The Roots

Released: February 23, 1999

Featuring: Rehani Sayed

Songwriter: Black Thought J Dilla Rehani Sayed

Producer: The Roots J Dilla

[Intro]
Uh, uh, come on, S-P in the
Up north into the NYC and the, out West
And to niggas in Cali and the
Down South type dynamite
What, yo, yo, come on, dynamite, dynamite
Uh, check it out, uh, uh
Ayo, yo, yo, yo, yo

[Hook x2: Black Thought & Rehani Sayed]
Check it out, eve-ry, bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite

[Verse 1: Black Thought & Rehani Sayed]
Yo, check it out, in-in-tro-tro-duc-ducin'
The sole missin' link, what could MC's who listen think?
It's Black Thought, open your eyes and don't blink
Yo, to rock this mic is like a basic instinct
But yo, in-in-tro-tro-duc-ducin'
Rehani, the mic champion, more than a step beyond
Mothafuckers sweatin' me, beggin' me just to get me on
Macro-cosmic, micro-master
Aiyo, I'm all the way, way, Phil-Phil-lay-lay
People wanna see the way the Illadelph play
Yo, look in the mirror, watch what yourself say
I'm from S-P, no mortal man can test me
Thought, I keep a line-ean, upper echelon-ean
Heineken, hold the rhymin' in, flows remindin' 'em
Cats that hit me up, some shit from back in the past
Your half-steppin' ass could never fathom or grasp because
Aiyo, we got a doctorate in cold-rockin' it
Bringin' this apocalype, nigga, you mad topical
*Hctib* my raps trick your optical
Mr. Superficial, I'm rippin' apart your heart tissue
This is your official dismissal, I don't study the artificial
Who fuckin' with the dark crystal? Yo, where are is you?
I'm movin' like a smart missile, aimed and guaranteed to hit you
Word up, but when The Fifth do get on and perform, you in for it
It ain't no way to censor it
My style metaphoric to bricks and ten ton stacks hard to lift
The artist, comin' out the Fifth darkness
We go back like ancients, while you ain't shit
Subterranean, never against the gradient
Afro-American slash half-Pleiadian
In your universe, my star's the most radiant

[Hook x2: Black Thought & Rehani Sayed]
Check it out, eve-ry, bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite

[Verse 2: Black Thought & Rehani Sayed]
Aiyo, it's all the way live, from 2-1-5
Plus admission is denied, so just wait outside
Two extremes collide like Jekyll and Hyde
And I provide you with the swerve you need, but take heed
You travellin' at light speed, iller than adventures you might read
Official original breed, The Justice League
Yo, it's the P-5-D style fashionist
Other MC's, they actresses
Yo, Mr. High-post, you 'bout to get shot down
Tryna fly above this Illa-Fifth compound
You've known since the get-go, I rock your disco
Ain't nobody badder, but yo, you get my gist so
See, I represent, so you gotta squint
As far as how I really do it, you incognizant
We causin' nuisance and get in-decent, so save your two cent
Don't come in my district kickin' that *bullshit*
Yo, y'all simplistic limited clique get
Lyrically lifted, touchin' the Fifth shit
Trenches of the mentally twisted that you enlisted
'Five' was the emblem on the mic you got hit with
And I stomp ya, 'til you call me conqueror
Back-slappin' all them niggas that slept
Thinkin' that Elo could ever disappear, I'm strippin' they veneer
Wit' this non-ether reefer, quite frequent premiere

[Hook x4: Black Thought & Rehani Sayed]
Aiyo, check it out, eve-ry, bo-dy
Touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite
C'mon, touch this Illa-Fifth dynamite

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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