[Verse 1: Meek Mill]
Yeah, I was on that corner tryna get my coins up,
Coppers run up on us, and we turn to Jackie Joyner,
White man kill a black man, they never report us,
Black man kill a white man, they gon' start a war up,
Mama, she was tore up, sippin' on the Absolut,
Young niggas brainwashed, they just wanna rap and hoop,
Could've been a lawyer until they came and shackled you,
Felons on your records so them jobs ain't gettin' back at you,
Them kids ain't eat yet, so you can't even sleep yet,
That's the only thing we ever saw, we repeat that.
They was playin' ball, fouled him hard, said, ‘I'd be back',
Broad day, threw his life away soon as he clapped,
Gave that boy a life sentence, made his momma relapse,
Damn, they don't understand!
Comin' from the bottom, it's so hard to make a plan,
Know them kids beefin', they let it get outta hand,
OG's never told us nothing in advance.
Young niggas killin' young niggas, shit is like the Klan, I said,
Told my young nigga, ‘You the man,' I said,
‘You don't wanna end up like my man Ahmed,
Prayin' five times a day, prostration on his head,
Screamin' ‘Insha'Allah' that he don't make it to the feds'.
Caught up in the system, visit from his sister,
Talkin' 'bout all these niggas, how they ain't even with him,
Said they would ride or die, but it ain't even in 'em,
Always postin' on the 'Gram, but they ain't sendin' pictures,
Never answer when you call, but answer for them bitches,
Got you thinkin' twice, damn, I should've been a witness.
It's none of my business, just tellin' my story,
All guns, no glory, been goin' on before me,
We slaves in the '40s, still slaves in the present,
No toys for Christmas, ain't get us no presents,
Only made us evil, made us hungry, made us desperate,
Youngin in the 9th grade, he got a Smith and Wesson,
Grew up with the goons, now he need protection,
He dropped outta school, then he got arrested,
Lord with a blessing, I just hope he learned his lesson,
They told us, if we go to jail, we would be respected,
They told us, if we make a sale, we would run a check in,
Threw a rock out in that field, and got intercepted,
He stumbled, he fumbled, y'all niggas just rumble,
They told you to hustle, them niggas don't love you.
[Verse 2: The-Dream]
Young black American, na-na,
Wanna live like the fairer skin, na-na,
Fall to the paradigm, na-na,
Occupied on that Marilyn, na-na.
The prophecies of the wild nigga, no church,
My uncles said, ‘Stop bitchin', nigga, no skirts.'
It's kinda crazy there's another world
On the other side of town.
Pastor rollin' up in that Rolls, pullin' up in that Holy Ghost,
Preachin', while niggas dyin' by the Bible code,
The destruction, the hate,
The obstruction of my faith,
My prayers, my faith
Will never be the same.
Young black America!