Jay-Z: This Life Forever

Uh-huh
Blackhand Ent.
Roc-a-Fella Records
In association with the streets
The Black Gangster
In conjunction
With everything official
Yeah

I ride throught the ghetto windows down halfway
Halfway out of my mind music on 9, blasting Donny Hathaway
Me and my niggas spending half the day
Plotting, how we gon get this math with out getting balst away
I wake up to the same problems after today
Life is harsh, niggas gotta ?
Right from the start they place me in the ghetto tender age of nine
I tend to mine and to surrender to crime
Wouldnt wish this on nobody like the end of like mine
Ever since i was quite young a nigga been in divine
Had to scratch for every plaque, rap aint even all its cracked up to be
Niggas dont stack up to me
Had to hustle in a world of trouble
trapped in, clostrophobic the only way out was rapping
America dont understand it, the demographics i tapped in
I'm the truest nigga to do this nigga and anything else is foolish
Like those who stay high, under God's grey skies
My lyrics is like Bible, made to save lives
In the midst of all your misery nigga, stay fly
Never let em see you frown, even smile when you down
Shit, i floss on my off-days fuck what they all say
Niggas cant stop me like rumors, i'm too strong
All-day
Socks explode and sweatpants pockets is bulging
Holding it down on the corner with my glock holding
My spot is golden, drop the price on the coke and
Drove the competition out and let the dough flow in
The cops is closing in, i can do the time
But whats really on my mine, is there's no hoes in the pen
I play the low and try and make it hard to find me
Feds still tryna build a case since '93
I told them, i'm retired but they like whatever
You know them pigs dont wanna see you get your life together

[Chorus:]
I'm stuck in this life forever
The more things change the more they stay the same
Who am i to change the game?
You gotta move quick like her-o-in and dope can
The blocks hotter than its ever been

Once again
Hold the gun at eye level, i aint afraid of conflict
I let the nine rip, nigga say "hi" to the devil
I blind with the bezel, i'm in line with the ghetto
What yall nigga afraid of my mind or the metal
Niggas tryna subtract my life, my mathematics is precise
I carry the nine, so fucking with me just aint the answer
I cant lose when i was young i was like Fresh
Poppa raised me to chess moves
And though your gone i'm not bitter you left me prepared
We got divided by the years, but i got it from here
Dont sweat that, sounds bump from Marcy to Lefrak
To that pocket in DC where my man caught his death at
Over my years i've seen Rooks get tooken by the Knight
Lose they Crown by tryna defend a Queen
Checkmate, in 4 moves the Bobby Fischer of rap
??? in a time where we all move
Lets face it either your dough chasin, or basing
Lacing, cops got your face sprung like mason
Careful, any infultration i'm leaving niggas
Leaving more than just information

[Chorus]

Uh
Real shit
The Black Gangsta
Blackhand Ent.
Roc a Fella
Never interrupt this thing of ours
The Black Ganagsa
Jigga
Hova
Roll with me