Released: September 24, 1996

Featuring: Bahamadia

Songwriter: ?uestlove Kamal Gray Bahamadia Malik B Black Thought

Producer: Grand Wizzards Kelo Saunders

[Chorus: Black Thought]
Yeah, to all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark the fire
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark, check it out

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Is what I'm probably on
If I ain't whippin' a Land throughout ya sec-tion
My mind's in traum', nine times out of ten, I rhymes upon the L train
Within my brain, fountains over rugged mountains are my terrain
Dig it, I came too far to front, so I'm meditatin' on how to maintain
Stepped off at City Hall into the rain
And ran into my nigga named Dane, I mean Hakeem
And we was buildin' on how we could organize the team
For this capital gain, bein' that we in the rap game
It's time to have it all, he said he figured the same
We realized this a planet of C.R.E.A.M. to obtain
When the predominant rap conglomerate spark the flame
Hark the name, The Fifth from the Ill Power Hill at that
He dropped me off within the streets of South Phil'
Where niggas think that killin' is livin' real
Shorties is gettin' wetted, fulfillin' their fantasies to set it
We don't sweat it, by The Fifth you get beheaded
I pivot through my borough, givin' pounds to the dreaded
At the lye spots, I got credit
Could run 'em down in alphabetical order, it's sorta pathetic
Yo, I'm livin' life within a labyrinth of nonsense
This is a consequence of bein' Philly residents
Tryna get it on, the rhythm gettin' shitted on
The exquisite I exhibit to shine, yo

[Chorus: Black Thought]
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark the fire
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark, check it out

[Verse 2: Malik B]
I walk through this field with 'iminals
Ill die-hard soldiers try to make it towards the generals
Hard-headed rugged captains, walkin' head-on through action
Turnkeys on the closed caption
I bring the skills of wizardry, treat MC's with bigotry
So, now you see the picture vividly
Seduce your brain from the temple over instrumentals
The Fifth chant, you see the exhaust out the swift camp
Mannerism is to scan your vision
You see the light, you can't eclipse the sun
We call back the young, but still they'll strap a gun
To shoot caps that spook cats and rappers hung
Now, you might tube across
From the diner's where you find 'em lost
Niggas' hearts so cold, they sport frost
The M-the-Illitant, the Bad Lieutenant kill ya camp
You're now a victim of reality, my personality afflicted
From three-to-five if convicted
Illicit, because most cats will live corrupted
It ain't no pity in this inner city, niggas, fuck it
Exquisite I exhibit to shine, now, check it out

[Chorus: Black Thought]
Yeah, to all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark the fire
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark, check it out

[Verse 3: Bahamadia]
Inclined to rap about facts, I never fake jacks
Shit is real like E packs, forty-fifty-sixes, trims and gimmicks
Couldn't faze the true heartache when I first started
But then few remember this
Anti-Gangsta Bitch, sportin' new jew-als
Plain Jane styles eternal to the naked eye
Derived from mind states of Cold Crush tapes
And beat breaks seduced by means to elevate
Equates my views with the passion
Those matchin' this intellect identify for like minds
Intertwine one thought in unison
The exquisite I exhibit to shine, ah

[Chorus: Black Thought]
Yeah, to all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark the fire
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark, check it out
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark the fire
To all my peoples on the planet stimulatin' they mind
All my peoples that be knowin' the time
Come on and push up ya lighter, up ya lighter
Up ya lighter 'fore we spark, check it out

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.