[Intro: Alicia Keys (Baby Cham)] Here's my, ghetto story (Story) Been in hell through the fire, now, gonna take it higher (This a survival story, true ghetto story) Here's my, ghetto story (Story) So many reasons to sing now, plus now we got the keys to the kingdom (This is my story, real ghetto story, hey)
[Verse 1: Akon] See I was born poor like many men and didn't have nothin Came to America try to make somethin out of somethin You see we Africans we love huntin Found my way up to the top like it wasn't nothin And hooked up with some Puerto Ricans up in Jersey We used to be called the Baldwin posse Had it locked we zoned it up to Union City And a couple of projects in New York City
[Verse 2: Baby Cham] I remember those days when Hell was my home When Me and Mama bed was a big piece a foam An mi never like bathe and my hair never comb When Mama gone a work me go street go roam I remember when Danny dem tek me snow cone An mek him likkle bredda dem kick up Jerome I remember when we visit dem wid pure big stone An the boy Danny pop out something weh full chrome
[Verse 3: Akon] But cats know better than to play around me And knew I kept the AK displayed around me And I moved down to the A to find more cheese And I found out cars make more than we
[Verse 4: Baby Cham] I remember when we run, Fatta get him knee blown An mi best friend Richie get, two inna him dome I remember so the avenue tun inna warzone An ,Mickey madda fly him out, cau she get a loan But, Mickey go to foreign and go tun Al Capone Mek whole heap a money and sen in our own Now a we a lock the city and, that is well known Yesterday Mickey call me pan mi phone Mi say Mickey...
[Chorus: Baby Cham {Akon}] Wi get di ting dem Dem outta luck now Mi squeeze seven and the whole a dem a duck now Wi have whole heap a extra clip cau we nuh bruk now (This a survival story, True ghetto story) Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah Wi get di ting dem, So dem haffi rate wi {And this is my story, Akon story} Cau we a tek it to them wicked of lately And now the whole community a live greatly (This a survival story, True ghetto story) Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah