Grew Up Hard

Uh-huh, who, just smoothing it out, right now

My nigga Halloween, we gon' get rich this year, nigga (see)

Sip on this little bit of odor, made brown

Zone out, turn the lights off

Ant boogie, what up? Uh-huh

In the crib, with my wiz, getting my grown man on

Listening to classic soul, with the slow jams on

Smokey Robinson, Tears of a Clown, shedding tears

Popping beers, almost twenty five years in the town

I seen niggas die off, like dandelions in the fall

Niggas heard of Chip Banks and left him lying in the hall

Your boy Sandy Brock was ill, like Kobe Bryant with the ball

It's no exceptions, even the biggest giants gotta fall

Cause we living in denial, but these lessons are vital

When marinating in the slums, you gotta practice survival

Now everybody wants to be next American idol

But these are more than just songs pressed up your vinyl

Being rich is a poor man's dream, and we all wanna shine

But we all can't green, knahImean?

Being rich is a poor man's dream, and we all wanna shine

But we all can't green

I grew up hard, maybe you grew up harder

But I ain't been to many operas

Or had money for private doctors

As harsh it sound, these just a tears of a clown

I grew up hard, maybe you grew up harder

The message is I'm too strong to hold down

I know the ledge, and I ain't planning to drown

As harsh it sound, these just a tears of a clown

Momma ain't raised no fool, they say we gotta save the children

But first, we gotta save our spoons

I was taught not to waste my food

Even if I didn't like it, every scrap on my plate got chewed

Either you ate, or you didn't eat, the memories are bitter sweet

Used to get teased by my friends, cause I had bigger feet

I think about them jokes and laugh, crack a smile

Cause as a child, I never knew that being broke was bad

Growing up I was close to my dad, but that still didn't stop a nigga

From putting that coke in them bags

That was the past, now, I'm riding with the oak in the dash

Got jealous niggas hating, big time, hoping I crash

I can't blame 'em, and on the same note, I can't change 'em

Let a nigga disrespect my shit, I'm gonna flame 'em

That's word to my son little Jay, my little homey

Ask niggas how your boy get down, ain't nothing phony

Yeah, they say two heads are better than one, and in the process

I learned that slow progress, is better than none

That's why I'm still here pursuing my goals, baking that bread

In the bakery, if I ain't out, doing no shows

I hit the block, once in a blue, and front with the crew

And show niggas a good time, by getting drunk in the stud'

Some niggas find happiness, with a blunt and a brew

They talented niggas, but they just need something to do

It's kinda hard try'nna look beyond buildings and bricks

We can't condone broken homes, when our children is sick

Tryina' survive off the cereal and milk from the WIC

And all the good ones we got, be getting killed in the mix

He could of been the next Jordan, who knows, the next Emmit

Young Tiger Woods, or the new Arthur Ashe of tennis

That's why I'm looking past the gimmicks, getting cash with Dennis

Criminal grind, we gonna smash the business

Yeah, when you see that big thing pull up

Don't be mad at us, man, be glad, we done made it from the projects

We done came up, Stapleton Houses, man

Straight up, Theodore, Toney Starks Enterprise