Youthful Expression
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics

The taste of nothing, this does something
Even the absence of taste can have an impact

Moms that knows that, says I'm fronting
My mother sees through my façade

Call me Smiley, 'cause I'm wiley
Refer to me as Smiley because I'm clever

Living life like the life of Riley
Living luxuriously and carefree

Smoking blunts with a boy named Bud
Smoking marijuana with a friend named Bud

We cough up your lungs, cough up your cud
The smoking causes coughing and possible vomiting

Put out fires, with a 40, ounce of water
Attempting to solve problems with inadequate solutions

You know you ought of
You should have already known

Dance to this, your girl you kiss
Dance to the music and embrace your significant other

I like fried foods, especially fish
I enjoy fried foods, particularly fish

Afrocentric, I'm electric
Proudly embracing African heritage and culture

Socialistic and eccentric
Having a non-conventional, unconventional perspective on societal structure and norms

Body's healthy, mind is wealthy
Taking care of the physical body and having a rich internal mentality

Thoughts, they flow, that will prepare me
Keeping an open, fluid mind to better handle the future

To be a Native, get creative
To be original and inventive

Original and designative
Both creative and original in thought

Listen to the line that's playing
Listen to the music that's being performed

Listen hard to what Q's saying
Pay close attention to what Q is expressing in the song

Politicians are magicians
Politicians have a talent for creating an illusion in the eyes of the public

Make your vote, they hope your wishing
They are looking for your vote so that they can gain power

Ambiguous words, senseless verbs
Vague language with little meaning

They all amount to crap that's heard
The words lack substance and are meaningless

Violent hip hop, money flip flops
Hip hop that is aggressive and profit-focused

Promoters won't book, but it still rocks
Despite limited opportunities to perform, the music is still impactful

I'm a Zulu, yes, a true blue
I am a member of the Zulu tribe and remain authentic and loyal to tradition

Red Alert is with the poo-poo
DJ Red Alert is unimpressed with what's going on

Ozone layer, loses flavor
The ozone layer is deteriorating

Here's the edge that you will savor
The aftermath of disaster may be oddly pleasing

The economy, politics, police, everything
Every aspect of society

Except for the youth
The young generation

But the youth about to come back
The youth are poised to make a significant impact

With expressions and I'm guessing
Using creativity to express oneself

19 years is a youthful lesson
The teenage years are a time to learn and grow

Falling skies babe, open eyes babe
The world can be a tumultuous place; stay vigilant

Can't you see what lays inside babe
Look beyond what's on the surface to find true value

Making mentions on this tension
Addressing the issues at hand

Rhythmic loving, my profession
Making music is what I do

Hips, they gyrate, scripts I narrate
Moving bodies with my rhymes

No banana, I ain't a primate
I am not a monkey

Ain't no soul glo, just an Afro
Not trying to be something I'm not, just flaunting my natural hair

The head is bred to let the thoughts grow
Encouraging a growth mindset

Quest together, to lands of never
Journeying with companions to unexplored territories

Sleet and snow and storms can't sever
Inclement weather can't stop our journey

Tribe is growing, never know when
Our group of likeminded individuals is expanding but the future is unknown

For this time, six necks may show in
Possibly six of us will show up in this space and time

Dialogues have been accepted
We are open to discussing different ideas

Negatives have been rejected
We refuse to focus on negative energy

That's the music, negro music
This is the unique sound of Black music

Is here for all, so you must choose it
Everyone should have access to this music, and choose to listen to it

Phonies fondle, watch it throttle
Fake people trying to pose and fit in, but failing

3-6-5 straight out the bottle
Drinking and partying every day of the year

Busting caps, finger snaps
The gun violence versus snapping fingers in a more peaceful manner

I prefer the second for ghetto tracks
I choose to focus on the positive, rather than glorifying violence

Phife, Jarobi, Ali told me
My friends and collaborators had this advice for me

Get the force like Wan Kenobi
Harness the power and strength of Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi

Force his teaching, beats are screeching
Drawing inspiration from Kenobi's teachings and creating exciting music

Poly plateaus, we aim for reaching
We strive for creative and musical success

Tribalization, freaks the nation
Our unified and diverse group breaks societal norms

A mass of peers in celebration
We come together to celebrate our shared interests and talents

Hopes been real high, since the knee high
Our aspirations and expectations for success have been strong since childhood

Days of youth, feeling good and real spry
Our childhood and teenage years were full of energy and optimism

Avid combos, hear those bongos
Enthusiastic collaborations, with percussive instruments in the mix

Boom cacker boom, that's how they go
The sound of these drums is distinctive

We ain't nomads, but we real glad
We may not have a permanent home, but we are happy with our lifestyles

Hip hop slams through the nineties, no fad
Hip hop is here to stay and will continue to dominate in the 90s

As a rhythm, have been given
Hip hop has a unique sound that has been bestowed upon it

Hurry up, become, we breaking out, out
Let's quickly make something of ourselves and break out into the world with our music

With a rhythmic instinction to be able to travel
We have a natural ability to explore and create music

Beyond existing forces of life
Creating a sound that expands beyond the boundaries of reality

Basically, that Tribal
This is what makes our music unique and Tribal

And if you want to get the rhythm
If you want to understand our music

Then you have to join a Tribe
You must become part of our like-minded community

Word, peace
Okay, everything is good now. Peace out.