I Paid My Dues

Testing one, two, three, four Rappin 4-tay, Rag Top records, nineteen-ninety-six West up, let's do this Yeah Four, you done finally got that parole-CALL Yeah man, that was long comeing trying get that, man I understand that Four, but a lot of people don't know What you've done been through bro' Man, a brother done been in this rap game for ten years, man I've been from hell and back, you know Frank But what you gon' have to do Is lay it down and lace it up like a shoestring Ok, like this here... [Rappin' 4-Tay] Allow me to take you back down memory lane When a player was so young in this rap game Yeah, if you had a fight you best to knock a sucker out Because moms wouldn't about to let you in the house Yeah, we had to throw em' in the days Didn't have Glock, never seen a twelve gauge Wasn't no banging n' gang affiliated deaths Brother had to go to school in the days to get a rep Always wanted to bust a gang of these raps And be the first player to put Frisco on the map So add this to the list of them hits that be knockin for the new year I'mma vet in this rappin industry, you wet behind the ear Shit, I even caught the San Quinton blues Used to rock that motherfucker every night, I paid my dues Chorus: I talked the talk, but now I'm walking the walk What up, fool! Huh yeah! Yeah! What,what! [Rappin' 4-Tay] Im from the west but I don't ride the saddle Used to do a lot of battle But you money are make your trunk rattle Ever since the solar system, boys clubbing house parties Rap contests at Booker T'S, man it was everybody Snatching it taking it swoop on stuff all the way home Once me and O' hit the jets, man we was gone Up the stairs to the vacabt house, thats we're we prctice at We didn't have a studio so man we had to work with that No reel to reels, no mic, just the radio Paper and oen and I was in, the heart of the ghetto Trying to pursue my dream, trying to make things right I posted up at other people's shows begging to get the mic I was kicking down doors, posted up, like the 49ers All I wanted to do was bust a rap before the headliners They pushed me to the left, I said alright, that's cool Now you call my booking agent, everyday, I paid my dues Chorus: I talked the talk, but now I'm walking the walk What up, fool! Huh yeah! Yeah! What,what! [Rappin' 4-Tay] The difference is you're talking about the game you see I'm living in And all my folks R.I.P, I'LL see you in a minute Before I cut I gots to shock it cause I'm still pissed For my mistakes, court dates and the time I missed A lot of deputies in correctional facilities I kept they ass up all night, but now they feelin me From bangin on the walls and bustin raps off the top ten Bet you never though I be the entertainer of the year But why not, cause I've got, what it takes to represent Crowd could be a hundred thousand, I'm never hesitant Just ask Franky J. to drop me an old school beat Them funky instrumentals kept me of the streets They kept me motivated, I was always underrated I bet my real folks wasn't surprised when I made it Plus I gave them digits back to the parole board So now I'm cool, I'd been paid my dues Chorus: I talked the talk, but now I'm walking the walk What up, fool! Huh yeah! Yeah! What,what!