A new day  brings a new problem to a brother
 and all I gots ta say is thank god for my mother
 cause without my mommy dear my life would've been joke
 either locked up playin' dead and still slangin' dope but nope
 The lord he had a plan for me
 and with his help  my mother made a man of me
 didn't blindfold me to the world we was livin' in
 taught me how to save my little dividends
 so when I graduated I'd have a little school money
 but in the sixth grade I wanted to be the school dummy
 and flunked outta school with the flag pole
 and left my mother dear at home with a sad soul
 because my mother worked the fingers to the bone
 cause we was alone, and me I bought a death home
 My real pops he broke out with the style
 so I respect my stepdad, for raisin' another nigga's child
 So now we livin' comftable
 taught me the game and how to be responsible
 But back then I couldn't see it
 I wanted to be a grown man at fourteen so the kid's leavin'
 and ended up in a big fight
 and told me not to come home until I got my shit right
 So now I'm livin' in my grandma's home
 my grandma's strong, she's got nine kids of her own
 and keepin' me ain't no big deal
 but now that I'm much older I see just how the shit feels
 being kind-hearted, not wantin' to tell me no
 even though my grandfather just had a stroke
 and now the money's low
 and pretty soon a brother's gonna have ta go
 or either try to find a job so I can help out
 I'm in the ghetto, I gots ta get myself out
 and when I get out I gotta try to pave the way
 so my family can have a better place to stay
 I'm losin' all hope, a brother's fallin' short
 I can't cope, so now I'm slangin' dope
 and now my granny knows I'm doin' wrong
 she just prayin' for me heavily
 take care of her grandson
 and the lord must of heard her prayer
 cause he made me get a grip
 and got me on up outta there
 I heard my mother say them streets is gonna kill ya
 you couldn't have told me nothin' back then
 but now I feel ya...


 I'm eighteen, and now I'm havin' big fun
 my baby's mother just had my first son
 May eleven, I never will forget the day
 A star's born, let's name him little Scarface
 My first born and yo I'm a proud father
 I gotta son, I gots ta be my son's father
 and sellin dope ain't the way that I can get ahead
 but what the hell, I gots ta keep my baby fed
 I buy him milk, and pampers tryin ta do my part
 and he's my son, I gots ta try to make him hard
 I buy him clothes, and jewellry not the Tonka toys
 because the Tonka toys will only punk my boy
 and I don't want my son to look at life
 through a replica of reality tryin' to make it life-like
 but yet and still I let my son be a kid
 just give him up the real, exactly like my momma did
 So when he gets to be a man he'll appreciate
 the game I gave him way back when he used to roller skate
 and now my son is four years old
 I really gots ta give the real and try to play the father's role
 because these years he'll remember most
 so it's all about little Marcus and me becomin' close
 but I got a buncha obstacles
 if it ain't my line of work it's the girlies on my popsicle
 Now everybody's got my baby
 wantin' to have their hands in my pocket tryin to drive me crazy
 "It's your daughter, don't she look like you?"
 I just can't tell, why don't you take it to ma momma do
 because my mother knows the real deal
 all these hoochies poppin' coochie tryin' to get a free meal
 So now we in and outta cope
 tryin' to get mo money, braggin' om the child support
 Tellin' her friends that she's breakin' me
 now eveybody knows, that she was just fakin' G
 Come to find out, the girl never had me
 she's the baby's mother but me I ain't the baby's daddy
 and biological tests can prove
 you gotta get up off of me and go after the other dude
 but now I finally got a real daughter
 no need for the testin'
 I know that I'm the baby's father
 I heard my daddy say them hoes will try ta kill ya
 you couldn't have told me nothin' back then
 but now I feel ya...

 I feel ya...


 Now I'm twenty-two and finally got a grip on life
 It's nineteen ninety-three, I put away my pocket knife
 and got a bigger stick to fight with
 I'm young and black so my choice ain't a nightstick
 because we livin' in a concentration set
 and everyday, we face to face with death
 I seen my homies go and come
 and judgement day is just somethin we can't run from
 so I know my number's comin' up
 so I gotta protect myself from suckers who be runnin' up
 and even though I hate killin' off my own kind
 I gotta be a man and as a man I'm a defend mine
 My brother corners tryin to keep the neighbourhood at peace
 don't fight each other, we gots ta stand and fight the beast
 so united we stand but we gonna fall quick
 because we always tryin to take another brother's shit
 and the cops is in the same vote
 just because we comin' up quick they think we slang dope
 They shootin' ta kill, they gas ain't sparkin' goods
 they shot my long time partner Rudy in cold blood
 and now the story's all twisted up
 and if they gave the cop the chair
 I really wouldn't give a fuck
 because she left my partner's family with memories
 and after hearin' this I know you don't remember me
 but yet in still I find it hard for me to stay in touch
 I see his parents and then I started breakin' up
 because I know what you did was wrong
 but you won't realize until you dead and gone
 It ain't no justifiable homicide, you never gave a warning
 you straight up shot him from behind
 but all the cryin' in the world ain't gonna bring him back
 you give a gat to a black he don't know how to act
 but you gotta tell your story to the judge
 not the imitation judge, the judge that everybody loves
 and if the man upstairs grants you forgiveness
 then in reality you took care of your business
 but regardless I know you wanna kill me
 but I ain't goin' out like dat
 Ya feel me?

 ...yeah