Do It Be It See It
Q-Tip Lyrics

For real.
This is not a joke or an exaggeration; what is about to be said is true.

Everybody's a star, everybody shine ("Shine. Shine. Shine")
Each person has the potential to be great and be noticed by others; follow your dreams and let your inner light shine.

Follow your heart and not mankind. ("Kind. Kind. Kind")
Listen to your intuition and inner guidance, trusting yourself over others' opinions or societal pressures.

I'm 'bout to do my thing to shine. Said everybody Shine. See'mon.
I am about to do what I am destined to do and be successful in my own right; let's encourage each other to shine and be great together.

It's not luck that I'm sittin' here Spittin' for y'all.
I am not sitting here by chance, it is my hard work and talent that has led me to this moment of performing for you all.

Preeld in by Allah that I'm hittin' for y'all.
It is by the will of Allah that I am succeeding and achieving, and I perform for all of you as a result.

Growin' up on the New York concrete lookin' Like a little snotty dish of prodigy cookin'.
Growing up in New York City, I had an air of confidence and talent even as a young child.

They called me Little Man all in the boulevard. When I was young, my family used to party hard.
As a young child, I was known as 'Little Man' on the streets, while my family often had wild and celebratory gatherings.

Gangs of uncatched kids turned to blood ketchup. The illest niggas was Richard Pryor and Ronnie Bump.
Growing up, I witnessed violence in the streets and looked to famous comedians and musicians as my role models.

Skinned knees from being bad-ass little boys. Police si-re-ns and baby screams Was average noise.
As kids, we were tough and fearless; the sounds of police sirens and cries of babies were an everyday occurrence in our neighborhood.

Hip-Hop came, the ghetto copped the soundtrack. Street poetry to tracks, could you beat that?
Hip-hop became the music of the streets, with powerful lyrics and beats that reflected our experiences and struggles.

Malik Taylor introduced it to me. He said, 'Forget Benny Hill, nigga. Let's M.C.!'
My friend Malik Taylor introduced me to hip-hop and encouraged me to pursue it as a career instead of watching TV comedies like Benny Hill.

Twelve years old, rhymin' in the backroom. For echoes, we used to rhyme in the bathroom.
I began freestyling and writing rhymes at the age of twelve, practicing in private spaces like backrooms and bathrooms.

Run-D.M.C., Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh. The Juice Crew rule but who's this nigga KRS?
I looked up to popular hip-hop groups and artists like Run-D.M.C., Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, and the Juice Crew, but was also curious about lesser-known artists like KRS-One.

Reference points, too many to wish for. Battlin' niggas on trains, I stay raw.
There were so many great hip-hop artists and references to choose from, but I stayed true to my own unique style and battled other rappers on trains to hone my skills.

Never let my dream die. I was happy and high goin' To Alee's and Bed-Stuy
I never gave up on my dream of making it as a hip-hop artist and felt fulfilled and elated when performing in local neighborhoods like Alee's and Bed-Stuy.

We made our first demo tape. Ex-cited like a motherfucker, Lookin' for our first break.
I and my crew recorded our first demo tape and were thrilled at the possibility of finally getting a big break in the music industry.

Don't let 'em hate to front you.
Don't let other people's negative opinions or attitudes bring you down and prevent you from achieving your goals.

Get up and follow me and flow again. Use my life as an example.
Get inspired and motivated by my story and use it as a model for pursuing your own dreams and overcoming obstacles.

Jungle Brothers, De La, They gave me little light. In Top, Three Feet, Buddy, that was alright.
Other hip-hop groups like Jungle Brothers and De La Soul influenced me and inspired me to pursue my own unique style, while other albums like Three Feet High and Rising and Buddy Holly were also significant to me.

One year later, the Tribe was initiated. Bonita came, it was wild how she dominated.
One year later, A Tribe Called Quest was formed and immediately started to make waves with their own unique style, with the song Bonita Applebum becoming particularly iconic.

Can I Kick It parled us to our next phase. So drunk in those days, I truly was amazed How I got up enough to make tunes.
The success of our song Can I Kick It propelled us further into our careers, even when I was struggling with alcoholism and surprised at my own abilities to keep creating music.

People cheered me. It was Foreign, Then came Low End Theory.
Fans of our music began to cheer us on and celebrate our successes, and our album The Low End Theory became particularly popular and well-regarded.

Phife is ill and Busta is a superstar. Tours with P.E., Naughty, and the Geto Boys.
My friend Phife Dawg was experiencing major health struggles, while our friend Busta Rhymes was achieving massive success in his own right; we also toured with popular hip-hop groups like Public Enemy, Naughty by Nature, and Geto Boys.

Arsenio Hall, women then were evil toys. Whisperin' hate inside My brother's virgin ears.
Even when we achieved success and fame, challenges still existed, including negative attitudes towards women and other people whispering hateful things about us behind our backs.

Trying to hurt but, yo, We stood amongst the tears.
Despite the challenges, we persevered and kept going even when we felt emotional and overwhelmed.

Midnight was even tighter, Now look at us. Condoms is on the rider stored on the bus.
As we continued to achieve greater success, even more exciting opportunities and experiences came our way, including having condoms stored on our tour bus.

It got funky right here, I had to save my life. In the snow after the show, I had a fight wit' Phife.
Even in moments of immense excitement, danger and challenges still existed, including a fight I got into with my friend Phife in the snow.

Moves to a land to get away But back home job was urkin' us, It sent me throuh a danger zone.
In an effort to escape some of the challenges we faced at home, I moved away to a new location, only to find even more difficulties and danger.

The good thing, I found Allah in the process. An angel appeared wit' sneaky ways and gave me stress.
Despite the challenges, I was able to find comfort and guidance in my faith in Allah and felt blessed even in the midst of stressful events.

My album's platinum but I'm still feelin' blue. see'mon.
Even after achieving major success like having a platinum album, I still experienced bouts of sadness and depression.

Makin' my way, the wilderness has grown fierce. Redemption and my heart, both of them was pierced.
Even as I continued to push forward and achieve, the challenges and obstacles I faced grew even stronger and more difficult to overcome, and my heart was deeply affected by it all.

Crashed my truck, didn't think I'd make it out. Had a hit on my life, he thought I screwed his wife!
Despite being a successful musician, I still faced serious threats like someone trying to have me killed, and even survived a major car accident.

Plus my house burned down, me And Ands was in it. My crew was tired and I knew we had to end it.
My house tragically burned down and I lost everything I had, including my friend and crewmate. These challenges ultimately led me to realize that it was time to move on.

But through all of this, I'm still here. Take notes and let hope floats. I'm still here. Take note and let hope float. I'm still here. Take notes and let hope float.
Despite all the hardships and struggles I've faced, I remain resilient, with hope guiding me forward. I encourage others to be inspired by my story and to keep their own hope afloat.

Do the same thing that I'm doin' if ya pay attention.
If you pay attention to my story and learn from my experiences, you too can achieve greatness and overcome your own struggles.

Be abidin', chy'all.
Stay steadfast and resilient in the face of challenges and obstacles, holding onto your faith and hope even in tough times.