It's Been A Long Time Lyrics It's been a long time It's been a long time It's been a long time It's been a long time Rakim, the microphone soloist Follow procedures, the crowd couldn't wait to see this Nobody been this long awaited since Jesus Who wouldn't believe this I heard the word on the street is I'm still one of the deepest on the mic since Adidas They said I changed the times from the rhymes that I thought of So I made some more to put the New World in Order With Mathematics, put your status above the average And help you rappers, make paragraphs with graphics 'Cause new days is dawnin', new ways of peformin' Brainstormin', I write and watch the night turn to mornin' On and on and I got the whole world respondin' Rock, I keep it hot and blow the spot without warnin' The Emperor, well known for inventin' a sentence Full of adventure, turnin' up the temperature Rush with adrenaline, how long has it been again To be in the state of mind that Rakim is in? It's been a long time Rakim, the microphone soloist It's been a long time It's been a long time Rakim When I'm out proppin' either, hangin' or shoppin' People see me stop and ask me when the album droppin' The wait is over, information like a soldier Like I told ya, greater stronger, now that I'm older I broke the, code of silence with overloads