It was always me versus the world Until I found it's me versus me Why, why, why, why? Why, why, why, why? Just remember, what happens on Earth stays on Earth! We gon' put it in reverse Darling, I told you many times And I am telling you once again Just to remind you, sweetheart That my- Oh, Lamar, Hail Mary and marijuana, times is hard Pray with the hooligans, shadows all in the dark Fellowship with demons and relatives, I'm a star Life is one funny mo'fucker A true comedian, you gotta love him, you gotta trust him I might be buggin', infomercials and no sleep Introverted by my thoughts; children, listen, it gets deep See, once upon a time inside the Nickerson Garden projects The object was to process and digest poverty's dialect Adaptation inevitable, gun violence, crack spot Federal policies raid buildings and drug professionals Anthony was the oldest of seven Well-respected, calm and collected Laughin' and jokin' made life easier, hard times, Momma on crack A four-year-old tellin' his nanny he needed her His family history, pimpin' and bangin' He was meant to be dangerous Clocked him a grip and start slangin' 15, scrapin' up his jeans with quarter pieces Even got some head from a smoker last weekend Dodged a policeman, workin' for his big homie Small-time hustler, graduated to a brick on him 10, 000 dollars out of a project housing, that's on the daily Seen his first mill' 20 years old, had a couple of babies Had a couple of shooters Caught a murder case, fingerprints on the gun they assumin' But witnesses couldn't prove it That was back when he turned his back and they killed his cousin He beat the case and went back to hustlin' Bird-shufflin', Anthony rang The first in the projects with the two-tone Mustang That 5.0 thing, they say 5-0 came Circlin' parking lots and parking spots And hoppin' out while harrassin' the corner blocks Crooked cops told Anthony he should kick it He brushed 'em off and walked back to the Kentucky Fried Chicken See, at this chicken spot There was a light-skinned nigga that talked a lot With a curly top and a gap in his teeth He worked the window, his name was Ducky He came from the streets, the Robert Taylor Homes Southside Projects, Chiraq, the Terror Dome Drove to California with a woman on him and 500 dollars They had a son, hopin' that he'd see college Hustlin' on the side with a nine-to-five to freak it Cadillac Seville, he'd ride his son around on weekends Three-piece special with his name on the shirt pocket 'Cross the street from the projects, Anthony planned to rob it Stuck up the place before, back in '84 That's when affiliation was really eight gears of war So many relatives tellin' us, sellin' us devilish works Killin' us, crime, intelligent, felonious Prevalent proposition with 9's Ducky was well-aware They robbed the manager and shot a customer last year He figured he'd get on these niggas' good sides Free chicken every time Anthony posted in line Two extra biscuits, Anthony liked him and then let him slide They didn't kill him, in fact, it look like they're the last to survive Pay attention, that one decision changed both of they lives One curse at a time Reverse the manifest and good karma, and I'll tell you why You take two strangers and put 'em in random predicaments Give 'em a soul so they can make their own choices and live with it 20 years later, them same strangers, you make 'em meet again Inside recording studios where they reapin' their benefits Then you start remindin' them about that chicken incident Whoever thought the greatest rapper would be from coincidence? Because if Anthony killed Ducky, Top Dawg could be servin' life While I grew up without a father and die in a gunfight So, I was takin' a walk the other day
Although this is my favorite beat, I appreciate Wonder changing it up with the mood of the lyrics. It switches whenever it goes from gangsters committing crimes and the characters going evil to the characters trying to just survive and push through. This album is what brought me to become a fan of Kdot and 9th Wonder.
