Preserve The Kulture

{*audience clapping, beat starts*}
 We've been having these gatherings for over 12 years
 Uhh, my first one, was ah at Latin Quarters in 1987
 with Afrika Bambaataa - he threw the first one, that I attended
 We kept the tradition going through the Stop the Violence Movement
 Through Human Education Against Lies, Rhythm Cultural Institute
 And now the Temple of Hip-Hop
 This is Hip-Hop's spiritual base
 And as a spiritual base, we look to guide the youth in that discipline
 Uhh, no culture is a culture, unless it has principles
 unless it has morals, unless - we are unified
 in some sort of principle, something we are not going to step beyond
 Something that defines us
 What I'd like to do, is just for a moment as we. deal with this
 Think about your role in Hip-Hop
 Think about what you do everyday in Hip-Hop
 This is not about right now
 It's about twenty years from now
 It's about ten years from now
 The tapes are rolling, the notes are being taken
 This is the type of thinking we have to get into
 if this is going to survive and last
 So again, Hip-Hop Appreciation Week, is a time of self-reflection
 A time for Hip-Hoppers to ask,
 "What am I doing, to preserve the culture?" {*echoes*}