I'd fall on my knees and say
"Have a heart pal, one more game please?"
Some nights I might sleep on the subway
Or outside of the arcade 'til it opened up the next day
And when it opened at a quarter to ten
It was the same old thing all over again
I was doin' bad, my future was bleak
I'd rather play games than eat or sleep
Until one day, this guy came along
He didn't have a radio but he was playin' a song
I got curious, so I said, "Yo!
What's that noise?" "What noise? I don't know!
"No fool, that noise you was makin there!"
"What this?!" *starts beatboxing* "Yeahhhh!
That was def man, where'd you learn to do that?"
"Man, I don't know, I guess I always knew that
I had this talent deep down inside
You wanna hear some more man?" "Yeah!" "Come on let's take a ride"
He made sounds like I never heard before
And he still had more!
Then he got me hyped when he played this incredible song
And I lost my mind when Ready C played Donkey Kong
[Interlude]
*Ready Rock does the intro, Kong shaking the beams
The "How High Can You Go?" music, and the actual game sounds*
Yo Ready, get funky with it!
*Ready gets busy on the beatbox*
Yo Jeff man what you doin'? Give Ready a hand
*Jazzy Jeff throws on another beat*
[Verse 3: Fresh Prince]
Now my life is wonderful and I feel great
I haven't been in an arcade since '78
Thanks to Ready C I'm on an upward trail
Because he's always by my side, he never fails me
Whenever I have a video attack
He's right there by my back, keepin' me on track
So if I bug out, and act like a lunatic
He does Donkey Kong, and as soon as it
Gets to my eardrums, from his vocal chords
I get hyped up!
No matter how bored I am, he always comes through
Oh my fault, hold up, wait, let me tell you who
Ready Rock C is, here's a brief description
Of the things that he can do in his musical position
Ready Rock C makes sounds with his mouth
Yo Ready give an example of what I'm talkin' about
*Ready Rock beatboxes and then does Pac Man's death sound*
[Outro]
Game over!
Yo, Scram man, why you still standin' there?
The game is over, ha ha ha ha ha, sucker!
[Verse 1: Fresh Prince]
Ever since I was younger, I was into video games
Tron or whatever, it didn't matter the name
Thousands of my dollars, have been poured
Into all types of games, tryin' to get the high score
But now I think I have a favorite
It's me against an ape, he's got my girl, I've got to save her!
Oh no, I feel an attack comin' on
Yo Ready Rock C I wanna play a game of Donkey Kong!
*Ready Rock does the entire intro and starts beatboxing after*
[Verse 2: Fresh Prince & Ready Rock]
It used to be a problem this addiction I have
I would feel the urge, then I'd go stark ravin' mad!
Break into the arcade, screamin' and hollerin'
Anticipatin' puttin' twenty-five dollars in
Any machine, I was out of control!
I didn't need quarters I brought, ten dollar bank rolls
Bags of quarters, I was insane
People thought that I worked there, and asked me for change
But I would get defensive and yell, "Leave me alone!
These are my quarters stupid, go get your own!"
Dude walked away with this look in his eyes like
"Yo man, I wonder what's wrong with that guy?"
I was addicted, a video burn-out
And I would crazy when the guy would have to turn out
The lights at midnight, I'd fall on my knees and say
"Have a heart pal, one more game please?"
Some nights I might sleep on the subway
Or outside of the arcade 'til it opened up the next day
And when it opened at a quarter to ten
It was the same old thing all over again
I was doin' bad, my future was bleak
I'd rather play games than eat or sleep
Until one day, this guy came along
He didn't have a radio but he was playin' a song
I got curious, so I said, "Yo!
What's that noise?" "What noise? I don't know!
"No fool, that noise you was makin there!"
"What this?!" *starts beatboxing* "Yeahhhh!
That was def man, where'd you learn to do that?"
"Man, I don't know, I guess I always knew that
I had this talent deep down inside
You wanna hear some more man?" "Yeah!" "Come on let's take a ride"
He made sounds like I never heard before
And he still had more!
Then he got me hyped when he played this incredible song
And I lost my mind when Ready C played Donkey Kong
[Interlude]
*Ready Rock does the intro, Kong shaking the beams
The "How High Can You Go?" music, and the actual game sounds*
Yo Ready, get funky with it!
*Ready gets busy on the beatbox*
Yo Jeff man what you doin'? Give Ready a hand
*Jazzy Jeff throws on another beat*
[Verse 3: Fresh Prince]
Now my life is wonderful and I feel great
I haven't been in an arcade since '78
Thanks to Ready C I'm on an upward trail
Because he's always by my side, he never fails me
Whenever I have a video attack
He's right there by my back, keepin' me on track
So if I bug out, and act like a lunatic
He does Donkey Kong, and as soon as it
Gets to my eardrums, from his vocal chords
I get hyped up!
No matter how bored I am, he always comes through
Oh my fault, hold up, wait, let me tell you who
Ready Rock C is, here's a brief description
Of the things that he can do in his musical position
Ready Rock C makes sounds with his mouth
Yo Ready give an example of what I'm talkin' about
*Ready Rock beatboxes and then does Pac Man's death sound*
[Outro]
Game over!
Yo, Scram man, why you still standin' there?
The game is over, ha ha ha ha ha, sucker!
more tracks from the album
He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper (Expanded Edition)
- Parents Just Don’t Understand
- Pump Up the Bass
- Here We Go Again
- Jazzy’s in the House
- Another Special Announcement
- DJ on Wheels
- Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble- 1988 Extended Remix
- Parents Just Don’t Understand - Single Edit
- Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble - Single Version
- He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper
- Brand New Funk
- A Nightmare on My Street
- As We Go
- Time to Chill
- Human Video Game
- Live at Union Square (November 1986)
- My Buddy
- Charlie Mack (The First Out the Limo)
- Let’s Get Busy Baby
- Rhythm Trax (House Party Style)
- Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble - Instrumental Remix
From the albums
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince popular songs
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Summertime
- Parents Just Don’t Understand
- Boom! Shake the Room
- A Nightmare on My Street
- Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble
- You Saw My Blinker
- Brand New Funk
- I’m Looking For The One (To Be With Me)
- Can’t Wait to be With You
- Boom! Shake The Room (Street Remix)
- Ain’t No Place Like Home
- I Wanna Rock
- Scream
- Code Red
- Shadow Dreams
- Twinkle Twinkle (I’m Not A Star)
- Everything that Glitters (Ain’t Always Gold)
- Somethin’ Like Dis
- Numero Uno
- Jeff Waz on the Beat Box
- The Reverend
- The Girlie Had a Mustache
- Too Damn Hype