Featuring: Tekitha

Songwriter: Tekitha KRS-One

Producer: KRS-One Choco

[KRS-One] Yeah, all my fathers
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Uh.. uh, word
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin
[KRS-One] Uh.. hold your head up!
[Tekitha] Survivin, survivin
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin

[Verse One: uncredited - possibly Shuman]
Yo, time to do what we gotta do
These days, livin ain't true, but I ain't mad at you
I don't got time for the stress and the nonsense
So I try to stay blessed, but it's all tense
When I awake, feel the sun on my right side
It make me wanna grab a gun and change my lifestyle
But it only goes so far, so live it up
Or realize what you know star, and give it up
Or either switch it up, gotta keep reppin on
And lookin out for our kids, like the rest of em'
Now I know how it is, and what you're handin me
So I can calculate the right moves for my family, yo

[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Keep on!
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin
[KRS-One] C'mon, c'mon!
[Tekitha] Survivin, survivin
[KRS-One] C'mon, that's right
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin
[KRS-One] Word up!
[Tekitha] Survivin, survivin

[Verse Two: KRS-One]
C'mon, let's do this
When it comes to the cash, we ain't equal
Rich man, poor man, poverty defeats you
Where my people? Yo, Kris see you
There's only one of you, that's why you gotta be you
Them others be see-through, flashin and flossin
Me I'm with Inebriated Beats in Boston
Strivin, survivin, we get cash often
But do you really know what daycare be costin?
All my fathers, all my mothers
All my sisters, all my brothers
Hold your head up and teach them younger cats
It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at!

[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin

[Verse Three: uncredited - possibly Priest]
Now see I'm livin just to die without most any reason
So I keep on chasin paper 'til it's time to go
But should I really go for mine and put the clip all in the 9
Or stay at the 9 to 5 a day I just don't know
But a brother got a daughter I gotta support her
Caught up in a system that's outta order, man I can't afford
A kitted Escalade, or bling bling
And so I gotta keep survivin, is the song that I keep singin
I try to keep my head off the floor, the country's goin to war
While Bush is givin dough to NASA and ain't feedin the poor
But I keep love over these beats, these beats keep me alive
Alive, I got to stay the Priest, I will survive y'all

[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Uh, word
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin
[KRS-One] C'mon, c'mon.. SURVIVIN
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Uhh! Keep your head up, word!
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin
[KRS-One] C'mon, uhh.. SURVIVIN
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Uh
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin
[KRS-One] Word! Uh-huh
[Tekitha] That survive, gotta ride to break the illusion, confusion
[KRS-One] Uh.. ALL MY FATHERS
[Tekitha] Keep on fightin, strivin, survivin, survivin
[KRS-One] Word!

[KRS-One]
Sadat X, is down wit us
Stud Doogie, is down wit us
Lord Jamar, down wit us
Alamo, you down wit us
Grand Puba, down wit us
Brand Nubian, down wit us
Shuman, you down wit us
Yo Priest, you down wit us
Marlo, you down wit us
Choco, you down wit us
Vangod(?), you down wit us
Desmond Terrow(?), you down wit us
Cliff Cultrary(?), you down wit us
Yo Tekitha, you down wit us
Aiyyo RZA, you down wit us
The whole Wu-Tang, is down wit us
Makin funky music is a must!
Makin funky music is a must!

{*sampled: "One For All.. All.. All.." repeats to fade*}

KRS-One

The legendary MC from the South Bronx, New York, Lawrence “KRS-One” Parker has been steadily rapping since 1985. His name stands for “Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone”.

KRS came to rapping only by chance. In the Something from The Art of Rap documentary, he recalls watching an MC cypher when suddenly “a dude” randomly picked him out of the crowd and made fun of him. Feeling compelled to defend himself, KRS performed a little freestyle which impressed the crowd and eventually kicked off his rapping career.

His breakthrough onto the hip hop scene began with “The Bridge Is Over” – an answer record to the popular Queens rapper MC Shan’s song “Queensbridge”. From 1986 to 1992, KRS-One fronted the groundbreaking hip hop group Boogie Down Productions, scoring six top 20 hits on the US Rap Chart. In 1993, he began a solo career spanning three decades, racking up six more top 20 Rap Chart hits with “Sound of da Police”, “MCs Act Like They Don’t Know”, “Step Into A World” and “Men Of Steel” also achieving mainstream pop success on the Hot 100.