When I B on tha Mic Lyrics

[Chorus]
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known when I be on the mic
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known, yo
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known when I be on the mic
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
So all hail the honorable


[Verse 1]
It's to my real ill niggas, heavyweight hitters
Dough-getters, fifty ways to make figures
My niggas that come on the spot to feel sisters
Like they hear real spitters and kids on the zigga-ziggas
When it's ugly, then the club is lovely
Thugs be sippin' Hennessy and bubbly
To my comrades that keep it flamin' hot
On dangerous blocks, claimin' spots
Where the goal is to be one of the top-ranked soldiers
Forty-five holders, one of the high rollers
Get respect in the hood, credit is good
Knock it down lumberjack style, baby; extra wood
Rock it all night long, the bang-a-thon
Baby, keep hangin' on, we like it with the lights on

Don't have to blow twenty thou' to get to know honey's style
Show her the town, steal her heart, no money down!

[Chorus]
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known when I be on the mic
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known, yo
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
I'm internationally known when I be on the mic
Hardcore! Real ill niggas!
So all hail the honorable


[Verse 3]
To my elite peeps with the murderous mystiques
I hit the street with beats and they critique for weeks
They be like: "How that kid Ra reach the peak?"
Pull out the heat and use my technique to speak
It's dangerous, sit calm and explain to kids
What part of the game this is in foreign languages
They hold Ra's events in different continents
Put my lyrical contents in monuments
In ghetto garments, I rock a towel like a pharaoh
Mind travel, design style like apparel
My fashions last long as a lifetime
‘Cause I can see the future when the god write rhymes
They're mad ‘cause I managed to reign so long
Like their chance to get money done came and gone
This is strictly for my listeners on the corners at night
And the sisters that be keepin' us right, when I be on the mic

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About

Genius Annotation

“When I B On Tha Mic” was the only single from Rakim’s 1999 sophomore solo album, “The Master”. The record was produced by DJ Premier.

Rakim raps about his skills as a rapper and that he is one of the illest rappers. Rakim wants respect for being internationally known as one of the best MC’s.

On the song’s official music video, DJ Premier, M.O.P. , Sticky Fingaz of Onyx and Busta Rhymes made their cameo appearances.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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