Back Again
Talib Kweli Hitek Lyrics

What we have here
Let me tell you about something important we have here

Is the alpha and the omega
It's everything, the beginning and the end

I spit it
This is my rhyming, this is what I do

Bare witness to the greatest and the latest
See and experience the latest and greatest of the rap world

They try to hate us
There are those who try to hate on us and what we produce

Witness the evolution of spitting, it's wicked and it's decadent
Experience the evolution of the art of rapping, it's impressive and flamboyant

Revolutions per minutes, every time the record spin
Every time this record is played, it's like a revolution happening rapidly

Retribution for cynics, like a stick-up kid with weapons
Those who don't appreciate the music will feel like they're being robbed

In Brooklyn, they say I run it, the 'Natti is checking in
In Brooklyn, they acknowledge me for leading the rap scene, now Cincinnati is paying attention

No matter the terminology, blood splatter artistically
Regardless of how it's expressed, this kind of rap is artful and messy, like a Jackson Pollock painting

It's looking like a Jackson Pollock painting, it's a mystery
It's an abstract expression, its meaning is open to interpretation and ambiguous, like a Pollock painting

Really should be brothers united against the industry
We should come together and work together against the industry's exploitation and manipulation of artists

The Africans diaspora scatter at shattered history
The African diaspora is dispersed as a result of its troubled past

The game missing me, rap is so repetitive
I haven't been in the game long enough, and the current state of rap is lacking creativity

Although I ain't your blood or your cous', it's all relative
Even though we're not related, we're still connected and share a bond

I got a gang of rhymes
I have a lot of great rhymes

And Tones' beats is banging
The beats produced by Tones are exceptional

We moving through the streets like we're slanging dimes
We're navigating the streets with stealth and precision, like drug dealers

It's magical, how the track is so classical
The track is exceptional and classic at the same time, it's magical

The cats who got gassed up in their sweats like Plaxico
Some rappers think they're the best, but it's all in their heads, like Plaxico Burress when he shot himself in the leg

I'm back from my sabbatical
I'm back from my break, ready to keep creating music

Voice of the future, black radical
I am the embodiment of the future, with a radical mindset as a black artist

Keeping all the damages collateral
I try to minimize the damage caused by the music industry

Listening to instrumentals
I'm listening to music without lyrics

Thinking about all the things I've been through
Reflecting on my experiences

The music is just a peek into my life, it's a window
The music gives a glimpse into my life

It's so high tech and it's also simple
The music is complex, yet easy to understand and relate to

Even if I'm knocked down, I don't stay down
Even if I face challenges and setbacks, I keep going

Even if I get down, I don't lay down
Even if I feel defeated, I won't give up

Hotter than the tar on this empty playground
I'm on fire, ready to take on the rap game

Hey yo, I'm taking all bets and settling all debts
I'm confident and ready to gamble and resolve all issues

A giant leap for man begins with a small step
Success begins with small, incremental changes

From a sword to a set
From violent tendencies to a peaceful state

To my people on the picket line
To the protesters fighting against societal issues

Who's sicking of getting treated like them aliens in District 9
Who are tired of being treated like aliens or outcasts

I juxtapose my business model with my spirit
I combine my business savvy with my compassion and creativity

What, I'm just supposed to keep you comfortable with the lyrics?
I'm not here to provide you with easy or familiar music

I know the flow's disturbing
I know that my music might disturb or challenge people's expectations

I know for certain just because you know all about the artist
Just because you're familiar with an artist's work

Don't mean you know the person
Doesn't mean you know them as a whole person

You don't know me
You might know my music, but you don't really know me as a person

I run labels
I am a musical entrepreneur who helps run record labels

These unstable rappers is so phony
Some rappers are fake and don't provide anything substantial

I try to listen but they're boring as missionary position
I try to give other artists a chance, but their music is dull and uninteresting

So I'm shitting on these niggas like dysentery conditions
I'm going hard and mercilessly attacking other rappers who can't match up to me

I'm sitting on the throne, you dreaming that it's empty soon
I'm at the top, and you're dreaming of taking my spot, even though it's not going to happen anytime soon

Nobody feeling you, you're screaming in an empty room (Holla!)
No one is listening to you or caring about what you say

The tree that fall in the forest, nobody hearing you
If you make music no one hears or cares about, is it even worth making music in the first place?

Even though you fall the hardest
Even though you try your best and give it your all

Don't get me started
Don't even get me talking about that topic, it's too controversial or complicated

Yo, I built up my defenses
I'm prepared against any attacks or criticisms

When I'm left to my devices, time gets suspended
When I'm lost in my thoughts and creativity, time seems to stop

More than DMX's driver's license
More than the countless legal issues DMX has faced with his driver's license

My music's steady, not affected by the higher prices
My music stays true to its roots and isn't swayed by greedy industry prices

People having sex in the streets like Dionysus
People are acting wild and freely, like followers of the Greek god Dionysus

You know what my advice is?
Do you want to know my advice?

Fuck my advice, live your life
Forget my advice and live your life how you see fit

Stop tripping like everything amount to crisis
Stop overreacting and worrying over every little thing

I make the sacrifices
I make the necessary sacrifices for my music and art

My history is black as ice is
My past and ancestry is troubled and dark

I don't think that I can trust you if you're lacking vices
If you don't have any flaws or vices, I don't think you're trustworthy

I never miss a beat, the liquor make me slurred
I never mess up or make a mistake, but drinking alcohol affects my speech

It takes my words, tries to twist them like a Swisher Sweet
Alcohol distorts my words and makes them sound strange and muddled

With sticky herb
With marijuana, which is sticky after being smoked

American History X, your teeth'll hit the curb
Similar to a scene from the movie American History X, I'll beat you so hard that your teeth hit the pavement

It's easy 'cause I'm ill with the wordplay
It's easy for me to come up with creative rhymes and lyrics, because I'm skilled at it

I still flip the bird, like Jeezy
I still make vulgar hand gestures, similar to rapper Jeezy

Strip it down, now it's exposed
Take away all the fancy production and it's just the raw rapping

I suppose my flow is the emperor's new clothes
My flow is impressive, like the nonexistent clothes from the story Aesop's Fables

Although I'm always by myself, I never ride alone
Even though I work alone, I am always supported by my music and fans

The music is on then I'm right at home, zoning
Whenever music is playing, I feel at ease and in my element