Ghettos of the Mind

Ghetto of the Mind... I catch a body at a party, sort of herbal with the verbal Look above and see the vultures fly around in a circle Baggin' while you're lollygaggin', raggin', tow-taggin' Assassin with the millimeter roars of a dragon Here stood the black hood, thirsty for the end And for the love of money, kind of funny, new friends Public housing, a thousand in a tent So I'm forced to sell hell just to pay the rent Killin' my own people, I put 'em out of order Just like the liquor store scene on every corner I'm tryin' but the kids keep cryin', and the bullets keep flyin' Look, a boy, he's on the curb just dyin' Finally the cops come dumb to the slum Pull out a gun and arrest the wrong one Wax all the Puerto Ricans and blacks So they can never relax I dwell, might as well learn the facts Pete Rock and C.L. can radio a shack up Sparkin' off and have 'em all callin' for backup "Watch another crime and you're gonna do time" All this you'll find in the ghettos of the mind Ain't that somethin'?... Listen to cats and rough rats war under the window When the ghetto forts flarey, never was a Tom and Jerry Livin' ain't cheap, my survival is deep In this part of town where the city never sleep A Barney Miller roller, you can bet the car's stolen Or static with your BM, only when you see them Speakin' on your baby's mom, a best for the drama Always tryin' to make a movie, little stark-ravin' looney Stressin' it, but you know the ghetto keep ya busy A place that when I die it would never even miss me Crack phials in the aisles as one pimp smiles Dope piles workin' hookers by the miles But still my pop's got three jobs to stable A family household and food on the table So as we pray for all our souls to keep Somebody's on the project roof, ready to leap I want to stop the pain or the bad situation But backwards wisdom I can't afford to give 'em Self savior is much braver with the conscious behavior Designed in the ghettos of the mind Ain't that somethin'? C'mon... It's like that y'all... I could never look forward to an early retirement But still I maintain in a hostile environment Hustlin' the concrete jungle for loot My parents hated blood money so they gave me the boot Take a risk 'cause the peer pressure has the edge It was a blessin' when I saw my life dangle on the ledge The streets coulda swallowed me whole But the pain was all gone when I got to see my healthy son born And now I bring him home to the ghetto, Only to make a stronger fellow Maybe do some good for the neighborhood It's hard playing hero livin' less than a zero Raging Bull like DeNiro, the modern day pharoah A concentration camp with the Section 8 Welfare checks given at a monthly rate Apply for the get high, or just plain lazy Many steady collect right around the fifth baby The hawk is out but the niggaz never pack it A hundred dollar sneakers with the skimpy-ass jacket When people are deaf, dumb, and blind they get left behind Imagine in the ghettos of the mind