Truth Is

Let me ask ya'll a question..
When you look at my brothers, what's your first impression?
Does the sight of us leave you guessin? or do you understand the stressin,
The aggression, the look of no hope on me and my niggaz faces
Like the lord overlooked us when he handed down his graces..
You see embraces, fall short on the numb tips of street entrepeneur fingers, stuck in the walls of the project halls where the coke smell still lingers -
External blingers is all we can be, 'cause on the inside we been given nothin to shine on. and a gig is harder to get than coke, so niggaz get they grind on
Cause the
TV tells us, aim high nigga, make all goals lateral
But that takes paper that we don't have so, niggaz put they souls up as collateral..
Now, some niggaz reclaim 'em, some blame 'em, make an excuse to sell 'em
But when a nigga goes from not doin to doin, what can you tell him?
Not to be a nigga?
Shit I gots to be a nigga, that's how
I pay the bills
And I'ma do that whether
I got to sling this coke or exploit these rhyme skills
See, America makes you an opportunist , and at the same time they institutionalize you.
So the fact that niggaz get, these big record deals, big money and go to jail shouldn't surprise you..
That's what lies do, and most of these guys do have raw talent just infinitile education
So the business feeds em' all the weed and ecstasy and a little bit of paper to provide some pacification from all the bullshit frustration they serve you
Meanwhile they corrupt your perception ofwhat the real is
See they takin all our businessmen, and made em drug dealers..
Took all our messengers, made 'em rappers just flappin they jaws afraid to admit their treason
Took all our soldiers for the cause, made 'em killers for no reason
And bein fucked up, ha, well that's in this season
So, if you're negative you're positive, and if you're positive you're called a hater
But I maintain control of my soul cause
I know it gets greater later
And I told y'all the last show,i'm no hater,
I just know what the truth is
I Been intertwined in this puddin for a year now so
I know where the proof is it lies in these midtown
Manhattan skyscrapers where former hustlers sign papers and do fucked capers like, 16 infamous stars of the time
They got us choppin and, baggin and servin that shit to niggaz 16 bars at a time now
The crime is undetectable by the feds cause in heads of our kids is where the track is
And music shoots straight to the soul it's so potent, so it's much more addictive than crack is..
Now, the high is just an illusion lies and confusion
But to feel that rush just once, these young bucks'll go through it
So in essence, they still floodin our streets with the thugs, drugs and the killing
They just usin these record labels to do it..
Takin our hearts off demos, puttin us in limos tryin to fuck up direction and most niggas is trained to chase money and pussy, so we fall victim to our own erection convincin' ourselves we're on our way somewhere where we're not goin
But ignorance is blissand niggaz love this so, niggaz take pride in not knowin
We not growin, nigga
I don't give a fuck how slick you flowin if you ain't showin nuttin to these kids or addin nuttin positive to the earth see
I been destined to touch this world since
I was born..
To be honest, fuck a record deal,
God gives me what
I'm worth.