Produced by: Nick Leon Flashback, seen no future in my past acts Back strap fit me looser, had no pack packed Bad stats at my school, mom and dad spazzed So what's a youngin' to do when cops flash badge? I mean, I always had a knack for rap Illmat', Ready to Die, etcetera tracks Feel trapped? Put on a track, you're feeling relaxed I just wanna do the same s**t with my craft Through my raps, ****** thought we born winning When I was raised up in a graveyard for dreamin' My hood taught street business, ain't no physics Do drugs, bust guns and bring killings Tool tucked, give a ***** that cold feeling School sucked, most days was gon' miss it Screwed up, too ****** to stay with it Fool's luck, how I ain't end up finished With age, I learned facts, like everything got a catch Especially when you're black, young with the world on your back Dreams of a hooper diluted, clouded by smoke on the track Guided by Lucifer, Lucy's grip on my thoughts on the loose leaf I do my drugs with the goonies, yell at a coffin will suit me Now or later, meet the maker if that karma pursue me Went to church just to search, no reality found Growth spurt in my spirit, holy watered us all down Down in the gutter, straight guns and butter Good mother tried to save me and my brother Hood won us, had plans to take us under Street lovers, can't take the hood from us You see? That's what made a ***** me Part is in the heavens, but part in these streets Part a living legend, but part is still weak Though I know knowledge is part what I seek Hennesy sipping, cripping since I was a teen ***** Still a street hitter, psychedelics helped me see bigger 'Member me, mister? Wouldn't make it past next semester Try to test us, but it's straight A's in my life lessons Life threatened living in the hood, cause the odds against us Had to get up every single morning, hear my father's lectures Mom pressure kept a strong home for us under vision Too pretentious, still I felt alone, no one I could vent to No leaving, pleasure seeking, I need it Drug feeling, love fiending, dark season No teaching from my peers was my reason Til I learned my heart was all I needed Around some friends that sucked, could not tell Now I found myself, but I'm still needing help Now I swim the deep end like Michael Phelps Learned to seek the sun rays out 'til I melt Puffing on that Jane in the staircase Never was at home, always had my momma scared straight Selling all my clothes, just so I could buy some rare Bape Had to hold my own, cop O's and used to sell eighths Felt like I was chose, don't know if I was too baked But I know my soul was born to do some cool things Stay up on my toes until that fat fool sang Had to chase my goals in hopes to see a new day, Lord A young man dealing with old depression Drugs inside of my system, was looking for intervention Love inside of my spirit was buried under some treasure Pieced together some lessons that helped me sharpen my weapons, uh My mind sharp, divine thoughts, I blast off Beyond stars and solars, the God fall Was reborn with wings, but also two horns The two sides, duality made a new form