[B. Stille] This is for you, and you, and you, and you
[Verse 1 - B. Stille] Now I came up with little bad ass yeagas, to never had ass yeagas Slept and ate with our peeps but we let the streets raise us Kept the weed blazin, don't let the drink age us Used to live outrageous, now we just couch potatoes Without the wages, to break out the project cages Make do with what we got, use the logic that God gave us Losin faith is enough to make a man crazy Can't even pay my landlady How the fuck I'm 'posed to save for my unplanned baby? Joined the Navy, and my uncle sayin "pay me" Maybe I'm just too damn lazy but you can page me Lately, been hustlin grams daily Holdin down my spot on the corner like Champ Bailey But I know I ain't the only one (you feel me?) On the gun livin on the run, look how they done momma's only son X me out like I'm, a Roman numeral Damn, and ain't tryin to see me again, till my funeral
[Chorus - Anthony Hamilton] For so long I been grindin (grindin) Paid my dues, put my time in (time in) Even went down for tryin I pushed on Never once did I give up (give up) Every time I fell I would get up (get up) Always kept my spirit up I pushed on
[Verse 2 - Scales] Now we finally feelin plush Doin gotta do to keep our nails airbrushed Jade straight out the box, damn ne'er been touched Damn I'm feelin good, B lined me up Till we never seen a Pontiac diamond-toed Nappy Roots, what it mean to ya? Mines and us And don't be callin us slow, we ain't grind it up Now my people all smiles cause we out the slums Sayin, "Look at Big Bud ol' sloppy drunk I remember when he sold tapes out the trunk" Now here's the routine - jump out the truck, T-shirt and blue jeans '94 Jays with the blue shoe strings When I first hit the grind ain't stop for shit And my only motivation was a pot to piss See it hit me so hard ain't have a penny to myself I swallowed up my pride and asked Skinny for some help And I'm sayin
[Chorus]
[Verse 3 - Big V] Want me to stop, I did, but I couldn't stop the shit Dawg I cried for this, stole and lied for this Scream when I felt this shit Toured for 16 months straight, lost breath for this Heh, yelled for this Sinnin every night, know I'm goin to hell for this The hurt and the betrayal, compelled by this Tough wall to climb but Nappy Roots scaled the shit Just don't let me rap in vain, people pray over this Don't take my word for it, see for yourself and shit Everybody out in the wind, ain't no help with this I coulda thrown in the towel, coulda walked away Eyes on the prize, so I'm strong today Simply want it, believe it, think it, breathe it Chase it, cease it, maintain, keep it Hold it, control it, never let go of it Hold on, press on, push on, I'm gone
[Chorus 2X]
[Anthony Hamilton] For so long Paid my dues Now IIIIIII (I pushed on) Alright, give up (I pushed on) I never have Kept on Ohhhhh, ooooohhhh