Idols Lyrics - Joe Budden

Look, long live your idols, may they never be your rivals 

Rakim was like Jesus, Chuck D wrote the Bible 

G-Rap was God, I learned to punch from Kane 

Lived in Queens so on Farmers we would see Todd James 

Remember the cover of Black Panther with the fat gold chains 

Then Slick Rick had a million of 'em 

So I wanted a million of 'em 

Yeah, back in my first days 

When we ain't know who was the nicest nigga in 3rd Base 

Which emcee was the worst before my emcee search 

Some niggas thought Pete Nice, me, I thought MC Serch 

This before I ever met Em, way before "Hammer Dance" 

This when I was asking Carrie Anne to make me Hammer pants 

Smooth B was dope, Greg Nice had character 

Before I ever knew image would even matter, bruh 

Ice Cube raised me, gotta mention Gang Starr 

Me and Premier tight right now, we in the same squad 

Always tell me stories on the game and how it changed, y'all 

Life don't always come full circle, I can't explain, God 

Teacher to student 

The overlap and the generational gap I'm seeing is prudent 

So when I speak of pursuing 

What we deemed as mere dreams and illusions 

Albeit a nuisance 

I'm brewing from eyes that have seen through it 

It's no time for even a body to be reclusive 

Execs'll feed you excuses, and if its seasoned, you chew it 

We got old ideologies, I think we should renew it 

The psychology for some of that reasoning's even stupid 

For me it's deeper than music, much deeper than music 

They stole our musical freedom, up next it's freedom of music 

As a tenth grade drop-out I'm watching the aftermath 

Of everything streaming and doing the extremist 

This is true shit 

Don't take a genius to see the genius is stewing 

Ain't got the reach to do it, so let me reach you can do it 

It go 

Look, look 

If you live long you see your idols be your rivals 

Hov was like the GOAT, congratulations on Tidal 

Salute, you broke through many barriers for us 

When we couldn't move the needle you carried us for us 

Look forward, maybe in 30 years they'll implore us 

Push to the back of the red ignore us 

I think we nearing that border 

Mr. Carter, who gon' fare for the authors? 

They only there to extort us 

Who gon be there to record us, nigga? 

Even deeper who gon' care for our daughters? 

And our sons just the vultures 

We keep handing them the culture 

And the hip-hop that raised this kid is one that spoke up 

I'm pessimistic, I won't even get my hopes us 

But if it's gon' all implode before it blow up 

Need more than overcharging for what they did to the Cold Crush 

Just a PSA in lieu of the movement 

Can't get a quarter back now, what about future music? 

Really 

So if I'm gone when tomorrow come 

The mission for my only-born when tomorrow come 

How will we receive songs when tomorrow come? 

Here's my study for understudies to borrow from 

New Rage & Machine, nigga, we got this 

Is what you hear when label ideas meet a plot twist 

Used to be faded from the killer talk 

Now we suffocating from the pillow talk 

Every verse like, "damn, y'all love chivalry" 

They offer me fame as a man, I chose dignity 

Guess everything ain't for everybody 

Maybe everybody ain't for everything 

It ain't a thing, I'm looking through my career 

I'm more the long game dude on how I choose to prepare 

Not the richest, just the sickest, ask the dudes in your tier 

Knew if I made it to the top I'd hate the views from up there 

We don't value the same shit, I spoke through a despair 

Stood out before it was cool to be weird, my nigga, you just appear 

Before these niggas hit puberty 

I was online talking like it's just you and me 

The foolery, but since we hopping like rabbits 

Calling everything that's dropping a classic 

With all this modern day practice 

Tactics that should rot in the ashes 

Some are cut from the same cloth 

Some have forgotten the fabric, listen 

Raised a nigga that you rather leave at bay 

She ain't walking in naked, she ain't fashionably late 

Have her bring your good shoes so you can dodge around the rumors 

In a suit that light the room up like Robert Downey Jr.'s 

Fifth to the court tell I did this before 

Without a bearing ask Karen, nothing civil in war 

It's civil war, to judging off the shit that I saw 

I'm trying to leave it so our kids'll have more 

Tomorrow is bigger than all