In high school in the late 1970s, he met Special K and DJ Easy Lee. They formed the influential old school hip hop group The Treacherous Three. It is with The Treacherous Three that Kool Moe Dee performed his freestyle, on stage roast of old school party rapper Busy Bee Starski, a performance frequently cited as a pivotal moment in the development of the battle rap. In 1986, Kool Moe Dee went solo, releasing a self-titled album.
He is also well-known for his long-running feud with LL Cool J; he claims that LL Cool J stole his rapping style. The cover of Kool Moe Dee's 1987 album How Ya Like Me Now features a red Kangol hat (LL Cool J's trademark) being crushed under the wheel of a Jeep.
His song I Go To Work from the album Knowledge Is King is considered by some the pinnacle of his work, with high speed, high energy and intricate lyrics masterfully mixed in to the stacatto sounds of a marching band.
Kool Moe Dee also appeared on Will Smith's #1 pop hit "Wild Wild West" from Smith's 1999 motion picture, on which he re-performs the chorus to his 1987 single of the same name.
In 2003 he authored a book called "There's a God on the Mic" (ISBN 1560255331). The book breaks down his 50 favorite MCs in terms of originality, concepts, versatility, vocabulary, substance, flow, flavor, freestyle, vocal presence, live performance, poetic value, body of work, industry impact, social impact, longevity, lyrics and battle skills.
Death Blow
Kool Moe Dee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the, to the, to the
Times up punk
yea yea Time to settle the score
To the break of dawn, another dumb move
Ha, ha, ha this time it's over boy
This is me and you, head to head, let's go
Heads up punk 'cause it all comes down to
Me and you, face to face, head to head
Mic to mic, I like the weak shit you said
To the break of dawn, beats nitro
Lyrics weak, say goodnight 'cho
Star Trek shades, man cut the joke
Let's get serious and go for broke
You still got a lock on my jock like a pitbull
Victor before you pull it off you thought Mr. Pitiful
Here's some mouthwash, g
Your mouth smells like my jockstrap, see-
A-you-S-E, you're rhyme didn't mean
?D-O-D-D?, junior Moe Dee
Stop biting, chewing, swallowing
Who in the hell told you that you could do what you were doing
Raise up son, I need jock relief
Here's a toothpick, now get my jock out your teeth
You swallow it, yea, finish, burp
Now let a real man go to work
'Cause I'm a whip you like your daddy, beat ya like a baby
Sick ya like a dog, dropping lyrics wit rabies
Cut ya like a knife 'cause you're nuthin but hype
You slice and dice and ice twice for life
I'm a treat ya like a hooker punk, change your clothes
Put you on the streets wit ya jingling hoes
Keep talking about me and I'll keep pimping
Just bring me that money and take this last whipping
How can one man be so dumb
You're trying to come off and don't know how to come
You're young and dumb and quick at the tongue
You high strung bum come and get done
I'll do you wit a death blow
(Chorus)
Kill 'em kill 'em
I'll hit ya wit a death blow
My lyrical beatdown will leave ya in a coma
'Cause you can't hang without a high school diploma
Your brain of fatigue, you're out of your league
You're running out of gas and you're tank is on E
Somebody buy him a heart 'cause he's petro
Take you're whipping like a man brother let go
No apologies, tears of violence
Get your black suits 'cause I ain't smiling
I'm shooting the gift of gab, brother you're ripped in half
Soon as the mic is past, you won't live to laugh
If there's laughter, I'll get the last one
You loafed on the lyrics and you caught a bad one
So who's got no style, look at your profile
You can't dance, can't dress and you're so foul
Still wearing played out 4 finger rings
Played out fat gold chains and things
You changed your look now change your gameplan
Trying to dress but you still wear name brand
Brother, you look crazy weak
And it gets worse when we hear you speak
So you ain't got a chance in hell
You'll be known as the late LL
The man who lost one, one too often
Came wit a soft one and went to his coffin
A close casket they won't show ya
When I finish, you're mama won't know ya
'Cause I'm a rip you limb from limb
You tombstone read he had no win
So RIP, Rest in peace, rip 'em
D.I.D., dead indeed, did 'em
A H-I-T, hitman, so whatcha hit 'em wit
A rhyme silencer, I hit 'em wit a death blow
Chorus
If mama said knock me out, come do it
You can't win and that (record scratch) knew it
I'm a send you home in a body bag
Wit the mic in your throat and a jock for a gag
You're out of here, over, finished, all in
And Marly marl can't save you from fallin
'Cause as soon as you came back what did you do
To the break of dawn, another dumb move
You can't go hard, you're just so-so Todd
I'm that type of guy, oh my God
It's gets no rougher comes no weaker
marly hooked the beats so now you need a
Writer to bring you back from hell
Because I'm a rock up L
Low life loser, life like luna
Lafidasical, lispless luna
Tic liver lifeless, living likeness
Lusting longing lyrics like this
Little league, lard larsonist liar
Label ledger, left the leper liar
Bull, lull, lateral learning
Laps language latent lurking
Language, language, local logo
Light laboring, limited local
Now LL's a laughing stock
'Cause I bit that ass to the last stop
I watched you fall like Hitler fell
And now you're down to a broken L
You're records ain't hot and you're shows don't sell
Yo, tell 'em how you fell L, hard as hell
You came back and you thought you had me
But think about it, who's' your daddy
Kill 'em... Big daddy, I don't want none...
I did 'em wit a death blow
To the break of dawn
To the, to the, to the, get him out of here
(Kool Moe Dee Talks)
The song "Death Blow" by Kool Moe Dee is a diss track aimed at LL Cool J. The lyrics are filled with clever wordplay and insults aimed at LL's lyrical abilities, fashion choices, and overall image. Kool Moe Dee challenges LL to a rap battle, boasting about his own skills and mocking LL's supposed lack of talent. The chorus repeats the phrase "kill 'em kill 'em, I'll hit ya wit a death blow" emphasizing Kool Moe Dee's intention to defeat LL in their battle.
Kool Moe Dee appears confident in his skills, referencing his ability to beat LL in a rap battle in the past. The lyrics also reference LL's supposed obsession with Kool Moe Dee, accusing him of biting his style and lyrics. Kool Moe Dee's lyrics are laced with insults towards LL's image and reputation, painting him as a weak and irrelevant rapper. The song ends with Kool Moe Dee declaring himself the winner and dismissing LL from the battle.
Overall, "Death Blow" is a clever and witty diss track that highlights Kool Moe Dee's lyrical abilities and disdain for LL Cool J. The song showcases the competitive nature of rap battles and the importance of image and reputation in the world of hip-hop.
Line by Line Meaning
To the Break of dawn
We are about to engage in a fierce battle that will last until dawn
To the, to the, to the
We are intensifying the situation, building up the tension
Times up punk
Your time is up, there's no more room for mistakes
yea yea Time to settle the score
It's now the perfect moment to resolve our differences and determine who is superior
To the break of dawn, another dumb move
You're making another foolish decision that will only lead to your downfall
Ha, ha, ha this time it's over boy
I'm confident that this time, I will emerge as the victor and you will be defeated
This is me and you, head to head, let's go
It's just you and me, facing each other directly, ready to battle
Here we go, beat down round 2
We are entering the second round of this brutal confrontation
Heads up punk 'cause it all comes down to
Pay attention, because everything will be determined by
Me and you, face to face, head to head
You and I, standing in front of each other, engaging in direct combat
Mic to mic, I like the weak shit you said
We are going to confront each other lyrically, and I particularly enjoy the weak words you used
To the break of dawn, beats nitro
Throughout the night, the beats will explode with energy
Lyrics weak, say goodnight 'cho
Your lyrics are feeble, so it's time for you to say goodbye
Star Trek shades, man cut the joke
Your sunglasses resembling those from Star Trek are not impressing anyone, stop pretending
Let's get serious and go for broke
It's time to be serious and take extreme measures in order to achieve victory
You still got a lock on my jock like a pitbull
You are still obsessively clinging to my success and attempting to imitate me
Victor before you pull it off you thought Mr. Pitiful
You believe that by copying my style, you will achieve victory, but in reality, you're just pathetic
Here's some mouthwash, g
I'm offering you some mouthwash because your words are so unappealing
Your mouth smells like my jockstrap, see-
Your breath is so foul that it resembles the odor of my athletic supporter
A-you-S-E, you're rhyme didn't mean
You failed to make any sense with your rhymes
?D-O-D-D?, junior Moe Dee
You foolishly tried to imitate my name, but you sound like a lesser version of me
Stop biting, chewing, swallowing
Cease your attempts to copy and digest my style
Who in the hell told you that you could do what you were doing
Whoever encouraged you to pursue your current path was gravely mistaken
Raise up son, I need jock relief
Step aside, youngling, I need a break from dealing with imitators
Here's a toothpick, now get my jock out your teeth
I'm giving you a toothpick to remove my influence from your words and style
You swallow it, yea, finish, burp
Swallow your pride and accept the fact that you are inferior, then burp out the remnants of your delusions
Now let a real man go to work
It's time for someone with genuine talent and skill to take the stage
'Cause I'm a whip you like your daddy, beat ya like a baby
I'm going to discipline you just like your father would, treating you like a helpless child
Sick ya like a dog, dropping lyrics wit rabies
I will afflict you like a diseased dog, infecting you with my intense and aggressive lyrics
Cut ya like a knife 'cause you're nuthin but hype
I will metaphorically slice through you because you are nothing more than empty hype
You slice and dice and ice twice for life
Your attempts to attack and harm are feeble, and they will never have a lasting impact
I'm a treat ya like a hooker punk, change your clothes
I will disrespect and mistreat you like a lowly prostitute, urging you to change your entire identity
Put you on the streets wit ya jingling hoes
I will expose you and your companions as mere street performers, struggling to make ends meet
Keep talking about me and I'll keep pimping
If you continue to speak negatively about me, I will continue to exploit and control you
Just bring me that money and take this last whipping
Instead of fighting back, just give me your money and accept this final defeat
How can one man be so dumb
It's baffling how foolish and unintelligent one person can be
You're trying to come off and don't know how to come
You're attempting to project a certain image, but you have no idea how to accomplish that
You're young and dumb and quick at the tongue
You are inexperienced, ignorant, and like to run your mouth without thinking
You high strung bum come and get done
You are an uptight and worthless person, so come and face the consequences
I'll do you wit a death blow
I will attack you with a devastating blow that will leave you defeated and destroyed
Kill 'em kill 'em
Conquer and overpower your opponent
I'll hit ya wit a death blow
I will strike you with a deadly attack that will ensure your downfall
My lyrical beatdown will leave ya in a coma
My powerful and relentless lyricism will render you unconscious and unable to defend yourself
'Cause you can't hang without a high school diploma
You lack the necessary skills and knowledge to compete at a high level, just like someone without a high school education
Your brain of fatigue, you're out of your league
Your mind is tired and overwhelmed, and you are clearly inferior
You're running out of gas and you're tank is on E
You are quickly losing motivation and energy, and you're almost empty, on the verge of complete failure
Somebody buy him a heart 'cause he's petro
Someone needs to purchase a heart for you because you are heartless and cold-hearted
Take you're whipping like a man brother let go
Accept your defeat with dignity and surrender, my friend
No apologies, tears of violence
There will be no remorse or apologies, only the tears shed through violent actions
Get your black suits 'cause I ain't smiling
Prepare your mourning attire, because I won't show any mercy or remorse
I'm shooting the gift of gab, brother you're ripped in half
I am skillfully demonstrating my remarkable ability to speak eloquently, while you are completely torn apart and exposed
Soon as the mic is past, you won't live to laugh
As soon as the microphone is handed over to you, your ability to find joy or amusement will be extinguished
If there's laughter, I'll get the last one
Even if there is laughter, I will have the final laugh and emerge as the ultimate winner
You loafed on the lyrics and you caught a bad one
Your laziness and lack of effort in crafting your lyrics resulted in a severe consequence
So who's got no style, look at your profile
It's clear that you possess no sense of style or originality, simply by observing your public image
You can't dance, can't dress and you're so foul
You lack the ability to dance, dress fashionably, and your behavior is disgraceful
Still wearing played out 4 finger rings
You are still wearing outdated fashion accessories like 4 finger rings
Played out fat gold chains and things
The trend of wearing chunky gold chains and similar accessories has become outdated and unoriginal
You changed your look now change your gameplan
You need to not only alter your appearance, but also revamp your entire strategy
Trying to dress but you still wear name brand
You may be attempting to improve your fashion sense, but you are still relying on recognizable and generic brands
Brother, you look crazy weak
My friend, your appearance is incredibly feeble and unimpressive
And it gets worse when we hear you speak
You become even more disappointing when we listen to your words
So you ain't got a chance in hell
There is absolutely no possibility of you succeeding
You'll be known as the late LL
You will forever be remembered as the fallen LL, no longer relevant or influential
The man who lost one, one too often
You are the man who consistently experiences defeat, and it has become a common occurrence
Came wit a soft one and went to his coffin
You delivered a weak performance and sealed your own demise
A close casket they won't show ya
Your funeral will be private, with a closed casket so no one can witness your pitiful state
When I finish, you're mama won't know ya
Once I'm done with you, your own mother won't recognize you anymore
'Cause I'm a rip you limb from limb
I'm going to violently tear you apart, both physically and metaphorically
You tombstone read he had no win
Your tombstone will have the inscription 'He had no victories,' symbolizing your lifelong failures
So RIP, Rest in peace, rip 'em
Rest in peace, but also rest in the knowledge that I completely destroyed you
D.I.D., dead indeed, did 'em
I caused your demise, making you truly dead and defeated
A H-I-T, hitman, so whatcha hit 'em wit
I'm a highly skilled hitman, so let's see what deadly weapon I will use against you
A rhyme silencer, I hit 'em wit a death blow
My rhymes will silence you completely, as I strike you with a lethal attack
If mama said knock me out, come do it
If you believe you have what it takes to knock me out, go ahead and try
You can't win and that (record scratch) knew it
You are destined to lose, and deep down, you are aware of this fact
I'm a send you home in a body bag
I will defeat you so severely that you will need to be transported back home in a body bag
Wit the mic in your throat and a jock for a gag
As a final insult, I will force the microphone down your throat and use your jockstrap as a gag
You're out of here, over, finished, all in
Your time is up, you're done, completely defeated
And Marly marl can't save you from fallin
Even Marley Marl, a renowned producer, won't be able to rescue you from your downfall
'Cause as soon as you came back what did you do
Once you made your return, what did you accomplish?
To the break of dawn, another dumb move
You made another foolish decision that will only lead to your defeat, just like in the past
You can't go hard, you're just so-so Todd
You lack the ability to be truly powerful, you're just average at best, Todd
I'm that type of guy, oh my God
I am the type of person who is incredibly formidable and impressive, it's astonishing
It's gets no rougher comes no weaker
There is no tougher opponent than me, and there is no one weaker than you
marly hooked the beats so now you need a
Marley Marl created the beats which only highlight your need for
Writer to bring you back from hell
A skilled writer to help revive your career from its current state of failure
Because I'm a rock up L
I will crush you, just like a powerful rock levelling everything in its path
Low life loser, life like luna
You are a despicable and pathetic loser, your life is as meaningless as the moon
Lafidasical, lispless luna
Your lack of enthusiasm and inability to speak clearly make you similar to the lifeless moon
Tic liver lifeless, living likeness
You possess a damaged and ineffective liver, rendering you lifeless, like a mere illusion
Lusting longing lyrics like this
Your desire and longing to create powerful lyrics is evident, but you fall short
Little league, lard larsonist liar
You are nothing more than a mediocre player in this game, a liar who attempts to build himself up
Label ledger, left the leper liar
You are a disgraceful individual who was cast aside by the music industry, left like an unclean leper
Bull, lull, lateral learning
Your talk is nothing but nonsense and a deception, a form of shallow learning
Laps language latent lurking
You are lacking proficiency in language, with hidden deficiencies ready to emerge
Language, language, local logo
Your use of language is futile, indicative of a small and insignificant reputation
Light laboring, limited local
Your efforts are light and insignificant, restricted to a small and local audience
Now LL's a laughing stock
LL Cool J, once respected, has become a subject of mockery and ridicule
'Cause I bit that ass to the last stop
I ceaselessly attacked and defeated you, leaving no room for you to recover
I watched you fall like Hitler fell
I witnessed your collapse and failure, similar to that of Adolf Hitler's demise
And now you're down to a broken L
You are reduced to a broken lowercase 'L,' symbolizing your complete defeat
You're records ain't hot and you're shows don't sell
Your music albums are not popular, and your live performances fail to attract an audience
Yo, tell 'em how you fell L, hard as hell
Inform everyone about your tremendous fall from grace, LL, it was a harsh and forceful descent
You came back and you thought you had me
You made a comeback, believing that you had me defeated
But think about it, who's' your daddy
But reconsider the situation, understand that I am your superior and you are under my control
Big daddy, I don't want none...
I am the dominant figure here, and I have no interest in engaging with you
I did 'em wit a death blow
I delivered a devastating, final attack that sealed your fate
To the break of dawn
We battled until dawn, with no end in sight
To the, to the, to the, get him out of here
We need to remove him from the equation, he is no longer worthy of our attention
(Kool Moe Dee Talks)
Kool Moe Dee proceeds to make additional remarks and comments
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES BROWN, FRED WESLEY, JOE MIMS, MOHANDAS DEWESE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Darnell Willison
Moe Dee was seriously next level. One of the all time greats
Leatrice Todmann
Hate to say this he lyrically destroyed LL on this one.
Evan “Too Tough” Samano
@Randolph Johnson a few are on his level and even a little better. Nas, KRS One, BDP
John Smith
@Uncle Gardener I'd have to say Rakim, BDK, KRS ONE are all a tie in ways. G Rap better than LL and MOE DEE at that era. Just my opinion!
Kurt
You know it. Cheers!
Disciple of The Way
@Jermale Price idc
mpmarvin999
4:13 "Tell'm how you fell L 'Hard as hell' " that joint had me dying back when this dropped still got me laughing
Ian Greaves Songwriter of Barbados
Kool Moe Dee is the greatest of all time...Lyrics like sand 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
lifestraight
That was a funny bar for sure lol
Deeloris BOONE
Me2 Rotfkml