La palabra rap es un término coloquial que se utiliza para designar a aquel tipo de música generado por sonidos hablados y palabras más que por melodías instrumentales. El rap es uno de los géneros musicales más populares, sobre todo desde la década de 1980 y en adelante en Estados Unidos. Se considera que sus orígenes son muy variados ya que toma aportes de diversos ritmos populares, algunos africanos, jamaiquinos o propios de la comunidad afro-americana de Estados Unidos. En su mayoría, los grandes ídolos del rap han sido pertenecientes a esta comunidad.
Nelust Wyclef Jean (nacido el 17 de octubre de 1972 en Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti) es un rapero y productor haitiano-estadounidense conocido por ser miembro del exitoso trío de hip hop The Fugees.
Con nueve años, Wyclef se mudó a Brooklyn, y en el norte de New Jersey fue cuando él comenzó a tocar la guitarra y a estudiar en un instituto exclusivo para gente de raza negra. En 1987, Jean, su amigo Prakazrel Michel (Pras) y su compañera de clase Lauryn Hill, formaron un grupo llamado Tranzlator Crew, antes de hacerlo como The Fugees. Wyclef trabajaba como taxista.
[B] Wyclef, Butch Cassidy, Sharissa
[W] What up
[S] Unnnnnh!
[B] From the West Indies to the West Coast
[W] Callabo
[B] You say keep it gangsta
[Chorus: Wyclef (Butch Cassidy)]
But when the beef come, you're the first to run (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
Yo, that ain't your gun, it belongs to... (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
You roll with a hundred, but when the beef come don't nobody want it
(Gangster, la la la la, la la la la)
[Wyclef (Butch Cassidy)]
I want to dedicate this chant to my people locked down livin life in the yard
(KEEP IT GANGSTA)
Keep a shank boofed up in their tape just in case a thug wanna play hard
(KEEP IT GANGSTA)
All this ice-grillin talk bout you King of New York, now you wanna call a guard
(THAT AIN'T GANGSTA)
But it's too late when the guard show up cause your body's going straight to the morgue
(KEEP IT GANGSTA)
[Chorus: Wyclef (Butch Cassidy)]
But when the beef come, you're the first to run (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
Yo, that ain't your gun, it belongs to... (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
You roll with a hundred, but when the beef come don't nobody want it
(...GANGSTER)
[Butch Cassidy (Wyclef & Sharissa)]
I wanna dedicate this jam to the ladies holdin spots when they fellows lock down
(KEEP IT GANGSTA)
Keep a glock in they pocket blowin shots till they pray I'm in town
(KEEP IT GANGSTA)
And to the snitch that ratted on rich the streets got you 16 rounds
(THAT AIN'T GANGSTA)
But theres only one place for a gully rat, six feet under the ground
(YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
I'm gon keep it gangsta
(YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
La la la la, la la la la
(YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
[Chorus: Wyclef (Butch Cassidy)]
You roll with a hundred, but when the beef come don't nobody want it
(...GANGSTER)
[Big Jack (Butch Cassidy)]
Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up
Yo, stop with the posin
Y'all ain't really holdin
I'm about to open, a chapter of the Omen
Casket, closin, bodies, frozen
I've, been chosen, y'all forsaken
Ante up, so the chains get taken
Flash backs of the rock season in the making
Ain't no more MC'n, ice is just gleamin
And you wonder why you got robbed, cause your life had no meaning, fake gangsta
(YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
[Chorus: Wyclef (Butch Cassidy)]
But when the beef come, you're the first to run (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
Yo, that ain't your gun, it belongs to... (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
You roll with a hundred, but when the beef come don't nobody want it
(...GANGSTER)
Nobody, nobody, nobody
(YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
[Sharissa (Butch Cassidy)]
Now what would you do if Henchman's came for you? (GANGSTA)
9 out of 10 times you would flea your crew (GANGSTA)
So people your lying say you running these streets (YOU SAY KEEP IT GANGSTA)
You better watch out cause they have heat (GANGSTA)
Now what would you do if Big Jack came for you? (GANGSTA)
9 out of 10 times you would leave your crew (GANGSTA)
So people your lying say you running these streets (GANGSTA)
You better watch out cause they have heat
[Butch Cassidy]
Gangsta
I'm gonna keep it gangsta
You say keep it gangsta
La la la la, la la la la
You say keep it gangsta
Gangsta
You say keep it gangsta