[from the movie _wildstyle_

If you was born in new york city let me hear say "you know that"!

You know that



Aiyyoonce upon a rhyme where the scenery setsyou see stress

Streets a matter of life and deathno regrets

Life's a teststrifewit special effects

Neighbourhood's full of repscities are projects

Where the young cadets get stripes from the vets

And comrades quest to be the nextto finess

Collect debts and select bets with death threats

Object - chedderbetter your total net

Where trends are set from ways to express the outfits

Friends get wet tryin' to make ends connect

Avenues to checkboulevards to sweat

The smell of gunsmoke more common than cigarettes

We got clicks for wreck

We like pits for pets

We got giants and jetsthe knicksyanks and mets

We like much respect and sex extra wet

And high-tech dialect you ain't catch yet



(the bronx

Ya out there? 

No doubt

Brooklyn

Ya out there)



[rakim]

Aiyyowe got blocks and glocks with

Big shots with big knots and big props

Yo this is where the bullshit stops

Where herbs get got

If you snitch you get shot

We get down and leave the town in a state of shock

We got dangerous hang out spots and slick cops

Place called riker's island where kids get locked

A lotta gear to rock with blocks of clothes shops

Styles are top notchthis is the place to buy

So bust the box the radio station is hot

Ease your mind staring at skylines from rooftops

Flip scripts for chips

And new whips of the lot

Quick to call a shotpollitic with thick plots

And ehcarnegie niggers a see what we got

To make sure the core of the big apple don't rot

Where seeings believing we be achieving a lot

Since disc jocks created hip hopcheck it out!



(queens

Ya out there? 

No doubt

Manhatten

No doubt

New york city

Staten island

New york new york

Long island

New york

Ya out there)



[rakim]

Aiyowe got five bouroughs of ghettos

With amny places to meetyou get lost in city streets

The city that never sleeps

Mecca ? medina the population increase

The desert and the oasisnew yorkthe far east

With gods and sheiks

Pretty amazons for weeks

Player dons that fleece the family's black sheep

Icons that teach that we all act unique

We got stats to reach so we all have to eat

A mass of peepswith they own masterpiece

The crafts elitewe going past the beat

The latest technique no other place get as deep

Who parks release some of the worlds greatest athletes

Djs and mcs and graffiti artistes

Who use walls and subway trains for marquees

We go back to b-boysbreakdancingbreakbeats

And it'll never cease and on that note

We say peace