"Pause Tapes" lyrics
Nas & DJ Premier Lyrics
Remember the first time I made a beat, I had a cassette player in my grandma's crib
I didn't have all the extravagant equipment
You know this is back in the late 80's
And I used to listen to music on the radio that I liked
You know, particularly old school, like 70's
And I would record it, and then after I recorded a certain part that I liked
I would record, loop, record, loop, record, loop until it just became one beat
And you know that was the beginning of me making beats
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
It's a drive-in movie
No roofs on a bunch of Benzes
Let's try to reimagine the passion when I got in this
A Panasonic with a tape recorder
Try to level the treble and bass in order
The station sound distorted
I moved the dial to improve the sound
Years later got a Sony stereo system
No comparison with the boombox, my living room knocks
My nigga, Mayo next door, he bangin' on the wall
Told us to stop, take me back, drugs and money, we cruddy
Lungs smoky, fiends in the hallway bummy
Just finished a OE, music savin' our lives
Just listenin', getting fried to underrated MCs
Spraying something to hide the aroma, still in my mom's crib, was young and lazy
Quit school 'cause I needed fly shit, the fiends would page me
Not trying to be locked on a bid, Queens' crazy
Guess jeans and Polo jacket
Just in the crib causing all this racket
Always knew I was the verbal assassin
Submerged in a very dirty world but only was half in
That's when I had an epiphany
Kane went last on The Symphony
If I could set a posse cut off, that'd be my entry
Pickin' up the stereo's remote control quickly
Ron G's in the cassette deck, rockin' the shit, G
A surprise, I opened a bombshell in my mind
Tells me I could hook a beat up for myself to rhyme
My mom's hall closet and boxes, all kind of shit
Johnny Taylor records and some good Grover Washingtons, I'm locking in
Grab a piece of vinyl drop the needle at the top
Listen for a beat to rock, ninety minute tape, I got
Enough time, play it one time, four bars, press record
Then press pause, then restart
Record, loop, repeat
Do that 'bout twenty times, yo, I made my first beat
Pause tapes
Pause tapes
Rewind it
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
I didn't have all the extravagant equipment
You know this is back in the late 80's
And I used to listen to music on the radio that I liked
You know, particularly old school, like 70's
And I would record it, and then after I recorded a certain part that I liked
I would record, loop, record, loop, record, loop until it just became one beat
And you know that was the beginning of me making beats
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
It's a drive-in movie
No roofs on a bunch of Benzes
Let's try to reimagine the passion when I got in this
A Panasonic with a tape recorder
Try to level the treble and bass in order
The station sound distorted
I moved the dial to improve the sound
Years later got a Sony stereo system
No comparison with the boombox, my living room knocks
My nigga, Mayo next door, he bangin' on the wall
Told us to stop, take me back, drugs and money, we cruddy
Lungs smoky, fiends in the hallway bummy
Just finished a OE, music savin' our lives
Just listenin', getting fried to underrated MCs
Spraying something to hide the aroma, still in my mom's crib, was young and lazy
Quit school 'cause I needed fly shit, the fiends would page me
Not trying to be locked on a bid, Queens' crazy
Guess jeans and Polo jacket
Just in the crib causing all this racket
Always knew I was the verbal assassin
Submerged in a very dirty world but only was half in
That's when I had an epiphany
Kane went last on The Symphony
If I could set a posse cut off, that'd be my entry
Pickin' up the stereo's remote control quickly
Ron G's in the cassette deck, rockin' the shit, G
A surprise, I opened a bombshell in my mind
Tells me I could hook a beat up for myself to rhyme
My mom's hall closet and boxes, all kind of shit
Johnny Taylor records and some good Grover Washingtons, I'm locking in
Grab a piece of vinyl drop the needle at the top
Listen for a beat to rock, ninety minute tape, I got
Enough time, play it one time, four bars, press record
Then press pause, then restart
Record, loop, repeat
Do that 'bout twenty times, yo, I made my first beat
Pause tapes
Pause tapes
Rewind it
Record loop
Record loop
Record loop
Writer(s): Nasir Jones, Christopher Martin
