General Principles lyrics

[Intro: Chess sample]
Castle, Queen C2
If black takes on C4, then white could play E4
[Inaudible]

[Verse 1: GZA]
I must put in time to get mine, many hours to earn power
Like the ashy hand pizzeria owner that rolled flour
I can't be a broke n*gga, bitter and sour
Sellin' CD's on the corner of Sunset and Gower
A small fry n*gga in a big potato world
Sizzlin' in some beef full of grease like jheri curls, uh-uh
Shout out to DJ's who kept it real
Shipped a few hundred thou', but some never broke the seal
f*ck them! Stick to college radios, mic shows
Stormin' university with freestyles, sick flows
Might give a lecture about your rap texture
MC, B-Boy, DJ/Director
The name was a bell that rang through the hall
Popular as the tag on the bathroom stall
Check it! This language is so captivatin'
When we lose a rap n*gga, the news is devastatin'
Whether to the prison or grave
You know this rap sh*t is built
From the strength of those that hunger and crave
My clan got rhymes for days, to be skilled it pays
Most of them can't escape the solar rays
[Inaudible chess sample]

[Verse 2: GZA]
Name a crew that can stop the force that I strike wit'
Let alone, try to hold the pen that I write wit'
You can even chop off my fingers I type wit'
Those I hold a mic wit', thinkin' I might quit
They didn't know that only makes me more determined
Ich lebe für hip-hop — you can ask the Germans
Some say I never got this full recognition
So I drop another, they shocked and still listen
Plus I, ran into a well-known musician
He said this sample's sh*t, got too many cooks in the kitchen
Now he's back to flippin' Love-Born's and Cypher-Zig's
To support his kids, much even hyper wiz
A bad amigo will stroke your ego
You see the flash on the dash when he blast your Buick-Regal
The same brother you was throwin' your key to
Brought the seven n*ggas in the building to see you
You know these goddamn streets's so gritty
With sour milk from titties that'll spoil the city
The hood cornerbacks, strong attack is a blitz
But we don't lie down for sh*t, not even direct hits

[Hook: GZA]
From graffiti in New York, on the walls and trains
DJ's in California to the shores of Maine
B-Boys on the floor who be doin' the thang
To MC's behind ropes who had titles to claim
[Verse 3: GZA]
My team's about shootouts, the fans shout with loud mouths
The clock run out, the ref throw the sign, it's overtime
The rim-leanin', visitin' teams schemin'
Championship ring fiendin', they must be dreamin'
These rap players and slayers got a lotta endorsements
Make 'em hire law enforcement
Plus I just turned down tracks, can't remember the
Producer with the beats is wack, sound similar
It gotta be excitin', strikin', lightnin'
Bring the best out, to dawn through Harlem
Writin', light stroke from my pen might choke
The tape lent, got a little air, then half the spins
MC's be stuck with fear and fascination
The nature and the scale of events shake the station
I stick up the track armed only with the pen
Terrorize it vocally with the forcefull wind

[Hook: GZA]
From graffiti in New York, on the walls and trains
DJ's in California to the shores of Maine
B-Boys on the floor who be doin' the thang
To MC's behind ropes who had titles to claim

This is hip-hop
[Outro: Chess sample]
Castle, Queen C2
If black takes on C4, then white could play E4
[Inaudible]
C5, Queen A5, E5, Knight D5, Bishop takes C4, Knight C3, and then Castle