See I was only 16 such a tender age A young seed leaving my home in search of ghetto fame Mom's begging me to stay, crying but yo I gotta make it on my own now I'm tired of hustling, plus I'm almost full grown now Packed up my bags in now pursuit of my dreams Gave her a kiss then wiped the tears from eyes so that she couldn't see Jumped in the car starring up at the stars Rhyming for hours hoping one day I'm a hear the applause Now I'm 17, still broke loc, no money Holes in my shoes and people laughing cuz my clothes crummy No food to eat so now I'm digging in the trash can Eating left over food from last week in tha bags man I never thought that it could get this hard, pray to God Then I get to stepping, cuz I know that I'm called I told myself I gotta keep the faith living inside, knowing I'll make it one day So I can't just lay down and die, I gotta try man!
Chorus What are these hard streets doing to me Ghetto running through me Thicker than blood, down in the mud Trying to come up, these hard streets do it to me Ghetto running through me Thicker than blood, down in tha mud Trying to come up another day
It's 1991 getting older now Kicked out my crib nowhere to live Wit problems and the world on my shoulders now If I go home mom will think I'm a loser And if I call the homie then he'll think I'm trying to use em So now I'm stuck, sleeping on my managers sofa Even though I know he's ripping me off Trying to play me like a game of poker Congested wit depression I proceed to try and count my blessing like The fact I'm still alive, I could have died on these mean streets Cuz they ain't kind, so many killers and dealers committing horrible crimes Dope fiends, drive-by's, muggers and drug smugglers No one expecting me to make it cuz I'm from the gutter A young G from the streets of killa cal, Where riders pack heat and smoke weed as a juvenile It's all good though, I'm out to prove em all wrong Reach for the stars, and show em one day I'm a be the bomb!
I'm sick of all the heartaches, let downs, broken promises and feeling hopeless I'm tired of being rejected and all the disappointments Feeling like I ain't worth a dime Partners telling me I'm the greatest, but there's no deal to sign Crying, devastated and confused at the same time My mind is telling me to quit and God's saying try My heart is telling me it's over and I'll never rhyme But something's telling me prevail and it will be fine
Bridge See there's always so much drama From tha block or ya babies mama In these streets that's where my peeps be running that game Why ya trying to run me over, like I'm trying to snatch ya corner In these streets gotta get your grind on All day long gotta grind get ya hustle on
