Released: July 13, 2004

Featuring: Wadud Ahmad

Songwriter: Black Thought ?uestlove Kamal Gray Leonard “Hub” Hubbard Sly Stone

Producer: ?uestlove

[Intro: Black Thought]
Get 'em up high - okay, yeah

[Hook]
Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, lift 'em up high, okay

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
When that adrenaline get in they system
It get 'em out on a quest for stardom, could be a motherfuckin problem
In Philly, Cincinnati, Los Angeles or Harlem
Kids call theyself killers let they hammers do the talkin
Don't even know the meaning of life, ain't seen a thing
And you dream of floodin the scenery with, yeyo and greenery
But for now, you stickin her with the heavy machinery
Wonder how, you lift it up, be only 17
And like e'rybody he wanna shine, young brothers on the grind
Holdin somethin in they spine, "Bowling for Columbine"
Stressin to me how it's all about a dollar sign
Dig the way you out of line, out of sight and out of mind
Up against the clock and damn near out of time
"The Tipping Point" has arrived, and that's the bottom line
To all my peoples that's stars, it's our time to shine
Let's get 'em up high, c'mon

[Hook]
Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, lift 'em up high, okay

Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, lift 'em up high, okay

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
Yo, ain't it strange how the newspapers play with the language
I'm deprogrammin y'all with uncut slang shit
I know some peoples in the party armed and dangerous
Twist some cool champagne, I'm goin through changes
A grown-ass man, I done paid my dues
Learn the rules lil' homey, you could be one too
Niggas know, ain't no tellin' what he gon' do
But recognize young bruh, I'mma do it for you
You know why? We all stars and we highly evolved
Hip-Hop, it's not pop like Kylie Minogue
If it bang, them gettin-busy brothers probably involved
In the game, where e'rybody got a shottie to draw
I guess you probably a thug, you boss ballin' or what?
I can't call it man, I got the ladies fallin' in love
Cause handsome, intelligent, tough - I'm all the above
I know you knew it it's the movement
Groove to it while you doin' it up

[Hook]
Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, lift 'em up high, come on

Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, get 'em up high, come on

[Verse 3: Black Thought]
Introducing the band you gotta see to believe
He got the mic in his hand, so keep the heat up your sleeve
It's Black Thought, he rockin sharp so the speakers'll bleed
I run a triathlon, you wouldn't see me fatigued
I'm a star, and maybe y'all should cop somethin to be
Or trade some of y'all equipment in for somethin you need
Cause it's a, lot of bullshit floodin the scene
Where e'rybody's a star, and hot shit is few and far between
We lose the grip of what, garbage mean
Shorties wanna be theyself, I know it's hard to be
Don't wanna do the Ruben Studdard and come off less threatenin
Keepin it real'll kill you if you end up lettin it
Ain't it blowin your mind how the game all in line
Now the best, to the rest, we fin' to end up settin it
I'd tell you that I was a veteran but it's evident
You act like you want it, you gon' end up gettin it

[Hook]
Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, lift 'em up high, come on

Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, get 'em up high, come on

Go all-star, and get down for yours
To the ladies in the house, be proud of yours
You got the, Roots crew with the sound of course
High, get 'em up high, come on

"Everybody is a star.."

[Echoes and fades into an instrumental that ends the song]

The Roots

The world’s premiere hip-hop band, The Roots were formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer and bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Since those early days, the band has weathered changes in personnel and record labels while performing hundreds of shows a year and releasing a string of well-regarded (if not always top-selling) albums.

While the musicianship of Thompson and the other band members, as well as their seemingly limitless repertoire, gets most of the attention, real hip-hop fans know that the rapping skills of Black Thought (along with former group member Malik B.) are the group’s hidden weapon. Thought, one of the few MCs brave enough to go toe to toe with Big Pun, handles any groove the band throws at him with aplomb, style, and flash.

Today, The Roots are seen by millions every night as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a move that has given the group the chance to indulge its not-insignificant comic side.