Old school
₪ cunninlynguists Lyrics

Before R. Kelly had his teens.. Wutang had their cream
Back in the day, before R. Kelly became famous, Wu-Tang Clan was already on top of the rap game and making money

Slick Rick had his rings... crack rock had it's fiends
The rapper Slick Rick was famous for his jewelry and flashy style, while crack cocaine was causing addiction and devastation in communities

Martin Luther had his dreams, Stevie Wonder could sing
Martin Luther King Jr. fought for civil rights and equality, while musician Stevie Wonder was known for his incredible voice

Or Elvis was king, Hip Hop was on the scene
Elvis Presley was a popular musician and cultural icon, while hip hop was in its early stages and starting to gain recognition

Nah meeeeen, go back like Hitchcocks' hairline
I've been around for a long time, just like Alfred Hitchcock's iconic hairline

Taught Fred Estaire how to pop lock in my spare time
I'm so old school that I even taught the legendary dancer Fred Astaire how to pop and lock

I caught a ride on Noah's ark, cus I had a pair of Puma's
I'm so old that I hitched a ride on the biblical figure Noah's ark, all while wearing a stylish pair of Puma sneakers

And two chickens on my arm
I was so cool that I even had chickens as pets, which I carried around on my arms

That's true...... and when I came through
It's a fact that I'm incredibly old school, and when I entered the scene, everyone took notice

Noticed Noah was first to "check 1, check 2"
I even have knowledge of the beginning of spoken word performances, where Noah was the first to say "check 1, check 2" before speaking

Guess who rescued Repunzel
I'm so old school that I even saved the character Rapunzel from her tower, all before that story became popular

Climbing up her gold weave, then made her braid her hair like Alicia Keys
After rescuing Rapunzel, I gave her a fresh style that was inspired by the modern musician Alicia Keys

Before EPMD met golddiggers fuckin for VISAs
Before the rap group EPMD encounter women only interested in material possessions, I was already pimping and making women famous

I was the first to pimp Jezebel and Mona Lisa
In fact, I was the original pimp, having turned both the women Jezebel and Mona Lisa into famous icons

And made em famous way before Eminem could flow
I was making women famous before the rapper Eminem even started his career

Even ran trizz with JFK on Marilyn Monroe...Oh
I was so influential that I even had involvement in the real-life scandal surrounding JFK and Marilyn Monroe

"Blow the spot with some old school shit" - Rah Digga on Talib Kweli's "Down For The Count"
Other artists recognize and appreciate the importance of old school rap, as heard in the lyrics of Rah Digga's song featuring Talib Kweli

"I'm so old school"- Jay-Z off of "Jigga That Nigga"
Jay-Z also recognizes his roots in the old school era of rap music

"I'm old school like my dad is"- J-Ro on De La Soul's "My Writes"
J-Ro is proud of his old school background, just like his father

"True, that's old school"- Mos Def on BlackStarr's "Very Well"
Mos Def agrees that old school rap is the real deal, as heard in his song with BlackStar

"I'll bust that old school boom bap all over this map"- Declaime on Lootpacks's "Episodes" (x2)
Even newer rappers, like Declaime, appreciate and use elements of old school rap in their music

"From the old school I consider loyally true"- Big Pun off of "You Came Up"
The artist Big Pun is a loyal believer and advocate for old school rap music

I'm so old school I was at the first supper serving soulfood
I'm so old that I was present at the very first supper, where I served soulful and delicious food

And Arroz con Pollo', but I bet you had no clue
I even introduced new dishes to the table, like Arroz con Pollo, before they became popular

That pilgrims were the first to name women after produce
Surprisingly, it was the Pilgrims who were the first to name women after fruits and vegetables

And that was the first Road Rules without toll booths
The first ever Road Rules reality show happened during my time, before they started charging tolls for the bridges

Even when Adam and Eve sat by the weed tree
I was even present during the biblical story of Adam and Eve, where they sat by a tree and smoked some weed

I told Eve, "Please don't tell him touch my weed leaves."
I was protective of my plant and warned Eve not to let Adam ruin it

But after I showed him Cypress Hill, he loved fire
After introducing Adam to the music of the band Cypress Hill, he became addicted to the thrill of the music

Then Eve left and became the first lady of Ruff Riders
Eve, feeling disgruntled by Adam's newfound love for music, left and became the first lady of the Ruff Ryders label

Had a horse carraige, sittin' on dubs, coastin'
I had a stylish and lavish horse carriage, complete with large wheels and rims

Smacked the thouroughbred in the ass and hit the 3-wheel motion
I was so cool that I even made my horse do donuts while riding in my carriage

Since a Frank and Jesse James shoot-out in the street
I've been around since the days of famous outlaws like Frank and Jesse James

Had a scoundrel c-walkin', shootin' bullets at his feet
I once witnessed a man who was so skilled at the c-walk dance that he did it while shooting his gun at his own feet

I had Michalangelo put down the horsehair brushes
I inspired the famous artist Michelangelo to move on from using horsehair brushes in his work

Started doing end to end burners on buses
Instead, Michelangelo began creating large, impressive works of art on the sides of buses

Trust this, put King Midas' touch to use
I also put King Midas' gift of turning everything he touched to gold to good use

He grabbed my bead necklace now I'm rockin truck jewels
King Midas transformed my beaded necklace into a stylish and over-the-top piece of jewelry

When lightin' struck Ben Frank's kite and sent currents through
I was even there when Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous experiment with a kite and a key, which proved the existence of electricity

He was the first to electric boogaloo
In fact, Ben Franklin's famous experiment led to the invention of dancing styles like the electric boogaloo

The wop, robot and helicopter on the pavement
Other famous dance moves, like the wop, robot, and helicopter, were also products of the electric boogaloo

And in amazement, he was even Harlem-Shakin'
Ben Franklin's experiment was so groundbreaking that it even led to the creation of the Harlem Shake dance

"Old School"
Throughout the song there is a strong emphasis and appreciation for old school rap music and culture

"Word"
A slang word of affirmation and agreement, often used as a concluding remark in rap music and culture