I Need A Beat

(album: Radio - 1985)

I need a beat (I need a beat, I need a beat)
(I need a beat, I need a beat)

If it's a malleable beat, subject of discussion
You're motivated with the aid of percussion
There's no category for this story
It will rock in any territory
I syncopate it and design it well
The beat elevates, the scratch excels
All techniques are a combination
Of skills that I have for narration

I need a beat

Lacking a melody, but still complete
Providing musical energy for the street
Lyrics are smooth for maximum effect
Drum track patterns are pre-set
Tom-toms, snare, hats, bass, and cymbal
Like that of a cat, on the mic I'm nimble
Basic patterns, groups and chains
Sequence frequent, seek and gain

Break
Break two

I'm in the center of a musical scorcher
To some citizens, it's a form of torture
They hear me, they fear me, my funky poetry
I'm improving the conditions of the rap industry
The beat expands to many foreign lands
Germany, Italy, France and Japan
It'll give you a lift, no need to sniff
No buts, no hows, no whys, or ifs
It's you I defeated, they'll say you retreated
Pick up your favorite magazine and read it
Rap firepower, a musical shower
A picture of me on the Eiffel Tower

I need a beat

During this journey, I'm your escort
You're being protected by a musical fort
I'm infiltrating your eardrums
Increasing their rate of vibration
I wanna rock ya, that's all you need to know
"I Need a Beat" is the title of the show
Providing you with pleasure of the musical measures
All arranged to alleviate pressure
I'm your vocalist, your party therapist
Beat programmer and lyricist
Ladies Love Cool J, studio user
A million or more screaming people abuser
I predict this jam will hit
The highest plateau in the world of music
Paparazzi, wealth and fame
The total propulsion of my name

I need a beat

Computerize, then the engineer's eyes
Have to be very acute, education level high
The product is mine, beat under rhyme
The control board's part of the studio design
Track after track, culminating on wax
The tape has slack, rewind spins back
Expensive but useful, the music is the fuel
A perfect place for MCs to duel (duel, duel, duel)

I need a beat
Farmer's Boulevard
Hot as Queens
Ladies Love Cool J
Cut Creator