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]
Yeah yeah yeah
Check it out, emcees out there, they better stand clear
Roots crew'll be your world premiere
Illadelph straight stealth, son, watch yourself
The illest in the flesh, yo, guess who else?
MC's out there, y'all better stand clear
Roots crew'll be your world premiere
If you're feeling this, and if you're with me
Then throw your hands up, you don't gotta say nothin'
Just throw your hands up, come on

[Chorus]
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Yo, check it out

[Verse 1: Black Thought rapping Malik B's verse]
Yo, I walk a-cross this, world that's deceptive
The beats are perfected, the ghetto's infested
With more destruction, my vocal eruption
Was speakin' 'bout corruption with no introduction
Approach me with caution 'cause I spark losses
M-Illitant the rap arson, marchin'
Leavin' niggas stiff like I'm starchin', departin'
Hollywood Sambos and jokes just like Martin
I'm the type of nigga that belongs in a ward
Hold a mic with a cord, and your head with a sword
Self proclaimed lames callin' theyselves Lord
All shall be flawed, when the claps applaud
If this a point of life, one I can't afford
I have to get sheist and I deal in fraud
Now back to the topic of, the rap philosopher
With more drama than a soap opera
Who stops the propaganda, the hot block commander
Puttin' a halt to all the bad talk and slander
Warning every challenger, about the silencer
Muzzle in your mouth for them days that's on the calendar
Come on

[Chorus]
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart

[Black Thought]
Yo, I'm from the valley of the heavyheads, watch the ghetto pre-medical
Undergrads, and steady red faces of stone
Eyes are crevices, life like a double negative
Philly crimin-al, I rhyme my, dirt Tariq already did
Buildin' this, Fifth foundation in the wilderness
Thought-less, trespass and enter Thought's fortress
Limitless entrance, paid, to the order of the
Cypher slaughterer, my mic slappin' you senseless
Defenseless, niggas never movin' me inches
The beat Fifth, invisi-ble in the trenches
Afficiando, awesome hip-hop drug problem
Fuck stardom, and chickens in Gotham
Poltergeist, slit or choke the mic, til it scream to me
Stop that, cash we conveniently got that
I stroll through your scenery cocked back
Me and Hot Mack, the '99 subtle, pull it back, come on

[Chorus]
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Step into the realm, you're bound to get caught
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart
Steppin' to the M-Ilitant and Black Thought
And from this worldly life, you'll soon depart

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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