[Intro: Dr. Dre & Ice Cube]
Yo, man, it's a lot of brothers out there flakin' and perpetratin'
But scared to kick reality
Man, you've been doin' all this dope producin'
You ain't had a chance to show 'em what time it is
So what you want me to do? (Express yourself)
[Verse 1: Dr. Dre]
I'm expressin' with my full capabilities
And now I'm livin' in correctional facilities
'Cause some don't agree with how I do this
I get straight, meditate like a Buddhist
I'm droppin' flavor, my behavior is hereditary
But my technique is very necessary
Blame it on Ice Cube, because he says it gets funky
When you got a subject and a predicate
Add it on a dope beat, and that'll make you think
Some suckas just tickle me pink to my stomach
'Cause they don't flow like this one
You know what?
I won't hesitate to diss one or two before I'm through
So don't try to sing this
Some drop science, well, I'm droppin' English
Even if Yella makes it a cappella
I still express, yo, I don't smoke weed or sess
'Cause it's known to give a brother brain damage
And brain damage on the mic don't manage nothin'
But makin' a sucka and you equal, don't be another sequel
[Chorus]
Express yourself (Ah, ah, ah yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah, ah yeah)
Express yourself (Smoke, smoke)
Come on and do it (Yeah, kick it over here)
Express yourself (Do it, do it, for the bag, for the bag)
Express yourself (Come on and do it)
[Verse 2: Dr. Dre]
Now, gettin' back to the PG
That's program, and it's easy
Dre is back, new jacks are made hollow
Expressin' ain't their subject because they like to follow
The words, the style, the trend, the records I spin
Again and again and again — yo, you on the other end
Watch a brother blend dope rhymes with no help
There's no fessin' and guessin' while I'm expressin' myself
It's crazy to see people be
What society wants 'em to be, but not me
Ruthless is the way to go, they know
Others say rhymes that fail to be original
Or they kill where the hip-hop starts
Forget about the ghetto and rap for the pop charts
Though some musicians cuss at home
But scared to use profanity when up on the microphone
Yeah, they want reality, but you won't hear none
They'd rather exaggerate a little fiction
Some say no to drugs and take a stand
But after the show, they go lookin' for the dopeman
Or they ban my group from the radio
Hear N.W.A and say "Hell no!"
But you know, it ain't all about wealth
As long as you make a note to...
[Chorus]
Express yourself (Yeah, yeah, brothers always beefin', fall victim to the streets)
Express yourself
Come on and do it (Yeah, yeah, do it)
Express yourself (Dr. Dre, Dr. Dre in full effect and N.W.A)
Express yourself
Come on and do it
Express yourself
[Verse 3: Dr. Dre]
From the heart 'cause if you wanna start to move up the chart
Then expression is a big part of it
You ain't efficient when you flow
You ain't swift, movin' like a tortoise full of rigor mortis
There's a little bit more to show
I got rhymes in my mind, embedded like an embryo
Or a lesson, all of 'em expression
And if you start fessin', I got a Smith & Wesson for you
I might ignore your record because it has no bottom
I get loose in the summer, winter, spring and autumn
It's Dre on the mic, gettin' physical
Doin' the job, N.W.A is the lynch mob
Yes, I'm macabre but you know you need this
And the knowledge is growin', just like a fetus
Or a tumor, but here's the rumor
Dre is in the neighborhood and he's up to no good
When I start expressin' myself — Yella, slam it!
'Cause If I stay funky like this, I'm doin' damage
Or I'ma be too hyped and need a straitjacket
I got knowledge and other suckers lack it
So when you see Dre, a DJ on the mic
Ask what it's like — it's like we gettin' hype tonight
'Cause if I strike, it ain't for your good health
But I won't strike if you just...
[Outro]
Express yourself
(Yeah, yeah, this record's almost over, almost over, gotta get hyped up)
Express yourself (Do it, do it)
Come on and do it (Do it, do it, do it)
Express yourself (Compton's full of fakes, Compton's full of fakes, yeah)
Express yourself
Come on and do it (Do it, do it, do it)
Express yourself
Come on and do it (That's what she said, what she said)
Come on and do it
Come on and do it
