Thelonius Lyrics

[Verse 1: J Dilla]
Uhh, yeah, yeah, play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
Ha, yeah, yeah, play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist
You know us, this rap shit we bout to own it
You know it, these Mini-Me's trying to clone us
I got a bonus for the bitch that run up on us
I got a bonus for your bitch that wanna bone us
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist

[Verse 2: T3]
Uhh, no time to sleep 'cause if you sleep you don't eat
Gotta hold heat, just to make ends meet
Niggas living on the street while other niggas feast
Aight wit you it ain't aight wit me
Right, gotta make money all my life
Gotta stay fucking bitches many types
Yeah you know what I'm talking bout
Yup, stay turning these bitches out
Dick em down also dick em out
The hoes duck down whenever my dick's out
They know me so they restructure and reroute
They know me from Washington to down South
All the way to London to my nigga Common house, right
It's like a game we never play out, out, out, out
[Hook: J Dilla]
Nigga no doubt, nigga get live or get knocked the fuck out
Word up, just be about what you about dogg
Knowhatimsayin, just play at your own risk
Act like you know bitch I'm on some grown shit
It's the Thelonious, super microphonist
You know us, this rap shit we bout to own it
You know it, cause you can feel it in your throat, say it

[Verse 3: Common]
I'm bout to let my mind float
(Com, say it)
Get your third eye poked
Fuck game, I assemble dope
Ness, a nigga that's fresh as the fest
Studied this rap shit, no need to mic test
You can feel it in your chest
Your bia' feel it in her breasts
Plus you, rhyme like a nigga wit his nipples pierced
We lick off lyrics in the streets and real niggas hear us
Dreamin when I wrote this, box me if I go too wild
Still doin this shit like dude in Wild Style
Inviting wack niggas to dinner
I Trick Daddy emcees and I don't know, nann nigga
Who can take it where I take it
You better goin' to God like Ma$e did
Leaving crowds complacent
I move 'em above clouds whether on some surf and turf shit
Or thug style you can feel it in your body
Yeah y'all you can feel it in your body
[Hook: J Dilla]
Like if a 12 gauge shottie shell hit your body
You don't want it, need to find your ass a hobby
Carbon copy, niggas tryin to clone us
You know us, Thelonious, super microphone
You know this, rap shit we 'bout to own it dun, for real

[Verse 4: Baatin]
Everyday (ey day), it's like a ritual
You been invited let the mortal body stimulate the place
With the grace, nevertheless, I stress
Let the music put a smile on your face
As for the ritual, when it comes to spiritual excellence
You know I always leave you with the taste
I know you like it hard to the core
That's what you ask for, you aching for the best
Hurtin like a sore in that ass, like a ritual
Conversation with the most high makes me wanna cry
I wonder why, you wanna get to paradise
But that itty bitty part of you don't wanna die
So pay attention to my word, cause it's the truth
Meditation ease the mind, and brings the youth
It's like a verse you could never read out of a book
Dropping the line in your mind like a fish hook
Word is birth, yo I do it till the break of day
Pay attention to your heart, never go astray
Word is bond
[Verse 5: J Dilla]
Yo we do it and we don't quit
Sucka nigga you don't want it, it's Thelonious
Owning this rap shit, super microphonist and we known to spit
I spit fire like Esther on Sanford and Son did
I'm raw duke, more juice than Sunkist
You want this, see when J get to saying the rhyme flawless
Shit fly like MJ in his prime, Off The Wall with mines
I’m grabbin my balls when I rhyme now
Nines bust and plus ball all the time, now
Stay on your mind like great sex
You ain't on my mind I'm thinking bout paychecks
Niggas large like an 8X Avirex jacket
Conant Gardens they bust like latex sex packets
Emcees they don't rhyme and ball, they lyin' to y'all
They dyin' to ball, the rhyme we do all the time
We do all the fine bitches they fall in lines
Me and my mans is something like the Source Sports
We gettin money a long time and y'all short
My niggas bounce in foreign rides and yours Fords
You funny duke, cause really you think you can do me
When you roll a 500 that's really a 320
Should of let somebody else hook it
Numbers look crooked like King Kong shook it
I'm from where niggas bang gats when they celebrate
That's how they play, don't let it be a holiday

Thelonious niggas, if you testin us we get you laid back
Show you the definition of a payback

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

This track appears on Common’s 2000 project, Like Water for Chocolate, and was also included months later on Slum Village’s Fantastic, Vol. 2.

At the start of The Roots' “Can’t Stop This” from their 2006 record Game Theory, Black Thought pays homage to Dilla as “the most humble, modest, worthy, and gifted beat maker” he’s known, and “definitely the best producer on a mic.” This song is sheer evidence of that, as Jay wipes the joint clean here on the last verse (and that’s without mentioning the production).

Hip-hop-influenced leading lights in jazz, The Robert Glasper Trio & Experiment, have also featured this groove prominently on “J Dillalude” of their 2007 record In My Element (Trio) and, since then, in their various live sets (Trio & Experiment).

Q&A

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

Credits
Featuring
Produced By
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Performance Rights
Recording Engineer
Assistant Recording Engineer
Mixing Engineer
Assistant Mixing Engineer
Mastering Engineer
Recorded At
Studio A (Dearborn Heights, Michigan)
Release Date
March 28, 2000
Songs That Interpolate Thelonius
Tags
Comments