The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I brought that genuine shit in '96
Before you knew the underground or independent existed
I watched the whole scene straight jump on the dick
After stepping to KCR lit and flexing my shit
No gun talk, no gimmicks, just rounds of raw-dogging
Dirty dusty intelligent wit and word murdering
A hardcore poetic informed without burglary
Potent and shook the shit out of rappers who just learned of me
Everytime I prescribe a new pill, revolution
Quickly defined the standard for indie rap distribution
Arrogant unafraid shit developed riding a train thinking of brain fucks
"Bad Touch Example" that soon became bucks
Had everybody sprung wondering where I came from
Screaming out "Independent's fucked up" in the same tongue
With an indelible squad of design monsters
Innovating the styles that made biters look like imposters
So we scripted an album and signed to Rawkus
Selling a hundred thousand without a radio chart hit
Imposterous son is taking the world hostage
Classic hip-hop bombage dirty with style progress
Now I've come from the '80s juvenile Brooklyn
Where cats was like: "Gimme that subway pass, kid. Good lookin."
Now someone else is taking a ride with what's mine
So I had to develop styles with a death device cooked in
So when I battled in basements I had eight sentences
Waiting way before the four you had laced in
And I was taught to wait patient (Why?)
Only faggots make shit up just to get famous
So when I finally blew up I remained sick
Earning respect in ghettos and 'burbs for word placement
Back when the independent scene remained faceless
We were the only crew who promised your ass we'd take it
Mold it, shape it, living outside the matrix
Hold it, make it, more than miniature major labels
Hold it sacred, living it for the culture
Told ya plainly, protected it from the vultures
That's why I always get respect from true soldiers
While half of the critics claim it every year: "Hip hop's over."
FUCK YOU, hip hop just started
It's funny how the most nostalgic cats are the ones who were never part of it
But true veterans'll give dap to those who started it
Then humbly move the fuck on and come with that new retarded shit
New slang, new thought, new sound
Who's heart you thought you had?
You clown, you don't, you drown
I won't dumb it down, I'm dumbing now for these rounds
I'm a live mothefucker plus I'm gunning for clowns
You're mine motherfucker, don't be coming for pounds
So you can break out of that invisible box, you're not down
My favorite ones are the ones who started that young rap about
Comic books, spaceships, and Obi-Quan one
And even though they were soft they had fun
But they couldn't break out the frame of the town they came from
Some of these faggots used to send me their demos
I'm keeping their puppy styles in the Company Flow kennels
But since they had no identity from the start
They started to resent the scene when they couldn't become a part
They've been failing for years and call themselves Vets, that's bold
Motherfucker, you're not a Vet you're just old
I'll slap the shit out of you to continue my nerve racket
Making this money fist over fist, fuck what you heard
Jukie cats talk about boom bap and golden ages
Patting themselves on the back for making that new outdated shit
I've been putting out vinyl since '93 and never looked back once
And ya'll trying to chase me
You don't innovate because you can't innovate
It's not a choice despite what you might tell your boys
Keep your identity crisis under the table
I always knew who I was and I'll always be more famous
Check it
For the best in the vendor biz
1-800-Lazerface
Leave the last CE-Offer crabs and buy them Hatorade
Dig it, daddy dug his own tunnel under the gutters where the numbers bleed
Hunters froze up and exposed Rapunzel weeds
Tugboat, tug up through that brutal dirt first
The fuedals fuming oodles, it was right under your poodle skirt
Welcome to Bazooka Works, halogen halo eyesore
The revolution will not be apologized for
Warbucks exlex megaphone on the fashion piggy pageant
While my dick's raw-dogging a style magnet
Fraggle rock your four figure watch
I clock ninety-nine cent wristbands
And still know the time when you record flops
Now this is on a sick with it factor
Exhibit A, E, F, Genesis of the klepto reactor
Want to burgle the buzz over definitive cash
After a life of labor camps starts paying innovaters back
Baby, you ain't felt the collective? (Coooool)
Stop running bases with little bears under the wing of punchdrunk butter makers
That engine sputters while the hound dogs wire cutter mechnical rabbit
Bantam weight puppies ain't rabid enough to snatch him
Pockmark ninety Moses approach with a golden focal point
Come soak in it, resume sturdy composer soldier bliss
Wrong name by a molar can often expose your phobias
Watch a cobra grow hands to hold his own tongue when he notices
All city legity critter, bark with me
All filthy documents, cats piss on their kittie litter moccasins
Welcome to mi casa, Monsters Inc, dropping bangers out the rocket ships
Your own private apocalypse
Honor it
For fuck's sake
Original
Wild fly
You want to read the nile?
I twitch easy reader
Father it
I will, dog
Original
Wide open with banged out cutlery from a slang mouth teacher
And money is an ugly god we all fall for
I got land mammal, cannibal, natural evolving squackbox
That means when I wake up and decide to comprise the new shit
It's not some watered down version of what my favorite crews did
Puff the magic komodo bitch
Rappers stuffed komonos and shark fame at a perfect working unit
Look, I'm done
Be-boy, feed that to the needy
Shut your liquor hole, fuck you in 3D
Easy
Before you knew the underground or independent existed
I watched the whole scene straight jump on the dick
After stepping to KCR lit and flexing my shit
No gun talk, no gimmicks, just rounds of raw-dogging
Dirty dusty intelligent wit and word murdering
A hardcore poetic informed without burglary
Potent and shook the shit out of rappers who just learned of me
Everytime I prescribe a new pill, revolution
Quickly defined the standard for indie rap distribution
Arrogant unafraid shit developed riding a train thinking of brain fucks
"Bad Touch Example" that soon became bucks
Had everybody sprung wondering where I came from
Screaming out "Independent's fucked up" in the same tongue
With an indelible squad of design monsters
Innovating the styles that made biters look like imposters
So we scripted an album and signed to Rawkus
Selling a hundred thousand without a radio chart hit
Imposterous son is taking the world hostage
Classic hip-hop bombage dirty with style progress
Now I've come from the '80s juvenile Brooklyn
Where cats was like: "Gimme that subway pass, kid. Good lookin."
Now someone else is taking a ride with what's mine
So I had to develop styles with a death device cooked in
So when I battled in basements I had eight sentences
Waiting way before the four you had laced in
And I was taught to wait patient (Why?)
Only faggots make shit up just to get famous
So when I finally blew up I remained sick
Earning respect in ghettos and 'burbs for word placement
Back when the independent scene remained faceless
We were the only crew who promised your ass we'd take it
Mold it, shape it, living outside the matrix
Hold it, make it, more than miniature major labels
Hold it sacred, living it for the culture
Told ya plainly, protected it from the vultures
That's why I always get respect from true soldiers
While half of the critics claim it every year: "Hip hop's over."
FUCK YOU, hip hop just started
It's funny how the most nostalgic cats are the ones who were never part of it
But true veterans'll give dap to those who started it
Then humbly move the fuck on and come with that new retarded shit
New slang, new thought, new sound
Who's heart you thought you had?
You clown, you don't, you drown
I won't dumb it down, I'm dumbing now for these rounds
I'm a live mothefucker plus I'm gunning for clowns
You're mine motherfucker, don't be coming for pounds
So you can break out of that invisible box, you're not down
My favorite ones are the ones who started that young rap about
Comic books, spaceships, and Obi-Quan one
And even though they were soft they had fun
But they couldn't break out the frame of the town they came from
Some of these faggots used to send me their demos
I'm keeping their puppy styles in the Company Flow kennels
But since they had no identity from the start
They started to resent the scene when they couldn't become a part
They've been failing for years and call themselves Vets, that's bold
Motherfucker, you're not a Vet you're just old
I'll slap the shit out of you to continue my nerve racket
Making this money fist over fist, fuck what you heard
Jukie cats talk about boom bap and golden ages
Patting themselves on the back for making that new outdated shit
I've been putting out vinyl since '93 and never looked back once
And ya'll trying to chase me
You don't innovate because you can't innovate
It's not a choice despite what you might tell your boys
Keep your identity crisis under the table
I always knew who I was and I'll always be more famous
Check it
For the best in the vendor biz
1-800-Lazerface
Leave the last CE-Offer crabs and buy them Hatorade
Dig it, daddy dug his own tunnel under the gutters where the numbers bleed
Hunters froze up and exposed Rapunzel weeds
Tugboat, tug up through that brutal dirt first
The fuedals fuming oodles, it was right under your poodle skirt
Welcome to Bazooka Works, halogen halo eyesore
The revolution will not be apologized for
Warbucks exlex megaphone on the fashion piggy pageant
While my dick's raw-dogging a style magnet
Fraggle rock your four figure watch
I clock ninety-nine cent wristbands
And still know the time when you record flops
Now this is on a sick with it factor
Exhibit A, E, F, Genesis of the klepto reactor
Want to burgle the buzz over definitive cash
After a life of labor camps starts paying innovaters back
Baby, you ain't felt the collective? (Coooool)
Stop running bases with little bears under the wing of punchdrunk butter makers
That engine sputters while the hound dogs wire cutter mechnical rabbit
Bantam weight puppies ain't rabid enough to snatch him
Pockmark ninety Moses approach with a golden focal point
Come soak in it, resume sturdy composer soldier bliss
Wrong name by a molar can often expose your phobias
Watch a cobra grow hands to hold his own tongue when he notices
All city legity critter, bark with me
All filthy documents, cats piss on their kittie litter moccasins
Welcome to mi casa, Monsters Inc, dropping bangers out the rocket ships
Your own private apocalypse
Honor it
For fuck's sake
Original
Wild fly
You want to read the nile?
I twitch easy reader
Father it
I will, dog
Original
Wide open with banged out cutlery from a slang mouth teacher
And money is an ugly god we all fall for
I got land mammal, cannibal, natural evolving squackbox
That means when I wake up and decide to comprise the new shit
It's not some watered down version of what my favorite crews did
Puff the magic komodo bitch
Rappers stuffed komonos and shark fame at a perfect working unit
Look, I'm done
Be-boy, feed that to the needy
Shut your liquor hole, fuck you in 3D
Easy
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el-p sounds like hes dissing anticon on this one, i dont know if they are still beefing, but i wouldnt be suprised if this was aimed at sole.
the el p part is about his view on underground rappers and the scene. aesop rock is as always, displaying absurd & impeccable wordplay
Actually, the song is about 7L & Esoteric...which El-P acknowledges on his other Esoteric diss track "7700 Years to Date"..
"We're Famous was a roach motel and you crawled right the fuck in it/you forgot I'm a god damn savage with a record of always winning"
El-P destroys this song but I feel like this transcription isn't too accurate.