You're down and out, money funny, you hustle done died

On the verge of pawin' your jewelry and sellin' your ride

Somebody shoulda told him ain't no life in these streets

You only out here till you touch it, when you touch it, you eat

**** done too many chances shoveling snow

And ended up facing up a lifetime for tryin' to score

I'm givin' livin' definitions on the subject of dope

One week he back on his feet, the next he's

I was a 70's baby, raised in the 80's

I was barely touchin' sixteen when shit got crazy

I remember in the 80's, me and pops would ride

Now we conversate on acres we about to buy

He had already been what I'm about to go through

Told me ain't no sense in gambling, if you gamble to lose

If you made twelve dollars, you put seven away

You lived off the five, and never ever fuck with ya safe, but we still

But when ya hustling, ya ballin'

That's when **** start plottin'

And when you **** start plottin'

That's when **** start mobbin', mobbin'

I'm about my paper, these other **** slang for the sport

Unaware tomorrow ain't promised, the game is too short

I've witnessed **** get it all and give it away

Gettin' it back was out of the question, they lived for the day

Then the hunger pains start up, then the murderous plots

To set up, they fuckin' homeboy to get what he got

I mean, the ones you broke the bread with the ones you don't want

Should be the ones fuckin' your girlfriend the moment you out

I know the street game backwards, forwards, sideways

It used to be honest hustle back then, but nowadays

It's cutthroat, that's fucked up, **** want they're come up

So bad they'll take the .357 and smoke they brother

A damn shame, but that's the way the game go

A chance **** is takin' especially if they slang dope

I've been in that position, back in the day

And feel my homie, hittin' my head to crack in my safe, and that's when

When ya hustling, ya balling

That's when **** start stallin'

And when you **** start stallin'

That's when you **** start robbin'

When these **** start robbin'

When these **** got problems

That's when **** start plottin'

And when you **** start plottin'

That's when **** start mobbin', mobbin'

So listen up my ****, and I ain't tryin' to preach

I'm just tellin' it from my side 'cause I'm in the streets

I done been there, done that, seen a whole neighborhood

Destroyed by the government, bein' tipped off by one rat

He caught a dope case and they threatened him with time

He get his own fuckin' people jammed and he take the five

That's the shit there, they ain't even catch him with dope

But they gave him thirty-five years 'cause the **** done spoke

Snitchin', that's a motherfucker, watch what you say

You don't know no motherfuckin' body, ****, you lame

Watch your so called homeboys, keep to yourself

Stay away from **** gettin' caught, then get out of jail

Don't talk about your business, keep your thoughts in your head

And this game it got a paper trail, watch where ya spend

Don't write down names and numbers, it's a memory thing

Never shit where ya sleep, keep the crib out of range

And plus you never let these **** go where you stay

'Cause when the push come turns to a shove, they hittin' your safe

True motherfucking game, true motherfucking game

But when ya hustling, ya ballin'

That's when **** start stallin'

And when you **** start stallin'

That's when you **** start robbin'

When these **** got problems

That's when **** start plottin'

And when you **** start plottin'

That's when **** start mobbin', mobbin'