[Verse 1: Brother Ali]
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I arrived in Minnesota with handcuff bruises
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Summer ninety deuce, prepared to cut loose shit
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Mom wasn't havin that, fuck bein cool
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With no discussion, stuck me in a suburb school
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Now day and night I'm on a bus full of fools
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Who parents didn't want us ended up in the news
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You must be crazy, you think any of us appreciate it
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How our parents wanna upgrade us
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All day long we're in a fantasy land
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Moms and dads, college plans and minivans
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But when the sun set, you fled the success
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To the slum where you rest, nothin more, nothin less
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School they fantasize about gangsta rap records
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But these are our lives, our families are connected
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The Ice Cube summer vacation is takin place
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Right around the way from where I stay
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The mold from the gold and the 'rips from L.A.
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Brought, snow to the cold for a new place to play
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There's a war goin on outside, you ain't safe from
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See if this education might save 'em
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[Chorus x2: Brother Ali]
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I've known you your whole life
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You drawn to that street life
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Slippin away, slippin away
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Slippin away, slippin away
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[Verse 2: Brother Ali]
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And so our little city bus crew used to run together
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Eat lunch together, girls Double Dutch together
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Fellas humbuggin, next day be friends
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The only thing we never did was date from within
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Fellas dated white girls, sisters stayed lonely
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Used to kiss me on my cheek and say we were homies
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Alphonso basement, we ran the party
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One day on the bus, Pumpkin stabs Akey
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Shit, my main man was Ethan
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Used to sell sneakers at a store called Friedman's
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He had two older cousins that were hustlers
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Filas wasn't all he pumpin to the customers
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He got a check but he got connects
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So he got some chicks and he got respect
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His boy Ali got hooked up with clothes
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One day slap boxin, he broke my nose
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He almost cried man, he had a good heart
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The brother's only problem was he wasn't book smart
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He dropped out of school but he kept slangin shoes
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To keep the kids fed, he had to sell base too
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[Chorus]
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[Verse 3: Brother Ali]
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Time to time I used to stop in and check on my dude
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Even when we lost touch with the rest of our crew
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We both had babies, drama with our old ladies
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But as time went on, our connection only grew
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He said "I just can't seem to leave these streets alone man
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Feels like I fell asleep one evening
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And woke up the next day suddenly a grown man
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In a rut with no idea how to leave it
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My parents got too many kids to help me through
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I really don't know what the hell else to do
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I know you gonna really get it crackin with that rap thing
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And when you blow up, I'm a come and work for you"
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Ha, that's my man, I see you when I see you brother
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Keep your head up 'til the next time we see each other
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Rolled out on my first national tour
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Back on the block, went back to the store
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Put my hand on the door, Ethan wasn't in though
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They said somebody shot 'em through his front window
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Hit 'em in the head and that he hadn't survived
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Matter fact he died 'fore the ambulance arrived
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A man in that life, it wasn't no mistake
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The cops called it a stray bullet, closed the case
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So there's no justice and there's no closure
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You can't touch this, not you, no sir
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They buried my brother, I was on the road
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By the time I got home, the ground was cold
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Got nothin left but a hole in my soul
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Shit, dude was 23 years old
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[Chorus]
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Slippin away, slippin away [x3]
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Slippin' Away
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Brother Ali |