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Watch as the room rocks men only moon walk
Mixed media slang, banging in your boom box
Verbal violence, lyrical stylist
In a time when rock hip hop rhymes are childish
You can't tempt me with rhymes that are empty
Rapping to a beat doesn't make you an Emcee
With your lack of skill and facility you're killing me
And a DJ in the group just for credibility
I heard that some of you are getting help with your rhymes
You're not an Emcee if someone else writes your lines
And rapping over rock doesn't make you a pioneer
'Cause rock and hip hop have collaborated for years
But now they're getting randomly mixed and matched up
All after a fast buck and all the tracks suck
So how does it stack up? None of it's real
You want to be an emcee you've got to study the skill
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
So you pick up a pen and write yourself a new identity
But mentally you don't have the hip hop energy
With a tendency to make up stories
Sounding like the only hip hop you've heard is top 40
And your record company is completely missing it
All the kids are dissing it for not being legitimate
So in a battle you can't hack it, react with whack shit
And get smacked with verbal back flips
Get your ass kicked by fabulous battle catalysts
It's taken decades for emcees to establish this
You're new to hip hop and welcome if your serious
But not on the mic leave that to the experienced
Using the waves of sound the true master
Paralyzes his opponents, leaving him vulnerable to attack
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up, step up
After years of pain staking research
By the world's leading sound scientists
We here at the sound institute have invented
A reliable audio weapons system
Actual movement of musical sound
In space used to carefully attack and neutralize
The cellular structure of the human body
And the question must be asked
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up, step up
Mixed media step up to the microphone
And you do it like this
Mixed media slang, banging in your boom box
Verbal violence, lyrical stylist
In a time when rock hip hop rhymes are childish
You can't tempt me with rhymes that are empty
Rapping to a beat doesn't make you an Emcee
With your lack of skill and facility you're killing me
And a DJ in the group just for credibility
I heard that some of you are getting help with your rhymes
You're not an Emcee if someone else writes your lines
And rapping over rock doesn't make you a pioneer
'Cause rock and hip hop have collaborated for years
But now they're getting randomly mixed and matched up
All after a fast buck and all the tracks suck
So how does it stack up? None of it's real
You want to be an emcee you've got to study the skill
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
So you pick up a pen and write yourself a new identity
But mentally you don't have the hip hop energy
With a tendency to make up stories
Sounding like the only hip hop you've heard is top 40
And your record company is completely missing it
All the kids are dissing it for not being legitimate
So in a battle you can't hack it, react with whack shit
And get smacked with verbal back flips
Get your ass kicked by fabulous battle catalysts
It's taken decades for emcees to establish this
You're new to hip hop and welcome if your serious
But not on the mic leave that to the experienced
Using the waves of sound the true master
Paralyzes his opponents, leaving him vulnerable to attack
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up, step up
After years of pain staking research
By the world's leading sound scientists
We here at the sound institute have invented
A reliable audio weapons system
Actual movement of musical sound
In space used to carefully attack and neutralize
The cellular structure of the human body
And the question must be asked
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Bring it to you every time like this?
Who can rock a rhyme like this?
Step, step up, step, step up, step up
Mixed media step up to the microphone
And you do it like this
Lyrics submitted by Sexy Aggie
"Step Up" as written by Robert G. Bourdon, Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Chester Charles Bennington, Joseph Hahn
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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If u don't think he's a 'true' rapper, Finrod, then who do you think is?!?
I do love Shinoda's intellectual style of rapping though. He's gotta be my fav. artist... =]
also,i think this song is about how people try to copy linkin park"dj in the gruop just for credibility"wut this got across to me is if u have a dj in your group dont expect to be like linkin park...just ma thoughts
i do agree with 'akalin' that what 'ths_s_th_jo' is completely too lob-sided.
enimem is not a true rapper, he makes noise, along with the rest.
also, i dont think mike is saying about another band who has a DJ too.
i think rather, he is being defensive to other bands and critics whom accused LP of being unstandardized [ if thats a word ] in terms of the music industry as they brought a new sound together with a DJ in a nu-metal, altern rock, oldschool hiphop band which is rare.
i think mike is also talking about how other wannabes have tried to brought him down.
is more of a rebutt/defensive lyrical meaning rather than a bash to other artists.
probably mike made the lyrics when XERO/HybridTheory/LP were struggling to make it big while receiving bullshit.
First off consider
Mixed media slang
Banging in your boom box verbal violence
Lyrical stylist
In a time when rock hip hop rhymes are childish
He isnt dissing rappers, he is dissing the media culture, in the same way that American Idiot does. Verbal violence means that the hip hop culture is contributing to America's violence problem because rappers are "childish" and dont understand what rap is all about.
All after a fast buck and all the tracks suck
So how does it stack up? None of it’s real
You want to be an emcee you’ve got to study the skill
All of these manufactured hits, fake artist collaborations and bad mash ups are just a quick money grab and they take away from emcees who really try to enhance their art.
So you pick up a pen and write yourself a new identity
But mentally you don’t have the hip hop energy
Pretty obvious, you cant just wake up and decide to be a rapper, you have to really be willing to work for it.
With a tendency to make up stories
Sounding like the only hip hop you’ve heard is top 40
And your record company is completely missing it
All the kids are dissing it for not being legitimate
People know the difference between real rap and manufactured hits, even if the media doesnt.
So in a battle you can't hack it
React with whack shit
And get smacked with verbal back flips
Get your ass kicked by fabulous battle catalysts
It's taken decades for emcees to establish this
You’re new to hip hop and welcome if your serious
But not on the mic
Leave that to the experienced
The tradition of hip hop, (open mics, rap battles) is being taken down by people who go straight to a big label record deal. If you want to be a rapper: earn it. If you arent willing to work: step down.