No Airplay
Wyclef Jean Lyrics


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Yo the Brooklyn Bridge is gonna collapse why'know?
Yo this Wyclef Jean and the ReFugee All-Stars up in here
Yo what's this I hear about the police in Brooklyn?
Turn this jam up, yo, yo
This the type of jam that be getting no airplay
I want the whole world to hear this joint right here, yo
This the type of jam that be getting no airplay
You asked for it buddy, here it comes

One two, watch out for the man in blue
Three four, I keep it raw and hardcore
Five six, you're beating us with nightsticks
Seven eight, I'm forced to pack a thirty-eight
Nine ten, you put me in a pen; if I could
Do it all again, I'd probably bust your chin

I'm from a land of black bats, alley rats and cats
Scratch up my car, set me up for the carjack
Under pressure, I gotta leave the gat
Two straps, a total of sixteen caps
Say something positive? No positivity
More positivity, more positivity brutality
Thugs get angry, the violence increase
You want peace, make Wyclef chief of police
Riding through the hood, it's the same ol story
It's either you play ball or you drug dealy dealy
Standin' on the block when the spot get hot
Guaranteed to get set up, by a crooked cop
So I'm sittin' back, rhymin' on instrumentals
Anything I touch, it turns monumental
Me and Jerry Wonder, we keep it credible
For the streets, at the same time, we gotta eat
When we commercialize it's to enterprise
We guarantee to sell a hundred mil before we die
But Jerry is broke, that's the situation
Nine-seven, it's like no more eviction
No more war milk, no more government cheese
Police keep on shootin' at our bulletproof Bentley

Yo this the type of jam that be getting no airplay
The Brooklyn Bridge about to collapse, apocalypse
This the type of jam that be getting no airplay
The ghettoes are fed up, we got the arms in the air

One two, watch out for the man in blue
Three four, I keep it raw and hardcore
Five six, you're beating us with nightsticks
Seven eight, I'm forced to pack a thirty-eight
Nine ten, you put me in a pen; if I could
Do it all again, I'd probably bust your chin

Yo bust this
Forty caliber, seventeen through your character
Waterworld's world, underwater, Sub Mariner
Derringer, twenty-two one in the challenger
Seven, four-eight, 23rd on the calendar
My word verses, burst raps you rap nervous
It's worthless, you get smashed up, on the surface
Projectile, my forty-four style, blood on silver
The red ripper, fill up the reservoir nigga
Armageddon, you smack dead on, a world crisis
The nicest, for sixteen bars, of preciseness

One two, watch out for the man in blue
Three four, I keep it raw and hardcore
Five six, you're sticking me with nightsticks
Seven eight, I'm forced to call Canibus
Nine ten, you put me in a pen; if I could
Do it all again, I'd probably bust your whole chin

You got a gat nigga, use it, go 'head pull it
Scientists got raw footage of me dodgin' bullets
I walk the streets with heat, three biscuits
Outnumberin' niggaz twin glocks with triplets
When I spit shit I lace it, you get punched in face with
Puncutations of five-knuckle phrases
I assure you the vocalist standin' before you
Will destroy you with temperatures hot enough to flame broil you
My tongue moves much faster than yours do
Every three thousand styles I change my voiceboxes oil
Embarrass you in front of your crew to annoy you
If you know some chicks that suck a good dick, then I'll employ you
To this hip-hop shit, Canibus stays loyal
That's why every Killuminati I battle somebody for you
I'm warnin' you, me versus you, I hurt you
My balance enables me to square dance in a circle
Your head'll spin so fast you'll catch whiplash
I practice lyrical witchcraft on your bitch ass
Make your hard drive crash to see colon backslash
Go back to the roots and reprogram your wack ass, nigga

One two, watch out for the man in blue
Three four, I keep it raw and hardcore
Five six, you're sticking us with nightsticks
Seven eight, I'm forced to pack a thirty-eight
Nine ten, you put me in a pen; if I could
Do it all again, I'd probably bust your whole chin
Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? (right here, right here)
A-ight? New Jersey in the house

The people versus gestapo, what what
Yo, there'll be no sequel to this revolution
There will be no sequel to this revolution




The people versus gestapo
There'll be no sequel to this revolution, what what

Overall Meaning

In the song "No Airplay," Wyclef Jean and the Refugee All-Stars call for attention to the police brutality in Brooklyn. The lyrics describe the violence and oppression faced by the black community, including beatings with nightsticks and police corruption. Wyclef Jean reflects on his experiences growing up in the hood, where he had to carry a gun for his protection. The song is a call to action for people to rise against the oppression, and Wyclef Jean even proposes himself as chief of police to bring peace to the community. The lyrics also touch upon the commercialization of music, where artists have to balance their credibility on the streets with the need to make money.


The song has a powerful message that addresses social justice issues such as police brutality and inequality in the black community. It is a reminder of the systemic oppression that many face and highlights the importance of unity and resistance.


Line by Line Meaning

Yo the Brooklyn Bridge is gonna collapse why'know?
The situation in the world is getting worse and the end is near.


Yo this Wyclef Jean and the ReFugee All-Stars up in here
This is Wyclef Jean and his team, Refugee All-Stars.


Yo what's this I hear about the police in Brooklyn?
What's the news about the police in Brooklyn?


Turn this jam up, yo, yo
Increase the volume of this song.


This the type of jam that be getting no airplay
This is the kind of music that doesn't get any airtime on mainstream media.


I want the whole world to hear this joint right here, yo
I want the entire world to listen to this music.


You asked for it buddy, here it comes
You requested for this music and here it is.


One two, watch out for the man in blue
Be careful, the police are around.


Three four, I keep it raw and hardcore
I keep the lyrics real and explicit.


Five six, you're beating us with nightsticks
The police are using excessive force against us.


Seven eight, I'm forced to pack a thirty-eight
I have no choice but to carry a gun for my protection.


Nine ten, you put me in a pen; if I could
You put me in jail, if I had a chance.


Do it all again, I'd probably bust your chin
If I had to relive the experience, I would fight back harder.


I'm from a land of black bats, alley rats and cats
I come from a place filled with danger and chaos.


Scratch up my car, set me up for the carjack
Someone damaged my car and tried to steal it.


Under pressure, I gotta leave the gat
Under stress, I have to put my gun away.


Two straps, a total of sixteen caps
I have two guns, a total of sixteen bullets.


Say something positive? No positivity
I can't think of anything positive to say.


More positivity, more positivity brutality
Trying to be positive leads to more police brutality.


Thugs get angry, the violence increase
If we push people to their limits, violence will escalate.


You want peace, make Wyclef chief of police
If you want peace, give Wyclef Jean the power to run the police force.


Riding through the hood, it's the same ol story
Driving through the neighborhood is dangerous and full of crime.


It's either you play ball or you drug dealy dealy
You either play sports or sell drugs to make money.


Standin' on the block when the spot get hot
Hanging around the neighborhood when crime is high.


Guaranteed to get set up, by a crooked cop
The police will set you up and frame you for crimes you didn't commit.


So I'm sittin' back, rhymin' on instrumentals
I'm relaxing and writing lyrics to the music.


Anything I touch, it turns monumental
Everything I work on becomes huge and successful.


Me and Jerry Wonder, we keep it credible
Jerry Wonder and I keep our music authentic and real.


For the streets, at the same time, we gotta eat
We make music for the people, but also need to make money.


When we commercialize it's to enterprise
When we make our music commercial, it's a business decision.


We guarantee to sell a hundred mil before we die
We are confident that we will sell one hundred million records before we pass away.


But Jerry is broke, that's the situation
Jerry Wonder is currently struggling financially.


Nine-seven, it's like no more eviction
In 1997, we were finally able to afford housing and avoid eviction.


No more war milk, no more government cheese
We are done relying on government assistance and handouts.


Police keep on shootin' at our bulletproof Bentley
Even though we have protection, the police still shoot at us.


The Brooklyn Bridge about to collapse, apocalypse
The world is coming to an end, and the Brooklyn Bridge is a symbol of that.


The ghettoes are fed up, we got the arms in the air
People in the ghetto are tired of the violence and have their hands up in protest.


Forty caliber, seventeen through your character
A powerful gun shot, destroying your soul.


Waterworld's world, underwater, Sub Mariner
The world is like a dystopian Waterworld, with people living underwater like the Sub Mariner.


Derringer, twenty-two one in the challenger
A small, but deadly gun used in a street race.


Seven, four-eight, 23rd on the calendar
A significant date for some reason.


My word verses, burst raps you rap nervous
My lyrics are so strong that they make other rappers feel uneasy.


It's worthless, you get smashed up, on the surface
Your weak rapping skills are useless and will make you look bad in comparison.


Projectile, my forty-four style, blood on silver
My gun is so powerful that it causes the blood to spill and stain the silver color of the gun.


The red ripper, fill up the reservoir nigga
A reference to a notorious serial killer who fills a water reservoir with his victims' blood.


Armageddon, you smack dead on, a world crisis
Facing the apocalypse and a global catastrophe.


The nicest, for sixteen bars, of preciseness
The best rapper, with sixteen bars of precise and accurate rhyming.


You're sticking me with nightsticks
The police are attacking me with their batons.


I'm forced to call Canibus
I need to call for backup from Canibus.


If I had to relive the experience, I would fight back harder.
If I had the chance to go back in time, I would be more aggressive in my confrontation with the police.


You got a gat nigga, use it, go 'head pull it
If you have a gun, use it against the police.


Scientists got raw footage of me dodgin' bullets
Scientists have captured slow-motion footage of me avoiding gunfire.


I walk the streets with heat, three biscuits
I carry three guns for my protection while walking in the streets.


Outnumberin' niggaz twin glocks with triplets
I have more guns than the other people, who only have two.


When I spit shit I lace it, you get punched in face with, Puncutations of five-knuckle phrases
My rhymes are sharp and forceful, and will punch you in the face with every syllable.


I assure you the vocalist standin' before you
I guarantee you that the performer you're watching is me.


Will destroy you with temperatures hot enough to flame broil you
My rhymes are so strong that they could burn and char you.


My tongue moves much faster than yours do
I rap at a faster speed than you do.


Every three thousand styles I change my voiceboxes oil
I use different tonal inflections in my rap every 3000 styles.


Embarrass you in front of your crew to annoy you
I will defeat you in a rap battle in front of your friends to humiliate you.


If you know some chicks that suck a good dick, then I'll employ you
If you know some women who are good at oral sex, I will use them for my own pleasure.


To this hip-hop shit, Canibus stays loyal
Canibus is dedicated to the hip-hop genre.


That's why every Killuminati I battle somebody for you
Canibus always competes and battles other rappers for his fans.


I'm warning you, me versus you, I hurt you
If we compete, I will beat you and make you feel pain.


My balance enables me to square dance in a circle
I have the ability to move smoothly and gracefully in any situation.


Your head'll spin so fast you'll catch whiplash
You'll be so disoriented and confused that it will be like a physical injury.


I practice lyrical witchcraft on your bitch ass
My rhymes are so spellbinding that I can control and defeat you.


Make your hard drive crash to see colon backslash
My rhymes are so powerful that they could crash your computer's hard drive.


Go back to the roots and reprogram your wack ass, nigga
Go back to the basics and improve your terrible skill as a rapper.


Where Brooklyn at? Where Brooklyn at? (right here, right here)
Asking where Brooklyn is, with the response being that it's right here, present and accounted for.


A-ight? New Jersey in the house
Asking if it's alright, and then declaring that they are from New Jersey.


The people versus gestapo, what what
The people are fighting against the police, using slang repetition for emphasis.


Yo, there'll be no sequel to this revolution
This is a one-time event, and it won't happen again.


There will be no sequel to this revolution
The revolution won't continue or happen again in the future.


The people versus gestapo
The people are fighting against the police in this revolution.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WYCLEF JEAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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