It’s like summer '96, just came home

Got my weight up, analyzing life as a whole

While I was laid up, receiving the news, who got sprayed up

Small time hustlers blew, niggas is caked up

Some never made it to see, that’s who we ride for

Penetentiary poems, respect is what we die for

Lost souls travel the ave, while we discuss dreams

Teens become weed heads and ex-dust fiends

Praying and wishing, get up out this crooked position

Shorty selling the body to make an honest living

Pops broke out, moms is on a crack mission

Could it be an honest living how her moms is living

Who am I to say I’m better than you?

We both hustlers in the same boat, papi bought the same coat

Time to switch notes and turn pages

Time to get up out this cages, it’s time we erased this

Yo, I remember the times, selling nicks and dimes

Got free lunch, the first nigga on line

My best friend, had no bike, he used to get on mines

Moms at the jam, with Miss Ann, sipping on wine

And the blocks deserted, if there was shots, you heard it

It’s like the Hill ain’t been the same, since Poppy was murdered

The best of the '80's, mothers disrespected they babies

When Shateek shot that cop, the whole West went crazy

And lately, some day it’ll change, I’m sick of feeling pain

Innocent lives was in that World Trade

Got snipers running round, shooting shit like it’s a game

I get on my knees and begin to pray, for mercy

Oh, mercy, mercy me

Oh, streets ain’t what they used to be, no

I did my time, now, I gotta live my life

So I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine

Yo, instead of shedding tears, I look up high and I smile

Cuz you in a better place than all of us right now

But it’s a damn shame, you lost your life at such a young age

Rest in peace to all my niggas that’s in the grave

Seen the hardest die, but when you pass, it took me by suprise

Sometimes I look up at the sky and ask the lord why

He had to take you, why he couldn’t take one of these fake dudes

When he first told me you passed, I said it ain’t true

Not you, why lord, did my nigga have to die for

Still can’t believe that he’s gone

Cuz now all I have is memories and sympathies

Sometimes I miss him so much, I wish the lord get rid of me

Aiyo, it seems like the pain, it won’t stop no more

On the ballcourt, my pops school me how to play ball

I miss you, nigga, still in my heart

And I can’t figure out, why the beef, it had to tear us apart

Now that you gone, I can’t find the strength to move on

It’s like, when you left, everything went wrong

At your funeral, I tried to hide the tears inside

But they broke, first time my moms started to cry

This nigga Lex came through, gave me food for thought

I thank you nigga, felt like I was breaking apart

And I can’t forget Kay, he was there for me

Only nigga truly cared for me, for real