letter to my brudda

Whoa, whoa, whoa

Once you cross that line, it ain't no tryin' to fix it
You want me to forgive you, let's be realistic
I can't kick it with your kind like I tore my meniscus
How you go from co-defendant to a f- witness?

They'll stand on couches with you, but won't stand on business
Whoa
I watched everybody turn on my brother like he ain't have 'em out here flyin' jets and f- b-
This sh- ridiculous

I feel your pain, my brother
I know you from the struggle
I know how hard you hustled just to take care of your mother
I know you took clothes off your back for n- you call brother

I know how hard it get in this jungle, tryna prevail without bein' tried like you no s-
Huh, life's a motherf-, yeah
I know ain't nobody perfect
But what's the point in makin' it out if all they do is cuff ya?

You know, we be comin' from, like, the worst conditions, the worst circumstances
The trenches, the gutter
And sometimes we be forced to make decisions that we don't even wanna make
It be about survival
At the end of the day, we be havin' good hearts
They just be in bad places
I guess that's life, though

Father God, forgive me for my sins
Take the mask off all my enemies that's out here actin' like my friends
Did some sh- I'm prayin' I never gotta do again
I put blood, sweat, and tears inside this win

If I take care of my hood, the prosecutor call me Gotti
Turn my back on the hood, they probably kill me, probably rob me
It's a Catch-22, I'm bein' honest
Hard work, tryna keep the past behind me

I still be havin' flashbacks 'bout Johnny
Fast-forward and the major label signed me
Had to hustle, had to focus, perseverance
Mama used to go to TJ Maxx and shop on clearance

Tayman and CJ, I can still feel they spirits
Skinny and Wanwan used to rap, I know they hear it
It ain't that easy, puttin' pain inside of lyrics
Send this up to Heaven, so they can clear it

Y'all know, like, real street n- gon' feel this sh-
And I don't want n- to get misunderstood
'Cause the rules we live by, don't even matter no more
Just a, just a setback for you to come back
Can't hold a n- down forever
Know what I'm sayin'?
'Til then, we gon' hold this sh- down, straight up