[Intro] It's my hood, I been livin here for 17 years Boy I done got jumped, my car done got shot up I done got shot at, I been to jail, 3, fo' times I want parents to simply wake up To take responsibility for our own kids It's time to take action! It's time to wake up and stop sleepin! [Paris] Peace, what's happenin rookie? It's been a while since I been gone, just tryin to fall in Ain't nothin new, sheeit, I keep it mannish It's different now than when I was out, let's examine What's happenin junior? What's goin down? How the women actin, heard you was crushin 'em in the town Look good don't they? Hell yeah, shoulda saw The ones last week at the mall, hella raw And all tryin to come up, like video queens So fine they make some of us do the stupidest things But be careful though, get caught up, know what you doin f** around and be a teenage pop, and life is ruined How ya momma doin? She cool, is that right? Seen your sister last week at the bank, lookin tight Keep yo' eyes on her, cause n***as, nowadays Always lookin for some new ones to train, so many ways And I'm amazed, but not amused as such We all brothers but some of us gettin caught in the clutch Another, day go by another, day's the same Another, day of strife I say a, prayer for change But I cain't complain, and if I did so what? The best we can do is try to find the truth and come up I'm still bangin on these tracks, still keep hope for us Yeah I'm back, still rough on wax, and still bust [Hook - singer] E'rybody gotta do their own thang See the whole world goin insane Hope to see sun, it'll be rain We lay low, lay low, lay low E'rybody tryin to maintain Brothers gonna work out in the aeeend 'Til we get peace it'll be pain And they know, they know, they know [Paris] What's on your mind? What, your homey died? Over what, some bullsh**? Is that right? I known him since back in the days, we was tight Used to date his older sister back in late '85 I just wonder why, the sh** don't make no sense How many gotta die befo' these n***as convinced? d**h is final every day for my people I'm prayin Seems so many lose our futures f**in 'round in the game A motherf**in shame, another life is ruined Know you wanna ride but gunnin for them n***as is useless See we all confused, damn, but everything is a test Don't let ego and emotions be the reason you slip Cause though your boys might fall, fall for doin wrong Friends drop like drawers, nobody mobbin like the law And we don't need no more in the pen or at war It's open season every brother on the street is a target, believe [Hook] [Paris] Now even though I'm anti-pop, I still rise And though it seem it ain't gon' stop, I still rise Above this bullsh** hip-hop, I still rise Supply, wise words, disguised in rhyme verse I curse, what these n***as is sayin, ain't nuttin real Just fairy tales of pimpin these sisters and makin mail I see 'em pose, see the b**hy roles they play See these videos they sh**ty, see the way we portrayed See these sellin out acts just sellin our rap Believe wannabe macks with powerhouse tracks Redefined black manhood, defied Allah We rise up, f** this bullsh**, survival or die See them thuggin n***as muggin with that criminal pout See 'em frown in every photo, see that sh** in they mouth See 'em tattered lookin battered chasin p**y and weed Makin hookers out of queens every video feed I see these labels sit back, push this sh** like crack Now every record every act, got you thinkin it's black To act a fool chasin p**y like it's hard to get I see these crackers think it's cool, bein n***as for chips I split jiggaboo chins, an*lyze these trends If it's down to me and them I'm sendin flowers to kin Ain't nuttin easy in this world, struggle makes the man Don't let these motherf**ers do you understand the plan, believe [Hook] - 2X