[Intro: Nas]
Yeah
Young kings
It all starts
Humble beginnings
Young kings
Young, young kings, yeah
[Verse 1: Nas]
Head on a swivel, loaded lead in a nickel
The Devil holding a sickle, wanna sever your tissue
That's forever the issue, then candlelight at a vigil
They say jail is both a rehab center and a homeless shelter
And life and death is as close as tonic and seltzer
Never fold under pressure, give you my manifesto
Every man is a vеssel, my son is my reflection
Hе from the highest Heaven, I try not to possess him
Allow him to be tested
One day the words may come out the mouth of a reverend
By the power vested in me, loud at his wedding
Gift flowers while you can smell 'em, I try to tell 'em
All the diamonds and foreigns, all the finest of garments
It's really how it ends and not how it started
Filthy rich, scuba diving in your wealthy pockets
Louis, Prada, but health is my most valuable stocktip
Y'all 'bout to run things to my young kings
[Chorus: Nas & N.O.R.E.]
To my brothers with sons, let him run
To my brothers with sons, so fun
I pray y'all both share the most powerful bond
A little different from him and his mom
To my sisters with boys, the joy
To my sisters with boys, enjoy
Tell 'em stand tall, know he should go for it all
Meet the glorious king
[Verse 2: Nas]
Plenty stuff I used to see I often thought was an image of us
Getting off the city bus, all the memories rush
I used to look up at the crossing sign
A child with a grown-up hold in his arm while I was walking with my mom
I pointed at it, automatic
I saw it as a little boy who was the baddest
Like don't let him run in traffic
I really thought the crossing sign was me and my mom
Like who thought we was that important for a street sign
One year, she told me that sign was for everybody
I'm like, "We ain't everybody, nah, we special, Mommy"
Playin' with toys, yo, she got us Atari
Those is Miss Ann's boys, Nasir and Jabari
Our youth was constantly fightin' institutional racism
In school, we question the bias, two little future lions
Haile Selassies in training
Y chromosome, in no time they grown
First born be like the mom, second born is usually like dad
Then you add the other siblings
Hold each other down 'cause love brings
The world at your feet, my young kings
[Chorus: Nas & N.O.R.E.]
To my brothers with sons, let him run
To my brothers with sons, so fun
I pray y'all both share the most powerful bond
A little different from him and his mom
To my sisters with boys, the joy
To my sisters with boys, enjoy
Tell 'em stand tall, know he should go for it all
Meet the glorious king
