[Intro]

It's my hood, I been livin here for 17 years

Boy I done got jumped, my car done got shot up

I done got shot at, I been to jail, 3, fo' times



I want parents to simply wake up

To take responsibility for our own kids

It's time to take action!

It's time to wake up and stop sleepin!



[Paris]

Peace, what's happenin rookie?

It's been a while since I been gone, just tryin to fall in

Ain't nothin new, sheeit, I keep it mannish

It's different now than when I was out, let's examine

What's happenin junior?  What's goin down?

How the women actin, heard you was crushin 'em in the town

Look good don't they?  Hell yeah, shoulda saw

the ones last week at the mall, hella raw

And all tryin to come up, like video queens

So fine they make some of us do the stupidest things

But be careful though, get caught up, know what you doin

Fuck around and be a teenage pop, and life is ruined

How ya momma doin?  She cool, is that right?

Seen your sister last week at the bank, lookin tight

Keep yo' eyes on her, cause niggaz, nowadays

always lookin for some new ones to train, so many ways

And I'm amazed, but not amused as such

We all brothers but some of us gettin caught in the clutch

Another, day go by another, day's the same

Another, day of strife I say a, prayer for change

But I cain't complain, and if I did so what?

The best we can do is try to find the truth and come up

I'm still bangin on these tracks, still keep hope for us

Yeah I'm back, still rough on wax, and still bust



[Chorus: singer]

E'rybody gotta do their own thang

See the whole world goin insane

Hope to see sun, it'll be rain

We lay low, lay low, lay low

E'rybody tryin to maintain

Brothers gonna work out in the aeeend

'Til we get peace it'll be pain

And they know, they know, they know



[Paris]

What's on your mind?  What, your homey died?

Over what, some bullshit?  Is that right?

I known him since back in the days, we was tight

Used to date his older sister back in late '85

I just wonder why, the shit don't make no sense

How many gotta die befo' these niggaz convinced?

Death is final every day for my people I'm prayin

Seems so many lose our futures fuckin 'round in the game

A motherfuckin shame, another life is ruined

Know you wanna ride but gunnin for them niggaz is useless

See we all confused, damn, but everything is a test

Don't let ego and emotions be the reason you slip

Cause though your boys might fall, fall for doin wrong

Friends drop like drawers, nobody mobbin like the law

And we don't need no more in the pen or at war

It's open season every brother on the street is a target, believe



[Chorus]



[Paris]

Now even though I'm anti-pop, I still rise

And though it seem it ain't gon' stop, I still rise

above this bullshit hip-hop, I still rise

Supply, wise words, disguised in rhyme verse

I curse, what these niggaz is sayin, ain't nuttin real

Just fairy tales of pimpin these sisters and makin mail

I see 'em pose, see the bitchy roles they play

See these videos they shitty, see the way we portrayed

See these sellin out acts just sellin our rap

Believe wannabe macks with powerhouse tracks

Redefined black manhood, defied Allah

We rise up, fuck this bullshit, survival or die

See them thuggin niggaz muggin with that criminal pout

See 'em frown in every photo, see that shit in they mouth

See 'em tattered lookin battered chasin pussy and weed

Makin hookers out of queens every video feed

I see these labels sit back, push this shit like crack

Now every record every act, got you thinkin it's black

to act a fool chasin pussy like it's hard to get

I see these crackers think it's cool, bein niggaz for chips

I split jiggaboo chins, analyze these trends

If it's down to me and them I'm sendin flowers to kin

Ain't nuttin easy in this world, struggle makes the man

Don't let these motherfuckers do you understand the plan, believe



[Chorus x2]