My Favorite Things
Substantial Lyrics

MCs kick rhymes to beats or acapella
MCs rap to a musical beat or without music

Graf artists tagging year round through all weather
Graf artists draw their art all year round regardless of weather conditions

Our culture’s evolving what next will it bring
Hip-hop culture is constantly changing and innovating

Hip-hop is one of my favorite things
The artist really loves hip-hop culture

DJ’s b-boys and b-girls are so clever
The people involved in hip-hop culture are very talented and creative

They called it a fad but we’re hip-hop forever
Even though some people thought hip-hop was just a trend, it has become a permanent part of the culture

We love our culture to it we shall cling
The singer and others are very attached to hip-hop culture

Hip-Hop culture a way of life that’s preyed on by vultures
Hip-hop culture is exploited by those who want to profit from it

To fatten up their pockets some really thought they’d stop it
Some people thought they could make money by stopping hip-hop culture

And called it a fad all to the bad when you dissing they’re way of life
It's not okay to insult someone's way of life, especially if it's based on hip-hop culture

Son is a trip button your lip peep what I say tonight
The singer is emphasizing that people should pay attention to what he's saying

See it started in the South Bronx but this brother here’s from Maryland
Hip-hop culture originated in the South Bronx, but the artist comes from Maryland

Home of Mambo sauce and emcees who be shining like sterling
Maryland has its own unique culture and style within hip-hop

H-I-P to the H-O-P man I love it
The singer really loves hip-hop culture

It consist of four elements some say five or more
Hip-hop culture has four main elements, but some argue that there are more

If you didn’t know that until now what the hell you rhyming for
It's important for people involved in hip-hop to know the basic elements of the culture

There’s breaking & rhyming, deejaying & graf I add on beatboxing because I practice that craft
The main elements of hip-hop culture are breaking, rhyming, deejaying, and graffiti, but the artist personally adds beatboxing

Like (beatbox) it’s crucial
Beatboxing is very important to the singer

When you ain’t got a beat in the cipher it’s quite useful
Beatboxing is especially useful when there's no actual music playing

Then there was breaking see I stopped that quite early
The artist used to breakdance but stopped doing it at some point

Didn’t like the idea that some dance moves could hurt me
The artist didn't like the physical risk that came with some breakdancing moves

But still find popping and locking to be mad nice
The artist thinks that popping and locking are really cool styles of dancing

Just now all my energy is used only to grab mics
The singer now focuses their energy on rapping more than anything else

And rock rock on to the dawn of early morning
The artist loves to rap and perform for hours on end

Still do graffiti just took my moms warning
The singer still does graffiti art, but tries to be more careful after getting in trouble with their mom

And kept it on the paper to avoid central booking
The singer tries to avoid getting arrested for illegal graffiti by doing it on paper instead of walls

But to hell with jail I was more scared of butt whuppings
The singer was more afraid of getting punished by their parents than going to jail

Now I’m a grown man with hip-hop still way up in me
The artist is an adult but still loves hip-hop culture

And I’ll love it for life even if I never see one penny
The artist loves hip-hop culture so much that they don't need to make any money from it

See an ignorant man made a statement that’s so wrong
Someone who doesn't understand hip-hop culture said something incorrect about it

When he said rap music is an oxymoron
The person said that rap music was a contradiction in terms

True most of us don’t sing some curse when they’re rapping
Most rappers don't use profanity in their lyrics

Some of us use sample and others utilize scratching
Some rappers use pre-existing music samples and others use scratching techniques in their music

But it’s still all music stop judging and listen
Hip-hop is still a form of music regardless of its components

Some of the joints you don’t like were the best songs ever written
Some of the songs that aren't popular or well-liked are still great pieces of music

No genre that was conjured has accomplished what rap has
Rap music has achieved a level of cultural significance that other genres haven't

Filled with brilliant poets who you thought just rap fast
Rap music is full of incredibly talented and intelligent artists who are sometimes underestimated

And that’s sad, only heard when using curse words
The artistry and brilliance of rap music is sometimes ignored because of the use of profanity

Racial slurs and calling women out of their name
Some rappers use derogatory language when referring to race or women

And they claim that our graffiti isn’t real art
Some people don't consider graffiti to be a legitimate art form

Like they rule the art world please tell me when did this start
The artist questions why some people think they have the authority to decide what is and isn't art

See art is opinion only techniques have guidelines
Art is subjective and personal, but there are still certain techniques and guidelines to follow

Smarter than what yall think and I haven’t even reached my prime
The singer is very intelligent and talented and has a lot more potential to grow

Don’t try to diss breaking see I find that quite funny
The artist thinks it's amusing when people insult breakdancing

I peeped yall in time square giving breakers yall money
The artist has seen people giving money to breakdancers in Times Square

‘Cause you know you love it from our clothes to our lingo
People are often drawn to hip-hop culture because of its unique style and language

That’s why most trends start with us blacks and latinos
Black and Latino people have had a significant impact on popular culture and fashion

Don’t take that as a diss ‘cause I’m telling you that it’s not
The artist wants to clarify that they're not insulting anyone by pointing out cultural influence

All kinds of people have contributed to hip-hop
Hip-hop culture has been shaped by many different people

Making my culture more beautiful than it’s ever been
The contributions of many different people have made hip-hop culture even more diverse and interesting

Hip-hop heads worldwide from Japanese to Mexican
Hip-hop culture has a global following that includes people from many different countries

Taking me places I’ve never been, peace to the veterans
Hip-hop culture has allowed the artist to travel and experience new things, and they have respect for the older generation of hip-hop artists

Swear on my life it will never end
The artist is confident that hip-hop culture will endure forever

Whether I rock mics in the spotlight
The singer enjoys performing live on stage

Or remain underground
The singer appreciates the underground hip-hop scene

Hip-hop will still be my favorite thing
The artist will always love hip-hop culture