Blue As I Can Be

[Intro: Scratches & Scratches & Blu] "If it ain't red then it must be blue" "No matter where I go, or how far I roam" "Blue, baby, just like yourself" "Exile and B-L" [Verse 1: Blu] The Los Angeles city skyline is like a photograph of my mind I could feel the sea's breeze every time that I rhyme Cool guy, coulda played trumpet in a suit and tie Barbers coulda cut a smoother line so it's U-N-I-versal First song I ever recorded Felt important, I had to paint my portrait enormous Clouds forming, the sun falls and darkness rises Yo it's like this every time I close my eyelids Bro I grew up in the city of violence, was known for the riots And now that I'm grown, I stay blown all alone Was thinking bout those who didn't make it In my zone dreaming bout how far we could take it From the basement, I never been one to run from Guns sung every night where I come from, the blood runs (B-L) Never fail, you can tell hell I would never sell out, even if I'm on sale, retail Pre-sales, you can see God in the details Midnight Blue, Kenny Burrell Shocked the world like the law got caught in the third rail, burn Ls Thinkin bout my daughter's future walking outta jail So thorough, even as a kid, I wanted to be big Like Jigga, "Can I Live?," ten siblings need a crib Like the ones on Cribs, niggas facing long bids Tryna make it where I live, real talk, it's common sense, I'm [Hook: Scratches] "B-L" ("I am the nappy kid from Cali") "U" ("B-L-U") "Every time I see you, it's like the first time I meet you" "The nappy kid from Cali" ("Come on!") "B-L" ("You ain't me") "A never-ending saga when I rap to these beats" "I got my props off the rhymes that I invented 'Cause I spoke my mind and I meant it" ("Exile and B-L") [Verse 2: Blu] I fell onto the planet, knowledge, born building understanding Dropping poems on the illest canvas South Central, Los Angeles, where niggas hold pistols and start scandals I picked up a pencil and wrote anthems My city mold champions, talent show battling Managing life challenging, and I would write traveling Unraveling thoughts, pass the mic before I pass you the blunt Smash the stage then I pass up the cost, acting a fool Rapping was cool, sorta something we could actually do Mastered my views, get my cash stacking after my dues Classic tunes, platinum plaques back-to-back with my crew Black and blue, back to rocking black-on-black at the show Pack up the show, black the block, we gotta block out the news Blackout at shows, no Glock, black proud and I'm Blu I used to sing James Brown, I used to talk through towns Tearing down egos, rocking gold, wearing a crown Airing our style, all hail to the king, hair grew out wild Long time ago, ten years exactly, where are they now? I've been B-L, back when they was clapping at fools After school for acting cool, I just had a backpack full of raps Avenue Blu is finna battle you, spit .45 caliber raps That'll dismantle you, my album's done, I'm back Told the homie, "Don't bang, just hang with me" Cribmania, the whole gang was me, it's so gangsta to be [Hook: Scratches] "B-L" ("Blue," "true blue when I bust") "U" ("I am" "the B-L-U") "The cloud becomes black and the sky becomes blue" "Out of the blue, time for a new young king to rule" "B-L" ("But if I have to, I go all out with no mic") "U" ("I might be the color blue") "A new fresh rap" "Exile and B-L-U" [Bridge: Scratches] "B-L-U, a—, as I can B-L-U, I'm blue" "When I say, "Blue," you say, "What?" Blue! [Verse 3: Blu] Yeah, just when I thought I was blanking out, I blanked out Back in the day, I used to dream about banking out And I'm banked out, what changed? Change Make cent, pay dues now pay rent Same shoes I work in, I church in, service, the shirt fits The roof over my head, the bed under my ass I hear rumbling, put my ear to the wall Nothing but jazz, grandad musta had that on blast Oh here they come again James Brown put eight drummers in his band The promoter put 200 in my hand, I'm a mad man Track under the rap just to match to the gas can Last dance, Miles Davis, Coltrane, Philly Joe Fuck that, brought it back, Max Roach Wack hoes got smoked quicker than the last roach Bad joke, we pack boats when black folks had a chance Fuck slavery, we build pyramids with a helping hand Made a classic with this rap shit, ain't look back since Build a black fence around my mansion, I'm a black man Black hand, black fists clenched, activist Black Panther Party bigger pistol packing wrapping Christmas gifts I'm gifted rappin', if you can get it grabbing grams Grip it on another level, take a stand Hate the hate and shake the salt Break the vault and quake the asphalt But I spark the bark until I'm retarded, yeah