The Grind (feat. Dead Prez) - Erykah Badu

Intro: "I was born, in a dump My mama died and my father got drunk They left me, to die or grow In the middle of Tobacco Road I grew up in a rusty shack All i owned was hangin on my back And Lord knows, how I learnt This place called Tobacco Road Tobacco Road, you're dirty and you're filthy Tobacco Road, gonna get me some dynamite and a crane I'm gonna blow it up, Lord knows gonna start all over again" "My mind is the place where I make my plans The world is the place where I take my stand The beauty of life is mine today They cannot take my mind away" (M1) Fuck what you heard, I'm from Africa This ain't no act it's mathematical Past the black radical I choose the M1, because it's practical Nothin was changed, we ain't protected No names, it's all factual They push the wrong buttons, count down to detonate Brooklyn blown away and the world will have to speculate This is what we learn in the streets, fuck a degree Believe in none of what you hear and half of what you see (Stic) It's like watching your own father smoke crack I have nightmares on shit like that No way in hell I'll ever get like that I seen a lot of shit in twenty-two years It's like a tour of duty My life is booby-trapped, it's hard to see the beauty When your heart is turning ice cold Cold like your hands exposed to blistering winds My mother keep her eyes closed, she say she prayin I listen close to what she sayin When she speak of Jesus I ignore it But when it's practical I'm all for it You got to think like a soldier I'm training myself to snatch pistols out of holsters Discipline keep the mind focused This whole world is a corn field son Look out for flying locusts Chorus (x2) Don't let 'em get in your head, they try to probe you Figure your thoughts so they can try and control you And through you, control your whole crew It's psychology boy, now what the fuck that make you wanna do? (M1) You can't walk the streets with no state of mind Blind to the ways of mankind And if you know the time, give me a sign Tell me where we draw the line I got your back if you got mine My enemy's enemy is my man One dreadlock is stronger than one strand while the crackers got the upper hand My comrades stand on lands stolen Every tooth a golden opportunity Who holdin my community hostage? 10% ransom, costing us time we lost and some This is how the plan runs Thinkin with a fugitive brain What we do to live is insane Holdin the weed, healing my membranes Just like crack, you know it all boils down To the dollars-and-cents of it Niggaz commence to get [rents?] to sentenced to serve terms Jumping the fence, the black germ is loose When will they learn? Psychology (Stic) We piss on walls and smoke reefa in the halls No respect for their laws I cut your face with a kitchen knife In gladiator times, man against machinery The tree bark fatigues help me blend in with the scenery boy Life is a series of serious choices Theories is formed from experience, never mysterious forces Various courses of life can lead to failure Too much of anything is a trap, my mind snap Guerrilla warfare for two grand They say karate means 'empty hands' So then it's perfect for the poor man... They say karate means 'empty hands' So then it's perfect for the poor man Chorus (x2) Bridge (M1) When you think of us think of pyramids and pistols And glimmering gold teeth that shine like crystals The mind is like a jewel son Only a fool wouldn't grasp it Wisdom is a tool, you get blasted When you think of us think of pyramids and pistols And glimmering gold teeth that shine like crystals The mind is like a jewel son Only a fool wouldn't grasp it Wisdom is a tool, you get blasted "Free your mind, and the rest will follow Seize the time, no one is promised tomorrow" Repeat until fade

Holton Street Dean Street (click clack) President (uh huh) Nostril out (DP's) Orange Al (RPG's) Tee Town (Who wanna ride?) Brooklyn Come on, Come on Sittin' in the living room on the floor All the pain got me on some migraine shit But I'm gonna maintain Nigga got 2 or 3 dollars to my name And my homies in the same boat going through the same thing Ready for a cake Better plot for the paper We been living in the dark since April On the candle Gotta get a handle My homie got a 25 automatic added to the caper Nigga get the phone book look up in the yellow page Lemme tell you how we fend to get paid We gonna order pizza and when we see the driver We gonna stick the 25 up in his face Lets ride, stepping outside like warriors Head to the notorious Southside One weapon to the four of us Hiding in the corridor until we see the dominos car headlights White boy in the wrong place at the right time Soon as the car door open up he mine We roll up quick and put the pistol to his nose By the look on his face he probably shitted in his clothes You know what this is It's a stick up Gimme the do' from your pickups You ran into the wrong niggaz We running down the block hot with these pizza boxes So we split up and met back at the apartment Hell yeah (yo ain't you hungry my nigga?) Hell yeah (you wanna get paid my nigga?) Hell yeah (ain't you tired of starving my nigga?) Hell yeah (well lets ride then) Hell yeah, Hell yeah I know a way we can get paid you can get down but you can't be afraid Let's go to the DMV And get a ID The name says you but the face is me Now it's your turn take my paper work Like 1, 2, 3 lets make it work Then, fill out the credit card application And its gonna be bout 3 weeks a waiting For American Express Discoviry card Platinum visa, master card Cause we was spooked as shit like we's was targets Now we just walk right up and say charge it To the game we rocking brand names Goin on out the park store chains We even got the boys in the crew a few things Po Po never know who to true blame Sto' after Sto' you know we kept rolling Wait two weeks report the car stolen Repeat this like a like a laundry mat Like a glitch in the system it's hard to catch Coming out the mall with the shopping bags We can take it right back then get the cash Yea, get a friend and then do it again Damn right that's how we paid the rent Hell yeah Time to get this paper I'm down for the caper Please steady on It's a deadly struggle We all gotta hustle This is the way we survive (Repeat) I know a caper We can get some government paper You know food stamps can we really do that Hell yea, right there for the taking Fuck welfare we say reparations And, uh, you know the grind Get up early get in the line and just wait Everybody on break that's part of the game And when they call your name Ms. Case Worker let my state my claim I'm homeless, jobless, times is hard, I'm 'bout hopeless But I gotta eat regardless No family to run to I'm 22 Now tell me what the fuck am I supposed to do My sad story made her feel close to me I made her feel like it was an emergency When I came to the crib niggaz couldn't believe I came back with a big bag of groceries (hell yeah) Every job I ever had I had to get on the first day I find out how to pimp on the system Two steps ahead of the manager Getting over on the regular tax free money out of the register And when I'm working late nights stockin' boxes I'm creepin' their merchandise And don't put me on dishes I'm dropping them bitches And taking all day long to mop the kitchen shit We ain't getting paid commission, minimum wage, modern day slave conditions Got me flippin' burgers with no power Can't even buy one off what I make in an hour I'm not the one to kiss ass for the top position I take mine off the top like a politician Where I'm from doing dirt is a part of living I got mouths to feed I gots to get it Hell yeah (you down to roll my nigga?) Hell yeah (you ready to get your hands dirty my nigga?) Hell yeah (your woman need money and things my nigga?) Hell yeah (well lets ride then) Hell yeah If you coming gangsta Then bring on the system And show that you ready to ride Till we get our freedom We got to get over Please steady on the grind (Repeat)

Yo, little Khadejah pops is locked, he wanna pop the lock But prison ain't nothin but a private stock And she be dreamin 'bout his date of release She hate the police But loved by her grandma who hugs and kisses her Her father's a political prisoner, free Fred Son of a Panther that the government shot dead Back in 12-4-1969 4 o clock in the mornin, it's terrible but it's fine Cuz Fred Hampton jr., looks just like him Walks just like him, talks just like him And it might be frightenin, the feds and the snitches See him organize the gang, brothers and sisters So he had to be framed yo, you know how the game go 18 years because the 5-0 said so They said he set a fire to a Arab store But he ignited the minds of the young black and poor Behind enemy lines, my niggas is cellmates Most of the youth never escape the jail fate Super maximum camps will advance they game plan To keep us in the hands of the man locked up Hello Collect call from Ness Where are you Yo shit is crazy boo, I miss you Have you been alright Yo, can you put some money in my commisary Little Kenny been smokin lucy since he was 12 Now he 25 locked up wit a L They call him triple K, cuz he killed 3 niggas Another ghetto child got turned into a killa His pops was a Vietnam veteran on heroin Used like a pawn by these white North Americans Mama couldn't handle the stress so went crazy Grandmama had to raise the baby Just a young boy, born to a life of poverty Hustlin, robbery, whatever brung the paper home Carried the chrome like a blind man hold a cane Tattoos all over his chest so you could know his name But y'all know how the game go Deez kicked in the front door and guess who they came for A young nigga headed for the pen, coulda been, shoulda been Never see the hood again Behind enemy lines, my niggas is cellmates Most of the youth never escape the jail fate Super maximum camps will advance they game plan To keep us in the hands of the man locked up Behind enemy lines, my niggas is cellmates Most of the youth never escape the jail fate Super maximum camps will advance they game plan To keep us in the hands of the man locked up You aint gotta be locked up to be in prison Look how we livin 30, 000 niggas a day, up in the bing, standin routine They put is in a box just like our life on the block Behind enemy lines You aint gotta be locked up to be in prison Look how we livin 30, 000 niggas a day, up in the bing, standin routine They put is in a box just like our life on the block Behind enemy lines

Uh, Uh, Uh, 1, 2, 1, 2 Uh, Uh, 1, 2, 1, 2, uh, uh All my dogs It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop Uh, one thing 'bout music, when it hit you feel no pain White folks says it controls your brain I know better than that, that's game and we ready for that Two soldiers head of the pack, matter of fact who got the gat? And where my army at? Rather attack and not react Back the beats, it don't reflect on how many records get sold On sex, drugs, and rock and roll, whether your project's put on hold In the real world, these just people with ideas They just like me and you when the smoke and camera disappear Again the real world (world), it's bigger than all these fake ass records When poor folks got the millions and my woman's disrespected If you check 1, 2, my word of advice to you is just relax Just do what you got to do, if that don't work then kick the facts If you a fighter, rider, bout'er?, flame ignitor, crowd exciter Or you wanna just get high, then just say it But then if you a liar-liar, pants on fire, wolf-cry agent with a wire I'm gonna know it when I play it It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop Uh, who shot Biggie Smalls? If we don't get them, they gonna get us all I'm down for runnin' up on them crackers in they city hall We ride for y'all, all my dogs stay real Nigga don't think these record deals gonna feed your seeds And pay your bills because they not MC's get a little bit of love and think they hot Talkin' bout how much money they got, all y'all records sound the same I sick of that fake thug, R & B, rap scenario all day on the radio Same scenes in the video, monotonous material, y'all don't here me though These record labels slang our tapes like dope You can be next in line, and signed, and still be writing rhymes and broke You would rather have a Lexus, some justice, a dream or some substance? A Beamer, a necklace or freedom? Still a nigga like me don't playa' hate, I just stay awake This real hip hop, and it don't stop until we get the po-po off the block They call it... It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip It's bigger than hip hop, hip hop, hip hop, hip hop DP's got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up John Blaze'd and shit what DP's got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up John Blaze'd and shit what DP's got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up John Blaze'd and shit what DP's got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up John Blaze'd and shit what DP's got that crazy shit we keep it crunk up They call it Fake, fake, fake records

Aye Yea See I've really been out on a mission And keep all this paper we having still come in and flip it Started out robbin, Batman we the gidgets When that shit didn't work talk to pop out the chicken All of them talk my badass still ain't listen was living But taught me the ways of the kitchen Don't need me a product I can microwave whip it I bang the hi-c just like a christian Went from that seat to the spot now we living Still running their mouth they gon die by the mentions They bitches and most of them not from the trenches Come to my block come and see how we living We chilling with glocks and they all got extensions Moved to the North cause I seen they was with me Go ask about it got a spot had em spinning Aye went from balling, to clutching, to sinning Was robbing and don't give it up then we kill him One legged partna 5k he a killer Came back from the dead, bitch I'm feeling like Thriller Aye asked ya hoe she know I'm that nigga She came through the circle just know she a spinner She swallow it all for a pill and some liquor Having our way could retire a stripper But instead bought a bbl got the bitch thicker A fuck nigga play he get found in the river Her diamonds froze they so cold make me shiver I been pouring up drank know its hurting my liver Shit that's the cost to keep sane from these niggas He say the wrong thing let it rain on these niggas Damn he a hoe, ain't no shame in these niggas Be all on the net but still claim you a killer Bitch if you real here my chain go little nigga Admit it, these niggas don't rap What they living and live what they rap Boy that shit really cap I heard through the vine all these niggas been rats Shit is cool I get jamming at least I know where they at I start sweet dicking hoes they don't know how to act Quick to blow up my phone get my name as a tat? Can't be stuck on a hoe I'm too deep in these racks It was crack but I'm really turnt up off of rap Admit it, these niggas don't rap What they living and live what they rap Boy that shit really cap I heard through the vine all these niggas been rats Shit is cool I get jamming at least I know where they at I start sweet dicking hoes they don't know how to act Quick to blow up my phone get my name as a tat? Can't be stuck on a hoe I'm too deep in these racks It was crack but I'm really turnt up off of rap Aye

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He's on his way He's moving to Hollywood He's bussing into Hollywood Show him the way He's moving to Hollywood He's hopping into Hollywood He's waited at bus stops, all his life He's been in and out of lost places Seen eyes that spoke to him From sad and empty place He's on his way He's moving to Hollywood He's bussing into Hollywood Show him the way He's moving to Hollywood He's hopping into Hollywood You know he's gonna be Dressed to kill He's gonna find some brand new thrill What ever it is he's looking for You better tell him that there's so much more In Hollywood, Hollywood He's on his way He's moving to Hollywood He's bussing into Hollywood Show him the way He's moving to Hollywood He's hopping into Hollywood Painted faces Sunburned skin Mixed expressions Smile whore thin Caught in the blink of Hollywood And in battle of maneuvering skin False expressions, washed out dreams Everybody makes believe, in Hollywood He's on his way He's moving to Hollywood He's bussing into Hollywood Show him the way He's moving to Hollywood He's hopping into Hollywood