If we gonna start from scratch, you start with waxIf there's no dish, then there's no rapRecords, albums, vinyl, the factsGive us a stack of records and we'll give you 12 tracksThe agreement turned cement40 years agoHip Hop, the vinyl frontierThe embryoTwo turntables a mic and a cold stereo, DJ, one MC, the imperialMany many put their muse to itSent bop, sent rock, sent blues through itFrom classical to jazz we can who's who itOr blow the dust off and groove to itLets rideB-side on direct driveYou know that crack will give the best highGive me a needle, a cartridge, a partridge, some tree, 45s and a 33, let it beA new format hit the scene like way backIt was smaller and more convenient than 8-trackYou could pop it in your car on a long drivePlay the album or fast-forward to song fiveIf you passed the song you had to rewind it backIt was kind of frustrating trying to find a trackMemorex, Ampex down to TDKWhere the Biz was on the radio with BDKWhen they was on the air, I was on the pause-buttonI had the best taste but I ain't trying to cause nothingCause everybody thought their paws was the rawsCats used to battle, this shit used to cause warsWe would trade tapes, that was the best it could beBusy Bee had the fever for Treacherous ThreeHaving the best tapes, was like a status symbolThe yellow tape, purple tape to the baddest demoBattles travel from the Bronx to BaltimoreThey would stand by the speaker to record them allThem same tapes that was labeled with a thick markerMade the neighborhood rappers want to spit sharperIf my tape pop trust, I was ready manA razor blade, scotch tape and a steady handI call it surgeryMy cassette went under the knife and brought back to lifeMan that worth it to meIf you want it, I got itThat which makes you move"It's... the format baby"If you want it, I got itThat which makes you cool"It's... the format baby"My relationship with bass and kicks had come full circlePlastic and cheap but I clapped to the beatStab the repeat button and keep runningAnd that's something you can't get from tape dubbingSkip the skips with a flick of the wristMore time to check what's sick on the listThe fickle dismissed this little digital diskBut try and play vinyl in the whip, it'll skipAnd it's '96, I'm trying to get laid nowChose the format with binary laid down1s and 0s, and 0s and 1s, flood the BOSE with flows and drumsBlunts get blown in my homie's truckWe sitting on chrome, little bone thugsWe got wheels, we ain't trying to walk manCD's nuts, there's dust on my walkmanFollow me entering this digital odysseyHoly matrimony but harder to seeEverywhere but non-existent, what a conundrumUpgraded but they say we forgot where we come fromThe past feels even further with every secondOff the record, the coming and going of KbpsIn the day of the instant messageThe message is misdirected and the receiver seems to be disconnectedBut don't complain, love gameEven after the flood came and left our neighbors over-saturatedWith no computer love, just computer bugsHate the virus and not the hacker, that's what a loser doesMeanwhile, the kids are playing shoot em' upsTrying to be the 2.0 version of Super ThugPress reset, any era you wish to visit is nextHold on as we eject