See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
Ayo, the sun still shinin', earth still spinnin'
Poor still grindin', rich still winnin'
Imagine that, another day, another merger
One step further towards takin' this rat race
But, while we make false starts and don't finish it,
They built more Walmarts and small business get swept aside
Like dirt off the floor, headquarters offshore
Young kids off to war, that's if you're poor
Big biz like Juice Crew, honest work doesn't pay like it used to
Man, so we do what we can, shop for bargains
They outsource and expand profit margins
And mark down what they already marked up
And leave town when the heat gets sparked up
So good jobs make the exodus to poor countries where they make even less than us
Nigga, if you was the richest cat, bona fide aristocrat, kicked it with diplomats,
You smile and tip your hat, lyin' an' tit for tat, if you could buy this and that,
You wouldn't switch it back, now would you?
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
Ayo, the rope still swingin', the door still shuttin',
The bell still ringin', kids still cuttin', go figure.
Everyday the gap grows bigger and you wonder why they pullin' those triggers man.
What you expect? It must be a hell of a lot,
Some kids surrounded by drugs, whether they sell 'em or not
But they ain't got brand-new laptop computers and they ain't got the money for a tutor
So they learn geometry by studying angles on every corner,
An' chemistry class is makin' that pot warmer,
So if pop warner doesn't lead to a scholly,
They prolly ain't goin' to college (no)
And now the system really only about preppin' for tests
And they invest more in the schools reppin' the best
Of course poor schools get less with time
And they callin' that No Child Left Behind
But see, schools are still really segregated
And poor people still miseducated
So if one half of black kids live below the poverty line,
Fact is they probably lyin'.
But they ain't losin' no sleep, no toss and turnin'
And keep raisin' that cost of learnin'
I guess it's still crosses burnin',
Watch how they fan them flames, understand them thangs
It's why:
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
Ayo, the bombs still droppin', Snoop still crippin'
Guns still poppin', scales still tippin'
You don't say? See these kids don't play, but they all justified in they own way
Cause if jobs don't pay and schools don't teach
Ain't a whole lot within reach
You either catch a case, catch wreck, catch alley-oops
Catch a ride to the spot where they rally troops
Or you go an' get your own recruits, if you catch my drift
Givin' them fiends that extra lift
So hustlers cook rocks, accountants cook books,
I figure the bigger the crime, the bigger the crook.
Look, this song ain't about crack per se,
It used to be about moonshine back in the day
Now kids smoke M E T H O D, man
So really it's an OG plan
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)
See, gangsters sell crack, kids get held back
Wages fell flat, now if you felt that
Say when (when, when, when)
Say when (when, when, when)