The Roots

Released: November 2, 1999

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

Producer: The Roots Richard Nichols Grand Wizzards

[Intro: Black Thought]
Y'all ready to rock, come on
We gon' set it off
I, I, I, here we go

[Chorus: Black Thought]
I shall, proceed, people
And continue, to rock the mic
I shall, proceed, check it out
And continue, to rock the mic
I shall, proceed
And continue, to rock, you know what?
We on some hip-hop, say somethin'
What what, what what, we rock, ayo

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
Just think, just think, what, if you could just, just blink, what, yourself away
Come on, think, just think, what if you could just, just blink, what, your ass away
Black Thought'll rock the mic with no delay
I be the 9 foot 11, residing at the mecca rest address in south section
Used to cut class in the infinite pursuit of ass in '86
Easy with the chicks I was a chocolate boy
Raised in the cellar with rhythm like Ella
Walk the mega trife streets to the subway
And lay 'til the train stop, now watch me hop
Used to do the pop, dance to the "Planet Rock"
At the block party they all jock who?
Ayo, it's the MC down with my man C
A-L-D-O-N-E, as we, ah, check it out

[Chorus: Black Thought]
Proceed, people
And continue, to rock the mic
I shall, proceed
And continue, to rock the mic
I shall, proceed, and
And continue, to rock the mic
We on some hip-hop, say somethin'
What what, what what, we rock the mic

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
Uh, yo, early afternoon
Break a lyrical, oh shit, ate some mushroom
Fly when I die, put this up on a tomb
I represented on the...feel the vibe
Representing Philly, the sun, and star, and moon
Make you feel you must increase the volume
A pimple on the face of hip-hop, on a what
We on a paper, when I'm on a, ayo, check it out right here
So...Boogeyman
Records from 125th to Japan
I laid them, play like Donny Hathaway and shake a hand, and shake a hand
You tried to kick it, love, I couldn't play my man
My peoples is my peoples and my
Yo, yo, tried to, what, ayo, I couldn't play my...
Yo, I shake your hand, shoulda hit the...
I shall...I shall...

[Chorus: Black Thought]
I shall, check it out, proceed, people
Make some noise, and rock the mic
Rock the house, proceed, check it out
And continue, 'cause I do this well

[Outro: Black Thought]
Keep doin' it, what? Keep rippin' shit up
And continue, once again, yo
We on some hip, tell 'em somethin'
What what, what what, we rock the mic

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.

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