[KRS-One:]
Do it Marley, ha!
Killin 'em, you killin 'em! (Where were you?)
I wanna talk about these rap historians
Y'all better get it together (Where were you?)
I be readin your books (Where were you?)
Y'all better get it together, word up

When Hot 97 started, I was there
When Rap City got started, I was there
When KDAY got started, I was there
When Jive Records got started, I was there
When Yo! MTV Raps started, I was there
When The Source magazins started, I was there
When Cedric and Seda started, I was there
When Biggie was doin his album, I was there
When Tookie Williams was buried, I was there
'73, Cedar Park, I was there
One-twenty-three park, I was there
You ain't tellin me the history cause I was there

[Chorus:]
I WAS THERE! (And where were you?) (Where were you?)
(And where were you?) (Where were you?)
(And where were you?) (Where were you?)
(Where were you?)

[KRS-One:]
When Moe Dee challenged LL, I was there
When that bus blew up in London, I was there
When Death Row challenged Bad Boy at the Source Awards
in New York at the Garden, yup, I was there
When Kwame Toure, formerly known as Stokely Carmichael
was passin on, I was there
When Nelson Mandela was freed from prison
and spoke out at Yankee Stadium in New York, I was there
For all the births of my children, I was there
When the Rodney King uprisings happened I was there
These objective rap historians tryin to document
hip-hop from outside forget it, I was there

[Chorus]

[KRS-One:]
LOOK! The Jive Records label, I was there
The Columbia Records label, I was there
The Elektra Records label, I was there
The Warner Brothers Records label, I was there
The Koch Records label, I was there
The Capitol Records label, I was there
I know about they contracts cause I was there
I wrote and rewrote most of 'em when I was there
I ain't readin a book or recitin a hook
I am hip-hop itself cause yup I was there
Y'all need to get it together with hip-hop's history
and get it right, cause yup I was there

[Chorus]