Produced by DJ Premier]
[Intro]
Yeah, yeah
Ayo, Black—it's time, word (Word, it's time, man)
It's time, man (Aight, man, begin)
Yeah—straight out the ****in' dungeons of rap
Where fake niggas don't make it back
I don't know how to start this shit, yo—now;
[Verse 1]
Rappers; I monkey flip 'em with the funky rhythm
I be kickin', musician inflictin' composition
Of pain, I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine
Holdin' an M16, see, with the pen I'm extreme
Now, bullet holes left in my peepholes
I'm suited up with street clothes, hand me a 9 and I'll defeat foes
Y'all know my steelo, with or without the airplay
I keep some E&J, sittin' bent up in the stairway
Or either on the corner bettin' Grants with the cee-lo champs
Laughin' at base-heads, tryna sell some broken amps
G-packs get off quick, forever niggas talk shit
Reminiscin' about the last time the task force flipped
Niggas be runnin' through the block shootin'
Time to start the revolution, catch a body, head for Houston
Once they caught us off-guard, the MAC-10 was in the grass, and
I ran like a cheetah, with thoughts of an assassin
Picked the MAC up, told brothers "Back up!" — the MAC spit
Lead was hittin' niggas, one ran, I made him back-flip
Heard a few chicks scream, my arm shook, couldn't look
Gave another squeeze, heard it click, "Yo, my shit is stuck!"
Tried to cock it, it wouldn't shoot, now I'm in danger
Finally pulled it back and saw three bullets caught up in the chamber
So, now I'm jettin' to the buildin' lobby
And it was full of children,
prob'ly couldn't see as high as I be
(So, what you sayin'?) It's like the game ain't the same
Got younger niggas pullin' the triggers,
bringin' fame to their name
And claim some corners, crews without guns are goners
In broad daylight, stick-up kids, they run up on us
.45’s and gauges, MAC's in fact
[Verse 2]
Be havin' dreams that I'm a gangsta,
drinkin' Moëts, holdin' TEC's
Makin' sure the cash came correct, then I stepped
Investments in stocks, sewin' up the blocks to sell rocks
Winnin' gunfights with mega-cops
But just a nigga walkin' with his finger on the trigger
Make enough figures until my pockets get bigger
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
Give me a Smith & Wesson, I'll have niggas undressin'
Thinkin' of cash flow, Buddha and shelter
Whenever frustrated, I'ma hijack Delta
In the PJ's, my blend tape plays, bullets are strays
Young bitches is grazed, each block is like a maze
Full of black rats trapped, plus the Island is packed
From what I hear in all the stories when my peoples come back
Black, I'm livin' where the nights is jet-black
The fiends fight to get crack, I just max, I dream I can sit back
And lamp like Capone, with drug scripts sewn
Or the legal luxury life, rings flooded with stones, homes
I got so many rhymes, I don't think I'm too sane
Life is parallel to Hell, but I must maintain
And be prosperous, though we live dangerous
Cops could just arrest me, blamin' us; we're held like hostages
It's only right that I was born to use mics
And the stuff that I write is even tougher than dykes
I'm takin' rappers to a new plateau, through rap slow
My rhymin' is a vitamin held without a capsule
The smooth criminal on beat breaks
Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes
The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps
That's where I learned to do my hustle, had to scuffle with freaks
I'm a addict for sneakers,
20's of Buddha and bitches with beepers
In the streets I can greet ya,
about blunts I teach ya
Inhale deep like the words of my breath
I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death
I lay puzzled as I backtrack to earlier times
Nothing's equivalent to the New York state of mind
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Produced by Trackmasters]
[Verse 1]
Fake thug, no love, you get the slug, CB4 Gusto
Your luck low, I didn't know 'til I was drunk though
You freak niggas played out, get ****ed and ate out
Prostitute turned bitch, I got the gauge out
96 ways I made out, Montana way
The Good F-E-L-L-A, verbal AK spray
Dipped attache, jump out the Range, empty out the ashtray
A glass of 'Zé make a man Cassius Clay
Red dot plots, murder schemes
32 shotguns, regulate with my dunns
17 rocks gleam from one ring
They let me let y'all niggas know one thing
There's one life, one love, so there can only be one King
The highlights of livin', Vegas-style, roll dice in linen
Antera spinnin' on millenniums
20 G bets I'm winnin' 'em, threats I'm sendin' 'em
Lex with TV sets the minimum, ill sex adrenaline
Party with villains, a case of Demi-Sec
To chase the Henny, wet any clique with the semi TEC
Who want it?
Diamonds I flaunt it
Chickenheads flock I lace 'em, fried broiled with basil taste 'em
Crack the legs way out of formation
It's horizontal how I have 'em ****in' me in the Benz wagon
Can it be Vanity from Last Dragon?
Grab your gun, it's on though
Shit is grimy, real niggas buck in broad daylight
With the broke MAC that won't spray right
Don't give a **** who they hit as long as the drama's lit
Yo, overnight thugs bug ‘cause they ain't promised shit
Hungry-ass hooligans stay on that piranha shit
[Refrain]
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
[Verse 2]
I peeped you frontin'
I was in the Jeep sunk in the seat, tinted with heat, beats bumpin'
Across the street you was wildin'
Talkin' about how you ran the Island in '89
Layin' up, playin' the yard with crazy shine
I cocked the baby 9, that nigga grave be mine
Clanked him—what was he thinkin'?
On my corner when it's pay-me time
Dug 'em, you owe me, cousin
Somethin' told me "Plug him!"
So dumb, felt my leg burn, then it got numb
Spun around and shot one
Heard shots and dropped, son, caught a hot one
Somebody take this biscuit 'fore the cops come
Then they came askin' me my name
What the ****? I got stitched up, it went through
Left the hospital that same night, what
Got my gat back, time to backtrack
I had the drop so how the **** I get clapped?
Black was in the Jeep watchin'
All he seen speed by was a brown Datsun
And yo, nobody in my hood got one
That clown nigga's through, blazin' at his crew daily
The Bridge touched me up severely, hear me?
So when I rhyme it's sincerely yours
Be lightin' Ls, sippin' Coors on all floors in project halls
Contemplatin' war niggas I was cool with before
We used to score together uptown coppin' the raw
But, uh—a thug changes and love changes
And best friends become strangers (Word up)
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
There ain't an army that could strike back
[Outro: Nas & (AZ)]
[Intro]
Yeah, yeah
Ayo, Black—it's time, word (Word, it's time, man)
It's time, man (Aight, man, begin)
Yeah—straight out the ****in' dungeons of rap
Where fake niggas don't make it back
I don't know how to start this shit, yo—now;
[Verse 1]
Rappers; I monkey flip 'em with the funky rhythm
I be kickin', musician inflictin' composition
Of pain, I'm like Scarface sniffin' cocaine
Holdin' an M16, see, with the pen I'm extreme
Now, bullet holes left in my peepholes
I'm suited up with street clothes, hand me a 9 and I'll defeat foes
Y'all know my steelo, with or without the airplay
I keep some E&J, sittin' bent up in the stairway
Or either on the corner bettin' Grants with the cee-lo champs
Laughin' at base-heads, tryna sell some broken amps
G-packs get off quick, forever niggas talk shit
Reminiscin' about the last time the task force flipped
Niggas be runnin' through the block shootin'
Time to start the revolution, catch a body, head for Houston
Once they caught us off-guard, the MAC-10 was in the grass, and
I ran like a cheetah, with thoughts of an assassin
Picked the MAC up, told brothers "Back up!" — the MAC spit
Lead was hittin' niggas, one ran, I made him back-flip
Heard a few chicks scream, my arm shook, couldn't look
Gave another squeeze, heard it click, "Yo, my shit is stuck!"
Tried to cock it, it wouldn't shoot, now I'm in danger
Finally pulled it back and saw three bullets caught up in the chamber
So, now I'm jettin' to the buildin' lobby
And it was full of children,
prob'ly couldn't see as high as I be
(So, what you sayin'?) It's like the game ain't the same
Got younger niggas pullin' the triggers,
bringin' fame to their name
And claim some corners, crews without guns are goners
In broad daylight, stick-up kids, they run up on us
.45’s and gauges, MAC's in fact
[Verse 2]
Be havin' dreams that I'm a gangsta,
drinkin' Moëts, holdin' TEC's
Makin' sure the cash came correct, then I stepped
Investments in stocks, sewin' up the blocks to sell rocks
Winnin' gunfights with mega-cops
But just a nigga walkin' with his finger on the trigger
Make enough figures until my pockets get bigger
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
Give me a Smith & Wesson, I'll have niggas undressin'
Thinkin' of cash flow, Buddha and shelter
Whenever frustrated, I'ma hijack Delta
In the PJ's, my blend tape plays, bullets are strays
Young bitches is grazed, each block is like a maze
Full of black rats trapped, plus the Island is packed
From what I hear in all the stories when my peoples come back
Black, I'm livin' where the nights is jet-black
The fiends fight to get crack, I just max, I dream I can sit back
And lamp like Capone, with drug scripts sewn
Or the legal luxury life, rings flooded with stones, homes
I got so many rhymes, I don't think I'm too sane
Life is parallel to Hell, but I must maintain
And be prosperous, though we live dangerous
Cops could just arrest me, blamin' us; we're held like hostages
It's only right that I was born to use mics
And the stuff that I write is even tougher than dykes
I'm takin' rappers to a new plateau, through rap slow
My rhymin' is a vitamin held without a capsule
The smooth criminal on beat breaks
Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes
The city never sleeps, full of villains and creeps
That's where I learned to do my hustle, had to scuffle with freaks
I'm a addict for sneakers,
20's of Buddha and bitches with beepers
In the streets I can greet ya,
about blunts I teach ya
Inhale deep like the words of my breath
I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death
I lay puzzled as I backtrack to earlier times
Nothing's equivalent to the New York state of mind
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Produced by Trackmasters]
[Verse 1]
Fake thug, no love, you get the slug, CB4 Gusto
Your luck low, I didn't know 'til I was drunk though
You freak niggas played out, get ****ed and ate out
Prostitute turned bitch, I got the gauge out
96 ways I made out, Montana way
The Good F-E-L-L-A, verbal AK spray
Dipped attache, jump out the Range, empty out the ashtray
A glass of 'Zé make a man Cassius Clay
Red dot plots, murder schemes
32 shotguns, regulate with my dunns
17 rocks gleam from one ring
They let me let y'all niggas know one thing
There's one life, one love, so there can only be one King
The highlights of livin', Vegas-style, roll dice in linen
Antera spinnin' on millenniums
20 G bets I'm winnin' 'em, threats I'm sendin' 'em
Lex with TV sets the minimum, ill sex adrenaline
Party with villains, a case of Demi-Sec
To chase the Henny, wet any clique with the semi TEC
Who want it?
Diamonds I flaunt it
Chickenheads flock I lace 'em, fried broiled with basil taste 'em
Crack the legs way out of formation
It's horizontal how I have 'em ****in' me in the Benz wagon
Can it be Vanity from Last Dragon?
Grab your gun, it's on though
Shit is grimy, real niggas buck in broad daylight
With the broke MAC that won't spray right
Don't give a **** who they hit as long as the drama's lit
Yo, overnight thugs bug ‘cause they ain't promised shit
Hungry-ass hooligans stay on that piranha shit
[Refrain]
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
I never sleep, ‘cause sleep is the cousin of death
I ain't the type of brother made for you to start testin'
[Verse 2]
I peeped you frontin'
I was in the Jeep sunk in the seat, tinted with heat, beats bumpin'
Across the street you was wildin'
Talkin' about how you ran the Island in '89
Layin' up, playin' the yard with crazy shine
I cocked the baby 9, that nigga grave be mine
Clanked him—what was he thinkin'?
On my corner when it's pay-me time
Dug 'em, you owe me, cousin
Somethin' told me "Plug him!"
So dumb, felt my leg burn, then it got numb
Spun around and shot one
Heard shots and dropped, son, caught a hot one
Somebody take this biscuit 'fore the cops come
Then they came askin' me my name
What the ****? I got stitched up, it went through
Left the hospital that same night, what
Got my gat back, time to backtrack
I had the drop so how the **** I get clapped?
Black was in the Jeep watchin'
All he seen speed by was a brown Datsun
And yo, nobody in my hood got one
That clown nigga's through, blazin' at his crew daily
The Bridge touched me up severely, hear me?
So when I rhyme it's sincerely yours
Be lightin' Ls, sippin' Coors on all floors in project halls
Contemplatin' war niggas I was cool with before
We used to score together uptown coppin' the raw
But, uh—a thug changes and love changes
And best friends become strangers (Word up)
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
Ther–Ther–Ther–There ain't an army that could strike back
Y'a–Y'all know my steelo
There ain't an army that could strike back
[Outro: Nas & (AZ)]
