Sometimes it's hard to wake up in the mornin'
Mind full of demons, I don't wanna hear 'em anymore
Got me heartbroken, fine, so many babies screamin'
'Cause they seein' destruction 'fore they a see human bein'
So they start smokin' weed, we'll never get our day
Until we learn to pray, keep our families in shape
'Cause they all broke and why do ghetto birds die?
Before we learn to fly, somebody else's child caught in guns
Smokin' weed, can all make a change
So I'm told but I haven't seen the change unfold
I keep hopin', please, if you prefer to breathe
Communities in need of people that will lead
Keep your eyes open now, can only say I'll try
Until the day I die, I promise to be wise
With my heart open, greed brings only misery
A way to tragedy, so I stay sucker free
Only a few chosen rise, my ghetto queens, rise
Don't be afraid to try, too many of us die
For the door to open wide, my brothers be wise
Stay focused on the prize, though everybody dies

We can only learn to take our anger and our hate
Control our mental state, settle down and just set it straight
Maybe we can learn to take a second to pump our brakes
'Fore we said it, regret it later and let it escalate
'Cause by then it's too just late, there's so much we can take
And there's only so much someone can swallow and tolerate
Up to the point that he just breaks, snaps and that's all it takes
You'd think that we was learnin' from other rappers mistakes
But we ain't
It's plain to go against, with every artist
Comes the image he portrays and a picture that he paints
But in the midst of all this anger and this angst
Never once did you hear me say I'm a gangster
And I ain't hear no complaints
But I know that I will always continue to grow
As long as I lead and never follow no one else's shadow
There will never be another me and that I can guarantee
That's why the fuck I remain sucker free

To this day, the game will never be the same
No matter how much fame or success they attain
There will never be another me and no matter what they do
There will never be another you
You can search but you'll never find
You can try to rewind time
But in your hearts and your minds, we will never die
We are forever alive and we continue growin' one day at a time

Don't get caught in the publicity and caught in the hype
Rappers are regular people minus money and light
Searchin' for fortune and fame and super stardom
All the jewelry, all the cars, whose crew is the hardest
Now the hip hop police, the villains is watchin'
And the kids think beef is they only option
Outlawz born filthy, guilty as charged
My memories they could die, but Makaveli lives on
You think the industry is fun and no pity with guns
And when your money is up, that's when your enemies come
So if he died and came back, would he try to save rap?
We needin' a change, the drama remains

I spent my whole life fightin' myself
That I can't win, so I'm invitin' some help
And every now and then I take rights from the left
I'm still just like a kid lookin' for stripes on my belt
And that there is a fight in itself
So I just pray and hope God take a like to myself
No matter how much, I try stay alive
I'm gonna die a man, still standin' and in love with my pride

My heart, frivolous beef, we past that
I'm tryin' to keep some income comin' in and collect on my ASCAP
The rappers in the game ain't changed (hell nah)
And I finally realized that we not in the same game
The hatin' will never end, so I guess I'll deal with it
Them 4-5 are cop killers, just some steel with it
The streets is military, you gotta be a soldier
Gotta stay leery and keep your eyes on the rollers
They do what they gotta do to shackle and hold us
So we gotta do what we gotta do to keep rollin'
One way at a time, keep the faith in your mind
And we continue growin' one day at a time, damn