[Intro - SampExplainle from "Rocky Balboa"] (*echo*) You ain't gonna believe this But you used to fit right here I'd hold you up, and say to your mother "This kid's gonna be the best kid in the world This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew" And you grew up good and wonderful It was great just watching you every day, it was like a privilage Then the time come for you to be your own man And take on the world, and you did But somewhere along the line, you changed You stopped being you
[Joe Budden - talking over the end of the Intro] It's, it's, it's that On Top Music!
[Verse 1 - Joe Budden] Look, look, look, shout to all my fans, glad I can inspire y'all Got a couple haters, still tryin to acquire more You're prayin to a higher power, hopin I should fall But even my writer's block, ends in a firewall Everybody acts reckless, judgin by they past efforts If they ran shit, why it won't show up on they track records? (talk to 'em) How could the critics ever hear me and say I'm a suffer? How when they play with words and I make 'em play with each other? Choppers over the booth, ready for prime time Become one with his thoughts, intertwine with his mind Go toe to toe, blow for blow or do it rhyme for rhyme Be competitive coke heads and go line for line Honestly that crap of yours, you should raffle off With me they gettin Genius Bars without the Apple store Under the microscope, I rebut' the scrutiny If I'm to be compared, it's only to who I used to be Take a closer look at rappers and you might discover These faggots talking boxing, avoid the Mike Buffers Now you the type to cuff her, me I get tired of her See you the type get hyped to hug her but won't try to fuck her Them pencil thin bitches, me that ain't the style he dates Mine sit on the bed and leave an imprint of a smiley face To introduce the newcomers to my habitat The calm's before the storm, this the debris from the aftermath (aftermath)
[Break - Sample from "Rocky Balboa"] Let me tell you something you already know The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life But it ain't about how hard ya hit It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward
[Verse 2 - Joe Budden] Check it, check, check it, let me change pace The alternate route's a long one but you'll ultimately end up in the same place So I tell aspiring artists "think beyond greater" I know some niggas with platinum plaques and bronze paper But better livin should be earned, never fed or givin So I traded my recognition instead for a vision They always told me that I'd end up dead or in prison Who ever thought that same dude gettin head while he whippin That the chicks would hang up on? Give 'em the dial tone Now buyin wild homes, straight cash without loans I always managed to do better when there's doubt shown I'll teach you how to turn them diamonds into milestones Class is in session and look who's come to tutor They passin the fake off as real like Brian Pumper's jeweler Where I'm from niggas with fear gettin slumped by shooters But my equal to dumpin Rugers is done by computers I'm gettin bread, every verse like the lotto Give 'em substance but they treat every word like it's a hollow (blaat) My niggas off parole, I'm tryin to give 'em somethin pure to follow Cause he ain't have a pot to piss in, just a urine bottle I come from where so many people were raised with neglect Cops tryin to meet they quota, thirsty to make an arrest All my wrongdoings did, was put my fait