Raw (Remix)

Producer

The “Raw” single, released on Prism in late 1987, was Kane’s first real calling card: five minutes of pure, unadulterated braggadocio, with an incredibly Marley-freaked… Read More

Jun. 28, 19881 viewer39.6K views

Raw (Remix) Lyrics

[Intro]
Here it comes
Since the far-off days when man first heard a scratchy noise
On a cylindrical drum accompanied by staccato human tones
It has been his aim to add breadth and depth, to give realism
And spaciousness, and, even where it applies, to convey actual movement

[Verse 1]
Intro, I start to go, my rhymes'll flow
So, get up and dance 'cause Kane said so
If you were lounging around, it's time to get up
Pardon my expression, but I'ma tear shit up
I appear right here, and scare and dare, a mere musketeer
That would dare to compare, I do declare
Gettin' busy is where it's at
But what you're saying, you wouldn't get a point for that
'Cause you're a featherweight, and your rhymes you carry light
But I drop bass just like Barry White
So how could you think that you pose a threat?
You say you're rocking, how many shows you get?
All your vocals go local on the M-I-C
Mines go a great distance, like AT&T
I'm not new to this, I'm true to this, nothin' you can do to this
Fuck around with Kane and come out black and blue for this
So, yo, go for what you know
Attempt to debate so I can humiliate
We can go rhyme for rhyme, word for word, verse for verse
Get you a nurse, too late, get you a hearse
To take you to your burial ground
Because the Big Daddy Kane always throws down
Correct, I get respect, I'm out to collect
Cash money, 'cause I get raw

[Break]
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
(Boy, do I hate a...)
I'm comin'
I'm comin'
I'm comin'
I'm comin'
I'm comin'

[Verse 2]
Here I am, R-A-W
A terrorist, here to bring trouble to
Phony MC's, I move on and seize
I just conquer and stomp another rapper with ease
'Cause I'm at my apex and others are below
Nothin' but a milliliter, I'm a kilo
Second to none, making MC's run
So don't try to step to me, 'cause I ain't the one
I relieve rappers just like Tylenol
And they know it, so I don't see why you all
Try to front, perpetratin' a stunt
When you know that I'll smoke you up like a blunt
I'm genuine like Gucci, raw like sushi
To stage a rage is what rap did to me
To make me want to create chaos and mayhem
Cold rock a party until the A.M
I'll make a muscle, grab the mic and hustle
While you stand dazed and amazed, I bust a
Little rhyme with authority, superiority
And captivate the whole crowd's majority
The rhymes I use definitely amuse
Better than Dynasty, or Hill Street Blues
I'm sure to score adored for more without a flaw
'Cause I get raw

[Break]
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Everybody get up
Everybody get up

[Verse 3]
Give a speech like a reverend, rappers start severing
And in my lifetime, believe I've never been
Beaten, or eaten and just tooken out
You know, come to think about it, I keep MC's lookin' out
And real nervous when I'm at your service
Give me that title, boy, you don't deserve this
I work like a slave to become a master
And when I say a rhyme, you know that it has to
Be perfectly fitted, 'cause I'm committed
The entertainer and trainer and Kane'll get with it
I go and flow and grow to let you know
I damage ya I'm not an amateur but a pro-
-fessional unquestionable without doubt superb
So full of action, my name should be a verb
My voice will float on every note
When I clear my throat, that's all she wrote
The minute that the Kane starts to go on
Believe it's gonna be smooth sailin' so on
As I put other rappers out of their misery
Get them in a battle and make them all history
Ruling and schoolin' MC's that I'm dueling
Watch them all take a fall as I sit back coolin'
On my throne, with a bronze microphone
Hmm, God bless the child that can hold his own
'Cause I get raw

[Break]
Ain't it good to you?
Ain't it good to you?
Ain't it good to you?
Here's an experiment to begin with

[Verse 4]
Twenty-four sev chilling, killing like a villain
The meaning of raw is Ready And Willing
To do whatever is clever, take a loss, never
And the rhymes I bust, comin' off is a must
And I come off hard with rhymes that are odd
I rip the microphone and leave it scarred
Never smokin' or hittin' or takin' a sniff
Only crushing MC's that be trying to riff
I get strong and titanic, do work like a mechanic
Make MC's panic, they all get frantic
And skeptic, like a girl on a contraceptive
As I rock, but hey, what you expected?
I'll get raw for you just like a warrior
Rappin' like a samurai and I'll be damned if I
Ever let a Fisher-Price MC hang
Their rhymes are toy, nothin' but yin-yang
So if we battle on the microphone
Bring your own casket and tombstone
And I'ma preach your funeral
Tell me who in the world could ever come with more
I get raw

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About

Genius Annotation

The “Raw” single, released on Prism in late 1987, was Kane’s first real calling card: five minutes of pure, unadulterated braggadocio, with an incredibly Marley-freaked James Brown loop and Kane’s unmistakable, testosterone-charged voice. The single took off, convincing the powers that be at Warner Bros. (who were partnered with Cold Chillin', where most of the Marley Marl/Juice Crew output was placed from the late 1987 onward) that Kane deserved an album.

Big Daddy Kane: When it came to battle rhymes like that, I wrote that kind of stuff all the time. Like my man Murph would say, “Yo, there’s this kid in Bushwick that was talking shit about you and wants to battle.” So i’d start writing rhymes like that. We put the original “Raw” out in the fall of ‘87, on Prism, because Cold Chillin’ was then part of Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. was only interested in Biz,Shante, and Shan at the time. They didn’t really want me at first. After they saw that it was doing good they picked it up for the Colors soundtrack, and that’s when they signed me. Greg Mack in L.A. was bumping it hard on KDAY, and we was finally getting a lot of shows and having the record played in a lot of places.

Source: Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies (page 40)