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No Great Pretender - The Roots



     
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No Great Pretender Lyrics


Check it out, one two
M-Illi-Tant
I be the, alias Malik B
Internationale rationale
All the people up 68th Ave
And across Broad Street
Or Silk Lane in South Philly
And on, at cetera
Check it out, check it out
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Dig it, cool calm collect in my perspective
Search the premises, I leave no clues for detectives
My verbal impact across your back slap
You talk about you see me, but your vision's full of cataract
It don't matter that, your glass house I shatter that

Bad luck I walk under now show me where the ladder at
Pull up the urinal organs up in your bladder cat
Approachin' you with shriller rhetoric, as if you had a sac
Now crews down for it, your gas pedal floor it
With ammo and artillery and stash spots to keep and store it
I used the banner of a slant with a zort
Change your strategic plan, my man's getting bored
Your vocal chord is fraudulent, and not the true porcelain
I bring the fire, earth, and the source of wind
The force of sin will endorse the pen
We all search for sanity, but I think that it was lost again
Now which stick of artists, can be the smartest
My beam of sunlight shines the brightest in the forest
Regardless, artists dislike because I'm trimper
Control the temper, makin' MC's whimper
I tilt the Earth from off the axis in the center
Next I'm in the womb like a placenta
M-Illi-Tant the city ninja, uplift 'cause I'm the soul avenger
Remember I'm no great pretender
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Strategies, I bet y'all niggaz can't believe this
I read you like a whole avenue that's filled with meters
Parked, fuck your back talk, I watch how niggaz cat-walk
Over my pit of venom and send em to the asphalt
For inquisitive, who wanna try to test me
What protects me, will make you shake like epilepsy
Plague your neighborhood with lyrical Le-prosy
Stimulate more than Ecstasy y'all niggaz check my recipe
Dig it, I must observe it, analyze when I'm chillin'
Peep out who's the villain then make your whole pavilion
Of a Sicilian, excuse the greed don't want a mill
I want a zillion - stacks of Franklin's to the ceiling
I counts stacks imported, fuck the yacht and the mansion
I want Pluto and Jupiter, political, universal expansion
Buy out Tommy and Hale Hanson
Kidnap America, [Incomprehensive] you hold it for ransom
Pass it down to my grandson, I got no time to be romancin'
Only time's for mental food and advancement
This game of Life is strictly chancein', get to know
The nature before I get know the nigga while I'm glancing
Enhancing, is my mental, I play in the midst
A squad a team most crews is not in the half's of rentals
My utensils, display a whole variety
Even when in the cut niggaz can't cut they anxiety
Peep, I fill your brain with suspicion, pay attention
Like you paid tuition, and stop all your bull-ishin'
The rap chemist in the lab to the finish
The mike is my apprentice, cause I can't stand
Courts or tennis, my pigmentation is the menace
That's why the system's always tryin' to pursue with a blemish
Pale asses, think a nigga in this
My flows tremendous, for the meal you can't replenish
The question you ask me, situation get worse
Flam I won't befriend ya, cause I'm no great pretender
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
Here on this agenda, there is no pretenders
So when we begin to assassinate your cast members
It's like that, one time for your mind
Fifth Dynasty, intertwine and combine
M-Illi-Tant
The Bad Lieuten-ant one hundred X, Bahamadia
Minds and souls, like that
Fifth Dynasty, my man [Incomprehensible] , P.R. Star
My man Slick Looka
Check it out, one time like that
Feel the Fifth the One-Fifth attack
Your backbone and spine
Check it out brother Q U E S T
South Philly, [Incomprehensible]

Enjoy the lyrics !!!
The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the "hip-hop band" concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.

The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).

The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.

The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.

In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.

The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.

2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring cody chestnutt). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.

The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.

On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.

The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.

The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.

The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, Undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.

The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.

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The Roots