Trouble on My Mind

[Blueprint] Yeah... ah-hah Yeah... ah-ha! What? [Hook] I got so much trouble on my mind, refuse, to lose! Since I brought you up to speed in '99, my name's been news Got my label off the ground, put on, my folks Dropped some classic but right now, we're all, still broke [Blueprint] And everybody's still lookin at me - because I took the lead And taught 'em to believe, tried to maximize what my crew could be A wise man once said... with great power comes great responsibility Sometimes I wish it was somebody else instead but I took it on willingly My mom showed me the path to follow, how to be a role model Now I can't do a show without hittin the bottle Come home and pass out like my father would do Up at 9 A.M. load up a van, drive to another city do it again Sell a couple CD's, get a couple more fans Watch people criticize me like they know who I am Blueprint you spit too slow, your vocals are mixed too low The basslines in your beats be makin my speakers blow Aesop put you on track, RJ got you on his back Stick to production, stop tryin to rap Another good album with bad distribution Another 100 magazines my music's not reviewed in By the time the fans impressed, realize I'm the best doin it I'll be makin shitty music [Hook] [Blueprint] Too many people got their hands out, feel like I've been takin inventory Not too many livin off of hip-hop, all I hear is hard luck stories You're either too depressed to make a record, or way too broke to put it out Or too proud to get up off your ass, and go the independent route I used to wanna be signed, I don't think it's meant to be Most signed cats I know got less money than me Checkin they mailbox for checks they never see Might as well be puttin they records for free! When they wanna sign you, they'll put anything you ask for in the contract But when the same cats owe you money - they never call you back All the fans you had from day one start to reject you when your shows get packed They say you're sellout cause you got more fans And they never did like you and thought you was whack Damned if you do damned if you don't I'll be damned if it don't feel just like a setup But my suggestion box is closed And I wish I could make everybody just shut up The first thing I learned about this rap game Is sometimes it's best to be quiet and listen There's a whole lot at stake So don't be a bigmouth that makes bad decisions Don't get caught up in the hype Talk numbers before your music is sent in Sometimes the numbers ain't right So when you get a bum deal send it back with revisions Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrop!