I Remember Lyrics - The Holmes Brothers

[ VERSE 1: Mike G ] 

Remedies for house parties stayed simple and plain 

Little wine, little music, little Mary Jane 

Gotta keep the lights dim, so when the people walk in 

The vibe stays nice and mellow, everybody fits in 

And everybody hey and ho, are gettin they groove on 

The record only stops when the lights came on 

Then they went back off, we continued to groove 

Then somebody grabbed the mic like they had somethin to prove 

It was just the spirit got em, it wouldn't let loose 

There right before our eyes hip-hop was produced 

The fire kept on burnin like a doggie in heat 

You couldn't help to feel the flavor as you walked through the streets 

Everybody had a crew on every block for blocks 

This seemed to be insurance that the beat won't stop 

So one day shots ring and it was no one to blame 

All you thought was would it ever all be the same 

But if you got the love, baby, won't a damn thing change 

As long as you remember it always remains 

[ CHORUS: The Holmes Brothers ] 

I remember 

When we used to play shoot-em-up, bang-bang 

I remember 

When we used to play shoot-em-up, bang-bang 

MC's and DJ's (2x) 

[ VERSE 2: Afrika Baby Bam ] 

Block parties jam-packed, the first time I heard rap 

And deejays spinnin breakbeats back 

These were the last good days of the ghetto 

It wasn't all about bein jiggy, so save that rap for Jell-O 

Down on my knees in the street playin skelly 

Rushin upstairs to see _Graffiti Rock_ on the telly 

With one eye on the beats droppin 

I knew that one day would come when I'd be on the mic rockin 

Every day after school practisin 

I mixed blues smarts with street smarts, and then started battle rappin 

But for me it wasn't happenin 

So I changed up my style, to the ladies been mackin 

I wrote a rhyme about 'Roxanne, Roxanne' 

I used to bust it out when I went to a jam 

My mother read the dirty rap 

She said, "You ain't gon' go too far expressin yourself like that 

Disrespectin black women 

And what's gon' happen when you turn around and try to have your own children?" 

So I changed up my style once again 

So me and my moms could still be friends 

My daddy wasn't buggin out so far 

Watchin me pretend to be another rap star 

Through my eyes he saw a child changin 

Growin up to be a man and leave behind the shootin, bangin 

[ CHORUS ] 

[ VERSE 3: Afrika Baby Bam ] 

Now this one goes out to the ones who set it off 

And all the pioneers that made it what it was 

Cause we been doin this for 25 years long 

So we gotta represent and keep hip-hop strong 

JBeez, we on a plateau, ain't nothin stoppin us 

Will with the spirit of God, now watch it jump in us 

Cause when you cut the roots off the family tree 

All you leave behind is the sweet memory 

Right from the start, we did it in the park 

It wasn't for the money, and it came from the heart 

But in these days and times, when rappers write rhymes 

All we think about is signin on the dotted line 

Me, I been thinkin about the way it used to be 

When before you was a rapper, you became an MC 

I'm proud of my heritage, and glad that we made it 

I still bust rhymes without bein player-hated 

Standin on the same stage, rockin with the JBeez 

Was a dream come true for a brother like me 

Before rap was consumed, and hip-hop was doomed 

I was bangin on tables, rhymin in the lunchroom 

I used to walk the street with my ghetto blaster 

My brothers on the block was startin Zulu chapters 

You know what I'm talkin about if you go way back 

And yo, big ups to all my sisters, in the name of rap 

Cause when it comes to hip-hop, you know you gotta keep it true 

Take from the old, mix it with the new 

I used to go by the name of MC Shazaam 

But now you know me as Afrika Baby Bam 

[ CHORUS ]