Know the Ledge

[Produced by Eric B] [Verse 1 - Rakim] Sip the juice cuz I got enough to go around And the thought takes place uptown I grew up on the sidewalk where I learned street talk And then talked to all New York I go to Queens for queens, to get the crew from Brooklyn Make money in Manhattan and never been tooken Go Uptown to the Bronx to boogie down Get strong on the Island, recoupe, and lay around Time to bulid my juice back up Props stack up, suckers get smacked up Don't doubt the clout, you know what I'm about Knocking niggas off, knocking niggas out Shaking em up, waking em up Raking em up, breaking em up Standing on shaky ground too close to the edge Let's see if I know the ledge [Verse 2 - Rakim] Corner is trifling cause shorty is here I get cock-d lifting forty's of beer Here's a sip for the crew that's deceased If I get revenge, then they rest in peace Somebody's got to suffer, I just might spare one And give a brother a fair one Stay alert and on "p's" And I do work with these, like Hercules Switch to southpaw, split your right jaw Cause I don't like y'all, I'm hype when night fall Smooth but I move like an army Bulletproof down in case brothers try to bomb me Putting brothers to rest like Elliot Ness Cause I don't like stress Streets ain't a place for innocent bystanders to stand Nothing's gonna stop the plan I'll chill like Pacino, kill like DeNiro Black Gambino, die like a hero Living on shaky ground too close to the edge Let's see if I know the ledge [Verse 3 - Rakim] Shells lay around on the battleground Dead bodies are found throughout the town Tried to put shame in my game to make a name I'mma put it on a bullet, put it in your brain Rip the block like a buckshot Who cares where it goes, just keep the casket closed No remorse when a life is lost I paid my dues, paid the cost And my pockets are still fat Wherever I'm at, I get the welcome mat Even if my crew asleep and I'm one deep I attract attention, people like to peep So come say hi to the badguy Don't say goodbye, I don't plan to die Cause I get loose and I got troops And crazy juice In control of many like Ayatollah Khomeini Hang out with Smith and Wesson, don't try to play me I'm at war a lot, like Anwar Sadat But no warning shot, my gun is warm a lot When I cook beef, the smoke will never clear Areas in fear but this here's severe Living life too close to the edge Hoping that I know the ledge [Verse 4 - Rakim] A brand new morn, no time to yawn Shower's on, power's on Late for school, I catch the train Girls sip the style and whisper my name I push up like an exercise Check the intellect and inspect the thighs Select the best one, pull her to the side Keep her occupied for the rest of the ride Read her my resume, she's knows already, cool Just meet me after school We can moan and groan until your moms come home And you'll be calling me Al "dope" Capone Sweatin' me, she didn't want to let me loose Come get me, that's if you want to sip the juice Cause the streets await me, so I take my gun off safety Cause a lot of niggas hate me Coming out of the building, they set me up Sprayed with automatics, they wet me up In a puddle of blood, I lay close to the edge I guess I didn't know the ledge