[Intro: Nas]

Yea, niggaz want to talk about this rap shit

Niggaz want to talk about this money

About these cars, these homes, these labels

Clothes, sneakers, big money shit

Now everybody tryin' to get rich

Now get rich niggaz, fuck it



[Verse 1: Nas]

Some rap pioneers, be them crackheads

When they speak, you see missin' teeth

Silver chain with a silver piece

Niggaz your grandfather's age

They pants still hangin' down they legs talkin' about they ain't paid

And they hate you, 'cause they say, you ain't pay dues

And ..... was stealin' and robbin' them

I feel it's a problem we gotta resolve

Hip-Hop been dead, we the reason it died

Wasn't Sylvia's fault or because MC's skills are lost

It's because we can't see ourselves as the boss

Deep-rooted through slavery, self-hatred

The Jewish stick together, friends in high places

We on some low level shit

We don't want niggaz to ever win

See, everybody got a label

Everybody's a rapper but few flow fatal

It's fucked up, it all started from two turntables



[Hook: Nas]

When they crown you - and you rise up to your position

(Carry On Tradition)

When they knight you - then you go to fight, go to war, don't petition

(Carry On Tradition) - (Carry On Tradition)

Carry on, ca-carry on, (Carry On Tradition)

(Carry On Tradition), when you rep what we rep

Then (Carry On Tradition)



[Verse 2: Nas]

Now some of these new rappers got their caps flipped backwards

Wit their fingers intertwined in some gang-sign madness

I got an exam, let's see if y'all pass it

Let's see who can quote a Daddy Kane line the fastest

Some of you new rappers, I don't understand your code

You have your man shoot you, like in that Sopranos episode

Do anythin' to get in the game, mixtapes, you spit hate

Against bosses; hungry fucks are moraless

You should be tossed in a pit full of unfortunate vocalists

Niggaz, I coulda wrote your shit; I had off-time, was bored wit this

I coulda made my double-LP, just by samplin' different parts of Nautilus

Still came five on the charts with zero audience

The lane was open and y'all was droppin' that garbage shit

Y'all got awards for your bricks - it got good to ya

You started tellin' them bigger dogs to call it quits?! WHAT?



[Hook: Nas]

When they crown you - and you rise up to your position

(Carry On Tradition)

When they knight you - then you go to fight, go to war, don't petition

(Carry On Tradition) - (Carry On Tradition)

Carry on, ca-carry on, (Carry On Tradition)

(Carry On Tradition), when you rep what we rep

Then (Carry On Tradition)



[Verse 3: Nas]

Now niggaz got the studio poppin', it's mad clearer

Engineers got his earplugs and still hear us

The live-in-the-park sound, versus the studio state of art sound

We on the charts now; from British Walkers and Argyles

Look at us rap stars now, wit our black cars now

Fortune 500 listed, brunches, sip Cipriani's

Sippin', blunted, with rich white guys around me

Thick white girls around me, Chinese lined up

Because I'm what?, every dime lust

We used to be a ghetto secret; can't make my mind up

If I want that or the whole world to peep it

Now (Carry On Tradition)

Fuck a bum wack rapper makin' his career out of dissin'

Peace to the strugglin' artists and dead one's gone, we miss 'em

I promise I (Carry On Tradition)



[Hook: Nas]

When they crown you - and you rise up to your position

(Carry On Tradition)

When they knight you - then you go to fight, go to war, don't petition

(Carry On Tradition) - (Carry On Tradition)

Carry on, ca-carry on, (Carry On Tradition)

(Carry On Tradition), when you rep what we rep

Then (Carry On Tradition)