Remember His Name

Yo, what's up, AK?

Who is this?

It's me, Zaakir

Hello? What? (Hello?) I can't hear

(I GOT IT! HANG UP!)

Yo, speak louder, I can't hear

Yo man, it's me Zaakir

Man, I was sitting at the television feeling disturbed

But yo, I just got the word off Tigram and 83rd

Some cat that got clapped (Gangster rapper?)

Perhaps, but I was looking at the face of one particular cat

Now, I done seen him before

(Can you remember where at?)

Well, it was either at the liquor store or laundry mat

Or at a party and shit, the drive through of a Quickie Split

But the fellas he ran with, they no longer ex (Yo, dude, peep this)

I know, dude, I been knowing him all my life

Ever since I was young, I used to see him shooting dice

On occasions, I would see him once or twice

With all types, many different walks of life

He tried to keep in touch (What?), but I knew what was up

Every time he came around and showed his face, I ducked

In the mid-eighties, the **** went crazy

He had a lot of ladies selling their babies, the **** was shady

But he had a lot of friends that he would visit on the weekends

Thrill seeking, influenced by his teachings

My daddy knew him, yo, he met him at a hotel

My homeboy, Johnny, kicked it with him in a jail cell

A lot of people met him with a female

Doing real well, connected with the drug sales

The rich and the poor, for better or worse

The last and the first, walked the Earth but can't avoid his turf

And it hurts my brain, it's driving me insane

It's a shame I can't remember his name

I thin 2na know, dude, Soup, I ain't tryna be rude

But my wife just cooked, I'm 'bout to grub on some food

Aight, peace

2na said he probably running the streets

I'm 'bout to give these young brothers a beep

Yo! Salaam alaykum

Yo, wa'alaykum assalam

Hey yo, what's up on 83rd, man?

Man, the feuding is on

Hey, the reason why I called, that was the cat from my building

You seen him?

Yeah, we met that brother out in Pasadena

Remember 7seven? Or Marengo?

No, my mistake, we were right between Fair Oaks and Lake

Tryin' to take us a lunch break

And cop us a sa-sack

But had to drive right past the place where they rest at

We drove in a hatch back

Corolla, these cats pack pistolas, they Cadillac they drove

It was brown and black

Patrolling the hood, looking for trouble

Saw us purchasing trees

Lurking with speed, pulled the strap that was irking to squeeze

You jerk and you bleed

Threw it in reverse and we flee

Or should we say, fled?

They wanted to make us more than play dead, flashing this heat

Two cars are moving fast on the street

That's when I peeped, that dude was in his back passenger seat

(Yo, that shit was deep) Still, I can't remember his name

This suckers gonna get us killed

Now, come on, man, I feel like cutting loose

Violence

You behave yourself

Man, where have I seen this brother before, man?

Well, it was either at the liquor store or laundry mat

Seem like everybody I know, know dude

But can't nobody remember his damn name, man

I been knowing him all my life

The same everybody from ShawnyMac, YawYaw, my brother Mohamed

It's like you can't avoid his turf

Oh yo, hey, you know what? Now I know who homie is, man

His name is De-De-Death