Who’s Gonna Take the Weight? Lyrics
Knowledge is power, and knowledge can be the difference between life or death
You should know the truth and the truth shall set you free
[Verse 1]
I was raised like a Muslim, prayin' to the East
Nature of my life relates rhymes I release like a cannon
'Cause I been plannin' to be rammin' what I wrote
Straight on a plate down your throat
So digest as I suggest, we take a good look
At who's who while I'm readin' from my good book
And let's dig into every nook and every cranny
Set your mind free as I slam these thoughts
And just like a jammy goes bow
You're gonna see what I'm sayin' now
You can't be sleepin', 'cause things are gettin' crazy
You better stop being lazy
There's many people frontin', and many brothers droppin'
All because of dumb things, let me tell you somethin'
I've been through so much that I'm such
A maniac, but I still act out of faith
That we can get the shit together so I break
On fools with no rhymes skills messin' up the flow
And people with no sense who be movin' much too slow
And so, you will know the meaning of the Gang Starr
Guru with the mic and Premier raise the anchor
Swiftly, as we embark on a journey
I had to get an attorney
I needed someone to defend my position
Decisions I made, 'cause now it's time to get paid
And ladies, these rhymes are like the keys to a dope car
Maybe a Lexus or a Jaguar
Still, all of that is just material
So won't you dig the scenario
And just imagine if each one is teachin' one
We'll come together so that we become
A strong force, then we can stay on course
Find your direction through introspection
And for my people out there I got a question
Can we be the sole controllers of our fate?
Now who's gonna take the weight?
You can't handle the whole weight
[Verse 2]
The weight of the world is heavy on my mind
So as my feelings unwind I find
That some try to be down just 'cause it's trendy
Others fall victim to envy
But I'll take the road less traveled
So I can see all my hopes and my dreams unravel
Relievin' your stress, expressin' my interest
In the situation that you're facin'
That's why I'm down with the Nation
Spirituality supports reality
We gotta fight with the right mentality
So we can gain what is rightfully ours
This is the meaning of the chain and the star
Land is power, so gimme forty acres
Let's see how far I can take ya
Original invincible, that's how I'm lookin' at it
I use my rhymes like a Glock automatic
Any means necessary, I'm goin' all out
Before the rains bring the nuclear fallout
So let me ask you, is it too late?
Ayo, who's gonna take the weight?
About
Gang Starr is posing the question of who is going to take the weight to try and change certain things in the world. Here he is referring to problems on the streets, politically, and so on.
The vocal sample for the scratch break that DJ Premier cuts up is from L.L. Cool J’s “To Da Break of Dawn” from 1990’s Mama Said Knock You Out.
Ha, you can’t handle the whole weight
Skin needs lotion, teeth need Colgate
DJ Premier spoke on the production of the song:
‘Who’s Gonna Take The Weight?’ was the second one I made – I was cuttin' that little horn whistle from Maceo And The Macks’ ‘Parrty’ over and over with two copies. And I would just mark all this stuff down on a piece of paper and make it happen.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Preemo told Rolling Stone,
I wanted to do something that was very Public Enemy-oriented because everybody during that time was making noisy records because of them. We were just following suit. All the Public Enemy albums, I knew what records they were sampling but was like, “How’d they construct it like this?!”
Also, the military was being sent out to Kuwait and dealing with Iraq at the time. A lot of my good friends were getting deployed to the Middle East, so Guru wanted to talk about it based off that. That’s why we wore the military gear in the video.
- 2.Full Clip
- 3.Discipline
- 6.I’m the Man
- 7.Mass Appeal
- 8.Jazz Thing
- 9.The Militia
- 10.Tonz ‘O’ Gunz
- 11.Royalty
- 12.Who’s Gonna Take the Weight?
- 14.Above the Clouds
- 16.DWYCK
- 17.All 4 tha Ca$h
- 19.Work
- 21.Take It Personal
- 22.Speak Ya Clout
- 24.1/2 & 1/2
- 25.The ? Remainz
- 27.So Wassup?!
- 28.Now You’re Mine
- 29.Betrayal
- 30.B.Y.S.
- 31.Credit Is Due
