i wrote my first rhyme when i was ten years old and since then i made sure that the story was told about the boy from the west with the eastern soul the people he befriended and the paths they chose i hop inside a booth and dictate what i m seeing i don t define words i try to give em meaning can t tell you why i do it but i know that it s for a reason so i ll never ever ever ever stop saying what i believe in and i don t even feel like going to school i stay rapping cause that s what i was born to do i remember the first show i rocked in my life and now it s like people know me just from rocking the mic that s why my ma had this cape verdean boy for me to make music and for you to enjoy create sounds you ain t ever heard before and keep your feet moving like you saw a rat on the floor dig it if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say where would i be today if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say hey there once lived a boy who was afraid to fly he always knew that he could do it but he failed to try foolishly he would listen to what people would say till the day he spread his wings and finally went on his way they said i was a fool from the start labeled a hooligan catholic education never see me in at school again they grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to believe but i m nobody s nomad i go where i please yo i am what i am i do what i want these people run around in circles till they fall down and flop i m supposed to be impressed by your cookie cutter fashion you magazine mimic pseudo hipster ass bastard i want to wake up from this hella vicious dream all these pretty plastic people on my television screen you ll soon learn plastic ain t as pretty as it seems when the sun starts burning and you re melting from the heat dig it  if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say where would i be today if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say hey i remember the first day the rhythm took over my whole body began to tremble standing in front of the crowd i sang out loud in was rewarded with ecstacy my addiction became my greatest gift determined to use it make the paradigm shift wow ooh if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say where would i be today if i listened to what people would say where would i be today hey hey ohhh sing melody takes a hold of me music s really got a hold of me at night i can t sleep i say the music s got a hold of me music s got a hold of me melody got a hold of me music s really got a hold of me if i listened to what people would say where would i be today oh if i listened to what people would say where would i be today if i listened to what people would say where would i be today where would i be today want to know just where would i be today where would i be today want to know just where would i be today