Here we go, we gon' send this one out to the old school
All these motherfuckers in the Bronx and Brooklyn
And Staten Island, Queens, and all the motherfuckers
That laid it down, the foundation, ya know what I'm sayin'?
Nothin' but love for the old school (what more could I say?)
That's who we gonna do this one for, ya feel me? (I wouldn't be here today)

If the old school didn't pave the way
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
(Ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way

I remember Mr. Magic, Flash, Grandmaster Caz
LL Raising Hell, but that didn't last
Eric B. And Rakim was the shit to me
I flip to see a Doug E. Fresh show with Ricky D
And Red Alert was puttin' in work with Chuck Chill
Had my homies on the hill gettin' ill, when shit was real
Went out to steal, remember Raw with Daddy Kane
When De La Soul was puttin' Potholes in the game
I can't explain how it was, Whodini had me puffin'
On that Buddha, gettin' buzzed, 'cause there I was
Them block parties in the projects, and on my block
It diggi-don't stop, sippin' on that private stock
Through my speaker, Queen Latifah and MC Lyte
Listen to Treach and KRS to get me through the night
With T La Rock and Mantronix, to Stetsasonic
Remember "Push It" was the bomb shit, nothin' like the old school

What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (yeah, it ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way

I had Shell Toes and BVDs
A killer crease inside my Lee's when I hit the streets
I'm playin' Skelly, Ringolevio or catch a kiss
Before the homies in my hood learned to smack a bitch
I remember way back, the weak weed they had
Too many seeds in the trey bag
I'm on the train headin' uptown, freestylin'
With some wild kids from Buck town, profilin'
'Cause the hoochies was starin', thinkin' "What them niggas wearin'?"
I'm wonderin' if that's her hair
I remember stick ball, humpin' hoochies on the wall
Or takin' leaks on the steps, stinkin' up the hall
Through my childhood, wild as a juvenile
A young nigga tryin' to stay away from Riker's Isle
Me and my homies breakin' nights, tryin' to keep it true
Out on the roof sippin' ninety proof, ain't nothin' like the old school

What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way

Remember poppin' and lockin' to Kurtis Blow
The name belts and Scott LaRock the Super Ho
Back in Latin Quarters, when Slick Rick was spittin', "La Di Da Di"
Gamin' the hoochies at the neighborhood block parties
I remember breakdancin' to Melle Mel
Jekyll and Hyde, LL when he Rocks the Bells
Forget the TV, about to hit the streets and do graffiti
Be careful don't let the transit cops see me
It ain't nothin' like the old school

What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (it ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (it ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way (ain't nothin' like the old school)
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way
What more could I say? I wouldn't be here today
If the old school didn't pave the way, what more could I say?

Remember seein' Brooklyn go crazy up in the motherfuckin' party?
'Member how fuckers used to go, "Is Brooklyn in the house?"
And motherfuckers would lose they goddamn mind
That's the old school to me that's what I'm sayin' (super sperm)
I remember goin' places that motherfuckers was scared to say
They was from anywhere but Brooklyn, that shit was the bomb
Back in the motherfuckin' old school nigga
Remember Skelly, nigga? Knockin' niggas out the box, poppin' boxes? (my Adidas)
'Member stick ball? 'Member niggas used to run that shit like that?
'Member the block members screamin' up at your mom from the window? (LL Cool J is hard as hell)
The ice cream truck, 'member all the mother-
Member the Italian Ices, yo? yo, remember the Italian Ice's?
The Spanish niggas comin' down with the coconut ices and shit?
"I came through the door, said it before," that was the shit

Copyright: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): Carsten Schack, Donald Jerome Tillery, John M. Buchanan Jr., Maxwell Dixon, Tupac Amaru Shakur