Big City

[Masta Ace] 'New York, Big City of Dreams' To get by, cats doing plenty of things It's a honest hustle, but you gotta have some kind of muscle Either it's that or you sign with Russell Cause nowadays an average cat can flow decent So in your sparetime you can go to the precinct Let me introduce you to some cats who won't shoot you Everyday they spend in the pen is so crucial They got kids to feed, wifes to hug Their jobs are so strange, their lives are bug Look, my nigga Al had a store in his trunk And the place under the dash where he store his pump He had them white and white 'Air Force Ones' for 40 ($) And them iddy-biddy-kiddy ones for shorty He was just trying to survive the recession Now he's locked up for stolen goods and gun posession My nigga Neek had them furs for cheap He bought a two family home, an Excursion Jeep But word got around he was doing it big Cops ran up in his crib, now he's doing a bid Now Jose was making money hand over fist He had a legitimate job with a little bit of a twist Besides me and my man, I've known people He sold stuff too, out of the back of Home Depot Everything from new tools to kitchen sinks And he was just trying to get rich it stinks Cause now he lost his job and his mortgage due And he can't afford a lawyer, man dog is through, oooh We were lying on schemes and scams Just so we could realize our dreams and plans, man This ain't America is it? It don't take much for the cops to come pay you a visit But do what you gotta do, fuck them laws Life is a test you better up them scores Listen, I ain't trying to survive, I'm trying to live And here is some advise I been dying to give They don't care if you sell it to inner section Republicans run for office and win election Who's in the inner section, see my pen erecting This for my cats that just been effecting From Brownsville and Watts, it's down steal the spots It won't stop untill we're down killin cops It's a revolution, you believe in god, or evolution Either way dog, we need a resolution like Deemer A man got sentenced to a year And when he get out, it's another street career It's a vicious cycle For every kid who ball in the park and wish he Michael Listen the world don't like you, but You better keep it moving, you better keep improving You love my voice, ain't it deep and soothing I'm saying fuck fame, I'm having a no-name Platinum and gold chain, and saying I'mma beat 'em at their own game