[Intro: Ralph McDaniels & Nas]
Okay, we gotta go deep, deep, deep to the underground
Take every breath out of my body if I don't stay real
For life
Yeah
Turn it up! Turn it up!
Yeah
[Verse 1: Nas]
Welcome to the underground; that basement life
Way underneath the earth, dig up dirt, termites and baby mice
Scatterin’
Below the surface, we deep in the soil, we jackhammerin'
To the core of it all, avoidin' the laws
Outside, the corner stores with the raw
Take mе back again, before ice surround mе
On stage performin’ while they fightin' around me
Later somebody gun pop, the good old days. We from the streets
Makin' plays, either you grind or you incomplete
Open the year '86 Lafite
For the time that the team was confined to four walls, and now, we meet (Now, we meet)
How 'bout it for the real? Now, I could fly to Saudi doin' deals
Comin' back, whole fam' showered in souvenirs
If my kids are nepo babies, it was destined
And they blessed, let ’em go crazy
Healin’ is important, live it if you talk it
Children get the short end of the stick, let's make better choices
And everything costs, there’s a price just to breathe
Everything gets taxed, nothing in life's free
So ain't nobody stealin' my peace, I’m still a beast
If I gotta put a piece in somebody, grill and release
Figurative speech
Picture me, a civilian, packin' heat
Back in the days, waves, immature naivete ('te)
By the tender age of twelve, around some men who made
Made it through situations that was inhumane
Eatin' twelve course dinners, look how the menu changed
But the men ain't changed, yeah
Welcome to the underground
[Chorus: Ice Cube]
"Comin' straight from the underground"
"Comin' straight from the underground" (Underground, underground)
[Verse 2: Nas]
A twenty-four karat gold award addict
Manic, way beyond boss status
I need a room with the walls padded, about mine
Cops used to pat us down, old straps we got passed down
From old legends, let us hold they weapons
They saw in us the coldest
That was in they essence
Hear the street confessions
If you kill a legend, now you a legend
The one who take out a legend, he next to be a legend, allegedly (Yeah)
Enamored, feel it
I channel through the annals of the life of Ali, my spirit animal
Feel his ice grill your camera crew
Epitomize, personify an open letter
To multiple golden eras that ended, I go forever (Forever)
Official tissue, life changin' masterpiece theater (Theater)
Fuck your candy-ass Grammy grabs
I open fire like Panthers behind sand bags
With my comrades, onslaught
Turn you corny niggas to cornstarch
I lead and you just go with it
The one who clash with the whole system
Since I entered the scene, I just roll different
Now, they code switching, they soul missing
A Catholic priest appears in your mirror
Y'all awaited Preem and Nas like it's Detox
Forget the drum machine when Preem could just do the beatbox
Or bang on the top of a table, let his house key knock
And I can freestyle, they can't see Nas
Welcome to the underground
[Chorus: Ice Cube]
"Comin' straight from the underground"
"Comin' straight from the underground" (Underground, underground, underground, underground)
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