Damn Right

[Spoken Word Intro: Brother Ali]

As I grew I would see them my comrades

In corridors, grouped in 2's and 3's and 4's

Sharing a blunt, talking, cursing, fighting

Sometimes weeping, lost

And it seemed to be no way whatsoever

To remove this cloud that stood between them and the sun

Between them and love

[Verse 1: Joell Ortiz]

We all took losses, workers, the hood bosses

9 to 5'ers, drug dealers, the hood warship

Hood Hoopstars that could have went to the league

But they whole game went to the weed

Little girl trapped in the crib off the strength of they seed

Some older nigga had her pimped in a v

She was used to them rebox

But he got them rims that keep spinning when the v stop

So when the v stop, she stop

He got right, took flight, now her little daughter needs socks

And the grandmother need rock

Cause she a victim of these street blocks

The hood is a wall and it's not made of sheet rocks

It's made of project bricks, elevators is full of project piss

Incinerators is the project snitch

That's where you find old ripped checks

And notices from housing cause this malcolm ain't paid the rent yet

[Hook: Joell Ortiz with (sample)]

Damn right I like the life I live

(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)

Cause I went from negative to positive

Damn right I like the life I live

(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)

Cause I went from negative to positive

And it's all what?

And it's all good

[Verse 2: Joell Ortiz]

The first and the third like christmas in the projects

That we use food stamps to buy inedible objects

Man the hood is a trap

Why my man can't read but he good with a mac?

You figure it out

Why my aunt and my cousin had to live on a couch?

Simon came back from the storm, couldn't get in his house

Housing padlocked the door for the pettiness Guap

My cousin dead because of the color of the sweater he rocked

My little homie buying cocaine, 20 a pot

Not to sell but to inhale, damn he ready to drop

My man play ball, remind me of penny a lot

Weed got him in Fedex lifting the heaviest box

All the ladies in that lotto playing numbers, they was dreaming

They playing them so long, when they hit them they break even

Too many of us out in this world that ain't eating

The problems we trying to make excuse is a great reason

[Hook: Joell Ortiz with (sample)]

Damn right I like the life I live

(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)

Cause I went from negative to positive

Damn right I like the life I live

(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)

Cause I went from negative to positive

And it's all what?

And it's all good

[Verse 3: Brother Ali]

The going get mighty rough, doors keep falling shut

Bills you can't ignore them but you know the piling up

Police round us up, authority hard to trust

And they ain't slowing up until you're inside the cuffs

Act us if the human rights don't apply to us

Throw us in front of the judge, load us on a bus

We escape the maze and the poetry that we buss

The rap industry, fucked, ain't nobody signing us

A lot of daddies ain't here to show us how to love

We learning from the radio, of course it's not enough

And listen to the soundtrack of homies growing up

Boys in love with strippers and shawty want a thug

When you know you stuck, running short on love

Oven door open to warm the apartment up

The baby start to fuss, you know when times are rough

The only thing for certain, is you cannot give up

[Verse 4: Joell Ortiz]

When the going got kinda rough, I was moving all kind of stuff

Grinding to find a buck, fiends never could buy enough

Them bills kept piling up, the haters would try their luck

So at night I'd have to fire while running and try to duck

Them Ds inside the truck with my name on them iron cuffs

They want Joell in that cell, They'd love to just line it shut

The Ladies admired us My team was fly as fuck

On roof I would try to pluck

I ain't give a flying fuck man I'm gutter

My daddy left my mother, no sisters no brothers

No inspiration, just calculating it undercover

Patiently waiting, hoping I'd slip up, on a pick up

But me get caught slipping? pause, like a hiccup

But nah, it ain't fun out there serving them bombs

I was grimy i had a duke and was serving his moms

Over this griminess my mans took permanent naps

I feel better in this studio just murdering tracks for real

[Hook: Brother Ali]

Damn right I like the life I live

Times I gotta smile just to hide my tears

Struggle made me wise, beyond my years

I hustle to survive just for my kid

Damn right I like the life I live

Times I gotta smile just to hide my tears

Struggle made me wise, beyond my years

I hustle to survive just for my kid

Well the going it's kinda rough hey