In the Ghetto

Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ghetto The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Planet Earth, was my place of birth Born to be the sole controller, of the universe Besides the part of the map I hit first Any environment I can adapt, when it gets worst The rough gets goin', the goin' gets rough When I start flowin', the mic might bust The next state'll shake from the power I generate People in Cali used to think it was earthquakes 'Cause times was hard on the Boulevard So I bogart, and never get scarred, I'm god But it seems like I'm locked in hell Lookin' over the edge, but the R never fell Or tripped or slipped, 'cause my Nikes got grip Stand on my own two feet and come equipped Any stage I'm seen on, or mic I fiend on I stand alone and need nothin' to lean on Goin' for self, wit' a long way to go So much to say, but I still flow slow I come correct and I won't look back 'Cause it ain't where you're from, it's where ya at Even the Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' I learn to relax in my room and escape from New York And return through the womb of the world as a thought Thinkin' how hard it was to be born Me bein' cream, wit' no physical form Millions of cells wit' one destination To reach the best part, as life's creation 9 months later, a job well done Make way, 'cause here I come Since I made it this far, can't stop now There's a will and a way and I got the know-how To be all I can be and more And see all there is to see before I'm called to go back to the essence It's a lot to learn so I study my lessons I thought the ghetto was the worst that could happen to me I'm glad I listen when my father was rappin' to me 'Cause, back in the days, they lived in caves Exiled from the original man, and strayed away Now that's what I call hard times I'd rather be here to exercise the mind Then I take a thought around the world twice From knowledge to born back to knowledge precise Across the desert, that's hot as the Arabian But they couldn't cave me in, 'cause I'm the Asian Reaching for the city of Mecca, visit Medina Visions of Neffertiti, then I seen her Mind keeps travelin', I'll be back after I Stop and think about the brothers and sisters in Africa Return the thought through the eye of a needle For miles I fought and I just brought the people Under the dark skies on a dark side Not only there but right here's an apartheid So now is the time for us to react Take a trip through the mind and when you get back Understand your third eye seen all of that It ain't where you're from, it's where ya at Even the Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Even the Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' No more props, I want property, in every borough Nobody's stoppin' me, because I'm thorough Rhymes are makin' me real estate, for me to own Wherever I bless a microphone 007 is back and relaxin' On point an' reactin', and ready for action I'm so low key that you might not see me (the ghetto) Incognito, and takin' it easy (ghetto) Quiet is kept on a hush hush In front of a crowd, I get loud as a bum-rush But calm, keep a low pro, and play the background Hopin' the wack rapper put the mic back down So rip it, break it in half, go head and slam it 'Cause when it's time to build, I'm a mechanic Of bondin' and mendin', attachin' and blendin' So many solos, there is no endin' People in my neighborhood, they know I'm good From London to Hollywood, wherever I stood Footprints remain on stage ever since Sidewalks and streets, I leave fossils and dents When I had sex, I left my name on necks My trademark was left throughout the projects I used to get rich when I played Cee-lo When I rolled 4, 5, 6, they go "we know" So I collect my cash then slide I got my back, my gun's on my side It shouldn't have to be like that I guess it ain't where you're from, it's where ya at Even the Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' I'm from the Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Word up Nobody's smilin' Peace Ghetto Nobody's smilin' The ghetto Nobody's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin' No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (in the ghetto) No, no, no, nobody's smilin' No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no (in the ghetto) No-bo-dy's smilin' Ghetto Ain't gonna keep rottin' in hell Nobody's smilin'