Charles Brown

[Intro]

(Helluva made this beat, baby)

[Verse 1]

Pops and mama went to jail, CB stepped up to the plate

We ain't even have his blood, but he still made sure we straight

He was strict to the point I thought what he felt was hate

Then I realized it was love, he tried to keep us out the way

Him and granny had them old ways, you know they ain't play

They ain't even like our friends, we had to sneak and hang with gang

Only full-time father that I knew, he take thе cake

Shit was far from perfect, but hе still was right there every day

I used to think the workin' man was suckers back in the day

But they the ones that get to see they kids walk across the stage

They the ones that die of old age and never hit that cage

Rest in peace CB, I drop tears writin' on this page, nigga

[Interlude]

I just wanted you to know I was thinkin' about you, man

You know I'll never forget about you up there

Sure wish you could see this shit now, man, how your baby boy doin'

This shit crazy

Nah, for real though

I love you, nigga

[Verse 2]

Tried to move granny, but that's where she wanna stay

I can't even blame her though, you know? Memories too great

Every time I'm in the city, I go make sure that she straight

Pop up unannounced and she drop tears when she see my face

I just woke up on a jet and it hit me, "Man, I'm really on this motherfucker

I could really own this motherfucker"

Why they hate me? I don't even know them motherfuckers

But I stay prepared and I ain't never scared, Bone Crusher

Gunfights in the streets, I done heard them SIGs pop

Knife fights in the joint, I done heard that skin pop

Told my niggas, "No more goin' to jail, they givin' M's out"

Lawyers paid, sit back, shut your mouth, it's gon' get figured out, my nigga

[Outro]

It's so crazy 'cause it's like

The way I came up was so motherfuckin' rough and like treacherous, you know?

I ain't gon' sit here and say we was dirt poor 'cause my people were hustlers and shit

But you know it's like, we was still in the slums though, like

It was still fucked up, you feel me? Like

Whatever you feel like a bad environment is, take that, put it in your head and just times that by ten

Like, crib gettin' shot up, wearin' motherfuckin' your granddad clothes to school

I remember, nigga, I went to school

The kids was talkin' about me 'cause my shit was French Toast

I'm like, "I'll never wear this shit again"

So I got my grandad work pants, he had Dickies

You cool if you wear some Dickies to that bitch though, you feel me?

I'm grabbin' his pants soon as he got off work, take them bitches off, I'm hidin' 'em from him, wearin' 'em to school

Nigga, I'm talkin' 'bout

I'm havin' a full-blown conversation with my pops while he choppin' up on a, on a plate

Choppin' up crack on a plate, nigga

Teachin' me like what's what, how much this cost, how much that cost, I'm twelve years old

But he always told me though, like, "I don't want you to get involved with this shit, man, go to school, stay in school

Like, you gotta make the family name legit," you know?

Now, I look up, I see my son playin' by the pool, chef in there makin' spicy tuna rolls and shit

And I'm like, "How the fuck did it get to this, bro?"

I ain't know what a spicy tuna was, nigga, I thought

That bitch only— you mash it up and make it a sandwich, you feel me?

That's how we came up, but

I'm just so grateful, I just thank God so much

Nigga life really went from night to day

No motherfuckin' cap, anybody that know me, they can vouch for this shit, man

Everybody ain't here with me, but, shit, it is it what is it

I wanna thank people that played major parts though, like in the upbringing, like

I gotta thank Snuggles, gotta thank my auntie Tami

I used to use they crib as getaways to get away from all the madness

Bein' around them showed me what family was, how family suppose to be

That's why I move how I do now with my family, like with the marriage and just bein' real close-knit with my family that I'm startin'

'Cause back in my crib growin' up, everybody was drunk as fuck, fightin' twenty-four seven

Shit was just crazy, you know?

Anybody out there goin' that's through some shit, man

I just want you to know your situation can change, bro

If it's tough right now, understand it's just a chapter in your life, like this ain't the whole book

You writin' that motherfucker, so envision what you want it to be

And keep goin'