[Joe Budden]
Uh- huh...
I just want everybody to kinda be clear..
Of what's takin place right now...
It's not an introduction,
it's more like a beginning...
It's like the calm before the storm...
I guess you can sorta call it, the rebirth...
Or the birth period...
it's the growth...
For all my real niggaz... real people
in general...
It's never one- dimensional,
it goes out to everybody...
If you can though... just kinda
take some time out...
Relate to it
For all
my mans that died,
with grams at they side
Plans just to ride,
gun jammed when he tried
Ballers who never made it out the hood
Cats who owed,
but never made it out the hood
If they offered you pleas and you went
to court with it
My dawgs doin time cause
you got caught with it
Or if you need cheddar,
blast heat whenever
And run from the cops cause
you know the streets better
Dope niggaz who rich cause
they know connects
Or dope niggaz who spit
but got no connects
If you pitch to pay rent,
but get no business
Life in the state pen but get no visits
Fend for yourself cause you
ain't got no boys
Ride or die,
really you ain't got no choice
If your alibi's straight when
you're wanted on the stand
Soldiers that take they football
numbers like a man
Hustle O- Z cause your product
rich there
Hood know you snitch but
you gotta live there
You held your man shot,
you don't know where it hit him
And you tryin to buy guns,
you don't know where to get 'em
If you strapped in the streets
with your palms all black
Young G's that gotta see
they moms on crack
Pop can't be found, hand me down
When you the oldest out of five,
hold the family down
If you caught a body and your wiz hid you out
If you slept in the park
when moms kicked you out
Or if you gonna die,
you gon' leave with a slug
Idolized your big bro, but he was a thug
If you squeeze your leather first
'cause it never hurt
Street cats that never work
cause it never worked
Or if you got your shit snatched,
gripped, clipped the mack
Too small for the kickback, but gotta
get your shit back
Killed niggaz playin,
but you was only boxin
Accept twenty flat as your only op tion
Calm in the jungle in between the system
If you high on parole and got
ta clean your sys tem
If you told 'em to stop,
cause soon you'll lose it
Pull up your pants leg,
bullet wounds to prove it
Or if you grabbed the liquor, swallow it hard
If they drive- by on you but
you follow the car
Full clip cause your foes is lurkin; or
the D's at your door
with a picture,
"Do you know this person?"
If you dead broke,
but forced into extortin
Cause your girl pregnant and she
don't want a abortion
Got charged before, strap a gun anyway
Took the state's lawyer,
but you won anyway
Stand up cats beat the odds by far
Real recognize real, R.R.R.
Don't mistake
Joe Budden 
