Cover art for Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) (DJ Premier Remix) by Kanye West

Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) (DJ Premier Remix)

Featuring

Rakim, Nas &

Produced by

Feb. 20, 20071 viewer155.6K views

Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) (DJ Premier Remix) Lyrics

[Produced by DJ Premier]

[Hook]
And now for my next number I'd like to return to the…
[Nas] Classic
[Kanye West] Uh, uh, – timeless
[Kool G Rap] Live straight classic
[Nas] Classic
[Kool G Rap] Live, straight classic
[Kanye West] Timeless
[Sample] I'd like to return to the classic
[Rakim] Kanye West
[Rakim Sample] I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone
[Rakim] Uh, yeah

[Verse 1: Rakim]
Is y'all ready for 20-07? It's now another drought
Everybody's a killer, wow, we buggin' out
Since '86 showin' the crowd what I'm about
And they still wanna know when the album comin' out
Ask the teenagers, OG's and nasty kids (Go 'head)
What their definition of "Classic" is
Timeless, so age don't count in the booth
When your flow stay submerged in the fountain of youth

Ain't no doubtin' the truth, I'm off the meters
Everybody cosignin', even non-believers
Since I came in the door, became one of y'alls leaders
In a fresh pair of Air Force One sneakers
Uptowns, we call 'em uppies when they're on divas
Probably worn when KRS-One teaches
Nas made you look before the heaters
I bet you Kan' had 'em on when he walked with Jesus
[Hook]
[Nas] Classic
[Kanye West] Uh, uh, – timeless
[Kool G Rap] Live straight classic
[Nas] Classic
[Kool G Rap] Live, straight classic
[Kanye West] Timeless
[Sample] I'd like to return to the classic
[Rakim] Kanye West
[Rakim Sample] I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
You can't buy this Superfly-ness, like a shine is
Your Highness is performing; look how long the line is
It's what happens when you make shit that's timeless
It's what happens, these rappers is the pioneers
What do it take to be a legend like Nas is?
That's so novice, I'm so polished
I got a right to be a lil bit snobbish
I did a lil bit of college
Semesters, it took two, like Rob Base
To let me figure out this wasn't my place
The beat's slow, 'til you listen to my pace
‘Cause I be killing shit, but that's evident
And y'all feeling it, but I expected it
If it's classic, it's gon' last forever then
I'm everywhere you never been, and better than I ever been
[Hook]
And now for my next number I'd like to return to the…
[Nas] Classic
[Kanye West] Uh, uh, – timeless
[Kool G Rap] Live straight classic
[Nas] Classic
[Kool G Rap] Live, straight classic
[Kanye West] Timeless
[Sample] I'd like to return to the classic
[Rakim] Kanye West
[Rakim Sample] I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone

[Nas Samples: One Love & It Ain't Hard To Tell]
Hold the fort down, represent to the fullest
Nas'll rock well

[Verse 3: Nas]
Perseverance
See, the fake hustler rapper, to them, it hurts to hear this
Oh, you went platinum? Yeah, that's nice
Now, let me see you do the same thing twice
Three times, fo' times, then a couple of mo' times
Please, you're Amateur Night, it's Showtime
It's one life to live, so live it the best you can
The world could use one less man
Not enough air, not enough car factories
To manufacture new vehicles, sedans and vans
When they do make the whip you like, your chips ain't right
By the time you could afford it, the car ain't important
In the streets I'm in, it's just iron
Cops keep firin' in my environment
Leavin' you slumped, then they drive home
Far from the hood, brothers they eager to jump on
I like to be the wall that they toast up on
I like to see them fall, guilty for doin' wrong
I'm classic like the Air One's, the hustler's shoe
That's what I'm accustomed to, yeah!

[Hook: Samples]
And now for my next number I'd like to return to the…
[Nas] Classic
[Kanye West] Uh, uh, – timeless
[Kool G Rap] Live straight classic
[Nas] Classic
[Kool G Rap] Live, straight classic
[Kanye West] Timeless
[Sample] I'd like to return to the classic
[Rakim] Kanye West
[Rakim Sample] I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone

[KRS-One Sample]
"Of course - we have Blastmaster KRS-One"

[Verse 4: KRS-One]
How many of y'all got Criminal Minded?
You! You! You! Y'all don't be blinded
Me, I got no jewels on my neck
Why? I don't need 'em, I got your respect!
KRS-One, twenty-years I rock
I do it for JMJ and Scott La Rock
This hip-hop, and we's a nation
Don't you wanna hear more KRS-One on your radio station?
Instead of broadcastin' how we smoke them trees
On the radio we need to hear more local emcees
Where you at? C'mon, where you at?
This is the difference between emceein' and rap
Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal
Emcees spit rhymes to uplift their people
Peace, Love, Unity, havin' fun
These are the lyrics of KRS-One!


[Hook]
And now for my next number I'd like to return to the…
[Nas] Classic
[Kanye West] Uh, uh, – timeless
[Kool G Rap] Live straight classic
[Nas] Classic
[Kool G Rap] Live, straight classic
[Kanye West] Timeless
[Sample] I'd like to return to the classic
[Rakim] Kanye West
[Rakim Sample] I'm Rakim, the fiend of a microphone

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Q&A

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

What did Kanye West say about "Classic (Better Than I’ve Ever Been) (DJ Premier Remix)"?
Genius Answer

DJ Premier via Complex:

Rick Rubin did the original, and word on the street is they weren’t satisfied with the outcome. It was a whole different tempo, and a whole different approach. Rob Stone said they might actually want to remix it. Actually, KRS-One called me and said, ‘Yo, I need you to help fix this record.’ Then I saw the launch on MTV, and I figured that’s over with, when they launch the sneaker and everything. Then all of a sudden I got a call back again two or three weeks later saying, ‘Yo, they still want you to do something.’ So they sent me the parts, and everything was different. Kanye, Nas, and KRS did the joint to the Rick Rubin beat. Rakim wanted to make his own beat. So he made his own beat, but at the wrong tempo. So when I got it I had to tweak it to get him to that tempo, but still keep him in the same tone of voice. You can do that with technology. So I had to keep him in the same key. He was at a 100 rpm, but it was 107, so that’s a big step. So I stay tuned in the same zero note that he pulled, sped it up, and it matched. Then I just pieced the whole thing together.

“For the video, Rakim came here, and we turned all the lights down, and just made it really dark. Since he’s the only one who came here, when you see the play back, it’s ill. We shot him just with the acapella so we can bring him back in. When I saw that, even though Rakim was last on the song, in the video, I thought he should go first. And that’s how we flipped it around. The video was dope, man.

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