Black Gold

[SIR]"That's yo Grandma favorite part..." ILL CAMILLE [VERSE 1] Young chicks developin' hips, innocence is lost County building overly crowded, we pay the cost In the back of the alleys, fiends barter for powder Money, power, respect; self-proclaimed bosses Buck pads and blunt raps, the first of the month Gotta put paper and aim to make somethin' See ya faking 'til you make it livin in the land of the stars Side hustles and work; supplementing ya job A block of "Gee, God we livin' beyond our means" Little shops is full, stomachs stay on E Can you find us a leader? Maneuver like sheep Freedom ain't free, forgetting that the meek Shall inherit the Earth, with no college degree Guess it's back to the corner, back packin' the heat The repass is crackin;' the homie R.I.P D's on that, regal, ghetto loyalty [REFRAIN] We all rise, all fall for the same things We all live, all die for the same things See I be doin' my best just to maintain See I be doin' my best just to make way We all rise, all fall for the same thing [VERSE 2] Ayo I spent 500 on the boomin' system Just to make sure they all know when I pull up Red bottoms, green money, treated as targets Boolay, black market, we gon' get it regardless For the low, perils of being crabs in a barrel Fair-weather friends and my foes wish 'em farewell It was serpents lurkin' in the grass I couldn't see 'em Bible or the Torah, needed somethin' to believe in When I was six, knew a boy molested by the preacher man We lackin' balance; long money, short attention spans I'm just tryin' to execute my plans before I kick the can Hopin' marriage in my future; forty is approachin' fast Forgot to drive slow, went off track a few times Thank God for a hard flow, and an impeccable grind Wear a lotta caps, hustla, I fit that bill All my people dealin' with life's ills, for real But y'all rather watch the clock tick But I ain't wastin' not a minute, yeah, I got three eyelids Yeah, the whole system's divisive Look atcha' mobile devices, the patriotic sirens They be slaughterhousin' all our profits, just to generate a profit "Ooh, they got them scopes out, wonder why they always talk morbid?" Poverty-stricken, leavin' victims Widows, and orphans forget the Forbes list We worth a fortune, that's why I hit 'em with the 'ism I'm dark tinted, but thank God my heart isn't Left and right wing, same team all politickin' They be acting like some, "nah nah, I don't feel 'em" So we stay the high, man rest in peace Ms. Phillis Granny raisin' Mama children: we product of the village Crossin' borders with our families, hidden in the pickups Barter, Sister-learned the game then always paid for it Ghetto rituals, we blessin' the bottle 'fore we sip it Black lips, no stars, I can African pen 'em My people stand back from the center with they chin up One God, one code, Seventh letter stay stickin' To the land of milk and honey, I'm knowin' the day come Liberation is gangsta We all rise, all fall for the same things We all ride, all die for the same things We all, all feel for the same things See, I be doin' my best just to maintain We all rise all fall for the same things We all kill... "Y'all listen to the lil' lady... and getcha hearts togetha... Talk about taking chances... What do you think you're doing every time you pick up a gun And get to so-called gang-warrin' witch ya own people-over turf... Somethin' don't none a' ya own... cause the white man owns it... That's right... the white man owns every nook and cranny... Every alley and every freeway... every city and every Goddamn swamp The white man owns it. Why?... Cause the white man got up off his ass and took it... All y'all want a piece of it?... Well the only way y'all gon' get it is To get up off yo asses and take it back."