Rare Portraits Lyrics - Gravitas - Talib Kweli

Gravitas, light it up 

Lighten it up, brighten it up, yea 

You want the grown step your bars up 

You brag about the scrilla them killas lighten your cars up 

Welcome to the complete history of the one known as Talib Kweli 

Such a blessing, I'm making the bread leven 

Descendant of Terra Firma 

I'm from the era of legend 

The blind to my eyesight 

Too scared of the world ending 

My men of spiritual essence be walking right into heaven 

Ascending without the stairs, expressing without the fears 

We diamonds but our minds are corrupted just like De Beers 

Unravelling minds, travelling through time like langoliers 

Standing with the flow like the man in the gondolier 

In the park of Washington Square, locks in my hair 

Louder than the bull horns we was locking 'em there 

Cops would prepare to lock us up 

They was scared like tales from the dark side 

Summer of the Central Park five 

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1989 was the number, the year that I started rhyming 

From Brooklyn to Staten Island them Decepticons was wildin' 

Music soothing but the imagery violent as bomb threats 

Therapy for the prison industrial complex 

Provided the context for the crime with the tec nine 

At Brooklyn Tech I spit it the best so they had to respect mine 

I did it to death on my grind on a quest to get signed 

Sorta like the tribe would always suggest we check the rhyme 

An internal with Puff Daddy, in front of the buffed patio 

Rolling with Hi Tek in the MPV through the streets of the 'Nati 

Before graduating to Caddies was carrying crates 

Shoutout to Flex all day doing records with John Forte 

We was standing outside the tower devouring prey 

Powerful display of bullet points that we shower and spray the block with 

Back in them salad days these rappers was appetizers 

I played it like I was David, I was tackling that Goliath 

Attacking the open mics to the victory was decisive 

This life it was so enticing, my surgery so precise 

I would chop it like thin slices at parties we politic 

At the country club, lighting up dutches with Pac and Big 

At the crib of supernatural battling back and forth 

Back before Jean was in the unsigned hype in the back of The Source 

Rest in peace to Allah's sons 

Shabba was liking to call you son 

Cause you mine I call you son cause you shine 

What's up Alyasha, this is OG Brooklyn shit 

Not for impostors, pour out a shot of vodka for them 

Big L, Big Poppa, Big Pun, 2Pac 

The jungle is too savage, rap true master producing the new classic 

This shit is too classic it's blow to [?] to spinal tap 

I started with the Rawkus Recording we work the vinyl backwards 

From DEF JUX to Loaded Lux 

I'm the underground king like I'm rolling with Bun and [?] 

The flow is nuts it's solid I got the golden touch 

Plus my iron sheek and I got the game and the cobra clutch 

This the highest calibre do the algebra 

From Yasiin Bey to Jean Grey to Pharoahe Monch 

Black Thought to Common 

Almost 20 years after the release of Soundbombing 

And it still sounds timeless 

I'm out and on tour with the greatest, A Tribe Called Quest 

And the De La's, opened for Jay Z and Nas, who else could say this? 

In Vegas with Tech 9 getting faded before the gig 

Only later to hit the RIO and hop on the stage with Prince 

True story, I always knew the importance of great shows 

Since 1992 I seen Ice Cube play [?], way cold 

Continue to pave the road for the Kendricks and J Coles 

Continue to stake gold 

From making the way for Kanye to meetings with Mr. Harry Belafonte 

All started on park benches with Dante 

Predicting the future, so observant I'm clairvoyant 

The frame can't contain it, I'm painting a rare portrait 

Photos