The Boomin’ System Lyrics

[Intro]
Just kick a little something for them cars that be bumping
Yeah, aight, but we need a beat that they can front to
Oh, that'll work, be funky, you know what I'm sayin'?
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems
Cars ride by—
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (Funky)
Cars ride by— (For all the cars out there and all the brothers)
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (That like to front in they rides)
Cars ride by— (Check it out)

[Verse 1]
You know it's funky, funky, funky 'cause you heard it from here, see
A jam that you love that don't be gettin' no airplay
Strictly for frontin' when you're ridin' around
Twelve o'clock at night with your windows down
Headlights blinkin' 'cause your batteries drain
Armor All on your tires and a big gold chain
Parkin' outside of all the hip-hop spots
Push the EQ and play connect the dots
Leanin' to the side, people everywhere
The trunk full of amps, there ain't no room for a spare
Big beats bumpin' with the bass in back
All the sophisticated suckers catch a heart attack
'Cause they don't understand why I act this way
Pumpin' up the funky beat until the break of day
It's because I want attention when I'm ridin' by
And the girls be on my jock 'cause my system's fly
[Chorus]
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (All up at dawn)
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (Just frontin')
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems

[Verse 2]
Girlies wanna ride with a brother like me
'Cause they be hear me gettin' funky frequently
They tell me don't drink and drive, I say, "What is this?
Mind your business"
Then pass it around

Laid back, hypnotized by the funky sound
People in the street see me bobbin' my head
While I'm checkin' out the rapper and the rhyme that he said
I'm frontin' and I don't care if you know
The back seat of my car is like a disco show
You would think I was a good friend of Al Capone
Crazy air freshener, who needs cologne?
Bottom to the bottom to the top to the top
Cruise, it's three o'clock
The girlies, they smile, they see me comin'

I'm steady hummin', I got the "Funky Drummer" drummin'
My trunk be shakin', vibratin' and rattlin'
Pumpin' so loud, all the shorties be babblin'
My right-hand man's here without the swing
Every chance I get I'm showin' off my rings
I can keep it up until the break of dawn
'Cause I'm frontin' in my ride and my word is bond
[Chorus]
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (Frontin', you know what I mean?)
Cars ride by—
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems
Cars ride by—

[Verse 3]
Sunroof open so I can feel the wind blow
I don't give a damn if it cracks my back window
C to the O to the O to the L to the I to the N
To the F to the R to the O to the N to the T to the I to the N

That means I'm chillin'
Like Spoonie Gee said, my seats are soft like a bed
They recline way back, so I can get real cozy
I got the gangster tapes in the place
Like a basehead would say, I want bass
I want a hit, I want a dose
You're rollin' up smilin', but you can't come close
'Cause my system is pumpin' loud
Like Rakim said, I wanna move the crowd
I warm it up with Kane, fight the power with PE
Tell the cops, "You gots to chill" with EPMD
This is something devastatin' that'll break your trunk
And remember, Uncle L is like the future of the funk

[Chorus]
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (Yeah, that's frontin')
Cars ride by—
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (You know what I'm sayin'?)
Cars ride by— (So next time you're in your ride pumpin' it up)
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems (Just remember)
Cars ride by— (It's cool)
Cars ride by with the boomin' systems
Cars ride by— (Peace)

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“The Boomin' System” is the first single from Mama Said Knock You Out. It hit #1 on the US Rap Chart and was moderately successful in crossing over to pop, peaking at #48 in the US and #87 in the UK.

Most of the music is sampled from “The Payback” by James Brown. Also sampled is Brown’s classic “Funky Drummer”.

Some controversial lines included in the original single version of the track were edited out of the album version, which came out a month afterward:

They tell me don’t drink and drive
I say what is this?
(Pass the Heineken and) mind your business
(Roll up a fat one) now pass it around

The hook of the song is sampled from another track on this album: “Cheesy Rat Blues”.

Q&A

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

What did LL COOL J say about "The Boomin’ System"?
Genius Answer

Producer Marley Marl told LL that the line “Cars ride by with the boomin' system” from “Cheesy Rat Blues” would make a good song title. So “The Boomin' System” was born from a sampling of that lyric:

You know what was incredible to me? He [LL] said it on ‘Cheesy Rat Blues.’ He said, ‘Cars ride by with the boomin’ system.’ And when he said that, I was like, ‘That’s the title for a song.’ So I sampled him saying that and we made ‘The Boomin’ System.’

Credits
Produced By
Co-Producer
Assistant Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Performance Rights
Release Date
August 2, 1990
View The Boomin’ System samples
Tags
Comments