Beats To The Rhyme – English Lyrics

• By: RUN DMC
• Album: Tougher Than Leather

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the golden age of hip-hop with RUN DMC's “Beats to the Rhyme.” This track is a masterclass in rhythm, rhyme, and the powerful interplay of language. For English learners, it's a fantastic opportunity to experience the energy and wordplay of one of hip-hop's most influential groups. The song's structure, with its call-and-response and trading of verses, makes it a dynamic and engaging way to pick up on the flow and cadence of English as used in a foundational American art form. What makes this song special is its raw, unfiltered energy and the revolutionary way it was created, truly putting the MCs' rhymes at the forefront.

[English]

(crowd cheering)

♪ C'mon, say yeaaaaaaaaaah ♪

♪ Yeeeeaaaah ♪

♪ Lemme hear you say yeaaaaaaaah ♪

♪ It goes a-one, two, three and ♪

♪ Here we go, here we go ♪

♪ Here we go, here we go, here-we-here-we-here we go ♪

♪ Fiends on the corner and the drug's on the floor ♪

♪ Mo' money-money-money-money-money mo' ♪

♪ Taxin' young brothas, takin' all their dough ♪

♪ Mo' money-money-money-money-money mo' ♪

♪ Numbers runnin' money, funny money go ♪

♪ Mo' money-money-money-money-money mo' ♪

♪ Stop by the cop, 5-0, here we go ♪

♪ Mo' money-money-money-money-money mo' ♪

♪ Hello everybody, hooker how do you do ♪

♪ No matter wit the flatter, what's the matter wit with you ♪

♪ We never been soft, til' the hardcore came true ♪

♪ Until the sucka-sucka-sucka yo, this is for you ♪

♪ Beats to the Rhyme, Beats to the Rhyme ♪

♪ Beats-Beats-Beats-Beats ♪

♪ Beats To The Rhyme, the rhyme I just made ♪

♪ Party at the jammie til light the night fade ♪

♪ Trooping for the future, we all get paid ♪

♪ So let's go.. ♪

♪ Yo D that's me, the King, the MC ♪

♪ Rhyme get mine on the T-O-P ♪

♪ Can another MC ever (censored) with me ♪

♪ Hell yeah ♪

♪ It's like the A the B to the C ♪

♪ It's easier than one, two, three ♪

♪ He's Jam Master Jay, I'm D.M.C. ♪

♪ So Hit It, Run ♪

(Run beatboxing)

♪ It's time for we to cease, so what ♪

♪ So rhymers speak your peace ♪

♪ Why? Cause you can't touch Jam Master Jay ♪

♪ Cause he's number one, two, three, four. Hit it ♪

♪ Dance to the rhythm, the rhyme, the cold flow ♪

♪ Chances that we give 'em is none I told yo ♪

♪ For these routines like 1983 ♪

♪ It's just a little reminder ♪

♪ So those suckas is kinder ♪

♪ A little message from ♪

♪ Ru-Ru-Ru-Run-Run-Run-D.M.C. ♪

♪ Cuts for days will amaze and maze ♪

♪ But will make you sad to tan all the dance aways ♪

♪ Got the mic, the man, the master plan ♪

♪ 'Bout to ram the jam ♪

♪ Know I am, God (censored) ♪

♪ Spins he wins, clocking endless ends ♪

♪ To his friends he lends, lotta joy he sends ♪

♪ Jay lose today, this is what I say ♪

♪ Ugh in your mouth all day ♪

♪ Just pump your fist like this, everybody ♪

♪ Pump your fist like this, yeah, yeah ♪

♪ Just pump your fist like this, one time ♪

♪ Pump your fist like this, ahh yeah ♪

(hiphop beat playing)

♪ My beats were played and made rhymes laid ♪

♪ Jay DJ'ed and I got paid ♪

♪ Made something out of nuttin' ♪

♪ Yo D, that's true ♪

♪ Yes my brother I'ma do it for you ♪

♪ I roam in the zone of the microphone ♪

♪ And I'm on the throne but I'm not alone ♪

♪ Got bones of steel and not of stone ♪

♪ I'm known to be prone and make your momma... moan ♪

♪ Time for the rhyme so let the stars shine ♪

♪ Came with the fame and the name combined ♪

♪ Run after fun but you can gimme your ring ♪

♪ Show, I gotta go and now a word from the King ♪

♪ Hardcore ♪

♪ Rhymes galore ♪

♪ Giving you more ♪

♪ And like I said before ♪

♪ "Beats To The Rhyme" the name of this jam ♪

♪ D, that's me and that's who I am ♪

♪ Rocking on the mic cause you know I can ♪

♪ You gotta understand I don't give a... damn ♪

♪ Jay hit a play today I must say ♪

♪ Hooray to the way that is A-OK ♪

♪ As we wax the tracks all the DJ's play ♪

♪ With... ugh in your mouth ♪ ♪ A lil' ugh in your mouth ♪

♪ A big ugh in your mouth all day ♪

(crowd cheering)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
money /ˈmʌni/ A1	noun - currency used to buy goods and services
party /ˈpɑːrti/ A1	noun - a social gathering for entertainment verb - to celebrate with a gathering
dance /dæns/ A1	noun - a rhythmic movement of the body, usually to music verb - to move rhythmically to music
king /kɪŋ/ A1	noun - a male monarch; a ruler of a kingdom
mic /maɪk/ B1	noun - short for microphone; a device that converts sound into electrical signals
hardcore /ˈhɑːrdkɔːr/ C1	adjective - extremely intense or uncompromising; belonging to an extreme subculture
beats /biːts/ A2	noun - regular rhythmic pulses in music verb - to strike repeatedly; to defeat
rhyme /raɪm/ B1	noun - correspondence of sounds between words or endings of lines verb - to compose or use words that rhyme
flow /floʊ/ B2	noun - a smooth, continuous movement or progression verb - to move in a smooth, continuous way
rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ B2	noun - a patterned series of sounds or movements in time
future /ˈfjʊtʃər/ B1	noun - the time that is to come adjective - relating to time yet to come
cop /kɑːp/ B1	noun - informal term for a police officer
hooker /ˈhʊkər/ B2	noun - a person who engages in prostitution
drug /drʌg/ B1	noun - a substance used for medical treatment or for its psychoactive effects
corner /ˈkɔːrnər/ A2	noun - the place where two lines or surfaces meet at an angle
stone /stoʊn/ A2	noun - a hard, solid mineral material, often used in construction or as a weapon
steel /stiːl/ B1	noun - an alloy of iron and carbon, known for its strength and durability
MC /ˌɛm ˈsiː/ C1	noun - Master of Ceremonies; a rapper who performs spoken or rhythmic lyrics over beats

Key Grammar Structures

• C'mon, say yeaaaaaaaaaah

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The verb "say" is used as a command, telling the listener to do something.

• It goes a‑one, two, three and

  ➔ Simple present tense

  ➔ "It goes" describes a regular, repeated action in the present.

• Mo' money‑money‑money‑money‑money mo'

  ➔ Ellipsis & noun phrase repetition

  ➔ The repeated "money" creates emphasis; the apostrophe in "Mo'" shows an ellipsis of "more".

• Stop by the cop, 5‑0, here we go

  ➔ Imperative + prepositional phrase

  ➔ "Stop" is a command; "by the cop" is a prepositional phrase indicating location.

• We never been soft, til' the hardcore came true

  ➔ Present perfect (colloquial omission of "have")

  ➔ "We never been" is a shortened form of "We have never been", using the present perfect to talk about experience up to now.

• It's like the A the B to the C

  ➔ Simile with "like"

  ➔ "like" introduces a comparison, linking two ideas: "A" is compared to "B" in relation to "C".

• He's Jam Master Jay, I'm D.M.C.

  ➔ Contractions (subject + be + complement)

  ➔ "He's" = "He is" and "I'm" = "I am"; both link the subject with a noun phrase identifying them.

• Why? Cause you can't touch Jam Master Jay

  ➔ Causal conjunction "cause" (colloquial for "because")

  ➔ "Cause" shortens "because" and introduces the reason for the previous question.

• You gotta understand I don't give a... damn

  ➔ Modal verb "gotta" (have got to) + negative present simple

  ➔ "gotta" = "have got to" expresses obligation; "don't give" is a negative present simple meaning "I do not care".