Declaration
De La Soul Lyrics

Yo, this girl called me...
Hey, a girl called me.

Hi pos! heard your shit, back in style baby!
She heard De La's music and thinks it's popular again.

Heard the De La, said I'm back in style y'know? Heh...
She thinks De La is in style again.

You-you-you...you need to stop
Someone is being told to stop doing something.

[Chorus:]I declare that only live niggaz rap this year Jam's off the meter yo, this {shit} is hot There's always one...(one!) Amateurs get hung with they own gold chains There it is!! I declare that only live niggaz rap this year
Only talented rappers will succeed this year, and those who aren't will be exposed and humiliated. This is a warning to amateurs.

The average Mc sells terror
Most rappers use fear to sell themselves.

We nail terror up against the wall for target practice
We take the fear away and practice with it.

Not one of your top five Mc?s But I see clearly with ease you lack this
Not considered among the top five rappers, but it's easy to see their lack of talent.

Coast to coast, we pop up on your scene like toast
We make an appearance in your area like toast popping up from a toaster (unexpectedly).

Playin' host to your regiment Who rally to boast, but now boast no more
We welcome the group of rappers who came to boast, but after seeing our performance, they no longer boast.

They got floored by the sight of my ledger print
They were shocked by our successful track record.

I came specifically, to fracture yo' ability To grandstand anywhere next to me
We came with the intention of exposing the lack of talent in others trying to show off next to us.

This is the year, when the true better man Keeps the cheddar and writes to his destiny (word!)
This is the year when the truly talented rapper makes money and writes their own success story.

Timeless episodes of talent got me nominated By the ones who hated me on spittin' tighter
My amazing talent got me recognized by those who originally didn't like me.

Salute these supa emcees for bein' clever And never use the weed as a ghost writer
Salute the truly talented rappers for being clever with their music and writing their own lyrics without using drugs or ghostwriters.

[Chorus: ]
Repeating the chorus from earlier.

Contrary to popular truth, these youth are runnin' scared
Despite what most people think, these young rappers are afraid.

So in one stare they gettin' strapped
They become armed in one glance.

Cash rules nuttin' from below the belt The dick choose to melt asses where them dollars at? (where them dollars at? ) musta been bitten by a rabbit Actin' silly like that
Money doesn't buy you anything below the belt (sexual or otherwise). Those who chase money too much are acting foolishly.

Your pop culture need a diaper change I'm snatchin' the mic, like I'm lootin' With a whole lot of shootin' while you're keepin' out of sniper range
The current pop culture scene needs a change. We're taking control of the music scene like looters and taking shots while others avoid the risk.

Your aim's to please, my aim's to freeze You dead center in your tracks with your hands high
Your goal is to please the audience, but ours is to stop you in your tracks with an amazing performance.

Ain't no tricks, we set it to fire like Hendrix All the hard rocks at liquor spots All over the scene, makin' it messy
We don't need any tricks to set the stage on fire like Jimi Hendrix. Everyone is trying to be the toughest rapper, making things messy everywhere.

So we make a clean getaway to a better day Can't say the same, for them cats who left the game Cause they couldn't claim the better pay
We make a clean and successful exit while others who left couldn't make enough money.

This ain't no masquerade So the mass parade of people need to stop frontin'
This isn't just about putting on a show. People need to stop pretending for the sake of appearances.

There's truly a few makin' them hits While us, we got our mitts closed cause you on the field buntin'
Only a few are making real hits in the music industry, while we have our hands figuratively closed because others are playing it safe.

Make it to third bass, but never reach home The word is, your whereabouts is unknown While we're that point of view, that you never really knew With the stitch to keep the cut sewn (De La!)
You may make it somewhere, but never achieve success. We have a unique perspective on the industry that you never had, and we use it to make sure our talents are recognized and rewarded.

[Chorus: ]
Repeating the chorus from earlier.

Rock a bye baby!! On the tree top!! When the wind blows!! The cradle will rock!! Rock!!...
The song ends with a nursery rhyme, which may symbolize the violence and turbulence in the current music industry.