Brand Nubian: Still Livin' In The Ghetto

(feat. Starr)

Yeah (yeah..)
Yo this goes out (this goes out..)
To all the ghettos around the world (all the ghettos around the world..)
If you strugglin (you strugglin..)
And your surroundings are shitty (surroundings are shitty..)
It's a good chance that's where you live

[Chorus x2: Starr]
Still livin in the ghetto
After all this time, through all the climb
Still livin in the ghetto
Don't let it take your mind
{"raised in the ghetto singin songs called survival"}

[Lord Jamar]
Yo I was born here, my momma was born here
Her momma was born here, my father was born here
And his father was born here, and we all here, livin in fear
My peers are either dead or in prison for years
How many generations, get caught, in a perpetuation
of poverty, robbery becomes a occupation
Look around, it's pure desolation
And desperation, feel the sweat, from the persperation
See it's hot in hell's kitchen, a lot fell victim
Everyday we in a fight, how can we beat the system?
All this time got out mind conditioned
We find solace in religion, Muslim or Christian
We bow down on our knees and hope somebody listenin
But all we promised for narcotics is a drug conviction
Every day is like Russian roulette
It's the next century and we ain't got shit yet y'all

[Chorus]

[Grand Puba]
Uhh, when will it go away, when will there be a day
That we all got paper just to throw away
When will the tables turn, when will the devils burn
When will the time come when seeds be the main concern
A hungry man is a angry man
Gotta freak some type of plan to get some {?} up in the hands
See life is like a hustle and it's colder than a whore's heart
But when you comin from the ghetto that's a rough start
By the time you 12, you know the street life very well
Stuck in hell, neighborhoods are one big holdin cell
The hood life nevertheless been a good life
But should life constantly consist of stress and strife
They don't play us, cause they know we represent peace
And they don't no peace, they want us killin with a piece
Or up North with some grease, with a photograph of some peeps
Just lettin us slug it out, 'til we all become deceased

[Chorus]

[Sadat X]
Jean the dopefiend who keep all her cars clean
And Mr. Mack who smoke cracks on the weekend
That music upstairs is comin from the Puerto Ricans
Arabs sellin guns in the store
Nigerians pump the diesel yo, that's so raw
Cornerbound Dominicans play the block in the daytime
With names like Jose, Plantano, or Reyes
Me and you grow or as a result stay as, a
victim of block day, an hour earlier
he fought with his fists now the nigga layin twisted
Swirlin smoke your girl and coke and guns
The Sherling coat, that you bought for you and your suns
can be replaced, but you could get laced
Oh they hit him in the face, it was awful, terrible for his family
to see him laid like that, said he was comin right back
It was fast, seen the fire, heard the blast

[Chorus x2]