In the Ghetto

[Rakim] Planet, Earth, was my place of birth Born to be the soul controller, of the universe Besides the part of the map, I hit first Any environment I can adapt, when it gets worst The rough gets goin, the goin gets rough When I start flowin, the mic might bust The next state'll shake, from the power I generate People in Cali, used to think it was earthquakes Cause times was hard, on the Boulevard So I Bogart and never get scarred, I'm God But it seems, like I'm locked in hell Lookin over the edge, but the R never fell I tripped and slipped, cause my Nikes got gripped Stand on my own two feet, and come equipped Any stage I'm seen on, or mic I fiend on I stand alone, and need nothin' to lean on Going for self, with a long way to go So much to say, but I still flow slow I come correct, and I won't look back Cause it ain't where you're from, it's where you're at Even the (ghetto) [Rakim] I learn to relax in my room and escape from New York And return through the wound of the world as a thought Thinkin how hard it was to be born Me bein cream with no physical form Millions of cells with one destination To reach the best part as life's creation Nine months later, a job well done Make way, cause here I come Since I made it this far I can't stop now There's a will and a way and I got the know-how To be, all I can be and more And see, all there is to see before I'm called to go back to the essence It's a lot to learn so I study my lessons I thought the ghetto was the worst that could happen to me I'm glad I listened when my father was rappin to me Cause back in the days, they lived in caves Exiled from the original man, they strayed away Now that's what I call hard times I'd rather be here to exercise the mind Then I take a thought around the world twice From knowledge to born back to knowledge precise Across the desert, that's hot as the Arabian But they couldn't cave me in, cause I'm the Asian Reachin for the city of Mecca, visit Medina Visions of Nefertiti, then I seen a Mind keeps traveling, I'll be back after I stop and think about the brothers and sisters in Africa Return the thought through the eye of a needle For miles I fought and I just brought the people Under the dark skies, on a dark side Not only there, but right here's an apartheid So now is the time for us to react Take a trip through the mind and when you get back Understand your third eye seen all of that It ain't where you're from, it's where you're at Even the (ghetto) Even the (ghetto) [Rakim] No more props, I want property, in every borough Nobody's stoppin me, because I'm thorough Rhymes I make gimme real estate for me to own Wherever I bless a microphone Double-oh-seven is back and relaxin On point and reactin, and ready for action I'm so low key that you might not see me Incognito, and takin it easy (ghetto) Quiet as kept on a hush hush In front of a crowd, I get loud, there's a bumrush Be calm, keep a low pro and play the background Hopin the whack rapper put the mic back down So rip it, break it in half, go 'head and slam it Cause when it's time to build I'm a mechanic Of bondin and mendin, attachin and blendin So many solos, there is no endin People in my neighborhood, they know I'm good From London to Hollywood, wherever I stood Footprints remain on stage ever since Sidewalks and streets, I leave fossils and dents When I had sex, I left my name on necks My trademark was left throughout the projects I used to get rich when I played c-lo When I rolled 4, 5, 6, they go, "We know" So I collect my cash then slide I've got my back, my gun's on my side It shouldn't have to be like that I guess it ain't where you're from, it's where you're at Even the (ghetto) I'm from the (ghetto) Worrrd up Peace