Doo Rags

[Produced by Precision] [Nas - Verse 1] Pushing drop-tops, Stacy Lattisaw tapes, the 80's had us all apes Youngest gorillas up to bat at home plate That was a uncanny era, guns in my pants, yeah X-Clan hair, with dreads at the top of my fade Homicidal Feds on the blocks where I played b-ball That's when I wondered was I here for the cause or because Cause Ray Charles could see the ghetto Was told to stay strong and I could beat the devil Cause yo, I used to play Apollo balcony seats Watchin niggas swing razors in the front row, then out in the streets The car show, 560's, chemical afros Acuras pumping Super Lover Cee and Casanova Live chicks be asses bustin out of they clothes Wearing lip gloss, big door knockers peeling they earlobes So where them years go? Where the Old Gold beers and cheers go? But now them shorties here though, so [Hook] The doo rags are back, fitted hats, snorkels and furs Rikers Island buses still packed, what's the word? The drinkers stay drinking, or puffing they herb And I'm, still enjoying life's ride; one mo' time The doo rags are back, fitted hats, snorkels and furs Rikers Island buses still packed, what's the word? The drinkers still drinking, or puffing they herb And I'm, still enjoying life's ride; right? [Verse 2] Political thugs in shark suits persuade us to pull triggers In army boots, yelling "Join the armed forces!" We lost the Vietnam War, intoxicated poisons Needles in arms of veterans instead of bigger fortunes There's still a lot of nigga crawling in the corporate offices War in the ghetto, we crabs in a barrel, they torture us They won't be serving the beast too long The murderers wearing police uniforms, Confederate flags I burn Beat Street breakers were dancing to the music I chose And Peachtree, Atlanta crackheads was tooting they nose In frozen corners of Chicago, loaded up Llamas, children With fo'-fo's, and double-revolvers We devil incarnates, headed for jail Where Shell gas company in South Africa be having us killed Your paper money was the death of Christ And all these shorties coming up just resurrect your life It's like a cycle [Hook] [Verse 3] Niggas used to wear rags on they hair when it was fried up That's when we were lied to, buying hair products Back before my generation, when our blackness started disintegrating 'Til awareness started penetrating The styles come from prison, they used potatoes making liquor Just to prove we some creative niggas Turning nothing into something is God work And you get nothing without struggle and hard work War is necessary to my niggas in chains From Green to Sing-Sing, I'm wanting y'all to know one thing The hardest thing is to forgive, but God does Even if you murdered or robbed, yeah it's wrong, but God loves Take one step toward him, He takes two toward you Even when all else fail, God support you I done it, got "God's Son" on my stomach My heart and my lungs was affected from Hennys and getting blunted Do your body right and it loves you back You only get one life, and yo, because of that I'm still blazing, going out for the cause Still rocking stocking caps, not for the waves, obeying no laws And it's like that [Hook]