Grew up in a place where you had to be hard
Childhood scraps in the back of the yard
Bro said beat his ass or I'm a beat yours
Didn't wanna but I knew it was out of street love
He was only trying to make sure I had heart
Ever since a kid always had a good heart
Never start shit but I hit when it start
Got my licks in with some big kids in the park
Never back down from a kid in a fair fight
But I backed down from an older kid one night
Dad seen that and never let me live it down
Wasn't no dad never known to be around
Kind of pussy for a dad lets a pussy raise a man
Love my mom just spittin' them facts
She did it alone had to wear both hats
In a man's world where being a man means tatts
Fuck R&B we bumpin' Snoop Dogg
Fugees, Luni'z, Biggie, Tupac
Goonie's tooleys rule thee boombox
Cause soothing singing's usually too soft
Fellas in the hood ain't trying to doowop
Unless you sing of groupies you got
In a man's world loving a woman is soft
But earth is a woman so woman is rock
I remember when I thought, R&B was fake as hell
Because the singer wasn't really singing to, his girl
But then I realized the feel it creates is real
It's like life's love spell, queen come right here
And let me take them jeans off, please ma
Let's take it to the bed and get our creep on, week long
You know I got a shoulder you can lean on, be strong
Ain't just here for the cutty but the d long
Miseducated misconceptions spreaded like wildfire
To be a man you called a girl a bitch and got loud and riled
Like single parent families don't make up more than half of our homes
Like most of those ain't headed by our mothers no man in the throne
Neo-patriarchal systems visions are so pussy
Oops I meant so dick, cause pussy is so rich
And penis ain't even able to lead it, rape, beat it, shameful
Conceded can't even please it believe it we need you lady
I'm far from righteous I've committed nights just like this
Wilted by guilty conscious filthy promise filled his momma
Treating my sons queen like nothing I killed my honor
I hope he's better to the mother of his son or daughter
I hope he don't project his insecurities upon her
I hope he breaks the cycle and takes the rifle to this fodder
Yeah when it comes to women I hope he's nothing like his father
He needs my growth so I can be a better role model
I remember when I thought, R&B was fake as hell
Because the singer wasn't really singing to, his girl
But then I realized the feel it creates is real
It's like life's love spell, queen come right here
And let me take them jeans off, please ma
Let's take it to the bed and get our creep on, week long
You know I got a shoulder you can lean on, be strong
Ain't just here for the cutty but the d long
It's tough when all the love you've known has always been dysfunctional
Momma gave us whoopings so step-father wouldn't use a board
Never knew a man who'd treat his lady like a beauty queen
Much less a dad who'd treat his babies like they're human being
Exception being seeing Brady Bunch on grandma's TV screen
Reflection eternally escaped the hood Talib Kweli
Absent fathers tearful mothers angry grandmas broken homes
Molding martyrs here for others thickened skin and swollen bones
Mental shots of cortisone to numb the pain depression swole
Vodka shots, a quarter-o, a blunt to flame suppressed the cold
Youngin but the mental's old, finally sobered up the mind
Six years without a high that wasn't naturally inclined
Stopped committing many crimes and started trying to live my life
Now I'm out here getting mine and see the value in a wife
Young attempts to navigate the road map of relationships
Couple slips a few trips but R&B I'm making it
I remember when I thought, R&B was fake as hell
Because the singer wasn't really singing to, his girl
But then I realized the feel it creates is real
It's like life's love spell, queen come right here
And let me take them jeans off, please ma
Let's take it to the bed and get our creep on, week long
You know I got a shoulder you can lean on, be strong
Ain't just here for the cutty but the d long