This is for you, and you, and you, and you

Now I came up with little bad *** yeagas, to never had *** yeagas
Slept and ate with our peeps but we let the streets raise us
Kept the weed blazin', don't let the drink age us
Used to live outrageous, now we just couch potatoes

Without the wages, to break out the project cages
Make do with what we got, use the logic that God gave us
Losin' faith is enough to make a man crazy
Can't even pay my landlady
How the ***k I'm 'posed to save for my unplanned baby?

Joined the Navy and my uncle sayin', 'Pay me'
Maybe I'm just too damn lazy but you can page me
Lately, been hustlin' grams daily
Holdin' down my spot on the corner like Champ Bailey

But I know I ain't the only one, you feel me?
On the gun livin' on the run, look how they done momma's only son
X me out like I'm, a Roman numeral
Damn and ain't tryin' to see me again, till my funeral

For so long I been grindin'
Paid my dues, put my time in
Even went down for tryin', I pushed on
Never once did I give up
Every time I fell I would get up
Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on

Now we finally feelin' plush
Doin' gotta do to keep our nails airbrushed
Jade straight out the box, damn ne'er been touched
Damn I'm feelin' good, B lined me up
Till we never seen a Pontiac diamond-toed

Nappy Roots, what it mean to ya? Mines and us
And don't be callin' us slow, we ain't grind it up
Now my people all smiles 'cause we out the slums
Sayin', 'Look at Big Bud ol' sloppy drunk

I remember when he sold tapes out the trunk
Now here's the routine jump out the truck
T-shirt and blue jeans
'94 Jays with the blue shoe strings

When I first hit the grind ain't stop for ****
And my only motivation was a pot to piss
See it hit me so hard ain't have a penny to myself
I swallowed up my pride and asked Skinny for some help
And I'm sayin'

For so long I been grindin'
Paid my dues, put my time in
Even went down for tryin', I pushed on
Never once did I give up
Every time I fell I would get up
Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on

Want me to stop, I did but I couldn't stop the ****
Dawg I cried for this, stole and lied for this
Scream when I felt this ****
Toured for 16 months straight, lost breath for this

Heh, yelled for this
Sinnin' every night, know I'm goin' to hell for this
The hurt and the betrayal, compelled by this
Tough wall to climb but Nappy Roots scaled the ****
Just don't let me rap in vain, people pray over this

Don't take my word for it, see for yourself and ****
Everybody out in the wind, ain't no help with this
I coulda thrown in the towel, coulda walked away
Eyes on the prize, so I'm strong today

Simply want it, believe it, think it, breathe it
Chase it, cease it, maintain, keep it
Hold it, control it, never let go of it
Hold on, press on, push on, I'm gone

For so long I been grindin'
Paid my dues, put my time in
Even went down for tryin', I pushed on
Never once did I give up
Every time I fell I would get up
Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on

For so long I been grindin'
Paid my dues, put my time in
Even went down for tryin', I pushed on
Never once did I give up
Every time I fell I would get up
Always kept my spirit up, I pushed on

For so long paid my dues, now I
I pushed on
Alright, give up
I pushed on
I never have, kept on