Step Up
Linkin Park Lyrics

Yo (yo)
Introducing the start of the song with an ad-lib.

Watch as the room rocks mentally moonwalk
Observe as the audience gets animated and starts to dance.

Mixed Media slang, banging in your boom box
Using an innovative artistic approach, and the music being played loudly on a speaker.

Verbal violence, lyrical stylist
The lyrics are aggressive, yet they are full of style.

In a time when rock hip hop rhymes are childish
Currently, most rock-hip hop lyrics are immature.

You can't tempt me with rhymes that are empty
You cannot entice me with shallow lyrics.

Rapping to a beat doesn't make you an MC
Merely rapping over a beat does not make you a Master of Ceremonies.

With your lack of skill and facility, you're killin' me
Your lack of ability and expertise is bothering me.

And a DJ in the group just for credibility
A DJ is only in the group for the sake of establishing credibility and not for their talent.

I heard that some of you are gettin' help with your rhymes
I've heard rumors that some rappers receive assistance with their lyrics.

You're not an MC if someone else writes your lines
If someone else writes your lyrics, you cannot be considered a Master of Ceremonies.

Rapping over rock doesn't make you a pioneer
Just rapping over rock beats doesn't make you a groundbreaking artist.

'Cause rock and hip hop have collaborated for years
Rock and hip hop have been merging for a long time.

But now they're getting randomly mixed and matched up
Currently, they are being mixed and matched haphazardly.

All after a fast buck and all the tracks suck
It's all about making money quickly, and the creative output is terrible.

So how does it stack up? None of it's real
How does any of that compare? None of it is genuine.

You want to be an MC, you've got to study the skill
To be a Master of Ceremonies, one must learn the craft and skill involved.

Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Who is capable of delivering lyrics in this fashion?

Bring it to you every time like this?
Delivering a flawless performance each time with no errors?

Step, step up, step, step up
Take action to improve your skills and elevate your game.

So you pick up a pen and write yourself a new identity
Take hold of a pen and begin to create a new you through words.

But mentally you don't have the hip hop energy
Although you may have the physical tools, your mind lacks the creativity and originality required in hip hop.

With a tendency to make up stories
You have the tendency to fabricate stories.

Sounding like the only hip hop you've heard is top forty (top forty)
Your hip hop knowledge seems limited to the most popular songs played on the radio.

And your record company is completely missing it
Your record company is entirely ignorant of the issue at hand.

All the kids are dissing it for not being legitimate
The kids dislike your music and consider it to lack credibility.

So in a battle, you can't hack it, react with whack shit
In a rap combat, you are incapable of holding your own and respond with weak verses.

And get smacked with verbal backflips
Your opponents will respond to your poor lyrics with clever and powerful rhymes.

Get your ass kicked by fabulous battle catalysts
You will lose in a rap battle competition to excellent performers who excel at igniting the energy of the crowd.

It's taken decades for MCs to establish this
It's taken years of grueling work, dedication, and unique skills for the best MCs to achieve their status.

You're new to hip hop and welcome if you're serious
If you are committed, you are welcome to the hip hop culture even if you are new to it.

But not on the mic leave that to the experienced
On the microphone, let the more seasoned performers handle it.

Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Who is capable of delivering lyrics in this fashion?

Bring it to you every time like this?
Delivering a flawless performance each time with no errors?

Step, step up, step, step up
Take action to improve your skills and elevate your game.

(Using the waves of sound the true master)
The true master is someone who flows smoothly with the sound waves.

(Paralyzes his opponents, leaving him vulnerable to attack)
The true master is so skilled in lyrical combat that he can leave his opponents motionless, leaving them open to attack.

Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Who is capable of delivering lyrics in this fashion?

Bring it to you every time like this?
Delivering a flawless performance each time with no errors?

Step, step up, step, step up
Take action to improve your skills and elevate your game.

Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Who is capable of delivering lyrics in this fashion?

Bring it to you every time like this?
Delivering a flawless performance each time with no errors?

Step, step up, step, step up, step up
Take action to improve your skills and elevate your game to the next level continuously.

(Mixed Media)
A blend of various artistic mediums.

(Step up to the microphone)
Take the microphone and be ready to perform.

(And you do it like this)
Do it precisely in this way.

(After years of painstaking research)
After years of meticulous and conscious work.

(By the world's leading sound scientists)
By the world's top experts in sound research.

(We here at the sound institute have invented)
At the sound institute, we have created something unique.

(A reliable audio weapons system)
A dependable system for producing sound weapons.

(Actual movement of musical sound)
The physical motion of musical soundwaves.

(In space used to carefully attack and neutralize)
In space, it is used to cautiously attack and eliminate targets.

(The cellular structure of the human body)
The construction of the human body's cells.

(And the question must be asked)
We must ask the question.