Released: June 24, 2003

Songwriter: DJ Premier Guru

Producer: DJ Premier Guru

[DJ Premier Scratching]
"My Microphone"
"It's skills"
"The funky beat"
"It's skills"

[Hook: Guru]
(Skills) Top rank, point blank, we vital
Spit flows, rip shows, peep the recital
(Skills) Now you feel it when we drop those
Hot beats, stop foes, killing shit, we got those
(Skills) It's the music that the street loves
Each thug is now reppin' this with deep love
(Skills) Gang Starr dueling again
Ruling again, watch as we do it again

[Verse 1: Guru]
It's the true and living with a youthful vengeance
And I'ma Judge Mathis your ass; give you a crucial sentence
You need at least twelve jewels to practice
You're too enthusiastic, male groupie bastard
Still trying to convince us some more
Pretending you're raw, that's what you'll need a minister for
Again it's the law, we got you up against the wall
We the gulliest, fuck it then, it's us against y'all
Mic skills, type grills, like I'm Michael Jill
Like when he rifle the pill is how I stifle the ill
Slide off, kid, and let a grown man finesse it
We bold and impressive, that old I manifest shit
Some new product from a known team
Niggas know me, and you can bet they know Preem
So here we go for your stereo
And you could tell that it's real when you hear me go…
Hear me go

[Hook: Guru]
(Skills) Top rank, point blank, we vital
Spit flows, rip shows, peep the recital
(Skills) Now you feel it when we drop those
Hot beats, stop foes, killing shit, we got those
(Skills) It's the music that the street loves
Each thug is now reppin' this with deep love
(Skills) Gang Starr dueling again
Ruling again, watch as we do it again

[Verse 2: Guru]
You little suckers know better, I go head up
If your man left the joint in the whip then tell him go get it
We hold it down like a holy crown
Fools acting like they know me, throw me phoney pounds
Fuck that, I'm sitting back like an aristocrat
Shell shocked chief assassin with a whole fucking list of cats
Thought you was on the case, but you missed the fact
Your bitch talking this and that, I'ma make it simple, jack
I doubled up and tripled that, soldiers, where your pistols at?
Life wrong move lose the gift of that
Why they calling us the most consistent, most significant?
("Once again") some old slick shit
Fulfil your need and catch a joyful rush
Enjoy your dutch, haters annoyed with us
Homeboy, it's us, you know, the face from the club
Blazing a dub, with my niggas raising it up, for these...

[Hook: Guru]
(Skills) Top rank, point blank, we vital
Spit flows, rip shows, peep the recital
(Skills) Now you feel it when we drop those
Hot beats, stop foes, killing shit, we got those
(Skills) It's the music that the street loves
Each thug is now reppin' this with deep love
(Skills) Gang Starr dueling again
Ruling again, watch as we do it again

[Verse 3: Guru]
Brothers are amused by other brothers' reps
Some niggas pull TECs, catch others for checks
All for respect, all for the bread
For the chance of success they might hand him his head
Remain humble cause I know enough
Plus the road is tough, especially when you roll with us
But I'ma stay with my peeps, stay in these streets
Rhyme spraying and I'm playing for keeps, cause I got those...

[Hook: Guru]
(Skills) Top rank, point blank, we vital
Spit flows, rip shows, peep the recital
(Skills) Now you feel it when we drop those
Hot beats, stop foes, killing shit, we got those
(Skills) It's the music that the street loves
Each thug is now reppin' this with deep love
(Skills) Gang Starr dueling again
Ruling again, watch as we do it again

(Skills)

Gang Starr

Gang Starr is the formidable hip-hop duo of MC Guru and producer DJ Premier.

The group was originally founded by two childhood friends, Big Shug and Guru, in Atlanta; coming up with the logo design and name of the group. Big Shug and Guru got separated when Shug got imprisoned and Guru moved to New York where he met Dj Premier.

While DJ Premier is from Texas and the monotone Guru is from Boston, they came together in Brooklyn, New York, and helped define the sound of East Coast hip-hop in the 1990s with their jazzy production on singles such as “Words I Manifest” and “Jazz Thing,” as well as their harder boom bap singles like “Just to Get a Rep” and “Take it Personal.”