It's been a long time

It's been a long time

It's been a long time

It's been a long time

Rakim the microphone soloist



Follow procedures the crowd couldn't wait to see this

Nobody been this long awaited since Jesus

Who wouldn't believe this I heard the word on the street is

I'm still one of the deepest on the mic since Adidas



They said I changed the times from the rhymes that I thought of

So I made some more to put the New World in Order

With Mathematics, put your status above the average

And help you rappers, make paragraphs with graphics



'Cause new days is dawnin', new ways of peformin'

Brain stormin', I write and watch the night turn to mornin'

On and on and, I got the whole world respondin'

Rock, I keep it hot and blow the spot without warnin'



The Emperor, well known for, inventin' a sentence

Full of adventure, turnin' up the temperature

Rush with adrenaline, how long has it been again

To be in the state of min'd that Rakim is in?



It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist

It's been a long time

It's been a long time

Rakim



When I'm out proppin', either, hangin' or shoppin'

People see me stop and ask me when the album droppin'

The wait is over, information like a soldier

Like I told ya, greater stronger, now that I'm older



I broke the, code of silence with overloads of talents

My only challenge, is not to explode in violence

I'm Asiatic, and blazin' microphones a habit

At least once durin' the course of a day, it's automatic



In ghetto apparel, mind of a Egyptian Pharaoh

Far from shallow, thoughts travel like an arrow

Allah's monotony, so far they can't stop me

You know, Ra want property like Mumar Khadafi



More thoughts than Bibles, recital, taught disciples

A sawed off mic, so words scatter like a rifle

Thoughts that's trifle, I'm bustin' these for you

Aiyyo, technical difficulties is through



It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist

It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist



It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist

It's been a long time

It's been a long time



When I float at night, I show 'em new heights, I go to write

They know I strike with new prototypes to blow the mic

Critics and biters, don't know where my source of light is

Still leave authors and writers with arthritis



Cursed kids like the Pyramids when they found the style

First to ever let a rhyme flow down the Nile

The rebirth of hip-hop'll be dropped now

'Cause the crowd didn't hear the original in a while



So be alarmed, what you 'bout to see is the bomb

Like, 3-D in' 'Nam, vivid like CD-Rom

Info kept like "Internet.com"

My notebook's my bond like the Holy Quran



Since I came in the door, said it before

But no I ain't down with Eric B no more

At night the open mic be invitin' me to rhyme

So yo I'm online, it's been a long time



It's been a long time

It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist

It's been a long time

Rakim, the microphone soloist



It's been a long time

It's been a long time

It's been a long time

It's been a long time

It's been a long time