Here we go; we gonna send this one out to the old school
All these m************ in the Bronx, and Brooklyn, and Staten Island
Queens, and all the m************ that laid it down, the foundation
Ya know what I'm saying? Nothing but love for the old school
That's who we gonna do this one for, ya feel me?
[Repeat: x3]
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
I remember Mr. Magic, FLASH, Grandmaster Caz
LL raisin hell but, that didn't last
Eric B. & Rakim was, the s*** to me
I flip to see a Doug E. Fresh show, with Ricky D
And Red Alert was putting in work, with Chuck Chill
Had my homies on the hill getting ill, when s*** was real
Went out to steal, remember Raw, with Daddy Kane
When De La Soul was putting Potholes in the game
I can't explain how it was, Whodini
Had me puffin on that buddha getting buzzed, cause there I was
Them block parties in the projects, and on my block
You diggi don't stop, sipping on that Private Stock
Through my speaker Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte
Listen to Treach, KRS to get me through the night
With T La Rock and Mantronix, to Stetsasonic
Remember "Push It" was the bomb s***, nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
It ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Yeah, it ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
I had, Shell Toes, and BVD's
A killer crease inside my Lee's when I hit the streets
I'm playing skelly, ring to leavey, or catch a kiss
Before the homies in my hood learned to smack a b****, I remember
Way back, the weak weed they had
Too many seeds in the trey bag
I'm on the train heading uptown, free styling
With some wild kids from Bucktown, profiling
Cause the hoochies was staring, thinking, "Why them n***** swearing?"
I'm wondering if that's her hair, I remember
Stickball, pump the hoochies on the wall
Or taking leaks on the steps, stinking up the hall
Through my childhood, wild as a juvenile
A young n**** trying to stay away from Riker's Isle
Me and my homies breaking nights, trying to keep it true
Out on the roof sipping 90 proof, ain't noting like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Yeah, that's right, it ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nuttin like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Remember popping and locking to Kurtis Blow, the name belts
And Scott LaRock the Super Hoe back in Latin Quarters
When Slick Rick was spitting La-Di-Da-Di
Gamin the hoochies at the neighborhood block parties, I remember
Breakdancin to Melle Mel
Jekyll and Hyde, LL when he Rocks the Bells
Forget the TV, about to hit the streets and do graffiti
Be careful don't let the transit cops see me
It ain't nuttin like the old school!
[Grand Puba sample repeats every bar to end]
It ain't nothing like the old school
It ain't nothing like the old school
Hey, on the real though, ain't nothing like the old school
Remember seeing Brooklyn go crazy up in the m************ party?
Member how f****** used to go, "Is Brooklyn in the house?"
And m************ would lose they g****** mind
That's the old school to me; that's what I'm saying (Su-per, s****)
I remember going places that m************ was scared to say
They was from anywhere but Brooklyn, that s*** was the bomb
Back in the m************ old school n****
Remember skelly n****? Knocking n***** out the box, poppin boxes?
Member stick ball? Member n***** to run that s*** like that?
Member the block members screaming up at your mom from the window?
(LL Cool J is hard as hell)
The ice cream truck, member all the mother,
Member the Italian icey's yo?
Yo remember the Italian icey's the Spanish n***** coming down
With the coconut icey's and s***?
I came through the door, said it before
That was the s***!
All these m************ in the Bronx, and Brooklyn, and Staten Island
Queens, and all the m************ that laid it down, the foundation
Ya know what I'm saying? Nothing but love for the old school
That's who we gonna do this one for, ya feel me?
[Repeat: x3]
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
I remember Mr. Magic, FLASH, Grandmaster Caz
LL raisin hell but, that didn't last
Eric B. & Rakim was, the s*** to me
I flip to see a Doug E. Fresh show, with Ricky D
And Red Alert was putting in work, with Chuck Chill
Had my homies on the hill getting ill, when s*** was real
Went out to steal, remember Raw, with Daddy Kane
When De La Soul was putting Potholes in the game
I can't explain how it was, Whodini
Had me puffin on that buddha getting buzzed, cause there I was
Them block parties in the projects, and on my block
You diggi don't stop, sipping on that Private Stock
Through my speaker Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte
Listen to Treach, KRS to get me through the night
With T La Rock and Mantronix, to Stetsasonic
Remember "Push It" was the bomb s***, nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
It ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Yeah, it ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
I had, Shell Toes, and BVD's
A killer crease inside my Lee's when I hit the streets
I'm playing skelly, ring to leavey, or catch a kiss
Before the homies in my hood learned to smack a b****, I remember
Way back, the weak weed they had
Too many seeds in the trey bag
I'm on the train heading uptown, free styling
With some wild kids from Bucktown, profiling
Cause the hoochies was staring, thinking, "Why them n***** swearing?"
I'm wondering if that's her hair, I remember
Stickball, pump the hoochies on the wall
Or taking leaks on the steps, stinking up the hall
Through my childhood, wild as a juvenile
A young n**** trying to stay away from Riker's Isle
Me and my homies breaking nights, trying to keep it true
Out on the roof sipping 90 proof, ain't noting like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Yeah, that's right, it ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nuttin like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Ain't nothing like the old school
"What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way"
Remember popping and locking to Kurtis Blow, the name belts
And Scott LaRock the Super Hoe back in Latin Quarters
When Slick Rick was spitting La-Di-Da-Di
Gamin the hoochies at the neighborhood block parties, I remember
Breakdancin to Melle Mel
Jekyll and Hyde, LL when he Rocks the Bells
Forget the TV, about to hit the streets and do graffiti
Be careful don't let the transit cops see me
It ain't nuttin like the old school!
[Grand Puba sample repeats every bar to end]
It ain't nothing like the old school
It ain't nothing like the old school
Hey, on the real though, ain't nothing like the old school
Remember seeing Brooklyn go crazy up in the m************ party?
Member how f****** used to go, "Is Brooklyn in the house?"
And m************ would lose they g****** mind
That's the old school to me; that's what I'm saying (Su-per, s****)
I remember going places that m************ was scared to say
They was from anywhere but Brooklyn, that s*** was the bomb
Back in the m************ old school n****
Remember skelly n****? Knocking n***** out the box, poppin boxes?
Member stick ball? Member n***** to run that s*** like that?
Member the block members screaming up at your mom from the window?
(LL Cool J is hard as hell)
The ice cream truck, member all the mother,
Member the Italian icey's yo?
Yo remember the Italian icey's the Spanish n***** coming down
With the coconut icey's and s***?
I came through the door, said it before
That was the s***!