Rise

I know it's difficult, but

You know, the odds really are in our favour, man

Things just ain't the same for gangsters

The whole world 's changed, everybody's a stranger

These young dude's running around, saying they bangers

Quit the law bangers, the click and bang yah

And I done seen too many teens chasing their dreams

End up blood stream contaminated and feening

And now they leanin' on words that he said

Or She said, we said,

"Look at him, he dead"

See, we ain't ever know Martin Luther the King

Most of us probably couldn't tell you much about his dream

We like Malcolm x, 'cause spike made a movie

With his arms stretched up with the AK's and Uzi's

So excuse me, You tryna connect to, a whole generation is raised by gangsters

Who probably never knew pops, we had Tupac

An old boom box, chilling in our tube socks

And plus Dre taught us how to roll a 64

And Snoop Dogg taught us how to roll a sticky drow

So if they wanna reach us with Jesus

They gotta do it better than some screaming preachers

'Cause homie, we don't believe ya, we've seen grandmas,

Raw bodies, cold knees with heaters

So we're skeptical, it's easier to believe

That there's a Heaven for a thug than to mess with you

It's hard to rise

Listen to the melody

Because we're together

Hey shout out to 9th wonder, no you ain't gotta ask

We both know the same page like a paragraph

And all music, ain't the target of discussion

But it seems the radio has got a problem playin' substance

Listen, partner, they're lying to us, they're selling pies to us

They teach us how to be gang bangers and nine shooters

I've been where you've been, seen what you've seen

Grew up with old dawg, looking mean on the screen

When Nas was street dreaming, and Biggie was still breathin'

And cash ruled everything around me, creamin'

Folks tryna make the hood life a good life

While they in the 'burbs wishing us a good night

And some rappers teach us how to chin check 'em

But I still ain't heard a song about being movie directors

We in your hood, man, we've been where you've been

Been stabbed, been shot, been pinned in the 'Pen

Difference is now when we pick up the pen

We articulate how, God has made us all better man

I'm a college graduate, yes some God-fearing role models

With daughters who do not aspire to be pole models

You are not what the media impose on you

God made you and he rose for you

So you rise