I was a fiend before I became a teen I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream Music orientated, so when Hip Hop was originated Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated 'Cause I grabbed the mic an' tried to say, ‽Yes, y'all” They tried to take it an' say that I'm too small Cool 'cause I don't get upset I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet Back to the lab without a mic to grab So then I add all the rhymes I had One after the other one, then I make another one To dis the opposite, then ask if the brother's done I get a cravin', for I fiend for nicotine But I don't need a cigarette, know what I mean? I'm ragin', rippin' up the stage An' don't it sound amazin' 'cause every rhyme is made An' thought of 'cause it's sort of an addiction Magnetized by the mixin' Vocals, vocabulary, in verses, you're stuck in The mic is a drano, volcanoes eruptin' Rhymes overflowin', gradually growin' Everythin' is written in the cold, so it can coincide My thoughts to guide 48 tracks to slide The invincible microphone fiend, Rakim Spread the word 'cause he's in E F F E C T A smooth operator operatin' correctly But back to the problem, I gotta have it I ain't into solvin' it, silly rabbit The prescription is a hyper tune that's thorough when I fiend for a microphone like heroin Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix So gimme a stage an' a mic an' a mix An' I'll put you in a mood or is it a state of Unawareness? Beware, it's the re-animator A menace to a microphone, the lethal weapon Or assassinator, if the people, they steppin' You see a part of me you never seen When I'm fiendin' for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend After 12, I'm worse that a gremlin Feed me hip hop an' I start tremblin' The thrill of suspense is intense, you're horrified But this ain't the cinemas of 'Tales From The Darkside' By any means necessary, this is what had to be done Make way 'cause here I come DJ cuts material Called 'Imperial' It's a must that I bust any mic you're hand to me It's inherited, it's runs in the family See, I wrote the rhyme that broke the bull's back If that don't slow 'em up, I carry a full pack Now I don't want to have to let off, you should've kept off You didn't keep the stage warm, so step off Ladies an' gentleman, you're about to see A past time hobby about to be Take it to the maximum, I can't relax see I'm hype as a hypochondriac 'cause the rap be One hell of a antidote, somethin' you can't smoke More than dope, you're tryin' to move away But you can't, you're broke More than cracked up, you should have backed up For those who act up, need to be more than smacked up Any entertainer, I got a torture chamber One on one an' I'm the remainder So close your eyes an' hold your breath An' I'ma hit'cha wit the blow of death Before you go, you'll remember you seen The fiend for a microphone, I'm the microphone fiend The microphone fiend The microphone fiend I'm the microphone fiend I'm the microphone fiend