7L & Esoteric - Rules of Engagement lyrics

[Intro] One two, one two For those who do not know, once again For those who do not know, once again (yo, check it yo) [Verse 1: J-Live] Aiyyo it's somethin' like a twilight zone ep Rookies in the hall of fame vets gettin' hazed Has the world gone crazed? Like, fatal flesh wounds when you just got grazed or Walking off a point blank shot from a twelve gauge There's no respect for the rules of engagement Producers know nothing of arrangement Emcees with five figure deals and never got up on the stage yet Knowin' that they styles haven't properly aged yet Consider these, casualties in the war between art and industry Fought in the streets, so nobody sells out in vain It just makes us work harder, on these dope rhymes and beats Knowing either side ever admits defeat And screams treason at the first sign of retreat It's like a never ending struggle in this box of chocolates It show that even though you got flavor ain't nothing sweet [Hook] For those who do not know, once again For those who do not know, once again [Verse 2: Esoteric] Eighty nine was the time that I started catchin' wreck I had my hair in steps with a fresh pair of sweats They were rules to abide by, you couldn't slide by Rappin' in tye-dye claimin' that you sci-fi But nowadays people clap even if you're wack No wonder everybody wants to rap These underground cats think they're down They don't know a damn thing These rock dudes tryna rap cause they can't sing You don't shoot a gun before, learnin' how to use it Ya don't shoot ya mouth off before learnin' the music I stay fly, the rules still apply [Bridge] Let me tell you the reasons why You wanna know why, I'll tell ya why Why? Because of my vocals I told y'all here they come now Now let me hear my man [Verse 3: Count Ba** D] First give it up to God, the head of my life Blessed are the peace bookmakers The freight burners, the paint huffers The old school jungle green users The stock cap rockers, the SP truncators Beat's so hot, use a tong, not my tongue, it speaks impurity f** Debbie, plus in blood like Carrie They're all gonna laugh at you I know why Donny did a swan dive off the Ess** You claim inspiration, but still can't play sh** Talking 'bout you working on a symphony And can't even play the timpani Walls of asbestos filled with the best dust Power station of the connection, the wizard of Oz Mixmaster 'nuff weed, DJ pound cake The brick mason, prime minister V.C. Bird L Now what is my moniker? Come late like Hanukkah Johnny come lately, sometimes still crave stay Pac Man go ank-bank, stank like Hooba More pickups than Hoover, more run than Suba The funky dope maneuver, my field is holy New duva, shook in Judah Who the f** wanna test me? Captain Kenny Clark Gillespie, hold the vest B We gon' throw some hands in this section Uhh it's like that, Count Ba**...