Take it There

[Verse 1] I used to live Uptown, 2-1-9th Street White Plains, everything was concrete On my block up on the hill Barnes Ave., yo, everything was chill Till night fall, that's when they come out (The freaks y'all) Watch the kid with the gun out Now many people tell me New York City is horrific It is kinda scary, but let's be realistic This is the part that started this music When other people out there in the world couldn't do it Party people had to wait to see The DJ's go forth and back We used to rock off these breakbeats Way before they called it rap Matter of fact, now that I think back Hip-hop was the start of somethin big The way we took this art straight from the parks To where you live [ Hook ] Now this story had to be told About how we came in from the cold Played my hand and refused to fold We made somethin new out of what was old And what we make no man can break So I took my time cause it was mine to take Now low and behold, I heard my tape just sold One million and one, son, now I'm draped in gold I took it there [Verse 2] Now years ago when I was 9 Pops said, "It's time to rise and shine" He said, "New York City ain't the place to stay" We packed the ride and left and headed for L.A Took us west straight through the country See, California is the place to see So daddy put us inside his Cadillac We hit the West coast, I thought we'd never come back Now I'm walking green grass, 3 years went past Palm trees, ocean breeze, where the summers last You see ah, that's the life that I lead It taught me home is just a place where you lay your head Now get packed, we're makin tracks and stretch across the map And there's nothin in this world could ever hold us back And I still hold my body in a b-boy stance And rock on the mic to make the world wanna dance It's fly for the clubs, hardcore for the thugs When Ak is on the mic it's definitely all love [Hook] [Verse 3] '82 was the year We touched down in Chi-town, I see it all so clear Motel hell, livin life so poor Six of us in the studio, we slept on the floor Vice Lords swingin swords, G.D.'s bust they gats Latin Kings on the corner with the baseball bats But life this way could only get you so far When I hopped the train I rode on the last car And all I did was puff cheeba, it took my thoughts deeper Dropped out of school, found a job so I could keep a Roof over my head, shoes on my feet Many nights I didn't eat, I learned to hustle in these streets They say it's all about money sellin crack to these junkies But now I got somethin that they can't take from me I'mma push my tape just like it's cocaine Let these rap fiends shoot me up in they vein They play my jam out in the park Gimme ghetto gold, keep your Billboard chart When I walk through the [Name] I get love and respect Keep one ear to the ground, greet my fam with a pound Feels good comin out y'all, book my first world tour LP's in the store, I spit it if you want it raw