It Wasn`t Me, It Was The Fame

As the wind sets the mood it's time to let off A sucker tried to play me the E I'm not soft I'm very hardcore droppin bombs like Warsaw It reminds me back in 1984 when I went to a party with the master plan to step up and put the mic in my hand Everybody was there from junior high to high schools Dyin to get busy because I knew I had the tools Then I got the heart and went by the set I said, "Yo, I wanna rock the set" "Yeah no sweat" Kickin rhymes in the place, people couldn't take it The style I flowed, the way I shaked and baked it Later on I made a record, and got recognition Everybody's jockin, now nobody's dissin Written and produced by the new rap duo Yes EPMD, now I'm known in school I see the backstabbers, and the elderly creature features that used to diss me, when I was tryin to reach the tip tip-top and I won't stop To be the master, in the field of hip-hop I did that, and got a name for myself The image of E, and all of my wealth I see my fake friends, but things ain't the same Oh what a shame, I diss em Who to blame? It wasn't me it was the .. "Fame!" [P] It wasn't me it was the .. "Fame!" [Parrish Smith] Before I cut records I had dreams of livin large Earnin crazy cash flow, the whole nine yards But when I told my college friends they kicked back and laughed Said, "You better grab your books and take your behind to class" They said, "You couldn't make a record and expect to get paid cause there's too many def rappers in the world today" I said, "Yo, my name is M.D. and my style is def" They said, "Your name is Parrish son, you're like all the rest Frontin you gettin a contract, but then you 'fess" But when you heard my record playin, your mouth was wide open Your head was tilted back that you was almost chokin But I just lounge, and cool with the fellas Like my roomie D-Wade, Top Notch, and James Ellis I never hung with girls, only one and she was mellow First name was Terry, last name Romanello My records started sellin then P withdrew from the college Southern Con, known as SCSU But when I often go and visit they say, "P bust a rhyme" I shake my head and then chuckle, and throw up the peace sign They wanna feel my gold and sport my Rolex but P reply it's really nothin, and don't like to flex And when I step up on the scene I always hear them whisper "Yo P's not the same, did you see him diss you?" I go deep into my thoughts, then I questioned my brain It wasn't me, the money, or the fortune, it was the .. "Fame!" [P] It wasn't me it was the .. "Fame!" [Erick Sermon] Oh! Now you wanna know me, before you wasn't speakin Now you watch Yo! MTV Raps every weekend Just to see me, the E and the P Coolin out on the scene, with Fab 5 Freddy Back then you didn't know, that I was determined to be a def rapper with the name Erick Sermon To be a crowd mover, someone that cause trouble Then I thought, and came up with E Double I can't forget, how they used to diss Sayin he can't rap, because he talks with a lisp But I got paid, now you feel stupid Amazed by the style the sound and how we looped it Now I clock G's, trunk jewels, and star trims Cool around town, and flex my black Benz Definitely hooked up, with the system that cranks Livin well off, with the ? in the bank EPMD, is Erick Parrish Makin Dollars Always on tour, so you can call us roads/Rhodes scholars You saw me in eighty-seven, where have you been because we miss you I dismissed you, it wasn't me who dissed you, it was the .. "Fame!" [E] It wasn't me it was the .. "Fame!" [Parrish Smith] As I freak a funky style, to a funky fresh rhythm I use my crazy def talent, that God has given me to flow slow, and still live large To drop a def LP, and catch MC's off guard Because my friends started buggin, we used to cool at the mall But on the S.T., the Sneak Tip, they prayed for my downfall I used to cruise by in my rock and always hear them mumble "They got lucky on Strictly Biz but watch the next one crumble" My father always told me to wisen up son Cause if you hung with nine broke friends, you're bound to be the 10th one So I cut my friends off, and P went for self Me and Erick Sermon, and no one else Strictly writin def lyrics to my best ability With the crazy imagination as my only utility Cause MC's around my way brag how def they are But now they workin full time, and sharin their mom's cars Always frontin to the girls, how hard you can rock But you leave out how you carpin to go punch the clock Yeah we came hittin hard, so all the talkin had to halt But don't blame us, blame God, it's his fault For assistin us on the mission of a point of no return to do a crab MC, who did not learn Now when you're hot you're hot, and when you're not you're not And when it comes to funky music, the two rock the spot So next time you see me coolin, bite your lip and respect Between me and you sonny, straight up, I'm like death I cooled on the Run tour, with Flavor and Chuck Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince but I guess that was luck I did shows in crazy countries, like Europe and France Copenhagen, Denmark, and Amsterdam I even been to our country, that they call Africa Keep your eyes on your girl, cause P'll be watchin around the tick tick'n, yo check out P rippin A new way to sway, cause brothers keep vickin Flows and echoes, that sound exact But you're rhymin in circles, and you ain't sayin jack So take it in stride, by the way I'm still the same First name is still Parrish, Sue's my girl, nuttin changed You insist I act funny, but who's to blame? It wasn't Yo! MTV Raps, the money, or Soul Train It was the .. "Fame!" [P] It wasn't me it was the .. "Fame!" * DJ K. La Boss cuts up "Fame!" * [Erick and Parrish talk to outro