"Sip the juice 'cause I got enough to go around
And the thought takes place uptown
I grew up on the sidewalk where I learned street talk
And then taught to hawk New York
I go to Queens for queens to get the crew from Brooklyn
Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken
Go Uptown and the Bronx to boogie down
Get strong on the Island, recoup, and lay around
Time to build my juice back up
Props back up, suckers get smacked up
Don't doubt the clout, you know what I'm about
Knocking niggaz off, knocking niggaz out
Shaking em up, waking em up
Raking em up, breaking em up
Standing on shaky grounds too close to the edge
Let's see if I know the ledge"
Some day I'll make a top 5 favorite MCs list, but for now just know that Rakim is top 2 on that list. I first heard this track when I saw the movie Juice; I don't remember how old I was when I watched it. Every now and then, VH1 just played random movies and Juice was one of those movies and I just remember getting hyped when I heard the song. While other hip hop heads had already known about the movie and the soundtrack (btw - it's a really good soundtrack), I was just a kid seeing and hearing all of this for the first time.
The song opens up with rhythmic bass for 4 bars and then Rakim's verse set the tone for the rest of the song. I have never heard anyone say the word "Sip" so aggressively that it made me sit and listen to what he was saying. I love this song from Eric B. & Rakim because it showcases exactly what Rakim is capable of doing, lyrically. If you listen closely, it's as if his words are dancing to the beat, hitting all the kicks and snares. I highly recommend listening to "I Know You Got Soul" and "Microphone Fiend" for some real hip hop skill.
-RAWfiki
