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Rock N Roll Lyrics
[Mos Def]
Make me wanna HOLLA.. aowwWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Rock and roll
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Hehehe, rock and roll
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Whoahhhhh-oh, oooh-weee-oooh
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Whoahhhhh-oh
(Huh) My grandmomma was raised on a reservation
(Huh) My great-grandmomma was, from a plantation
They sang - songs for inspiration
They sang - songs for relaxation
They sang - songs, to take their minds up off that
fucked up situation
I am... yes I am... the descendant (yes yes)
of those folks whose, backs got broke
who, fell down inside the gunsmoke
(Black people!) Chains on they ankles and feet
I am descendants, of the builders of your street
(Black people!) Tenders to your cotton money
I am.. hip-hop
"It's heavy metal for the black people"
I am.. rock and roll (rock and roll.. rock'n'roll)
BEEN HERE FOREVER!
They just ain't let you know.. (HA!)
I said, Elvis Presley ain't got no soul (huh)
Chuck Berry is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't come up with that style on they own (uh-uh)
Elvis Presley ain't got no SOULLLL (hell naw)
Little Richard is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't come up with that shit on they own (nah-ah)
Guess that's just the way shit goes
You steal my clothes and try to say they yo's (yes they do)
Cause it's a show filled with pimps and hoes
Tryin to take everything that you made or control (there they go)
Elvis Presley ain't got no SOULLLL
Bo Diddley is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't the first place the credit belongs
Say whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (Jimi Hendrix say) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (Albert King and) oooh-weee-ohhh
(and Motown)
(huh) I ain't tryin to diss
but I don't be tryin to fuck with Limp Bizkit
"The fuck is on your mind?"
When I get down in my zone
I be rockin Bad Brains and Fishbone
I ain't tryin to slow your groove
But that ain't the way I'm tryin to move
I don't turn on Korn to get it on;
I be playin Jimi Hendrix 'til the dawn
That's my word is bond
Sittin up on my front lawn
Got the volume turned to ten
Playin Albert King the best again (black)
When the mornin in the cooker
Got to turn on some John Lee Hooker
When I want some rock and roll
Go to Otis Redding to get some soul
Say, James Brown got plenty of soul
James Brown like to rock and roll
He can do all the shit fo' sho'
that Elvis Presley could never know (black people)
Said, Kenny G ain't got no SOULLLL
John Coltrane is rock and roll (uh-huh)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
but they could never ever rock like Nina Simone
Say whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-wee-ohh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
"ah-lert the squad.."
{*MUSIC PICKS UP PACE AND GETS LOUDER*}
Who am IIIIiiiiiiiiIiiiII, HUH!
GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!
ELVIS PRESLEY AIN'T GOT NO SOUL
JIMI HENDRIX IS ROCK AND ROLL
YOU MAY DIG ON THE ROLLING STONES
BUT EVERYTHING THEY DID THEY STOLE
ELVIS PRESLEY AIN'T GOT NO SOUL
BO DIDDLEY IS ROCK AND ROLL
YOU MAY DIG ON THE ROLLING STONES
BUT WE SEND THEY PUNK ASS HOME
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii!!!
Say, rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!!!!!!!
Company, MOVE!!!
For Harlem, Fort Greene, Compton
East St. Louis, Detroit (BO BO)
Chicago (BO BO) Bed-Stuy (BO BO)
Flatbush (BO BO) Brownsville (BO BO)
East New York (BO BO) Newark New Jersey (BO BO)
Illadelphia Cincinatti Atlanta the Dirty South
All towns GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!!
"Rock and roll for the black people"
Hi ma..
"Well that was just wonderful"
Make me wanna HOLLA.. aowwWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Rock and roll
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Hehehe, rock and roll
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Whoahhhhh-oh, oooh-weee-oooh
"Ah.. ah-ah, ah-ah.. ah-ah, ah-lert the squad.."
Whoahhhhh-oh
(Huh) My great-grandmomma was, from a plantation
They sang - songs for inspiration
They sang - songs for relaxation
They sang - songs, to take their minds up off that
fucked up situation
I am... yes I am... the descendant (yes yes)
of those folks whose, backs got broke
who, fell down inside the gunsmoke
(Black people!) Chains on they ankles and feet
I am descendants, of the builders of your street
(Black people!) Tenders to your cotton money
I am.. hip-hop
"It's heavy metal for the black people"
I am.. rock and roll (rock and roll.. rock'n'roll)
BEEN HERE FOREVER!
They just ain't let you know.. (HA!)
Chuck Berry is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't come up with that style on they own (uh-uh)
Elvis Presley ain't got no SOULLLL (hell naw)
Little Richard is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't come up with that shit on they own (nah-ah)
You steal my clothes and try to say they yo's (yes they do)
Cause it's a show filled with pimps and hoes
Tryin to take everything that you made or control (there they go)
Elvis Presley ain't got no SOULLLL
Bo Diddley is rock and roll (damn right)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
But they ain't the first place the credit belongs
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (Jimi Hendrix say) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (Albert King and) oooh-weee-ohhh
(and Motown)
but I don't be tryin to fuck with Limp Bizkit
"The fuck is on your mind?"
When I get down in my zone
I be rockin Bad Brains and Fishbone
I ain't tryin to slow your groove
But that ain't the way I'm tryin to move
I don't turn on Korn to get it on;
I be playin Jimi Hendrix 'til the dawn
That's my word is bond
Sittin up on my front lawn
Got the volume turned to ten
Playin Albert King the best again (black)
When the mornin in the cooker
Got to turn on some John Lee Hooker
When I want some rock and roll
Go to Otis Redding to get some soul
James Brown like to rock and roll
He can do all the shit fo' sho'
that Elvis Presley could never know (black people)
Said, Kenny G ain't got no SOULLLL
John Coltrane is rock and roll (uh-huh)
You may dig on the Rolling Stones
but they could never ever rock like Nina Simone
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoahhhh-oh (don't take it) oooh-weee-ohhh
(black music) whoah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!
ELVIS PRESLEY AIN'T GOT NO SOUL
JIMI HENDRIX IS ROCK AND ROLL
YOU MAY DIG ON THE ROLLING STONES
BUT EVERYTHING THEY DID THEY STOLE
ELVIS PRESLEY AIN'T GOT NO SOUL
BO DIDDLEY IS ROCK AND ROLL
YOU MAY DIG ON THE ROLLING STONES
BUT WE SEND THEY PUNK ASS HOME
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii (ROCK AND ROLL)
Who am IIIiiiiiiiiiii!!!
Say, rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
Who am I? Rock and ROLL!
GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!!!!!!!
Company, MOVE!!!
For Harlem, Fort Greene, Compton
East St. Louis, Detroit (BO BO)
Chicago (BO BO) Bed-Stuy (BO BO)
Flatbush (BO BO) Brownsville (BO BO)
East New York (BO BO) Newark New Jersey (BO BO)
Illadelphia Cincinatti Atlanta the Dirty South
All towns GET YOUR PUNK ASS UP!!
"Rock and roll for the black people"
Hi ma..
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
....and don't hate Mos Def for speaking the truth. However uncomfortable that may make you feel.
It's not anti-white. He's saying it because a lot of people ignore the Black roots of rock n' roll, and revere the white roots (Oh, and Elvis sucked. Great voice, horrible music.) Now, I like the Stones, I do, but I like Nina Simone, and Bo Diddley, and John Coltrane (though he was a jazz musician, not a rock and roller, per se) the two can co-exist, he's saying that the musical genre itself was stolen, basically plagiarized, because people don't recognize the Black roots of rock and roll as much as the White roots. Ice-T said the same stuff when he started with Body Count and people were dissing him, calling him a sellout.
I think this is the direction he was going in on my second listening to the song. i definitely think that people deny the fact that Angus Young got the duck walk from Chuck Berry and give all the credit solely to Angus Young. my father has become quite racist as of late and denies the black roots of rock and roll any credit in the classic rock movement. I think Mos Def just wanted that sort of mentality to be brought to the forefront and this "plagiarism," as gofuckyourself so eloquently stated, to an end.
I think this is the direction he was going in on my second listening to the song. i definitely think that people deny the fact that Angus Young got the duck walk from Chuck Berry and give all the credit solely to Angus Young. my father has become quite racist as of late and denies the black roots of rock and roll any credit in the classic rock movement. I think Mos Def just wanted that sort of mentality to be brought to the forefront and this "plagiarism," as gofuckyourself so eloquently stated, to an end.
And upon...
And upon my third listen I think Mos Def didn't execute this very well saying he won't listen to Elvis or Korn, possibly in an attempt to invalidate their contributions to the genre.
I think Mos Def ends up losing out in the end, for denying white rock, and we all win for accepting all these contributions and cherishing them for what they are, Beautiful moments in musical history.
I don't think he's neccessarily saying that all these white artists weren't good artists, because, even Mos Def knows this, without them music wouldn't be where it is today. Mos Def's music wouldn't be the same. But everyone thinks that Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones created rock n' roll, and I think he is just trying to say that this type of music was around before these people popularized it. Don't hate Mos Def for speaking his mind.
Yeah, I don't think he's saying that Elvis and the Rolling Stones were bad, and especially not because they're white. He's saying that Rock began with black musicians, but that fact has been just about lost on today's generation.
Its not just rock music! its all modern forms of music! basically the roots of all modern music can be traced back to blues, jazz and gospel music and these where all born out of slave music! the only positive thing to come out of the slave trade is decent music! without it we'd probably all still be listening to classical music and dancing to waltzes! This song is just trying to give credit to the musicians that truly deserve it. Unlike Elvis who was used to give black music a white face and sell it to a white audience, because white people whern't ready to accept and love black people like they where whites. Thats why Elvis is known as "The King" and artists like Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard etc ain't shit!
Clearly the fact that people think the song is anti-white, full of lies and the whole gamut of indignant responses just goes to prove the necessity of this song to educate some minds to stir up some thought. Admittedly I've already heard this criticism of older rock music many times over since I'm black.
As said before, it's just that early black musicians were not given as much recognition for a style that they clearly cultivated while it was adored by other artists and performers. Don't be mad because you don't want to think about your beloved artists as products of latent racist tendencies of the time period. I mean, they were good musicians, but they sure didn't give credit where it was due. shrug
It makes me wonder why black people don't rock out more/listen to rock more though.
I said, Souja Boi can't rap for shit (huh) Eminem had a bag-a-hits (damn right) You may dig on the Lil's an such But they suck and they're setting black people back (uh-uh)
The part where he rocks out is cool, but the lyrics are somewhat hypocritical. He criticizes white musicians for stealing from black musicians and then samples Red Hot Chili Peppers on the same album.
I completely understand Mos's point of view, and there is definitely something to be desired in terms of the recognition black musicians deserve on the topic of rock pioneers. However, Mos is a big name in Hip Hop, the genre that revolves around sampling and the idea of taking from others to create something new. With this in mind, I think he could've went about the song differently, maybe focus less on the fact that Elvis and the Rolling stones aren't rock n roll and more about the injustices that occurred in the early 60s to early 80s music game.
This song is racist as hell, music belongs to us all. Black or white, yeah black people laid the foundations for the blues, but to completely disregard all white influence on the history of music is dumb as hell. Racism will continue to exist as long as people look at things in terms of black and white instead of in terms of people.