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)
[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 NYC
[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] We get di ting dem Dem outta luck now Mi squeeze seven and the whole a dem a duck now We have whole heap a extra clip cau we nuh bruk now Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah
[Alicia Keys] (Baby Cham) We got the kingdom so we have to make way We take it from the bottom to the top baby And now the whole community can live greatly (Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah)
[Verse 5: Alicia Keys] (Baby Cham) I remember those days when, we was dead broke And, I could barely find a, dollar for a token Hop in the train just to get where I'm goin Po Po's after me I'm runnin like I'm smokin Remember those days when I went to bed hungry All I ever ate was white rice and honey Big dreams in my head empty my tummy Might crack a smile but ain't nothin funny I remember playin over needles in the street Everywhere I go and there was some part of me Thirteen thirteen was, hookers and hoes On 11th avenue sellin bodies for dope (Whoa) Remember cryin sayin that will never be me Gonna make it someday gotta be somebody Say, mommy don't worry it's just you and me But, one day we will get out of this misery (Hey!)
[Chorus: Baby Cham] We get di ting dem Dem outta luck now Mi squeeze seven and the whole a dem a duck now We have whole heap a extra clip cau we nuh bruk now Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah
[Alicia Keys] (Baby Cham) We got the kingdom so we have to make way We take it from the bottom to the top baby And now the whole community can live greatly (Rah...Rah..Rah...Rah)
[Verse 6: Baby Cham] I remember bout '80, Jamaica explode When a Trinity and Tony Hewitt dem a run road That a long before Laing dem and even Bigga Ford When Adams dem a Corporal nuh know the road code I remember when we rob the chiney shop down the road An rumour have it sey the chiney man have a sword But we did have a one pop wey make outta board So you know the next day mama pot Overlooaad
[Verse 6: Akon] How could that be? Chop shops in the city call me the ring lead Never thought I flee, some how the Po' Po' still caught up with me But then I got locked up, then while I was boxed up Focused on locked up, then they let me out but Two years later my brother Screw got shot up And got the whole block royal like now what