Released: May 19, 1993

Songwriter: Black Thought ?uestlove Joshua Abrahams

Producer: The Roots

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
Yo, I'm the Anti-Circle
On the mad train like a rain that's Purple, I storm
Never comin' twice in one form
The Black'll act a fool and I'm gone
Crumbs, bust it, pass the popcorn (Yeah)
As I kick flavor, behavior abstract, I get recog-nition
But I represent no religion or sect
So I'm no preacher, but I reach your soul 'cause I'm stronger
The younger son of Cassandra
Like ganja I grow from the root, like water I flow
Could sport either the low or the nappy Afro
I still will have the pick 'cause I choose to evict
Derelicts on the tip, tryin' to diss the mad skit, bust a skit
How many licks do it take to make a fake
Realize that he can't shake, bake or penetrate
This style I demonstrate on a regular
Basis and face that he ain't no competitor?
I said it a second ago, yo, I'm the Anti-Circle with the mad style
Crushin' any mental that be fragile
You don't wanna see me get like agile
Rippin' up the scene, screamin' like I was a bad child
Black Thought, so hip that I'm square
The rhythm that you hear is from the kids right over there
The Rubber Band and ?uestion just one step away
Yesterday was a day away, attention you should pay today
To The Roots, stickin', boot kickin' with flippa
I lift the party up and y'all get down like a zipper
The mista hippa flippa kid
The one who digs the music and be hurtin' a
Rhythm when I get Anti-Circular

[Hook x2]
From the square to the circle to the square
From the square to the circle to the square
From the square to the circle to the square
From the square to the circle to the square, y'all

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
What you spot up with ya beepers is the creeper
Stompin' on the ground, smokin' a quarter pound reefer
Mr. Five Finger lead singer, noise maker
Number one, run, umm, rush, now you must hush!
I crush trail mix with the sandal
Five Fingers keep a candlestick lit when I vandalize
Can't see what I is or will be
Only what I was 'cause I crush an MC (Like Rakim, G)
I'm dandy, happy-go-lucky, don't touch me, don't play me
'Cause I'm not the right one, baby, yeah!
Crazy off-key, never talk softly
Blacker than a bean, still I never sweat coffee
The fourth be followin' the third, word, second after first
Yo, never rehearse a verse that I'm freestylin'
'Cause my verse is diverse, I'm Mr. Versatilin'
Things are easier with oooh, child and ya smilin'
Because you dig the way that I deliver
And give a style, flowin' like I was the Nile River, you shiver
'Cause I'm cooler than the coolest, act a fool, it's like a habit
So yo, this trick is for the rabbit
I grab it and snatch it, inspect it like Gadget
I works the magic, the mic, I must have it
How many kids does the pin on the vibe Tribe
Members do decide to stand around at the sit down?
(Get down!) Ain't ya know I'm quick to rip a kid down?
Aim to put wack rappers in containers with the lid down
So I seal it, can you feel it? Many contacts is caught
On a mad train, the Black Thought

[Hook x2]

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.