Released: December 5, 2000

Songwriter: Eric B. Rakim

Producer: Rick Rubin Rage Against the Machine

[Verse 1]
Yo, I was a fiend before I became a teen
I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated
Shot grabbed the mic and try to say, "Yes y'all!"
They tried to take it, and say that I'm too small
Cool, 'cause I don't get upset
I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet
Back to the lab, without a mic to grab
So then I add all the rhymes I had
One after the another one, then I make another one
To diss the opposite then ask if the brother's done
I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine
But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean?
I'm raging, ripping up the stage and
Don't it sound amazing 'cause every rhyme is made and
Thought of, cause it's sort of an addiction
Magnetized by the mixing

[Chorus]
E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T , a smooth operator operating correctly

[Verse 2]
But back to the problem, I got a habit
You can't solve it, you silly rabbit
The prescription is a hypertone that's thorough when
I fiend for a microphone like heroin
Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix
Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix
And I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of
Unawareness? Beware, it's the re-animator
A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon
An assasinator, if the people ain't stepping
You see a part of me that you never seen
When I'm fiendin' for a microphone
'Cause I take it to the maximum, I can't relax see, I'm
Hype as a hypochrondriac 'cause the rap be one
Hell of a antidote, something you can't smoke
More than dope, you're trying to move away but you can't, you're broke
More than cracked up, you should have backed up
For those who act up need to be more than smacked up

[Chorus]
E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T , a smooth operator operating correctly

[Bridge]
A smooth operator operating correctly
A smooth operator operating correctly
A smooth operator operating correctly
A smooth operator operating correctly

[Bridge]
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated, originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated, complicated
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated, originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated, complicated
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated, originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated, complicated
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated, originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated, complicated
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
It fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated

[Chorus]
'Cause I'm an E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
E-F-F-E-C-T, a smooth operator operating correctly
An E-F-F-E-C-T , a smooth operator operating correctly

[Outro]
A smooth operator operating correctly
A smooth operator operating correctly
A smooth operator operating correctly
'Cause I'm an E-F-F-E-C-T

Rage Against the Machine

Formed in Los Angeles in 1991, Rage Against the Machine are critically acclaimed for their aggressive, politically charged rhymes. During the 1990s, they found huge success with their politicised image, broad array of influences and punk attitudes. The band represents an important intersection in 90s culture – between the musical expression of urban black rebels (hip-hop, funk) and their white counterpart (metal, punk rock).

Accompanying a musical fusion of punk, hip-hop and metal, the lyricism of frontman Zack de la Rocha provides a fiery critique of corporate America, government oppression, and cultural imperialism. Both de la Rocha and guitarist Tom Morello were born into activist families, influential to shaping the band’s political views and activism. De la Rocha’s father devoted his artistic work to Chicano causes, and Morello was raised by a civil rights activist mother and a Kenyan rebel-turned-diplomat father.

Rage Against the Machine view their music as a vehicle for social activism, and de la Rocha has explained this by