African American Slang In M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post explores the use of African American slang in Stanley Kirk Burrell (M.C. Hammer's) late 1989/1990's hit record "U Can't Touch This".

This post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to M.C. Hammer for his muical legacy. Thanks also to all those who composed this song, and performed this song. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT "U CAN'T TOUCH THIS"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Can't_Touch_This
"U Can't Touch This" is a hit single written, produced and performed by MC Hammer from his 1990 album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The track became Hammer's signature song and is perhaps one of his most recognizable records. In addition, it's considered to be one of his most popular/successful singles to date.

Along with Hammer, Rick James shared songwriting credits with Alonzo Miller, because the song samples the prominent opening riff of "Super Freak". The single has been used or referenced in multiple television shows, films, commercials and other forms of media. It has also received numerous awards and recognitions.

The song lyrics (in particular "You can't touch this" and "Stop, Hammer time!") became pop culture catchphrases...

Directed by Rupert Wainwright, a music video was produced to promote the single, showing Hammer doing some of his signature dances, such as "The Running Man" and "Hammer Dance"...

In September 1990, the video for "U Can't Touch This" won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video and Best Dance Video and was nominated for Best Male Video, Best Editing, and Best Choreography.
In 1999, MTV's 100 Greatest Videos Ever Made included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 71. In October 2000, VH1's "100 Greatest Dance Songs" included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 88. In May 2001, VH1's 100 Greatest Videos included "U Can't Touch This" at No. 59.
In August 2005, "U Can't Touch This" was certified gold. In December 2007, VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" included the song at No. 16.[8] During 2008, the song ranked as No. 26 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

In 2010, the song ranked as No. 6 on AOL Radio's list of the worst songs ever.[9]"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This



emimusic Uploaded on Feb 24, 2009

Music video by MC Hammer performing U Can't Touch This.

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LYRICS: U CAN'T TOUCH THIS
(Stanley Kirk Burrell, Rick James, Alonzo Miller)

Can't touch this
Can't touch this
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)

My-my-my-my music hits me so hard makes me say oh my Lord
Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet
That's good when you know you're down
A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat uh u can't touch
I told you homeboy u can't touch this

Yeah that's how we're livin' and you know u can't touch this
Look in my eyes man u can't touch this
You know let me bust the funky lyrics u can't touch this
Fresh new kicks and pants
You got it like that now you know you wanna dance
So move out of your seat
And get a fly girl and catch this beat
While it's rollin' hold on pump a little bit
And let me know it's going on like that like that
Cold on a mission so pull on back
Let 'em know that you're too much
And this is a beat uh u can't touch
Yo I told you u can't touch this
Why you standing there man u can't touch this
Yo sound the bells school is in sucker u can't touch this

Give me a song or rhythm
Making 'em sweat that's what I'm giving 'em
Now they know when you talk about the Hammer
You talk about a show that's hyped and tight
Singers are sweatin' so pass them a mic
Or a tape to learn what it's gonna take
And now he's gonna burn
The charts legit either work hard
Or you might as well quit
That's word because you know
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh-oh-oh)
Break it down
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh oh-oh)
Stop Hammer time

Go with the flow in a spin if you can't move to this
Then you probably are dead
So wave your hands in the air
Bust through the moves run your fingers through your hair
This is it for a winner
Dance to this and you're gonna get thinner
Move slide your rump
Just for a minute let's all do the bump
Bump bump bump yeah
Can't touch this
Look man u can't touch this

You'll probably get hyped boy 'cause you know you can't u can't touch this
Ring the bell school's back in break it down
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Stop Hammer time

(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh)
(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) u can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) u can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) u can't touch this
(Oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh) break it down
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Stop Hammer time

Every time you see me that Hammer's just so hype
I'm dope on the floor and I'm magic on the mic
Now why would I ever stop doing this
With others makin' records that just don't hit
I toured around the world from London to the Bay*
It's Hammer go Hammer
It's a Hammer yo Hammer and the rest go and play

Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh oh oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this (oh-oh oh-oh-oh)
Yeah u can't touch this
I told you u can't touch this (oh-oh oh-oh-oh)

Too hype can't touch this
Get me outta here u can't touch this
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)

Source: http://www.metrolyrics.com/u-cant-touch-this-lyrics-mc-hammer.html
-snip-
* I changed this word to "Bay" from that page's transcription of "bank". Given that M.C. Hammer is from Oakland, California, "Bay" probably refers to the "San Francisco Bay".

I also changed the line that was given to "music hits meee so hard"
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LYRIC EXPLANATIONS
(Unless otherwise cited, these are my explanation for these words, phrases, or lines from that song. Additions and corrections are welcome.

"[u] can’t touch this" = you can’t do what I’m doing better than me

"music hits me so hard = I feel really the music

"Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet" - "two hype feet" means an ability to dance very well

"That's good when you know you're down" = in this context, being down with something means really knowing [how to do] it

"a super dope homeboy from the Oaktown" - a really "hip" man* from Oakland, California. "*Homeboy" technically means a man from your neighborhood or hometown. But here it just means "a man who is down with (comfortable in/knowledgaable in) the [Black urban] streets" (culture).

"You know let me bust the funky lyrics" = let me rap these really cool lyrics

"Fresh new kicks and pants" = new fashionable shoes and pants*

"bust a move" = to dance (and/or break dance) very well.

"get hype" = show lots of enthusiasm (so you can dance better)

"fly girl" = an attractive, hip woman [ hip- one who is up to date with the latest urban fashions, slang etc]

"Break it down!" = Do your best [dance] moves

"Stop Hammer time" - stop moving and then do your best dance moves

"ring the school bell, school is in session" = Declaration that M.C. Hammer is going to teach people how to do what he does (rap, dance, make best selling records)

"I’m dope on the floor" = I’m really good on the dance floor (I’m a very good dancer)

"Now they know when you talk about the Hammer
You talk about a show that's hyped and tight" = a show that's done very well; The dancing is exciting to watch and is well coordinated.

"he's gonna burn The charts legit" = make a hit record legitimately, not by playing and selling his music underground

'It's a Hammer yo Hammer" and the rest go and play" = Fans ask for Hammer and not other rappers (who might as well play since Hammer is working the microphone and stage so well)

"When others making records they just don't hit" = when others make records they’re not a hit , the records don’t sell well)
yo Hammer –hey hammer (Note that sometimes in Hip hop “Yo” has no meaning)
-snip-
* The lyrics "nice pants, Hammer" was given in another transcription of this song. Those words mimics what fans (supposedly) tell Hammer. M.C. Hammer was known for the style of pants he wore while performing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_pants
“Hammer pants, a loose fitting trouser inspired by harem pants which originated in the Arabian Peninsula and are often mistakenly called "parachute pants", are customized/modified baggy pants tapered at the ankle with a sagging rise made suitable for hip-hop dancing.[1]

Hammer pants were popularized in the 1980s and 1990s by rapper Stanley Burrell who would entertain/dance in them during live concerts and music videos, hence the name referring to his stage name, (M.C.) Hammer.”
- snip-
However, Hammer’s “parachute” pants were the object of considerable teasing from a lot of other rappeeers and a lot of Hip Hop fans who didn’t respect Hammers pop-Hiop Hop style of rapping and performance presentation.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC_Hammer
"A multi-award winner, [Stanley Kirk Burrell] M.C. Hammer [and later known as "Hammer"] is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. Hammer was later considered a sellout due in part to overexposure as an entertainer (having live instrumentation/bands, choreographed dance routines and an impact on popular culture being regularly referenced on television and in music) and as a result of being too "commercial" when rap was "hardcore" at one point, then his image later becoming increasingly "gritty" to once again adapt to the ever-changing landscape of rap."

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Public Enemy - Get Up Stand Up (example, lyrics, & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part VI of a six part series of posts on a sampling of African American and Caribbean songs whose titles include the words "Get Up" or "Get On Up".

This post showcases Public Enemy's 2012 rap "Get Up Stand Up". The lyrics of this rap are given with some explanatory comments.

Although it isn't mentioned in the song, theere's no doubt that the title and phrase "Gt Up Stand Up" is a nod to Bob Marley and Peeter Tosh 's 1971 Reggae Song with that title.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/07/various-sound-files-videos-of-get-up.html for Part I of that series.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-esquires-get-on-up-example-lyrics.html for Part II of that series.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/james-brown-get-up-sex-machine-get-up.html for Part III of this series.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/jodeci-get-on-up-example-lyrics-comments.html for Part IV of this series.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/eeleeephant-man-get-on-up-and-dance.html [Elephant Man- Get Up and Dance"] for Part V of this series.

The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, motivational, and aesthetic purpose.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Public Enemy for their musical leegacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

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EDITORIAL COMMENT
The "Get Up" songs that are showcased in this series encourage people to get up and dance. while the "Get Up Stand Up" songs encourage people to address the wrongs that they experience in oppressive societies.

I find it interesting that James Brown's “Get Up Offa That Thing" includes lyrics that encourage people to "dance 'til you feel better" and "dance to try to relieve that pressure". And I content that Black dance songs and play songs-along with Black work songs and religious songs- helped Black people survive the horrors of slavery. And dance songs along with other non-religious songs and religious songs continue to help Black people survive the oppression we've faced post slavery up to and including today, even if it's only to take our minds off of that oppression for a little while.

Part III of this series includes more comments about this subject.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALBUM WHICH INCLUDES THIS SONG
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_of_My_Heroes_Still_Don't_Appear_on_No_Stamp
"Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp is the eleventh studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released on July 13, 2012, by Slam Jamz. It was sold exclusively at the iTunes Store before its release to other retailers.[2] It was released on CD on November 6. The album is the first of two albums that Public Enemy released in 2012, which Chuck D described as "fraternal twins",[3] along with The Evil Empire of Everything, which was released on October 1, 2012.[4] The album features guest vocals from Brother Ali, Bumpy Knuckles, Cormega, and DMC.

Upon its release, Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp received positive reviews from music critics, who complimented its production and found its political lyrics relevant to contemporary times...

Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it four out of five stars and commended Public Enemy for "remain[ing] true to the sounds and sensibilities they laid out back in the late '80s", writing that "the music remains vital and vibrant, possibly because, despite some progress, things still haven't changed all that much and, in some respects, have gotten worse"....

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Public Enemy - Get Up Stand Up Featuring Brother Ali [OFFICIAL VIDEO]



publicenemy, Published on Mar 10, 2013

The official video from Public Enemy for the song 'Get Up Stand Up' Featuring Brother Ali.
Get Evil vs Heroes now http://j.mp/12GXIKa

Get Up Stand Up
Produced by: Gary G-Wiz
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LYRICS: PUBLIC ENEMY - GET UP STAND UP

This song don’t give a damn
If the rhymes don’t fit
Beat don’t bounce
If the dj quit
This song
Don’t give a damn
If you can’t sing to dance to it
Can’t romance to it
This song ain’t arrogant
If you don’t try it
Buy it
If your radio deny it
Don’t care bout what who got
What’s cool on tv
Or what spots hot i forgot
I ain’t mad at evolution
But i stand for revolution
Enough is enough
Somebody stand up
Get up, stand up,
Get up, stand up
This track aint asking you a damn thing
Not the brand name bottle with your champagne
Not where you land your private airplane
How many blood diamonds shining in that chain?
How much compromise is tied to that fame?
How many more times we gotta hear that lame
Line im inspiring them
to do what?
Roll better weed and get higher than them?
Feed the needy greedy ass fire in them?
Be the same damn dog but to finer women?
They gonna tell me that im preaching to the choir than im
Sure they right but im trying to light a fire in them
Cause i was raised by the enemy
And ever since then thats been my identity
So im trying to give back whats was given me
Truth told delivery is my tendency
Youth fold to the spirit of my energy
Bottom of my feet is something that youll never see
Thats cause im standing singing the anthem
Fist on my hand, and a list of demands and
When they hear this might piss in their pants and
Try to get the children to not listen to the man
But the mighty pe is what birthed ali
So what you gonna think come after me?
Chuck d
Get up, stand up
Occupy if you denied
Protest songs cause i see wrong
Most of my heroes still dont appear on no stamp
So i rant even when they say i can’t

I rise against
Rage against
Hope i dont end up being the same thing im fighting against
Hence
I wince never on the fence
Since they think the masses powerless
Ain’t on no power list
I ball my fist w my audience
Like this
Get up, stand up,
Get up, stand up
Got so much to shout about
What the 1% is gettin out
Recession depression desperation due
Never have so many been screwed by so few
Cheapest price is to pay attention
No need to dumb down to what i mention
No need to young down how i mention
In spanish portuguese english french and
No satisfaction
Listen to the world reaction
Americas still black and white
Like an old tv set
What we gonna do about it?
Laugh sit back forget & quit?
I get racial
Just talkin about the ratio
People are no longer patient
Now the brown they dont want around
Thats why sammy got that facial
My wife says its spacial
Politics that stick way beyond baseball
I think its self hateful
Anti immigration
Disgraceful
Get up, stand up.

Source:

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EXPLANATIONS OF SOME OF THE WORDS & PHRASES
Unless another source is cited, these are my explanations of these words & phrases from Public Enemy's "Get Up Stand Up". These explanations are numbered for referencing purposes only. Additions and correctons are welcome.

1. "blood diamonds" - This phrase in this song references the protests against the sale of blood diamonds.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_diamond
"Blood diamonds (also called a conflict diamonds, converted diamonds, hot diamonds, or war diamonds) is a term used for a diamond mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, an invading army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity".

2. "How many more times we gotta hear that lame
line" - A "lame line" is a weak line, a statement that has no substance.

3. "roll better weed" - "Weed" means marijuana. "To roll weed" means to make a marijuana cigarette.

4.Feed the needy greedy ass fire in them? - The word "ass" in this line doesn't have any literal meaning, but acts somewhat like an intensifier in that "needy greedy ass fire" conveys more emotions and also conveys more down-home nitty grittiness (soul) than just saying "needy greedy fire".

5. "Be the same damn dog but to finer women" - to continue being a man who treats women badly but doing it to more beautiful women

6. preaching to the choir - talking to people who alreeady agreee wti"th what you are saying (who are already on your side)

7. "im trying to light a fire in them" - "light a fire in them" - motivate, encourage them (even more)

8. "Cause i was raised by the enemy" - "The enemy" may mean the institutional system that creates and maintains unjust laws and inequality. To be raised by the enemy may mean that system's education system and mass media.

9. "Occupy if you denied" - This phrase refers to the "Occupy" protest movement, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_movement

10. "never on the fence" - never indecisive (about a cause)

11."I ball my fist w my audience" - "w" = with; This line means to make the (arm raised) clenched fist protest gesture

11. the "1%" - "directly refers to the concentration of income and wealth among the top earning 1% " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_are_the_99%25

12. "Now the brown they dont want around" - This line is adapted from Big Bill Broonzy's song "Black, Brown and White" (also known as "Get Back". The lyrics of that song apeak to the segregationist nature of the United States:
"They said: "If you was white,
You's alright,
If you was brown,
You could stick around,
But as you's black, hmm, hmm, brother,
Get back, get back, get back."

Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0c1c0ZsTLA for a video and the lyrics of that song

13. "Thats why sammy got that facial" - a reference to Black baseball player Sammy Sousa who has allegedly used skin whitener to lighten his complexion.

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The Significance Of Public Enemy's "Don't Believe The Hype" To Michael Brown's Shooting Death

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides my editorial statement about what I perceive as an attempted hype by the Ferguson, Missouri Police Department regarding the shooting death of Michael Brown, the eighteen year old unarmed African American who was killed by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014.

The bulk of this post showcases Public Enemy's 1988 Hip-Hop hit "Don't Believe The Hiype" and provides information about Public Enemy, and about that rap, and explanations about some of that rap's lines are also included in this post.

The content of this post is provided for historical, sociological, and cultural purposes.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Michael Brown and all others who have been murdered by police officials. This post is also dedicated to all those who don't believe the hype and who stand up for their rights non-violently for justice in Ferguson, Missouri and throughout the United States.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Public Enemy for their cultural legacy. Thanks to all those whose efforts help shine a light through the hype. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PUBLIC ENEMY'S "DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE" TO MICHAEL BROWN'S SHOOTING DEATH
From http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Don't%20believe%20the%20hype
"Don't believe the hype

Ignore the media, marketing, buzz, or rumors around a story, object or person -- it's nothing special. From the 1988 Public Enemy single "Don't Believe The Hype", which fought back against negative press about the band.

"Is the new Star Wars movie any good?"
"Nah, don't believe the hype"

by stones throw July 31, 2008
-snip-
With regard to Michael Brown's shooting death, the "hype" is that the policeman was justified in shooting Michael Brown multiple times even after Brown held his hands up high in the air in the universal symbol of surrender because Brown had earlier robbed a store of less than $50 worth of cigars.

From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/15/michael-brown-stole-cigars_n_5682089.html
"It Doesn't Matter If Michael Brown Stole A Box Of Cigar" By Nick Wing, 08/15/2014 1:12 pm EDT
" [Police officer Darren] Wilson was initially thought to be responding to the crime when he confronted Brown, though Jackson later on Friday clarified that the teen was stopped because he was "blocking traffic" by walking in the middle of the street, and was not a known suspect at the time.

To be sure, any information at all about the day Brown was killed is useful, though the public way in which the police shared the photos of the incident at the convenience store suggest their motive was not public service and transparency, but an effort to shift the discussion to one about Brown's character.

But Brown's character is irrelevant. Brown's potential involvement in a crime doesn't answer the questions that citizens of Ferguson have taken to the streets for the past six days to see answered: How and why did Brown end up dead in the middle of the street? Was Wilson justified in shooting down Brown? Did Brown really assault the officer in his vehicle and reach for his gun, as police claim? Did Wilson fire the fatal shot while Brown had his hands up, as other eyewitnesses claim? How does this incident play into the broader trend of police using excessive force on unarmed black males?"...

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INFORMATION ABOUT PUBLIC ENEMY AND "DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Believe_the_Hype
"Don't Believe the Hype" is a song by hip hop group Public Enemy and the second single to be released from their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. The song's lyrics are mostly about the political issues that were current in the United States at the time of its release. "Don't Believe the Hype" charted at number 18 on the U.S. R&B chart and also reached a high of 18 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1988.

The B-side includes "Prophets of Rage" and "The Rhythm The Rebel", an a cappella of the opening verse from "Rebel Without a Pause" which was a popular scratching phrase.[1]"...

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From ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy_(group)
"Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord, The S1W group, Khari Wynn and Professor Griff. Formed in Long Island, New York in 1982, they are known for their politically charged lyrics and criticism of the American media, with an active interest in the frustrations and concerns of the African American community. Their first four albums during the late 1980s and early 1990s were all certified either gold or platinum and were, according to music critic Robert Hilburn, "the most acclaimed body of work ever by a rap act."[1] In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Public Enemy[2] number 44 on its list of the Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[3] The group was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.[4] The band were announced as inductees for the 2013 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on December 11, 2012, making them the fourth hip-hop act to be inducted after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run–D.M.C. and The Beastie Boys"...

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Public Enemy - Don't Believe The Hype



PublicEnemyVEVO, Uploaded on Aug 27, 2010

Music video by Public Enemy performing Don't Believe The Hype. (C) 1988 The Island Def Jam Music Group

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LYRICS: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE
(Public Enemy)


[Hook]
Don't, don't, don't
Don't, don't, don't

"Now here's what I want y'all to do for me"

[Verse 1]
Back, caught you looking for the same thing
It's a new thing, check out this I bring
Uhh, oh, the roll below the level, cause I'm living low
Next to the bass, (C'mon!), turn up the radio
They claiming I'm a criminal
But now I wonder how, some people never know
The enemy could be their friend, guardian
I'm not a hooligan, I rock the party and
Clear all the madness, I'm not a racist
Preach to teach to all (cause some they never had this)
Number one, not born to run, about the gun
I wasn't licensed to have one
The minute they see me, fear me
I'm the epitome, a public enemy
Used, abused without clues
I refuse to blow a fuse
They even had it on the news

[Hook]

[Verse 2]
"Yes" was the start of my last jam
So here it is again, another def jam
But since I gave you all a little something that I knew you lacked
They still consider me a new jack
All the critics you can hang 'em, I'll hold the rope
But they hope to the Pope, and pray it ain't dope
The follower of Farrakhan
Don't tell me that you understand until you hear the man
The book of the new school rap game
Writers treat me like Coltrane, insane
Yes to them, but to me I'm a different kind
We're brothers of the same mind, unblind
Caught in the middle and not surrendering
I don't rhyme for the sake of riddling
Some claim that I'm a smuggler
Some say I never heard of ya, a rap burglar
False media, we don't need it do we?
(It's fake that's what it be to ya, dig me?
Yo, Terminator X, step up on the stand
And show these people what time it is boy)

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Don't believe the hype, it's a sequel
As an equal can I get this through to you
My 98 booming with a trunk of funk
All the jealous punks can't stop the dunk
Coming from the school of hard knocks
Some perpetrate, they drink Clorox
Attack the Black, because I know they lack exact
The cold facts, and still they try to Xerox
The leader of the new school, uncool
Never played the fool, just made the rules
Remember there's a need to get alarmed
Again I said I was a time bomb
In the daytime radio's scared of me
Cause I'm mad, plus I'm the enemy
They can't come on and play me in prime time
Cause I know the time, cause I'm getting mine
I get on the mix late in the night
They know I'm living right, so here go the mike, sike
Before I let it go, don't rush my show
You try to reach and grab and get elbowed
Word to Herb, yo if you can't swing this
Learn the words, you might sing this
Just a little bit of the taste of the bass for you
As you get up and dance at the LQ
When some deny it, defy it, I swing Bolos
And then they clear the lane I go solo
The meaning of all of that, some media is the wack
As you believe it's true
It blows me through the roof
Suckers, liars, get me a shovel
Some writers I know are damn devils
For them I say, don't believe the hype
(Yo Chuck, they must be on the pipe, right?)
Their pens and pads I'll snatch cause I've had it
I'm not a addict fiending for static
I'll see their tape recorder and I grab it
(No, you can't have it back, silly rabbit)
I'm going to my media assassin, Harry Allen -- I gotta ask him
(Yo Harry, you're a writer, are we that type?)
(Don't believe the hype)

[Hook]

[Verse 4]
I got Flavor and all those things you know
(Yeah boy, part two bum rush the show)
Yo Griff get the green, black and red, and
Gold down, countdown to Armageddon
'88 you wait the S1's will
Put the left in effect and I still will
Rock the hard jams, treat it like a seminar
Reach the bourgeois and rock the boulevard
Some say I'm negative, but they're not positive
But what I got to give, (the media says this?)
Red black and green, you know what I mean

[Outro: Flavor Flav]
Yo don't believe that hype
They got to be beaming that pipe you know what I'm saying
Yo them Megas got 'em going up to see Captain Kirk
Like a jerk and they outta work
Let me tell you a little something, man
A lot of people on daytime radio scared of us
Because they too ignorant to understand the lyrics of the
Truth that we pumping into them clogged up brain cells
That just spun their little wooden skulls they call caps
You know what I'm saying?
But the S1s'll straighten it out quick fast in a hurry
Don't worry, Flavor vision ain't blurry, you know what I'm saying?
Yo, Terminator X

[Hook]

Source: http://rap.genius.com/Public-enemy-dont-believe-the-hype-lyrics

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EXPLANATION OF CERTAIN WORDS, PHRASES, OR LINES IN PUBLIC ENEMY'S "DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE" RAP
These notes are assigned numbers for referencing purposes only. Most of these explanations are my ideas about those words, phrases or lines. Additions and corrections are welcome.

1. "Don't believe the hype" - Read my comment at the beginning of this post. Also, read this comment by Barbara,https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080510143821AAm9faQ
"What does Don't Believe The Hype Mean?", 2006
"Don't believe the hype" is saying don't take the advertising at face value, don't buy, or buy into, something just because it's well-promoted; check it out and make your decision based on more reliable and disinterested judgements."

2. "The enemy could be their friend, guardian" - The police can be your enemy.

3. I'm living low, Next to the bass, - This play on words may mean that what is real, the fundamental things in life (the base) are the things the writer considers to be most important.

4. I rock the party - I cause the party to be rocking [alive, invigorating, energized]

5. Clear all the madness - [I] clear out all the things that are maddening

6. "I refuse to blow a fuse" - I refuse to get angry and act violently

7. "def jam" = definitely good record (rap, tune, song)

8. "new jack" = a new kid on the block (a new artist/ rap group)

9. "and pray it ain't dope" -pray that what they believe isn't foolish
-snip-
Note that "dope" can also mean "very good" in African American Vernacular English, but that's not the correct meaning in that line.

10. "Farrakhan" - Louis Farrakhan is the leader of the religious group Nation of Islam (NOI).

11. "Writers treat me like Coltrane, insane" - renown Jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, whose music some considered to be weirdly unconventional

12. "dig me?" - Do you understand what I'm saying?

13. "Some perpetrate, they drink Clorox" - some pretend to be something they aren't and whiten [bleach (the soul; the blackness) from their words]

14. "still they try to Xerox The leader of the new school" - They try to replicate [copy off of] me, the leader of the new way of spreading correct information

15. "so here go the mike" - so here's the microphone

16. "sike" - I'm just kidding. I didn't mean what I said or did. [This is said informally, in a joking manner.]

17. "some media is the wack" - wack = weak, silly, foolish

18. "it blows me through the roof" - it really makes me angry [ as in the saying "I've had it up to here".]

19. "Some writers I know are damn devils" - very evil

20. "they must be on the pipe" - addicted to something
-snip-
This may just mean that they are addicted to money and fame

21. "green, black and red, and Gold" and "red, black, and green" - Black nationalist colors

22. "No, you can't have it back, silly rabbit" - a play on the saying from a "Trixs" cereal commercial The rabbit wanted some cereal but was told "Silly rabbit, "Trixs are for kids".

23. Captain Kirk - fictitious character on "Star Trek " television series. Kirk led expeditions to new worlds in out of space, sometimes by the teams being beamed down to those planets and then being beamed back to the starship Enterprise.

24. the S1s'll straighten it out quick fast in a hurry - Sls [?]; "quick fast [and] in a hurry is a commonly heard African American phrase meaning "right away", immediately. Another way of saying that is "with a quickness".

25. "Don't worry, Flavor vision ain't blurry" - This is a witty line as Flavor, a member of Public Enemy wore very thick eyeglasses to correct his vision, but in the context of this line this meant that Flavor sees the truth of what is happening.

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