Nas - The Rise And Fall lyrics

[Intro] Uh, yeah turn it up, check it out [Verse 1] The transition from a young fool Broke, still on his neck, he hung j**els Live his life in the ghetto where guns rule It was cool wasn't mad, I had to take out cabs Made my first LP afforded H-Cla**, my face ga**ed '94, Sold out in every record store Local hood rats who wouldn't speak Now I'm who they're checking for Shown crazy love, ran up on stage with 80 thugs After the shows, my n***as robbed the bar and wrecked the clubs Happy, no hating, more henny, more blunts circulating My single in rotation on every radio station Eyes popped when I drove my first ride on the block Summertime, block parties, cookouts, I spend my knot Truly, n***as was fighting over who was closely to me Happy with the new representative of QB To hit the top first you have to gotta fall before you make it With for 4 minutes of your time, watch me demonstrate it [Hook Slick Rick & Nas] This was the rise and fall of my fast lane style (From Nasty to Nas to Nas Escobar) (Mega popular center of attraction) I was the main event on the TV for a while This was the rise and fall of my fast lane style (From Nasty to Nas to Nas Escobar) (Mega popular center of attraction) I was the main event on the TV for a while [Verse 2] Cayman Islands in the winter, summer bus rides to Great Adventure I've brung New York back to real rap inventors New crib, diamond rings, k**ers on my team Infinitis for my girl for giving birth to my queen 3 g's worth of chronic a week, promoters were mad I stopped doing shows to spend time in the street Loot declined, eventually so did my shine Repo looking for my Lex, back then I wasn't buying You can guess n***as started saying, with all the success "Why is your mom still in the projects?" I answered them vexed f** out my face, pistol in my car, full clip I read about Pablo Escobar and got on some sh** So called mans would plot on my chips, I was fronting n***as thought I was rich and got mad cause they was pumpin' My a**umption, n***as want me pumped in the casket Kept the gun the same three-fifth a n***a got bagged with [Hook] [Verse 3] Caught a case now, I'm home staring off into space Flashbacks of all the j**elry, cars, crossing my face Rappers I met, hoes on video ca**ette No management, no more good life and no respect Hearing crowds roar, crystal pouring mixed drinks Haunted by the thoughts of second album soph*more jinx Where did I fail? d**h threats, woke up in cold sweats Thinking about all these murders that know where I rest From hanging with crazy cliques that's known to take sh** Bracelets, and all that beef now I'm involved, was paperless My cars were auctioned off, now I catch rides with kidnap-n***as Who snatch babies up to get back figures Lessons from heaven, every night I slept with my weapon To guard my family for a minute I forgot my profession Not from Columbia or Nicaragua Don't distribute coke from Antigua, that shipped out to Panama Pablo Escobar's bloody reign came to an end Far from my life; a kid who made his fame from a pen Hit the studio and change the game again Wrote down all the pain within, top of the charts, triple platinum Got the fake love back, money stacks, more plaques Had to see who I was just to know where I was at Saw both sides of the game, all the ups and downs This goes out to the future rap kings coming up now [Hook]