[Black Ice]
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Let me ask ya'll a question..
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When you look at my brothers, what's your first impression?
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Does the sight of us leave you guessin? or do you understand the stressin,
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The aggression, the look of no hope on me and my niggaz faces
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Like the lord overlooked us when he handed down his graces..
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You see embraces, fall short on the numb tips of street entrepeneur fingers,
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stuck in the walls of the project halls where the coke smell still lingers -
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External blingers is all we can be, 'cause on the inside we been given nothin to shine on.
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and a gig is harder to get than coke, so niggaz get they grind on
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Cause the TV tells us, aim high nigga, make all goals lateral
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But that takes paper that we don't have so, niggaz put they souls up as collateral..
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Now, some niggaz reclaim 'em, some blame 'em, make an excuse to sell 'em
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But when a nigga goes from not doin to doin, what can you tell him?
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Not to be a nigga? Shit I gots to be a nigga, that's how I pay the bills
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And I'ma do that whether I got to sling this coke or exploit these rhyme skills
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See, America makes you an opportunist, and at the same time they institutionalize you.
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So the fact that niggaz get, these big record deals,
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big money and go to jail shouldn't surprise you..
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That's what lies do, and most of these guys
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do have raw talent just infinitile education
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So the business feeds em' all the weed and ecstasy
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and a little bit of paper to provide some pacification
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from all the bullshit frustration they serve you
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Meanwhile they corrupt your perception of what the real is
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See they takin all our businessmen, and made em drug dealers..
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Took all our messengers, made 'em rappers
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just flappin they jaws afraid to admit their treason
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Took all our soldiers for the cause, made 'em killers for no reason
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And bein fucked up, ha, well that's in this season
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So, if you're negative you're positive, and if you're positive you're called a hater
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But I maintain control of my soul cause I know it gets greater later
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And I told y'all the last show,i'm no hater, I just know what the truth is
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I Been intertwined in this puddin for a year now so I know where the proof is it lies in these midtown Manhattan skyscrapers
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where former hustlers sign papers
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and do fucked capers like, 16 infamous stars of the time
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They got us choppin and, baggin and
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servin that shit to niggaz 16 bars at a time now
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The crime is undetectable by the feds
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cause in heads of our kids is where the track is
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And music shoots straight to the soul it's so potent,
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so it's much more addictive than crack is..
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Now, the high is just an illusion lies and confusion
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But to feel that rush just once, these young bucks'll go through it
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So in essence, they still floodin our streets with the thugs, drugs and the killing
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They just usin these record labels to do it..
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Takin our hearts off demos, puttin us in limos
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tryin to fuck up direction
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and most niggas is trained to chase money
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and pussy, so we fall victim to our own erection
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convincin' ourselves we're on our way somewhere where we're not goin
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But ignorance is bliss and niggaz love this so, niggaz take pride in not knowin
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We not growin, nigga I don't give a fuck how slick you flowin
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if you ain't showin nuttin to these kids or addin nuttin positive to the earth
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see I been destined to touch this world since I was born..
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To be honest, fuck a record deal, God gives me what I'm worth.
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Truth Is
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Pete Rock |