Block Party Cipher

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Block Party Cipher lyrics

Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.

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Intro

Bronx lights dimmin' on the Blackout night Stole the current from the pole just to get it right '77 summer, sound of a new culture starts Grandmaster Flash scratchin', rewiring broken hearts

Verse 1

Welcome to the Boogie Down, yeah, the core of the land Where Kool Herc rocked the breaks with a mic in his hand Before the truce, the Ghetto Brothers ran the whole street Now the vinyl spinnin' heavy and the feelin' is sweet From the conflict, we evolved a rhythm you can't block We put the 'real talk' into the beat that doesn't stop Dead-ass pride in the city where the ice is so raw We built a movement from the dust, the ultimate law

Pre-chorus

They used to call us 'crusty' when we wildin' on the curb Now the cake and the guap is the only spoken word Rep your city, rep your hood, yeah, we stay on the rise Look up, the beat is the answer behind tired eyes

Chorus

This is the Block Party Cipher, the truth in the sound From Port-au-Prince to San Juan, on holy ground We took the pain, found the triumph, made a fire light The soul of the city on the mic, yeah, the future's bright

Verse 2

Check the census, $23K is a lie they keep showin' Latin America's cities, where the hardship keeps growin' But we resilient, just like Celia Cruz on the stage Wyclef Jean on the mic turnin' a critical page Alexander Hamilton, a Caribbean genius flow Conscious rap, the story of the seeds we chose to sow From Boogaloo rhythms to the Bachata on the street We stay focused on the bag, refusing all defeat

Bridge

Spaanse guitar cryin' out, Djembe on the skin Soca, Merengue, Cumbia, where does the journey begin? The steelpan ringin' out a vibrant, syncopated line We tell the whole history, every single word is mine

Verse 3

Now the Zulu Nation knows the code, Afrika Bambaataa's truth The flow's complex, not "frontin'," yeah, we got the whole proof TikTok LIVE, they listenin' to the house with the Afrobeat From Thelonious Monk's spot to the concrete on the street No longer wylin' in the streets, now we wylin' on the track Sent the Black National Anthem to the future and back We are the climax, the resolution that you waited for The block party sound on vinyl hit the world, knockin' at your door

Chorus

Outro

Dead-ass, that's the history. The cipher stays open Legacy cemented in the words that we've spoken We never frontin' on the come up, Kid, or the price From the Bronx, to the world, peace. That's real talk.

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01 / The opening