Epmd - Give The People lyrics

Chorus: *sung hook from an r&b record* Got to give the people Give the people what they want Ladies and gentlemen (repeat 2x) Verse one: erick sermon When i came out with my first rap jam I had no idea that the record would slam It did real good without radio play Maybe at night but no airplay in the day I couldn't understand why to be exact Our music was good and i was far from wack Then came the answer, commercial was the key To get airplay and a spot on tv Like ed lover and doctor dre from yo! mtv raps A show, mainly for the black And still we can't ill, cause to them that's wrong Cause like p.e. said, we're too black and too strong But hey, what can i say (brothers and sisters) that's a price a rapper must pay Chorus Verse two: pmd As airwaves collapse rap shows at a standstill Some racial circuits the frequencies can't handle The funk tracks produced by epmd But it's a fat jam, that will never win a grammy Unless we sellout and k** the black movement dead Which means swallow our pride and become flunkies instead And stop the rap about freedom, thoughts of a black president And rap about a black crack, the mayor in our residence Give me a break brothers, it's time to take a stand And k** that no sir, yes sir, and thank you ma'am Cuz the word is a luxury a black man can't afford That's why poverty's on the rise and we still ignored And it's a setback and yet the clock still ticks And if we let it, rap would be run by politics I read it somewhere that every man's created equal But not in this day and age, maybe in the sequel Which means next time, so observe these rhymes And take a stand and go for yours cause i'm going for mine That's why i Chorus Verse three: erick sermon, pmd Why is that when wrong is done by the black It's blown out of proportion and immediately attacked By the press and yes, conflict is caused By the kids at concerts who bumrush the doors One child gets hurt, the press gets pesty But what about the beatles, g, and elvis presley Same stuff was rough, rap does not cause violence So (fight the power) and make them understand But too much power and you might get banned So if you want airplay You can't be too black and hey, watch what you say, but ayo Chorus: to fade