What If
Talib Kweli Lyrics

The likes of me, F-you-D-G-E brains compete
I am competing against people with limited intelligence.

Wit CP0-three's intelligence
With the genius-level intelligence of CP0-three.

Accompanied by Mike Z-double-O-T
And joined by the talented Mike Z-double-O-T.

Shabaam Sahdeeq, Skam, Kweli, and Spinna permanently
Including the talented artists Shabaam Sahdeeq, Skam, Kweli, and Spinna.

Deadin the negligence
We are overcoming negligence and ignorance in our music.

I buy trees all the time, twenties and dimes
I frequently purchase and consume marijuana.

You see it in my rhymes frequently, when every other line
The use of marijuana is a recurring theme in my lyrics.

There's the reference, the understood preference is that I'm biased
I openly express my preference for using marijuana.

To black shh, black shh to keep me more hype
Marijuana keeps me energized and enthusiastic.

Seasoned trees get minus disposed right there
High-quality marijuana is quickly consumed and enjoyed.

Mixed it the ten piece, divide my share
I mix my marijuana with other substances and share it with others.

Amongst niggas to overrun it, it's a long climb to the summit
I share my marijuana with my friends, but achieving success takes a lot of effort.

On the lazy afternoon, on the boom oh how I love it
I enjoy consuming marijuana on a leisurely afternoon.

So I does it but imagine if I wasn't, fascinated
I continue to use marijuana, and I wonder what my life would be like without it.

Wit the sense of heat that stressin me, fled to frustrated
The stress and frustration in my life leads me to rely on marijuana for relief.

Ticked off, pissed off, tried to get my dick off
I become angry and frustrated, trying to find pleasure and relief.

I'm savin a little money, twenty dollars ain't shit
I am saving a small amount of money, but it doesn't feel significant.

I'm still hungry, and thirsty
I still have a strong desire for success and fulfillment.

You haven't seen the worst of me yet
You haven't witnessed the full extent of my potential and capabilities.

Since we met it's back to back cigarettes
Since we met, I have been consistently smoking cigarettes.

All my breath hurt, my chest nervous wreckin the session
The constant smoking has negatively impacted my breathing and overall health.

Imagine Mike Zoot, my brain off drugs, any questions? (yes, yes)
Imagine if Mike Zoot didn't use drugs, do you have any questions about that?

We bring it back to science, wit the finest of Medina
We return to the roots of hip-hop and bring the best lyrical content from Medina.

Imagine all the people livin in, maybe I'm just a dreamer
I imagine a world where everyone is united, but maybe that's just a dream.

Non-believers microscopic like ameobas
Non-believers are small-minded and insignificant.

Runnin out of phony acts, be at the underground spots when you need us
The mainstream music industry lacks authenticity, but we can be found in underground venues.

Defeat the purpose of the circus, guess who the animals (guess who)
We undermine the mainstream music industry's agenda, and we are the true artists.

They over-work us and jerk us till we ain't thinkin clearly (come one)
The industry exploits and manipulates us until we lose our clarity of thought.

'cause the history we stay weary of various theories
We are cautious and skeptical of different historical narratives.

Question evolution and use to pass this lesson through revolution
We challenge the concept of evolution and use our music to inspire change and revolution.

Ask what not to do (yes), without firepower how is you militant? (yes)
We question the strategies used by militant groups and the effectiveness of non-violence without weapons.

That type shit we don't forget like elephants (never forget)
We remember and hold onto important information and experiences.

We stompin black holes in space
Our music leaves a significant impact and creates a void in the music industry.

If you tore this wicked system down, what would you build in its place?
If we dismantle the corrupt system, what kind of society would we create to replace it?

You gotta plan then we rollin (come on), don't waste my time (please)
If you have a solid plan, let's move forward, but please don't waste my time.

There is land that is stolen which is rightfully mine
There is land that has been unjustly taken, and I believe it should be returned to its rightful owners.

What if slavery never happened and we was never colonized?
Imagine a world where slavery and colonization never occurred.

What if governments never lied and white folks apologized?
What if governments were always truthful, and white people acknowledged and apologized for their actions?

Or if the environment didn't create the context for the art
If the environment and circumstances were different, how would it affect the creation of art?

When niggas celebrate the death and breakin black mommas hearts
Often, people in the community celebrate violence and death, causing pain to black mothers.

What part, would a MC like me play wit my positive talents play
In a world without negativity, how would an MC like me use my positive talents?

If there was no negativity to keep the balance?
If there was no negativity in the world, how would we maintain a sense of balance?

What if eighty seven never happened?
What if the events of 1987 never occurred?

No innovative hip-hop, no crack kingpin, no park hand-clappin
Imagine a world without the innovation of hip-hop, the rise of crack cocaine, and the celebrations in the park.

Damn, one to his chest, the tool jam
A person is shot in the chest, but the gun malfunctions.

He tried to flash a black casket, his son's a bastard
He attempted to appear powerful and intimidating, but now his son is left without a father figure.

What if the guns was gone soon as your sons was born?
What if firearms disappeared as soon as your children were born?

Back to the fisticuffs, only the snakes get bust
Returning to physical fights instead of using guns, only the treacherous individuals suffer consequences.

From greed to lust, I seen em all fall face first
I have witnessed many individuals fall in their pursuit of wealth and pleasure.

Rapidly tappin the frequency and get dissed by chemist
I am quickly creating music and releasing it, but it is often criticized by music critics.

I be exposing the scandalous
My music reveals and brings attention to dishonest and corrupt behavior.

Sahdeeq, maniscription is the beef shit
Sahdeeq uses his lyrics to express his frustrations and grievances.

What if the sky fell into the sea?, apocalypse now
Imagine a catastrophic event where the sky collapses into the sea, resembling the movie 'Apocalypse Now.'

Crushin the globe on a quest for your long lost souls
Seeking to reclaim and restore the lost essence of humanity.

What if I catch the red-eye flight to J-A
What if I take a late-night flight to Jamaica?

And build wit the knotty's on the hill all day?
And spend the day collaborating with the talented musicians from the hills of Jamaica?

What if I smacked the grin off your chin
What if I confronted and rebuked your arrogance?

When you say, that the cats on this track don't have nuttin to spray?
When you claim that the artists on this track have nothing significant to contribute?

What if all world sort of didn't straight up exist?
Consider a scenario where the entire world ceased to exist altogether.

You wouldn't witness the diabolicness that'll twist
In such a scenario, you would not experience the wickedness and depravity that haunts us.

Your head off, and suck the juice out your neck like a sports bottle
An expression of violence, suggesting the harm that could be inflicted on someone's neck.

Rip a rhyme full throttle, and put the sun in a clutch
Deliver a powerful and intense rap verse, taking control of the spotlight.

If you confused you can use your bad luck for a crutch
If you are confused, you can blame it on your bad luck and lack of understanding.

So what you if tried to spit my brain's a pit, throw em in
Even if you attempt to challenge my intellect, my mind is a deep well of knowledge and creativity.

Shake a watchness up and stitch his lips to the opening
I disrupt and shake up those who are watchful and try to silence them.

I'm hoping above average becomes the new average
I hope for a society where being better than average is the new norm.

Some mediocre rappers are flipped to sub-standard
Mediocre and subpar rappers are exposed and criticized.

Demanded, the day da county dazzlely degenerate
I demand that the corrupt system in the county be dismantled and transformed.

Three-oh-five representative the slang that scam
Representing the Miami area, using slang and speaking truth about the scams and deception.

Deep thought wit Shadow Man in Miami we do things
Engaging in meaningful conversations with Shadow Man in Miami.

Like sellin rap nigga's hoes to y'all for weddin rings
Engaging in activities that exploit and profit from the vulnerability of other rappers.

Wit more mysteries than conspiracies wit change links
Having a lot of unexplained and mysterious situations like conspiracies with connections to social change.

We're strangely spittin thoughts by my lonely
I am expressing strange and unconventional thoughts by myself.

After all this close contact you still don't know me
Despite being in close proximity, people still fail to truly understand and know me.

What if? to me is the same question I've asked myself
To me, 'what if?' is a question I've often posed to myself.

Exactly twenty years I just blew the penitentiary
After spending exactly twenty years in prison, I recently regained my freedom.

Imagine if disease, prejudice didn't exist
Imagine a world without disease or prejudice.

Materialistic dreams of purchasing that Lexus would be deaded
The desire for materialistic possessions, like buying a luxury car, would no longer have importance.

What if we remained primitive depended on natural resources?
What if we continued to live in a primitive state, relying solely on natural resources?

To live and didn't have technology to abort our kids
We would rely on natural processes and lack the ability to terminate pregnancies.

How about if there was no rated-are flicks to corrupt our minds?
What if there were no explicit films to negatively influence our thoughts and behaviors?

Or if world wars ain't take place and didn't interrupt our times?
What if world wars never occurred, and our lives were uninterrupted by such conflicts?

What if this free world shit didn't have us hypnotized?
Imagine if the allure of the so-called 'free world' didn't have us under its spell.

Or cannibalism was a permanent state of mind?
Or if the mindset of consuming others was a constant presence.

The death rate, grows faster than we can produce yellow tape
The number of deaths increases so rapidly that we cannot keep up with marking them with yellow tape.

The main suspect is society for committing this mistake
Society itself is to blame for the mistakes and failures that lead to death and destruction.

Categorizing everything, I sit back and dig up some more "what if's"
Society's tendency to categorize and label everything leads me to contemplate more 'what if' scenarios.

Hand em the drama that any bring
I confront and address any dramatic situations or conflicts that arise.

Black and blues ain't results to some of em being mad at you
Some people may become angry and hostile towards me, but I am not affected by their negativity.

Egos are devils sittin on shoulders, trickin em to blast at you word
Egos serve as negative influences, leading people to act aggressively and violently towards others.

What
The word 'What' is used as a recurring interjecting statement throughout the song.