Business Or Art

All he had to do was just enjoy the ride
Get on my level (Business)
A Gang Starr with a gangster, on a mission
We come and infiltrate your whole cypher man (Art)
Business or art? Fist or steel?
Industry or street? Fake or real?
Cold or hot? Truth or trash?
War or peace? Longevity or cash?
Here's one for SPIN, Billboard, and Rolling Stone
Hip Hop is so organic, it'll grow on its own
We watch 'em throw money at it with clout and power
But after a while, things faded out and went sour
Somebody lost their shirt, execs got fired
Some artist went berserk, took mad drugs and got wired
Hundreds of thousands, up to millions in promo
All wasted on garbage, now, that was a no-no
Oh no, what's gonna happen now to these fools?
These self-centered pricks were showered, proud of 'em too
Never that, 'cause I am the renegade realist
Street visionary, the end of days idealist
People often ask what's the key to longevity
How I'm so consistent and bring the heat incredibly
Intelligence is vital and always stay hood
'Cause this is our culture, and we need to make good
Business or art? Fist or steel?
Industry or street? Fake or real?
Cold or hot? Truth or trash?
War or peace? Longevity or cash?
Business or art? Let's pick it apart
If you ain't spittin' out your heart, you'd be considered a mark
The bullshit gotta stop, 'cause when it's business o'clock
You hear the tickin' and the tockin' on the digital watch
Yeah, time is money, and they don't find it funny
They'll show up where you live, make your environment bloody, buddy
They'll kick in the door, tell you "Get on the floor"
They bust a .9 and bust some rhymes, you like, "gimme some more"
Askin' you where your heart is, but you an artist
You was never as hard as you said you was
Maybe lyin', wasn't the smartest decision you ever made
'Cause this business ain't regulated
If you beefin' over beats in these streets, you'll never make it
Now you singin' to cops, that's your favorite tune, nigga
They ain't got Yelp reviews for goons, nigga
Hip-hop, homie, that's our lane
It's Gang Starr with the Black Star gang
We bang-bang when it's business or art
Business or art? Fist or steel?
Industry or street? Fake or real?
Cold or hot? Truth or trash?
War or peace? Longevity or cash?
All he had to do was just enjoy the ride
G-G-Get on my level (Business)
A Gang Starr with a gangster, on a mission
We come and infiltrate your whole cypher man (Art)