Rise and Fall

[Verse 1: Rapper Big Pooh]

Cold as the cold in the wintertime

Slow rhyme when I rhyme, no beginner, I'm

City walk when they sin, tryna make a dime

They don't ask for too much, just a lil' shine

Lil' time on the grind, tryin' get that gwap

Weren't worth eight years for your first time pop

Now you back rehabilitated, punchin' the clock

Old neighborhood witnessin' your man and 'nem drop

Got the drop on that nigga, said he runnin' the block

Graduated from the greens to servin' up rock

So you plot, and you think and you sin on the plan

On some scheme-ass shit, but – that's your man

I'm sayin', you tryna push reason to the front

And put a block on that other shit you want

But the streets keep callin' ya name

And 9-to-5 slave to the rhythm ain't bringin' you fame

So it's back to the game, round up a lil' gang

Set it up to stick ya mayne, but he stick you first

Goodbye!

[Hook: Rapper Big Pooh]

I seen 'em rise, seen 'em fall (Seen 'em fall)

Seen 'em come, seen 'em go, seen 'em all (Seen 'em all)

Seen stars wit' dey name on the wall

'Til the money get tight and the limelight's gone (Light's gone)

3 A.M. in the backseat, leanin'

Thinkin' 'bout all the things I've seen, man

[Verse 2: Phonte]

Remember... before niggas was on the bandwagon...

I fell asleep 'til the sound of hand cannons

Leavin' holes in souls the size of Grand Canyons

Late nights, Bingham Street with my man Brandon

Fast forward, twelve years now, we grandstandin'

Because I'm maintaining, without Mantan'ing

And it made me an ani-mal

But I need another quota book for the catalog

I could dumb down and rap for bitches and alcohol

But I'm too loud, and too proud to tap-dance for these crackers, dawg

So, won't be no Gregory Hine-in'

When Tay get hostile, he in the Gospel like he in The Winans

And right now, he in there finding

A new platform for the rhymes that I arranged

A new ideas for the lines that I exchanged

'Cause I can't be – a laughing stock, homie, that'll be a crying shame

All I need is six bars and an intro

'Cause I relate to these beats like it was kinfolks

And the flow's so fresh like Mentos

And this is all real talk, that's for your info

'Cause that's where I been, yo – ho!

[Hook: Rapper Big Pooh & Phonte]

I seen 'em rise, seen 'em fall (Seen 'em fall)

Seen 'em come, seen 'em go, seen 'em all (Seen 'em all)

Seen stars wit' dey name on the wall

'Til the money get tight and the limelight's gone (Light's gone)

Uh, 3 A.M. in the backseat, leanin'

Thinkin' 'bout all the things I've seen, man

[Verse 3: AZ]

Grindin', time in, muh'fucker

Back up, stepped-up, muh'fucker

So quiet, I coulda crept on a sucker (Ahhh!)

From behind, and blew the breath out the busta (Poooow!)

But instead, held my head like a hustler

Pumped up, and get the sound of the muffler

Heard him clown 'bout his pounds bein' fluffier

Tellin' niggas outta town they be luckier

It get sad when the hood had enough of ya

Broke niggas buck at ya, poke you in ya jugular

But when you high, you feel niggas can't fuck wit ya

I'm surprised a nigga still had customers

Shut my eyes and inhaled my smoke

Tryna decide – should I let him slide?

But, nope! He broke ties when he spoke his lies

Tellin' spies that he hope I die, so my reply is

"To keep it real, I hope you could fly"

'Cause I'ma send him to them open skies

(Gah! Gah! Rrraaah! Rrraaah!)

[Hook: Rapper Big Pooh & AZ]

I seen 'em rise, seen 'em fall (Seen 'em fall)

Seen 'em come, seen 'em go, seen 'em all (Seen 'em all)

Seen stars wit' dey name on the wall

'Til the money get tight and the limelight's gone (Light's gone)

3 A.M. in the backseat, leanin'

Thinkin' 'bout all the things I've seen, man

I seen 'em rise, seen 'em fall (Seen 'em fall)

Seen 'em come, seen 'em go, seen 'em all (Seen 'em all)

Seen stars wit' dey name on the wall

'Til the money get tight and the limelight's gone (Light's gone)